In the spiritual resurgence era, Qingyan City shimmered like a quantum-entangled jewel - skyscrapers draped in formation talismans coexisted with pagodas housing primordial cultivation arrays. Spirit-powered vehicles hummed through neon-lit boulevards while cultivators rode enchanted artifacts, their robes fluttering like sentient clouds. The air thrummed with lingqi so dense it condensed into spectral mists, nourishing both ambition and despair.
Lin Feng moved through this paradox like a ghost. His gaunt frame bore the marks of endless midnight meditation sessions, yet his meridians remained stubbornly dormant. While peers at Azure Mist Dojo channeled lingqi in roaring torrents, his spiritual energy trickled like a dying stream - a cosmic joke that earned him the moniker "Meridian Cripple".
Their laughter still echoed when he found Su Yao at Mirror Lake. Beneath cherry blossoms glowing with residual cultivation energy, his once-beloved stood transformed. "We're done," she declared, her voice colder than a Frostbound Sect elder's stare. "Zhao Yu's Golden Core manifests next mooncycle. What are you? A Foundation Establishment reject?"
The humiliation crystallized when Zhao Yu emerged from a spatial pocket, arm draped possessively around Su Yao. "Know your place, gutter rat," sneered the Zhao Clan heir, sword intent leaking from his sheathed Skycleaver. Their departing figures blurred through Lin Feng's tear-filled eyes as the lake's enchanted koi leapt in mockery.
Drifting through alleys reeking of failed alchemical experiments, he stumbled upon the derelict Jiang Manor - its crumbling walls etched with forgotten barrier runes. As midnight's yin tide peaked, a voice colder than a Soulfreeze Valley winter pierced his consciousness:
Karmic Ascension System Activated
Initial Mission: Locate Elder Wen (Grey Robe, Rune-Carved Staff) in Southwest Bazaar. Reward: 100 Merit Points → Unlock Primordial Vault
His calloused fingers gripped a moss-covered plinth. The System's holographic interfaces materialized - glowing Sanskrit merging with quantum matrices. A vicious grin split Lin Feng's lips. Let Zhao Yu keep his pampered concubine; the Cripple would claim the entire cultivation world.