Azure Spring Sect – Outer Sect Courtyard
The moon hung high, casting a cold glow over the outer sect courtyard. A dozen disciples gathered near the entrance, their eyes filled with mockery and amusement.
Li Zhen stood before the towering gates, a simple cloth bag slung over his shoulder. It contained nothing but a few dry rations and an old, rusted sword.
Before him, Elder Han, the enforcer of the sect's rules, stood with his hands behind his back, his sharp eyes filled with indifference. "Li Zhen, you have been judged unfit for cultivation. From this day forward, you are expelled from the Azure Spring Sect. Do you have any last words?"
Silence.
Li Zhen clenched his fists. Last words? What was there to say?
He had grown up in this sect, trained under its teachings, and now they cast him aside like worthless trash.
Before he could speak, a voice broke the silence.
"He doesn't need last words, Elder Han," Wei Tao sneered, stepping forward. "He should be grateful we're even letting him leave alive."
Laughter erupted from the watching disciples.
Li Zhen turned to face Wei Tao, his childhood rival and one of the sect's most promising disciples. The smug grin on his face made Li Zhen's blood boil, but he didn't let it show.
"I expected you to at least beg," Wei Tao continued, tilting his head mockingly. "Oh, well. Maybe you can entertain the spirit beasts in the Valley of Fallen Stars. I hear they love weaklings."
Li Zhen said nothing.
Seeing no reaction, Wei Tao's expression darkened. He hated how Li Zhen remained calm, even after being cast away.
Xiao Mei, his only friend in the sect, pushed through the crowd. Her eyes were red from crying. "Elder Han, please! This isn't right! Li Zhen trained just as hard as the rest of us!"
"Enough," Elder Han's voice was cold. "The decision is final."
Xiao Mei turned to Li Zhen, desperation in her voice. "You can't go there! No one comes back from that place!"
Li Zhen gave her a small smile. "I'll be fine."
She shook her head, tears streaming down her face. "No, you won't! You—"
"Xiao Mei!" A harsh voice called from the crowd. Elder Fan, her master, stepped forward, his expression stern. "Are you questioning the sect's decision?"
She flinched, stepping back, her hands trembling.
Elder Fan sighed and shook his head. "If you pity him so much, then perhaps you should leave with him."
Her face paled.
Li Zhen's gaze hardened. They were using him to punish her now.
He stepped forward, looking Xiao Mei in the eyes. "Don't say anything else. Stay here. Train hard. Become strong."
She bit her lip, her expression filled with sorrow, but she nodded.
Li Zhen turned back to Elder Han. "I'm ready."
The elder nodded and gestured toward the open gates. "Then go."
Without hesitation, Li Zhen walked forward, passing through the sect's gates.
The moment he stepped out, the gates slammed shut behind him with a deafening clang.
The laughter of the disciples faded.
The sect was behind him.
Ahead lay the Valley of Fallen Stars—his new reality.
---
The Road to Exile
Li Zhen moved through the darkened forest, the only sound being the rustling of leaves.
The Valley of Fallen Stars was three miles away. Most exiled disciples never made it there—they either turned back in desperation or died before reaching the valley.
He would do neither.
His grip tightened on his rusted sword. He had no cultivation, no spirit root, and no one to rely on.
But he had one thing.
He refused to die.
With that thought, he pressed forward—toward the valley, toward the unknown, toward his true beginning.