The courtyard was deathly silent.
Every gaze locked onto Ye Bai, their faces painted with fear, disbelief, and awe. The once-broken young teenage boy they have all cast aside, the cripple they had mocked, now stood before them radiating a dark power that sent shivers down the spine of everyone present.
The black soul mark in him pulsed like a living entity, tendrils of shadow energy curling around his form merely visible to the necked eyes. His tattered clothes fluttered as the sheer force of his awakening rippled through the air.
He had been cast aside.
Humiliated. Mark was a failure, Betrayed and so much more he could count.
But now, power surged through his veins.
The feeling was intoxicating, almost unbearable. His once-crippled dantian, shattered by his own father's decree, now felt limitless. His senses expanded, his strength swelled, and a single thought echoed in his mind.
"This power… It's mine."
A single step forward sent a shockwave through the ground. Dust and debris flew into the air, and the once-proud warriors of the Ye Clan staggered backward, their expressions twisting in panic.
"Impossible…" Qin Ruo whispered, her body trembling as she stared at Ye Bai in horror.
The arrogance in her eyes had vanished, replaced by something unfamiliar—fear.
Ye Bai could hear her heartbeat racing. He could smell the sweat on her skin, the subtle tremor in her fingers. His new senses were unnaturally sharp. It was as if he had been blind his entire life, and only now had the world truly revealed itself to him.
A burst of laughter erupted from the crowd.
It was sharp, cruel.
Ye Bai turned his head, his glowing black irises locking onto a tall figure.
Ye Tian, one of his strongest cousins and a known genius of the Ye Clan, stood there smirking. His arms were crossed, his body language dripping with mockery. Unlike the others, he wasn't afraid.
Instead, his eyes glowed with bloodlust.
"So, the cripple suddenly grew some fangs?" Ye Tian sneered. "Do you think a little trick makes you powerful?" He asked in a mocking voice loud for everyone to hear.
The crowd snapped out of their trance, emboldened by Ye Tian's words.
"He must have stolen some forbidden technique!" Said one of the men among the onlookers.
"Maybe he used some demonic sorcery!" Said another.
"There's no way a cripple like him could suddenly gain power!" Thought an older man.
Ye Tian's words were just what the crowd needed to go back to what they used to be.
The accusations flew in from everywhere, but Ye Bai barely heard them.
His eyes remained fixed on Ye Tian.
A memory flickered in his mind—a memory of pain, of humiliation.
Years ago, Ye Tian had personally crushed his ribs, mocking him in front of the entire family. He had laughed as Ye Bai bled on the ground, unable to fight back.
Now?
Now, Ye Bai felt nothing but clarity.
"Let's see if he's still laughing after this." He thought.
Ye Tian lunged forward, his aura surging.
The ground cracked beneath his feet as he threw a devastating palm strike, aimed directly at Ye Bai's chest. The attack was fast, precise, and deadly—capable of shattering bones instantly.
But Ye Bai… did not move.
Instead, the moment Ye Tian's palm connected, a pulse of black energy erupted from Ye Bai's body. The force rebounded instantly, sending Ye Tian flying backward like a ragdoll.
He slammed his back into a stone pillar, Making him cough out blood.
The crowd gasped in horror.
Ye Bai lowered his gaze to his own hands, his mind reeling. He had not even attacked—his body had reacted on its own.
This power… it was alive.
Ye Tian groaned, struggling to stand. He glared at Ye Bai, rage and fear flickering across his face. "You… what the hell did you do?"
Ye Bai took a slow, measured step forward. "You were saying something about a cripple?" His voice was calm, but every syllable was laced with cold fury.
Ye Tian snarled, wiping the blood from his lips. "You think you're powerful now? Do you think you can stand against the Ye Clan? You're nothing but—"
BOOM!
Ye Bai moved.
One moment, he was standing still. The next, he was in front of Ye Tian, his hand wrapped tightly around his cousin's throat.
Ye Tian's eyes widened in shock. He hadn't even seen him move.
Ye Bai lifted him off the ground, his grip tightening. "You like to look down on others. How does it feel now?"
Ye Tian struggled, his hands clawing at Ye Bai's wrist, but it was useless.
For the first time in his life, Ye Tian felt helpless.
Qin Ruo staggered backward, her face pale. "Ye Bai… Stop this! This isn't you!"
Ye Bai's grip tightened, dark energy crackling around his fingers. The whispers in his mind grew louder.
"Crush him. Show them your strength. Make them fear you."
His pulse pounded in his ears. His blood sang for vengeance.
But then—he hesitated.
A fragment of his old self remained intact and it was trying to fight back.
He glanced down at Ye Tian, who was now gasping for air, his once-arrogant face twisted in fear.
Fear, like never before.
Ye Bai had been drowning in that same fear all his life.
Was this… what true power felt like?
A second passed. Then another.
With a flick of his wrist, he threw Ye Tian to the ground.
The genius of the Ye Clan crashed into the mud, his body convulsing.
Ye Bai exhaled slowly. The whispers in his mind quieted—for now.
The crowd was deathly silent.
No one dared to move.
Even Qin Ruo looked frozen in place.
Ye Bai turned, his black eyes sweeping over the stunned faces in front of him. Then he spoke, "I will say this once." His voice was calm, yet absolute. "I am no longer the cripple you once knew."
The air grew thick with tension.
"From this moment forward…" He turned his back to them, stepping toward the exit of the courtyard. "The Ye Clan is no longer my home."
With those final words, he vanished into the night.