In the world Lin Feng inhabited, power was bound by a single, unyielding law: one cultivator, one Path. Paths were mystical affinities, etched into the spirit of each individual, drawing them toward a specific element or force of nature. A cultivator's destiny was tethered to this Path, the essence of their strength, potential, and growth. It was a cosmic design few could escape, for even the mightiest found their rise limited to the characteristics and strengths of their chosen Path.
Most cultivators fell within one of the basic elemental Paths: Fire, Water, Earth, and Wind. The four foundational elements offered stability and versatility, paths that were dependable if ordinary. Lin Feng, third son of the Starfall Sword Family, had been bestowed with the Path of Fire—a powerful but common path, known for its explosive strength and offensive nature. It lacked the depth and complexity of other rarer paths, paths that could shift the world and the heavens.
Unlike him, Lin Feng's elder brothers were bound to Paths that transcended the ordinary.
His eldest brother, Lin Wei, walked the Star Path, a unique affinity tied to cosmic energies and the family's ancestral signature. The Star Path granted its wielder an unearthly connection to celestial, allowing them to draw on the power of the stars themselves. Lin Wei's aura radiated like a star in the night sky, and his golden destiny shone brightly within the family, marking him as the future head of the Starfall Sword Family. With such an exalted Path, his elder brother's ascent seemed inevitable.
Then there was his second brother, Lin Yang, whose Path was feared and revered in equal measure—the Time Path. This legendary path granted Lin Yang control over the subtle flows of time itself. It was said that those who mastered this Path could freeze the very air, distil the flow of events, or even look into fragments of the future. Lin Yang wielded his Time Path with an unshakable confidence that marked him as a son of heaven along with Lin Wei, a man born with the potential to shape the very destiny of their clan.
And then there was Lin Feng, the third son, tethered to the most common of elemental paths. His family's fortune and legacy burned in his veins, but the power he'd inherited was unremarkable in comparison. Fire Path cultivators were known for their ferocity in battle, their untamed will, but to most, it seemed he had drawn the shortest straw. However, Lin Feng's gaze was unwavering as he looked up at the mountain he would have to climb. He saw his fire as a crucible—a relentless blaze that would forge him into something greater. Let others underestimate him; they would see soon enough that Lin Feng's path, humble though it seemed, would burn brighter than any star.
The hierarchy of power in the cultivation world followed strict boundaries.
Ranks defined one's progression, with Ranks 1 through 5 belonging to the Mortal Realms, the beginning stages of cultivation. Here, even the strongest cultivators were still susceptible to mortality, their lifespans only slightly enhanced by their strength. Lin Feng, at the peak of Rank 2, held impressive strength but was still bound to human limitations. Lin Yang, his second brother, stood at the initial of Rank 3, his strength flowing with the precision of a controlled river. Lin Wei, the eldest son, had just ascended to the middle stage of Rank 3, a testament to his unyielding progress.
Their father, the family's revered head, was a Rank 5 Peak cultivator, standing at the very threshold of immortality. With one final breakthrough, he would ascend to Rank 6, stepping into the Immortal Realms and shedding the chains of mortality forever. It was a place only the greatest warriors could reach, a stage where they held infinite lifespans and power unmatched by the mortal world.
Ranks 6 to 9 belonged to the Immortal Realms, where cultivators became eternal, boundless, and were revered across kingdoms as forces of legend. To ascend through these ranks was to become a part of the heavens, a being untouched by the constraints of time. And yet, even above the Immortal Realms, there were whispered legends of the God Realms, Ranks 10 and beyond, where the very laws of reality bent to a cultivator's will. Within the empire, such god-like beings were rumored to hide among the royal family, ancient and monstrous entities who wielded powers that defied mortal comprehension.
The Starfall Sword Family was fortunate; they had cultivated more than one Immortal in their long history. Lin Feng had heard stories of his ancestors, figures immortalized in stone and song, who had reached ranks unimaginable to ordinary mortals. His lineage had thrived on cultivation, ambition, and an unbreakable will to dominate. But Lin Feng knew that he was alone in his resolve to conquer it all—no matter the cost, no matter the bloodshed.
As he walked down the corridor toward his father's residence, each step echoed against the opulent stonework of the family hall, adorned with ancestral symbols and artifacts that bore the marks of Immortal cultivation. These halls reeked of history, saturated with the aura of countless forebears who had walked their own unique Paths, leaving their indelible marks on the family's legacy. Lin Feng could feel their presence in the walls, a silent reminder of what was expected of him.
His brothers, golden in both path and fortune, might have believed themselves secure in their roles as heirs to this grand legacy. But Lin Feng's eyes, sharp and unyielding, saw through the illusions of security and destiny. His brothers were merely obstacles, gilded idols whose strengths and paths marked them as conquerors. Let them bask in their power, in the hollow satisfaction of being blessed by fate. Lin Feng would rise without such blessings, without the glow of rare paths. He would climb, claw, and burn his way to the top.
As he neared his father's chambers, Lin Feng reflected on his ambitions and his certainty to achieve his objectives through efforts. His family believed they understood him—a third son who dutifully practiced his path and showed respect for his siblings. But it was all a careful mask. Lin Feng had learned that hiding his true nature was the most powerful weapon he possessed. He knew the world was one of survival, and he was willing to do what was necessary to not only survive but to prevail.
The Star Path might have granted his brother celestial energy, and the Time Path might have imbued his other brother with eternity giving control over past, present and future, but Lin Feng had his own creed: he would take what he needed, break what stood in his way, and emerge as the victor, the last flame still burning.
Finally, he arrived at the doors to his father's chambers, heavy oak doors carved with the family's crest. Taking a deep breath, he straightened, his face falling into the mask of the obedient son. He knocked, each tap calculated to signal his presence without haste or eagerness. A summons to his father was a rare occurrence, but he had long anticipated it. Old Liu, his father's retainer, had no doubt delivered his report on the events from the training grounds. Lin Feng had known that would happen. It was another small piece in the larger game he played, another thread woven into his tapestry of ambition.
The door swung open, and he stepped into his father's chambers, bowing respectfully. The Starfall Family head looked up, his sharp gaze sizing up his third son. Lin Feng could feel the immense pressure of his father's cultivation, like the edge of a sword hovering in the air.
"Lin Feng," his father intoned, his voice steady but powerful. "You've been progressing well."
Lin Feng lowered his gaze, feigning humility. "Thank you, Father. I strive to uphold the family's honor."
But beneath that mask, Lin Feng's mind was a blaze of calculation. Each word he spoke, each movement he made, was a step forward, a deliberate choice in his intricate dance of deception and ambition.
As his father's voice echoed in the room, Lin Feng reminded himself that the game had only begun. His father's words, his brothers' power, and the empire's looming immortals—they were all just players on the board. In this world of paths and power, Lin Feng's was a fire that would consume everything in its path, and when the ashes cleared, he alone would be left standing.
They may be sons of heaven, but in the end, I will be the last flame, burning.