Chapter 1: The Day Everything Went Wrong (Or Right?)
The explosion shook the entire Azure Peak Sect.
Lin Feng stood in the smoldering ruins of what had been, until approximately thirty seconds ago, the Alchemy Hall's main furnace room. His robes were singed, his face covered in soot, and his hair stood up at odd angles like he'd been struck by lightning. Which, considering what had just happened, wasn't far from the truth.
"I followed the recipe exactly," he muttered, staring at his hands. They were still glowing faintly with residual spiritual energy, a soft golden light that pulsed in rhythm with his racing heartbeat.
The recipe in question—Advanced Qi Condensation Pills for Foundation Establishment Cultivators—now existed only as ash scattered across the scorched floor. Along with the furnace. And three walls. And Master Yun's prized collection of spirit herbs that had taken him forty years to gather.
This is bad. This is very, very bad.
Lin Feng's mind raced through possible explanations, excuses, escape routes. He was only at the Qi Gathering realm, seventh stage. Talented, yes—everyone said so. He'd progressed faster than anyone in the outer sect in the last fifty years. But that talent wouldn't save him from Master Yun's wrath when the elderly alchemist discovered his life's work had been transformed into expensive confetti.
"What have you DONE?!"
Too late.
Master Yun appeared in the doorway, or rather, the space where the doorway used to be. The old man's face had gone through several colors in rapid succession—red, purple, something approaching crimson that Lin Feng didn't think human faces were supposed to achieve.
"Master Yun, I can explain—"
"Explain? EXPLAIN?!" The alchemist's voice cracked. "My Thousand-Year Ginseng! My Dragon's Breath Lotus! My—my—" He clutched his chest, swaying.
Lin Feng rushed forward, genuine concern flooding through him. "Master, please, calm down. Your heart—"
"My heart is FINE! It's my LIFE'S WORK that's been obliterated!"
"I really did follow the recipe," Lin Feng said, and he meant it. He'd been so careful, measuring each ingredient precisely, controlling his qi flow exactly as the manual described. "I don't understand what went wrong."
Master Yun's eyes, still wild with anger, suddenly focused on Lin Feng's hands. The glow had faded but hadn't disappeared entirely. The old man's expression shifted from rage to something else. Confusion? Recognition?
"Boy," he said slowly, "what cultivation method do you practice?"
Lin Feng blinked at the unexpected question. "The Azure Sky Breathing Technique. The basic one all outer disciples learn."
"And your spiritual root? What element?"
"The elders tested me when I joined. They said it was... unusual. Something about dual affinity with chaos and order, which apparently contradicts itself, so they just classified me as having a high-grade mixed root and moved on."
Master Yun's face did something complicated. The anger drained away, replaced by what looked like dawning horror mixed with a touch of scientific fascination. "Chaos and order. Together. In one spiritual root."
"Is that... bad?"
"Bad? BAD?!" The volume was back, but this time it carried a different quality. "It's IMPOSSIBLE! And yet—" He gestured at the destruction around them. "This explains everything. You didn't make a mistake with the recipe, boy. Your qi is fundamentally unstable. Chaos and order constantly fighting for dominance. When you channeled it into the furnace, it didn't just heat the ingredients—it created a cascade of conflicting spiritual energies that—"
"Exploded spectacularly?" Lin Feng offered.
"Spectacularly is putting it mildly." Master Yun ran a hand over his face. He suddenly looked very tired. And very old. "The sect leader needs to know about this."
Oh no. Meeting with Sect Leader Shen was not on Lin Feng's agenda for today. Or ever, preferably.
"Is that really necessary? I'll pay for the damages. I'll work it off. I'll—"
"Boy, you're not in trouble." Master Yun's voice had gentled. "Well, you are, but not the kind you think. A spiritual root like yours... it's dangerous. To you, to others. But it's also extraordinarily rare. There are cultivation methods, ancient ones, designed specifically for people like you. The sect leader will know where to find them."
Lin Feng felt something twist in his chest. Hope? Fear? Both?
"People like me," he repeated quietly. "There are others?"
"Were," Master Yun corrected. "Most of them died young. Couldn't control their cultivation, tore themselves apart from the inside. But those who mastered it..." He trailed off, eyes distant. "They became legends."
Died young. Became legends. Great options, really.
"Come," Master Yun said, turning toward where the door used to be. "And try not to touch anything on the way. Your qi is still fluctuating."
Lin Feng followed, very carefully not touching anything. As they walked through the Azure Peak Sect's winding paths, he couldn't help but notice the stares. News traveled fast in the sect. Several outer disciples whispered behind their hands. A few pointed. One girl, who Lin Feng vaguely recognized from the training grounds, looked at him with wide eyes and quickly turned away when their gazes met.
Perfect. Now everyone thinks I'm either incompetent or cursed. Possibly both.
The Azure Peak Sect sprawled across three mountains in the Celestial Province, one of the largest sects in the eastern territories. Elegant pavilions dotted the landscape, connected by stone paths that wound through gardens and training yards. In the distance, Lin Feng could see the Sword Hall where the combat disciples practiced, their blades flashing in the afternoon sun.
He'd always loved this place. Joined at fifteen, after his village's spiritual awakening ceremony revealed he had cultivation potential. Three years later, at eighteen, he'd advanced further than anyone expected. He was supposed to be taking the Foundation Establishment examination next month.
If they don't kick me out first.
The Sect Leader's pavilion sat at the peak of the highest mountain, naturally. Everything in cultivation was about hierarchies, about proving you could literally rise above others. Lin Feng had never been inside before. Outer disciples rarely met the sect leader directly.
The building was beautiful—all dark wood and white paper screens, with a curved roof that seemed to touch the sky. Spirit energy thrummed in the air here, so dense Lin Feng could taste it. His own qi responded, stirring restlessly in his dantian.
Calm down, he thought at it. We've caused enough chaos for one day.
Master Yun led him through the entrance, past guards who barely glanced at them. Clearly, the alchemist was expected. They walked through a corridor lined with paintings of previous sect leaders, stern faces watching from their frames with judgmental eyes.
Finally, they reached an inner chamber. Master Yun knocked.
"Enter." The voice was female, clear and commanding.
Lin Feng's stomach dropped. He'd forgotten. Sect Leader Shen was a woman. More specifically, she was Shen Yurong, the Frost Phoenix, the youngest person to ever reach the Spirit King realm in the sect's thousand-year history. She'd taken over leadership five years ago at age thirty, and the sect had flourished under her guidance.
She was also, according to literally everyone, terrifyingly beautiful and terrifyingly powerful in equal measure.
Master Yun slid the door open, and Lin Feng got his first real look at the Frost Phoenix.
Oh no.
She sat behind a low desk, reviewing scrolls. Her hair was the color of fresh snow, long and straight, flowing over shoulders clad in pure white robes trimmed with silver. Her face was... perfect. There was no other word for it. Elegant features, smooth pale skin, eyes like chips of ice that held depths of power Lin Feng could barely comprehend.
Those eyes lifted to meet his, and he felt his breath catch.
This is it. This is how I die. Not from my unstable cultivation, but from being frozen solid by the scariest woman in the entire province.
"Master Yun," she said, her voice cool and even. "I was wondering when you'd arrive. The explosion was felt across all three peaks."
"My apologies, Sect Leader." Master Yun bowed deeply. Lin Feng hurried to copy him, nearly toppling over in his haste. "I've brought the young man responsible."
"Lin Feng." It wasn't a question. She knew his name. The Sect Leader knew his name. "Stand up straight. Let me look at you."
Lin Feng straightened, trying to ignore the way his heart hammered. Her gaze traveled over him, analytical and cold. He probably looked ridiculous—covered in soot, singed hair, robes torn. Not exactly the image of a promising young cultivator.
"Your spiritual root," she said. "Chaos and order affinity. I reviewed your entry records after the explosion. The elders who tested you noted the anomaly but didn't understand its significance."
"I didn't either, Sect Leader," Lin Feng said honestly. "I still don't, really."
"Ignorance is not an excuse for destroying sect property." Her voice could have frozen fire. "However, it does explain why you've advanced so quickly despite using a basic cultivation method. Your root is drawing on conflicting energies and forcing them into balance. Every breakthrough must feel like walking a tightrope."
How does she—
"It does," he admitted. "Sometimes I feel like I'm being pulled apart and crushed together at the same time."
Something flickered in those icy eyes. Sympathy? No, that was absurd.
"Master Yun is correct that you need a specialized cultivation method," she continued. "The sect has one, locked in the Forbidden Archive. It's called the Heavenly Chaos Sutra. Extremely difficult to practice, extremely dangerous, and extremely powerful when mastered."
"And if I can't master it?"
"Then you'll die." She said it like she was commenting on the weather. "Likely explosively. Possibly taking parts of the sect with you."
Lin Feng swallowed hard. "Those are... honest odds."
"I don't believe in false hope, Lin Feng. You have a choice. Continue with the basic method and hope you don't accidentally kill yourself, or attempt the Heavenly Chaos Sutra and definitely risk killing yourself but gain a chance at true power."
Some choice.
But even as he thought it, Lin Feng knew his answer. He'd always pushed forward, always reached for more. It was why he cultivated faster than others, why he took risks in training that made his fellow disciples shake their heads. Playing it safe had never been in his nature.
"I'll practice the Heavenly Chaos Sutra," he said.
Sect Leader Shen studied him for a long moment. Then, surprisingly, the corner of her mouth quirked up. Not quite a smile, but close.
"Brave. Or foolish. Time will tell which." She rose from behind her desk in one fluid motion, and Lin Feng was struck by how graceful she was. Every movement precise, controlled. "There are conditions. You'll train under my direct supervision. No more unsupervised alchemy experiments."
Master Yun coughed, trying to hide what might have been a laugh.
"You'll also train with Disciple Bai," she continued. "She's my top student, and her discipline might balance out your... chaos."
Great. A babysitter.
"When do I start?" Lin Feng asked.
"Tomorrow at dawn. First Peak, the cultivation caves. Don't be late." She turned back to her desk, and Lin Feng recognized a dismissal when he saw one.
He bowed deeply. "Thank you, Sect Leader."
"Don't thank me yet," she said without looking up. "You might come to regret this decision."
Master Yun led him out, and they walked in silence until they were well away from the pavilion.
"Well," the old alchemist said finally, "that went better than expected."
"Did it?" Lin Feng's mind was spinning. "She basically told me I'm going to die."
"She told you that you might die. That's different. And she's taking personal interest in your training. Do you know how rare that is?"
"I'm guessing very?"
"Extremely. Sect Leader Shen hasn't taken a personal student in three years, not since—" He stopped abruptly.
"Not since what?"
"Never mind. Old sect politics, not relevant." But Master Yun's expression had darkened. "Just... be careful, boy. And not just with your cultivation. There are currents in this sect that run deep. People who won't be happy about you receiving special attention."
Perfect. As if exploding furnaces and unstable qi weren't enough to worry about.
They reached the outer sect disciples' quarters as the sun began to set, painting the sky in shades of orange and purple. Lin Feng's room was small but comfortable—a simple bed, a desk, a window overlooking the valley below. Home for the past three years.
"Get some rest," Master Yun advised. "Tomorrow will be... challenging."
After the alchemist left, Lin Feng sat on his bed and stared at his hands. The glow had finally faded completely, but he could still feel it—the constant push and pull of opposing forces in his dantian. Chaos trying to scatter, order trying to compress. A war fought inside his own body.
Legends or early death. Those are my options.
But beneath the fear, beneath the uncertainty, something else stirred. Excitement. Anticipation.
He'd never wanted to be ordinary. Never wanted a simple, safe cultivation path. And now, whether by luck or disaster, he'd gotten exactly what he'd always craved—a chance to be extraordinary.
Just try not to explode anything else, he thought wryly.
Outside his window, the first stars appeared. Tomorrow, his real cultivation journey would begin. Tomorrow, he'd meet this Disciple Bai and learn what it meant to practice a sutra called Heavenly Chaos.
Tomorrow, everything would change.
Lin Feng lay back on his bed, closed his eyes, and tried to calm his racing thoughts. Sleep would be difficult, he knew. His qi still bubbled restlessly, excited and unstable. Like it knew what was coming.
Like it knew that his ordinary life had just ended, and something far more interesting—and far more dangerous—was about to begin.
Here's hoping I survive it, he thought, and despite everything, found himself smiling.
The moon rose higher, bathing the Azure Peak Sect in silver light. In the distance, night birds called. And in a small room in the outer disciples' quarters, Lin Feng drifted into an uneasy sleep, dreaming of chaos and order, of ice-cold eyes and ancient sutras, of a path that led either to legend or to ruin.
Possibly both.