The village of Willow Brook was small, its streets lined with dirt paths and modest wooden houses. It was a place where most people never dared to dream beyond their station. But for Jiang Chen, his parents had a dream—a dream that their son would one day step into the world of cultivation.
"Chen'er, listen to me," his mother said, kneeling beside him as she adjusted his worn-out robe. "The entrance exam for Cloudsky Academy is in a week. Your father and I have saved enough for you to take the test. This is your chance to escape this life."
His father, a man with calloused hands from years of labor, nodded. "You may not have been born into a great clan, but talent isn't always decided by bloodlines. Prove them wrong."
Jiang Chen clenched his fists. He knew what they weren't saying out loud—this was everything they had. If he failed, there would be no second chance.
But the village children, especially those from wealthier families, never let him forget his place.
"Jiang Chen, do you really think a peasant like you can enter a cultivation academy?" sneered Lin Tao, the son of the village chief. "Even if you get in, you'll always be beneath us."
The mockery never ended. Jiang Chen had no powerful clan, no strong bloodline, and worst of all—no awakened Qi. He could only grit his teeth and endure.
The Fall
The day before the exam, Jiang Chen found himself walking home along the mountain path, lost in thought. That's when he heard the laughter.
"Still dreaming, trash?" Lin Tao and his lackeys stood behind him.
Jiang Chen turned, eyes wary. "What do you want?"
Lin Tao smirked. "Just helping you realize reality."
Before Jiang Chen could react, he felt a violent shove against his back. His body lurched forward, and the ground beneath him disappeared.
He was falling.
The world spun as the wind roared in his ears. The jagged rocks below rushed toward him.
This is it…? Is my life really ending like this?
Then—BOOM!
His body plunged into a hidden cavern, shrouded in mist. He coughed, pain flaring through his body, but he was alive. As he struggled to his feet, a faint, golden light pulsed from deeper inside.
Drawn forward, he saw it—an ancient stone tablet, cracked and covered in mysterious inscriptions. A single drop of his blood, spilled from his wounded hand, landed on its surface.
A surge of energy exploded around him. His veins burned, his mind trembled, and an ethereal voice echoed in his head:
"Heaven has cast you aside… but I shall raise you anew."
Jiang Chen's eyes widened as power surged through his broken body.
This… this is just the beginning!
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