Chapter 1: The Fall into Darkness
Cold winds swept through the towering trees of Silent Mist Woods. Winter had wrapped the forest in a suffocating silence. The sky was fading into darkness, and a pale mist crawled between the ancient trunks like wandering spirits.
On a flat gray stone near the edge of a cliff sat a boy.
His name was Li Jian.
His shoulders were slightly hunched, his fists clenched tightly on his knees. His eyes, once bright and full of pride, now carried a faint shimmer of unshed tears. The wind brushed against his black robes, but he did not move. He looked like someone abandoned by fate itself.
For a long time, he simply stared into the abyss before him.
Then—
A sharp cry tore through the forest.
A violent gust of wind descended from above.
Li Jian's eyes snapped upward.
A massive shadow cut across the dim sky.
It was the Black Wind Falcon.
Its wings were like blades slicing through the air. Its feathers shimmered dark blue and black, and its golden eyes locked onto him with terrifying precision. In an instant, it dived.
Li Jian reacted.
He rolled sideways just as the creature's claws shattered the stone where he had been sitting. Rock fragments exploded outward. Without hesitation, he gathered his spiritual energy and struck upward with his palm.
A shockwave burst between them.
The falcon screeched and circled again.
Li Jian's breathing grew heavier. Though he fought back with skill and precision, something about him felt restrained — incomplete.
The falcon attacked again.
Claws tore through the air. Li Jian blocked, countered, stepped back—
But his foot touched empty space.
His body tilted.
For a brief second, his eyes widened.
Then—
He fell.
Down into the depths of Dragonfall Gorge.
The cold wind roared past his ears. The world above shrank into darkness.
Everything went black.
The Memories Begin
Unconscious, Li Jian drifted into a sea of memories.
He saw a village.
A large, ancient village surrounded by walls of stone and guarded gates — prosperous and powerful.
He was born there.
It was known as Starhaven Village.
And within that village stood four great clans — families that controlled its power, influence, and future.
Among them was the Li Clan.
Li Jian… was once its pride.
From the age of eight, he displayed monstrous talent.
While other children struggled to sense spiritual energy, he had already begun refining his body.
At nine years old, he broke through the Fifth Layer of Body Refinement.
At ten, the Seventh Layer.
At twelve… he reached the Ninth Layer of Body Refinement.
The entire village trembled at his name.
"Genius."
"Heaven's chosen."
"The future Young Master of the Li Clan."
Elders praised him. Disciples admired him. Even rival clans watched him cautiously.
He stood at the peak of his generation.
But…
Everything changed.
The moment he reached the Ninth Layer, his cultivation stopped advancing.
Days turned into months.
Months turned into years.
No matter how hard he trained — no matter how much spiritual energy he absorbed — he could not break into the next realm.
It was as if an invisible wall blocked his path.
At first, the clan elders comforted him.
"Breakthroughs take time."
"Don't rush."
But as seasons passed, whispers began.
"Was his talent just temporary?"
"Perhaps he exhausted his potential too early."
"Maybe… he's flawed."
The praise turned into doubt.
The admiration turned into pity.
Even within the Li Clan, some began questioning whether he was still worthy of being called a genius.
The once-proud Young Master slowly became silent.
Cold.
Distant.
And eventually—
Alone.
Back to the Present
Deep within Dragonfall Gorge, Li Jian's unconscious body continued to fall through darkness.
But inside his mind—
The fire had not died.
It was only waiting.
Waiting for something to shatter the chains that bound him.
And perhaps…
The fall into the abyss was not the end—
But the true beginning.