Tang Wulin and Gu Yehan sat cross-legged in their room, meditating. The air shimmered faintly as the natural energy flowed around them, drawn into their bodies. As cultivators, they absorbed this energy through meditation. When the energy reached its limit within, it needed to be filtered, purified, and refined—only then could it become their own and raise their cultivation.
This process was impossible without a core.
The core was everything. It absorbed, refined, and made energy truly theirs. Without it, energy remained wild—foreign and untamed. It would never stay. And no matter how much one tried to absorb it, without a core, cultivation could never advance.
In Room No. 1, Tang San sat in lotus position.
He wanted to meditate, but the memory of failure and pain gripped him tightly. Every attempt to absorb energy ended the same—with his body trembling, wracked by unbearable pain. Each time he tried, his coreless body was unable to hold or refine the energy, and the suffering grew worse. Even now, his subconscious resisted. His body shook, telling him to stop.
But he didn't.
He closed his eyes and steadied his breath. Slowly, energy from the air was pulled into his body. It flowed down to his dantian.
Nothing.
There was no core.
The energy floated inside for a moment, then rushed back out, untamed. He tried to hold it—control it—but the energy slipped away like water through broken hands. It was temporary, painful, and pointless.
Memories rose from deep inside.
His wrists and ankles were bound by rusted chains. Around him were other children—thin, weak, their small bodies crammed into metal cages. His skin was covered in dirt, just like theirs. None of them were older than five.
Next to him was a girl.
She looked just as starved and frail as the others. Yet she had shared her food with him—half of a crust that was barely enough for one.
Then, chaos.
The entire cage shook violently. Demonic guards shouted, "Someone's here! They've come to take the children! Stop them!"
One guard flung the door open and grabbed a chain. He ran, pulling it with him. The chains were all connected. The children stumbled, fell, and screamed. Some cried softly. Others could not cry at all.
Tang San fell too, but despite the pain—despite the sharp tear of metal against his skin—he shielded the girl beside him, holding her close, making sure she wouldn't be injured.
Then a beam of light pierced through the air and struck the guard. He collapsed without a word.
The light had come from a man—a figure wrapped in glowing energy. With a wave of his hand, more light surged out, snapping the chains apart like twigs. All around them, cages shattered.
The man pointed. "Go that way."
But the children were too young. Confused and panicked, they ran in all directions. Some climbed over each other. Others ran the wrong way. It was chaos.
Tang San was trampled in the mess. Weak and bleeding,his hand got moved by someone walking and the girl he was holding was not in his hand anymore , he searched for the girl. His eyes darted everywhere, but she was gone. Tears rolled down his cheeks, but he couldn't even lift his head.
Suddenly, behind the glowing man, a massive fireball fell from the sky like a burning meteor. The man raised his hand, summoning a radiant shield. The fireball crashed into it with thunderous force. He staggered back.
From the flames stepped a demon in human form.
With a flick of his hand, red energy erupted and wrapped around several children. Then, in a flash, both the demon and the children disappeared.
Tang San blacked out.
When he woke, he was in a human city. The glowing man who had saved them stood nearby, speaking with others. A girl stood next to him—small, beautiful, maybe seven years old, with black hair and golden eyes.
Tang San had no idea why, but he walked up to her and asked, "Where is she?"
The girl blinked. "Who?"
He didn't answer. His eyes searched every child in sight.
But he couldn't find her.
He looked down, silent.
The glowing man turned. "Celetia, let's go home."
She nodded. From that day, she visited the children often. And every time she did, Tang San was there.
The memory faded.
Tang San opened his eyes and walked toward the window. He looked up at the sky, stars faintly twinkling above the academy.
"I don't know who my parents are," he whispered. "I don't even know who I am. But she… she gave me food when she needed it more than I did."
His fists tightened.
"I have to find her. After all… she was the one who gave me my name—Tang San." .