ep 2 the girl who felt wrong

Sect, washing the stone paths and towering halls in soft gold. Disciples gathered everywhere—some training with swords, others circulating spiritual energy, their faces full of ambition. For most of them, today was just another step toward power.

For Arjun, it was another day of staying invisible.

He walked quietly along the outer sect path, carrying a wooden bucket filled with water for chores. His steps were calm, his expression blank. Ever since reincarnating, he had decided on one thing only: don’t stand out. In his past life, attention had brought nothing but pain. In this world, it could bring death.

As he passed the herbal garden, the air subtly shifted.

Rows of spirit herbs grew neatly within formation circles, their leaves glowing faintly with spiritual energy. Tending them was a young girl dressed in simple green robes. Her movements were gentle and precise, her eyes focused.

Her name was Mei Ling.

At that exact moment, Mei Ling froze.

The spiritual energy around her rippled unnaturally, as if something vast had disturbed the flow. Her fingers trembled slightly as she lifted her head.

Someone was approaching.

No—something.

Arjun walked past the garden fence, unaware of her gaze. To him, it was just another quiet path.

But to Mei Ling, it felt like standing beside a deep, endless abyss disguised as calm water.

Her breath caught.

“What… was that?” she whispered.

She had always been different. While others judged strength through Spirit Stones and cultivation realms, Mei Ling sensed balance—how spiritual energy moved, where it resisted, where it feared. And right now, the energy around that boy felt wrong. Not chaotic. Not powerful.

Empty.

Yet terrifyingly deep.

Arjun felt a faint chill and frowned. Someone’s looking at me. He quickened his pace, disappearing down the path.

Mei Ling watched him go, her heart beating fast.

Later that day, the outer sect gathered for a routine re-evaluation. It wasn’t important—just a formality to update records. Still, many disciples enjoyed watching the “talentless” ones fail again.

Arjun stood calmly in line.

When his turn came, he stepped forward and placed his hand on the Spirit Stone.

Nothing happened.

No glow. No reaction.

The examiner sighed. “Zero spiritual root. As expected.”

Laughter spread through the crowd.

“Why even bother testing him?”

“He’s hopeless.”

Arjun bowed politely and stepped back. He felt no anger—only a quiet acceptance. At least nothing changed.

But Mei Ling, standing at the edge of the crowd, suddenly felt a sharp pain behind her eyes.

She looked at the Spirit Stone.

For a brief instant—so brief no one else noticed—the stone’s inner light flickered, as if trying to awaken. Then it dimmed violently, like something had rejected it.

Mei Ling’s pupils shrank.

“That wasn’t zero,” she murmured. “It couldn’t measure him.”

Her gaze locked onto Arjun’s back.

High above the sect, within a sealed chamber, Elder Shen Rui abruptly opened his eyes. The formation around him trembled, spiritual threads snapping and reforming.

“That presence again…” he whispered.

He raised his hand, beginning a divination—then stopped.

Cold sweat formed on his forehead.

“No,” he said firmly, dispersing the technique. “If Heaven sealed it, then I should not look.”

For the first time in centuries, fear outweighed curiosity.

That night, the outer sect grew quiet.

Arjun lay on his bed, staring at the ceiling. He replayed the day in his mind—the test, the laughter, the strange feeling near the herbal garden.

“I should be more careful,” he muttered. “Someone noticed me.”

As he drifted into sleep, spiritual energy from the surrounding mountains flowed silently toward him, disappearing into his body without resistance.

Outside, Mei Ling stood beneath the moonlight, looking toward Arjun’s quarters.

“I don’t know what you are,” she whispered softly, “but you don’t belong among ‘zero talent’.”

Far above the clouds, unseen seals tightened once more.