Ling Xiao stood at the edge of the **Forbidden Forest**, his breath slow and steady, his heart beating in sync with the rhythm of the power coursing through him. The air around him felt **charged**, like the calm before a storm. The night seemed heavier somehow, as though the very fabric of the world was holding its breath.
He could feel it—the energy. The Boundless Meridian. The connection to the universe itself. It was not just power, it was the essence of existence. It was life and death, light and dark, and it was now his to command.
The pain from his awakening still lingered in his bones, but it was a familiar ache now, one that reminded him of the price he had paid for his transformation. No longer was he the cursed child. No longer was he the one who had been abandoned by his family. He had found his path, and it would not be defined by the expectations of others.
He turned away from the forest, his eyes focused on the distant lights of the Ling estate. It was time to return, not as the weakling he had been, but as something more. As someone who had risen above the limitations that had once bound him. He had power now true, unshackled power and no one would be able to stop him from achieving his goals.
As he walked through the gates of the estate, the sounds of the night faded into the distance. The familiar sights of his childhood the stone walls, the old trees in the courtyard, the narrow hallways of the house felt strangely foreign now. He had outgrown this place, outgrown the life that had been forced upon him.
At the foot of the stairs leading to the main house stood his mother, Ling Mei. She had always been gentle, always loving, but tonight, as she gazed upon him, there was a shadow of unease in her eyes. She had always been hopeful for him, always believing he could overcome the odds. But now, seeing the determination in his eyes, there was a quiet fear there too. She could sense something was different about him.
"Ling Xiao," she said softly, her voice filled with concern. "Where have you been? Your father... he's waiting for you."
Ling Xiao didn't answer right away. He simply stood there, taking in the sight of her. She had aged, her features softened by time and worry. He had once cared for her deeply, but now… now he felt no more attachment to her than to any other stranger in the world. She had tried to protect him, to shield him from the harshness of the world, but the world had never shielded him. It had only ever rejected him.
"I've found what I was looking for, Mother," he said coldly. His voice had changed hardened. The softness, the doubt that had once defined him, was gone. In its place was certainty. Absolute certainty.
Ling Mei flinched at the coldness in his words, but she didn't speak. She simply stared at him, as though trying to reach the boy she had once known, the son she had raised.
Ling Xiao's gaze shifted past her to the open doorway of the house. His father, Ling Feng, appeared, his tall figure looming in the shadows of the threshold. His eyes locked onto Ling Xiao, and a faint, disappointed sigh escaped his lips.
"You're late," Ling Feng said, his voice thick with anger. "Do you even care about this family anymore? Where were you? What did you do?"
Ling Xiao's expression didn't change. He took a step forward, his voice low but firm. "It doesn't matter anymore, Father. I've made my decision. I'm done with the family, with your legacy, with all of it."
Ling Feng's brow furrowed. "What are you talking about, boy? I've given everything for you. I've spent years trying to make something of you, and this is how you repay me? With disrespect?"
"I don't need your approval anymore," Ling Xiao said flatly. "I've learned enough."
There was a brief, pregnant silence between them. Ling Feng's eyes narrowed. "You think you can just walk away? Do you think you'll find success on your own? Without the family's support? Without your father's guidance?"
Ling Xiao tilted his head slightly, his violet eyes glowing faintly in the dim light. His heart didn't race. His pulse didn't quicken. He was calm, unflinching, as he looked at the man who had once been his father the man who had broken him down, only to expect him to rise again according to his demands.
"I don't need your guidance," Ling Xiao said, his voice steady. "I never did. I've learned to stand on my own. You were always too blind to see that."
Ling Feng's lips curled in anger, and for a moment, it seemed as though he might strike out at Ling Xiao. But the anger in his eyes quickly turned to something else fear. Fear of something he couldn't understand. Something he couldn't control.
"You're nothing," Ling Feng spat. "You will always be nothing. You are a failure, a disgrace to our family name. No matter what you do, you'll never be a cultivator. You'll never amount to anything."
Ling Xiao's gaze hardened, his expression turning cold. "You were wrong," he said quietly.
Before Ling Feng could react, Ling Xiao's energy flared. The air around him seemed to crackle, a subtle pressure building in the space between them. The ground beneath his feet seemed to shift as though the world itself was reacting to the raw power Ling Xiao had just unleashed. His father stumbled backward, eyes wide with shock.
"I am not a failure," Ling Xiao continued, his voice now a mere whisper. But it carried the weight of something monumental. "And now… you will see just how wrong you were."
With a single, swift motion, Ling Xiao reached out. The force of his will surged forward like an invisible wave, a pressure so strong it knocked his father back, sending him sprawling to the ground. There was no explosion of sound, no dramatic show of force. It was simply the raw energy of will made manifest.
Ling Feng gasped for breath, his chest heaving as he looked up at his son, his face pale, a look of disbelief and confusion twisting his features.
"Y-you…" Ling Feng's voice trembled. "What have you done…"
Ling Xiao stood over him, his face impassive, his heart cold. For a moment, he watched his father with a mixture of indifference and finality. This was the moment he had been waiting for—the moment when the world, and everyone in it, would know that Ling Xiao was no longer the helpless child. He was something more. Something that could not be held back.
"I've freed myself from your chains," Ling Xiao said, his voice devoid of emotion. "And I will rise. Not as you wish, but as I will."
Ling Feng's body trembled, his eyes filled with realization. His son—his flesh and blood—was no longer the same. The boy he had tried to shape, to mold into his own image, was gone. In his place stood something far more dangerous.
Ling Xiao turned and walked away, his steps silent and purposeful. He had made his choice. The path before him was dark, but it was his own. And he would follow it, no matter where it led.
End of Chapter 2
Chapter 2, Ling Xiao confronts his father with the new power granted by the Boundless Meridian, but instead of a violent outburst, the focus is on his psychological transformation. The power is manifested subtly, showing Ling Xiao's internal mastery over the energy, which leads to the emotional and physical breakdown of his father. Ling Feng's realization that his son has changed and his inability to control or understand this new power marks the end of their relationship and the beginning of Ling Xiao's journey on a path that will eventually lead him to greatness.
If you'd like more chapters, I can continue to build the story step by step, expanding on Ling Xiao's journey, his growing power, and the world he seeks to reshape.