The biting wind whipped through the skeletal branches of the deadwood forest, a mournful dirge echoing the despair in Jian's heart. His patched robes offered little protection against the chill, and his stomach growled with a familiar pang. He huddled deeper into the meager shelter of a gnarled, petrified root, his gaze fixed on the flickering embers of his small fire.

He was a disciple of the Azure Dawn Sect, or rather, what was left of it. Once a respected institution, the sect had dwindled over the years, its resources depleted, its elders weakened, and its disciples… well, Jian was a prime example. Considered bottom-of-the-barrel, he was relegated to menial tasks, often the target of scorn and bullying from his more "talented" peers.

Today's task had been particularly humiliating: collecting Firethorn berries from the deadwood forest. A task usually assigned to the newest, greenest recruits. The berries, used in concocting a low-grade Qi Condensation pill, were scarce this year, and even the smallest amount was precious. Jian had managed to gather a handful, his fingers raw and bleeding from the thorny bushes. But on his way back, a group of disciples, led by the arrogant and powerful Li Wei, had ambushed him.

"Look what we have here," Li Wei sneered, his face contorted in a cruel smile. He was a head taller than Jian, his physique honed by years of dedicated cultivation. "The little berry picker. Did you actually manage to find any?"

Jian had clutched his meager collection tighter, his heart pounding in his chest. He knew resistance was futile. Li Wei was at the peak of the first stage of Qi Condensation, while Jian… Jian was still struggling to even feel the flow of Qi within his meridians. He was, in the eyes of the cultivation world, utterly talentless.

"Please, Senior Brother Li," Jian had pleaded, his voice barely a whisper. "These are for the sect."

Li Wei had laughed, a harsh, grating sound. "The sect? Don't be ridiculous. You think anyone cares about your measly berries? Now, hand them over. And maybe, just maybe, I'll let you off with a warning."

Jian had hesitated, just for a moment. It was that hesitation that had sealed his fate. Li Wei, feigning impatience, had lashed out with a swift kick, sending Jian sprawling. The berries scattered across the forest floor, rolling into the dust and dead leaves. Li Wei and his cronies had then proceeded to… well, Jian preferred not to dwell on the details. He had been left bruised, battered, and berryl-less.

Now, huddled by his dying fire, Jian felt a familiar wave of despair wash over him. He was weak, he was useless, and he was alone. He looked up at the star-strewn sky, a vast, indifferent expanse that seemed to mock his insignificance.

Suddenly, a faint tingling sensation began to spread through his body, starting from the center of his chest. It was a warmth, a gentle pulse that seemed to resonate with the quiet hum of the universe. Jian frowned, confused. He had never felt anything like this before.

He instinctively reached for his chest, his fingers brushing against a small, smooth stone he always carried with him. It was a memento from his late mother, a seemingly ordinary stone she had found by the Whispering River. As his fingers touched the stone, the tingling sensation intensified, spreading like wildfire through his veins.

A wave of dizziness washed over him, and he gasped, his vision blurring. He felt a strange pull, as if something was trying to draw him inwards, into the very core of his being. Then, just as suddenly as it had begun, the sensation subsided. Jian blinked, his vision slowly returning to normal.

But something had changed. The world around him seemed… clearer, sharper. He could hear the rustling of leaves, the chirping of crickets, the whisper of the wind with an almost preternatural clarity. And within him, he felt… something. A faint flicker of energy, a tiny spark of power that he had never felt before.

He closed his eyes, focusing inwards. He could feel it now, a small, swirling vortex of energy in his dantian, the energy center below his navel. It was faint, almost imperceptible, but it was there. And as he focused on it, he felt a strange sense of… familiarity. As if this tiny spark had always been a part of him, waiting to be awakened.

A whisper echoed in his mind, a voice that was both alien and intimately familiar. "Awakening…"

Jian's eyes snapped open. He didn't understand what was happening, but he knew, with a certainty that defied logic, that his life had just changed forever. The whispers of the void had begun.