Star Emperor

The cold wind of the back mountain bit at your skin, but the chill in your heart was far deeper.

Kneeling before the newly built cenotaph, the shouts of the Lingxu Sect disciples echoed in your ears, each word a hammer blow against your already fragile spirit. "Mo Yang, you caused the death of the Fourth Elder!"

Ten years. Ten years of being unable to break through, ten years of being called trash, ten years of relying on your master's protection, only for him to die seeking a legendary herb for your sake. And now, with the Wood Peak merging and no one left to defend you, you were being cast out.

As the last of the disciples dispersed, leaving you alone with the overgrown weeds and the mournful wind, the weight of your loss and uncertain future settled heavily upon you. Where could you go? What could you do?

Yet, as you sat in silent despair, a strange sensation erupted within you. A crisp cracking sound from your dantian, a place meant to be unlocked only in higher realms, and then a torrent of Qi, vast and powerful, flooded your meridians. This wasn't the fleeting Qi of the past; it was real, potent, and accompanied by a mysterious force you'd never felt before. You found yourself in a bizarre, ruined space with a blurry figure who spoke of 'seals' and 'the power of defiance' before dissolving into light, leaving behind a stone pagoda in your dantian.

The cultivation you'd sought for a decade was suddenly yours, propelling you through realms in an instant. But with this power came new dangers, as the Lingxu Sect elders and disciples quickly learned of your transformation, their contempt turning to suspicion and hostility.