In Azure Mist Province, talent decided fate.
On the day of Spirit Awakening, thousands gathered in the Li Clan courtyard. Elders in long azure robes stood beside the Spirit Measuring Stone, their expressions solemn.
Fifteen-year-old Li Tianyuan stepped forward.
He had ordinary features. Calm eyes. Too calm.
The stone pulsed when touched.
White light.
Then dimmed.
Then flickered strangely.
The elders frowned.
A second elder stepped forward, pressing his palm against the stone.
The result stabilized.
The courtyard fell silent.
"Defective Spirit Root."
Whispers spread instantly.
"A cripple."
"Trash."
"Useless."
His cousin Li Ming laughed openly. "Brother Tianyuan, perhaps farming suits you better."
His father lowered his head in humiliation.
But Li Tianyuan did not react.
Because at the moment he touched the stone—
He heard something.
A whisper that did not belong to this world.
"Found you."
And for a brief second…
The sky cracked.
Only he saw it.
A thin black fracture stretching across the heavens like broken porcelain.
Then it disappeared.
That night, he dreamed.
He stood on a golden staircase that pierced the clouds.
Before him stood colossal figures made of light.
Cold.
Indifferent.
A voice boomed:
"Li Tianyuan. Unauthorized existence. Execution approved."
A spear descended.
Pierced his chest.
He felt death.
Real death.
He woke up gasping.
But something remained in his chest.
A cold ember.