The day the Heavenly Abyss split open, Qingyang City fell.
Shen Yan was merely a scholar who repaired ancient books. He had no martial prowess and no connections, only an ancestral study and half a crumbling old book.
When the Ruinous Wraiths breached the city, he thought he would die as quietly as countless ordinary people.
But he didn't.
At the brink of life and death, he awakened:
Spirit-Manifesting Heartstage: Using obsession as fuel and emotion as fire, it can perceive all things, conceal his presence, and bear the last wishes of others.
Time Stasis: At the cost of his own existence, he can "borrow" a moment of stillness from the flow of time.
The longer he uses it, the more he owes. When the day comes that he cannot repay his debt, he will vanish from this world forever.
To survive, he must keep these two trump cards hidden.
Inside the academy, an inspector watches him, instructors test him, and a mysterious opponent treats him like a chess piece.
Beyond the walls, Wraith Generals hunt him, Wraith Emperors lurk in disguise, and the depths of the Heavenly Abyss conceal unspeakable truths.
In this apocalypse, those who survive are not necessarily the Awakened.
But the Awakened must survive.
