Azure Wind City basked in the early morning sunlight, yet the outer courtyard of the Li Family mansion was filled with whispers that carried an unmistakable sting. "Still zero at sixteen years old?" "He really is trash." "Why did the Patriarch even bring him back?"
Li Yunxiao, standing at the edge of the crowd, did not raise his head. The murmurs, the laughter, the contempt—all of it had become background noise to him over the years. His gaze remained fixed on the worn stone tiles beneath his feet. Sixteen years ago, he had been found at the gates of Azure Wind City, wrapped in tattered cloth, barely breathing. No one knew his origin, and for a brief moment, some had believed he was a hidden genius left to fate. But the years had proven otherwise.
The Li Family cultivated the Azure Wind Profound Art, a basic foundational technique, suitable for most mortal families. Even children younger than him had reached the first layer of the Profound Sky Realm, a milestone Li Yunxiao had not even glimpsed. "Profound strength test… zero."
The elder's cold voice cut through the courtyard. The words landed on him like a hammer. He did not flinch; he had heard them a thousand times before.
Li Yunxiao's hands were calloused from chores he performed daily: chopping wood, carrying water, and cleaning the courtyards while others refined their bodies in the sacred halls of the family. He had learned long ago that survival came before pride. Strength was the only language that mattered in this world. As he bowed to pick up a fallen stone for practice, his thoughts wandered. The other disciples had their veins flowing with profound energy. Their breathing synchronized with their bodies, their movements fluid and precise. Li Yunxiao had nothing. Not even the faintest sensation of power.
Yet… there was something unusual about him that no one noticed. Though he had failed to awaken even the first layer of his profound veins, his body healed at an astonishing rate. Cuts and bruises disappeared overnight. Muscles and bones mended with unnatural speed. It was as if the body itself refused to fail completely, keeping him alive for some purpose even he did not understand.
He had no master. He had no memories of his parents, no dreams of power or glory. He only had the daily grind, the humiliation, and the relentless hope that someday—somehow—he could walk the path of the cultivator.
Li Yunxiao turned and walked away, his steps slow and measured. His heart was a storm of frustration and resentment, but on the outside, he remained calm. This had become routine—painful, but routine. Each day, he trained harder than anyone. Each day, he pushed his body to its limits. He ran until his legs buckled beneath him, meditated until his mind nearly shattered from the strain, and spent hours perfecting the Azure Wind Profound Art. But despite all his efforts, nothing changed.
His progress had stagnated. The Li Family had long since written him off as useless, yet they still allowed him to stay in the family, his presence barely tolerated. He was an adopted son—one who could never live up to the family's expectations.
He climbed the stone stairs of the mansion, feeling the weight of the Profound Energy that his body was so foreign to. It was a strange sensation, like a distant echo, just beyond his reach. It was as if something was locked deep inside him, waiting for the right moment to awaken.
That night, as the moon hung low in the sky, casting pale light over the mansion, Li Yunxiao found himself alone in the training field again. His body ached from the day's practice, but the urge to continue was too strong to ignore. Tonight, something felt different.
The air was still, as though even the heavens were holding their breath. Li Yunxiao stood in the center of the field, closing his eyes as he began to focus. He felt the faint stirring of energy within him—small, imperceptible, but real. His breath slowed, his mind cleared. This wasn't like before. This time, the energy wasn't repelling him. Instead, it seemed to be coaxing him, guiding him. His profound veins, long dormant, felt as though they were finally waking, stretching and expanding.
He focused more intently, directing the energy to his profound veins, the pathways that were supposed to allow him to circulate Profound Energy. The energy twisted and turned within him, refusing to settle, constantly slipping away from his grasp. It felt like trying to hold onto water with cupped hands, the liquid flowing out no matter how hard he tried. But he refused to give up.
Pain. Pain was the price of cultivation, and Li Yunxiao felt it now, sharp and unrelenting. His chest tightened as the energy surged, pushing through his veins with increasing force. Sweat beaded on his forehead, his breathing shallow as the energy threatened to overwhelm him. His body shook, but he refused to stop.
The energy flowed through him like fire, searing his insides, making every muscle and bone burn with intensity. He gritted his teeth, trying to maintain control, but the energy was wild and untamed, pushing him to his limits. It was like being trapped in a storm, the winds howling around him, tearing at his very being.
"Not yet… I won't give up," he thought, his mind screaming for him to stay strong.
The pain intensified, and for a moment, Li Yunxiao thought he might collapse. But just as his vision began to fade, a sudden clarity broke through the pain. It wasn't perfect. It wasn't clean. But it was there. A pulse of Profound Energy surged through his veins, flooding his body with power. His skin tingled as the energy settled into place. The first layer of the Profound Sky Realm had been unlocked.
He collapsed to the ground, his hands trembling as he gasped for air. His body ached, every muscle sore from the strain. His heart pounded in his chest, and his veins felt as though they were on fire.
He had done it. For the first time in his life, he had entered the Profound Sky Realm. But the victory was not without cost. His profound veins, fragile and weak, had barely withstood the strain. The energy that had flowed so freely moments ago now seemed to ebb, leaving him with an overwhelming sense of fatigue. His body was not yet ready for this power, and it would take time for him to stabilize the flow of energy within him.
His eyes shifted to the east, where the first light of dawn was breaking through the trees. This was only the beginning.
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