The world was called Qingyun Continent.
It was a cruel but simple world.
Here, strength decided everything.
If you were strong, people respected you. They spoke politely, smiled when they saw you, and never dared to offend you. If you were weak, people ignored you. And if you were too weak, people stepped on you without hesitation.
Strength came from cultivation.
Cultivation meant absorbing spiritual energy from heaven and earth into the body. With cultivation, a person could lift heavy stones, move faster than ordinary people, heal from injuries quickly, and even live longer than normal humans.
But cultivation was unfair.
Not everyone could cultivate.
To cultivate, a person needed something called a spiritual root. Without it, spiritual energy would never respond. No matter how hard someone tried, they would always remain a mortal.
In Qingyun Continent, mortals were not protected.
They were disposable.
The night sky was dark and heavy.
Rain poured down endlessly, soaking the land as thunder rolled across the heavens. Each thunderclap sounded like an angry roar, echoing through the mountains and forests.
At the edge of Qingyun City stood a dangerous place known as Falling Stone Mountain.
The mountain was steep and uneven. Its cliffs were sharp, and broken rocks covered the ground below. Many people said that even cultivators avoided this place unless they had no choice.
Tonight, several figures stood at the top of the mountain.
Their robes were dry. Their expressions were cold.
And between them stood a young man.
Before the young man could say anything, a strong force struck his back.
His body flew forward.
Then—
He fell.
The wind screamed past his ears.
Lin Yuan felt his body spin uncontrollably as rocks rushed toward him. Pain exploded through his limbs as his body struck the cliff again and again. Each impact felt like being smashed by a hammer.
Crack.
He felt a bone break.
Crack.
Another sharp pain shot through his chest.
Blood sprayed from his mouth as his vision blurred. His mind became dizzy, but he was still awake. He could still feel everything.
That made it worse.
Finally, his body slammed into the ground at the bottom of the mountain.
The sound was dull and heavy.
Then everything went quiet.
Rain continued to fall, soaking his clothes and washing blood into the soil.
Lin Yuan did not move.
His name was Lin Yuan.
He was eighteen years old.
Even lying in the mud, his face still looked calm in a strange way. His eyebrows were straight, his features sharp, and his expression stubborn, as if he refused to accept defeat even while dying.
Lin Yuan was supposed to be dead.
The people who pushed him down the mountain believed that completely.
After all, he was only a mortal.
And mortals did not survive Falling Stone Mountain.
Lin Yuan's Past
Lin Yuan was born into the Lin Family, a small cultivation family in Qingyun City.
When he was young, his life had been peaceful.
Every morning, he woke up early and practiced breathing exercises in the courtyard. He followed the elders' instructions carefully, even though he did not fully understand them. He believed that as long as he worked hard, he would become a cultivator one day.
His father, Lin Zhenhai, was a quiet and upright man. He was not very strong, but he was respected within the clan. His mother was gentle and soft-spoken, often reminding Lin Yuan not to give up when he struggled.
Back then, Lin Yuan believed his future was clear.
He believed he would cultivate.
That belief shattered when he turned ten years old.
On the day of the spiritual root test, all the children of the Lin Family gathered in the main courtyard. A large stone stood in the center. One by one, children placed their hands on it.
When the stone glowed, elders nodded in satisfaction.
When it was Lin Yuan's turn, he stepped forward confidently.
He placed his hands on the stone.
Nothing happened.
The stone remained dark.
The elders frowned and tested again.
Still nothing.
Lin Yuan had no spiritual root.
Silence filled the courtyard.
From that moment on, his life changed.
People stopped calling him "Young Master."
The smiles disappeared.
Resources meant for him were taken away. His training stopped. Other children laughed at him openly, calling him useless and trash.
His father tried to protect him, but the pressure from the clan became heavier each day. Whispers spread. Complaints grew louder.
Two years later, Lin Yuan's father died during a beast-hunting mission.
The clan said it was an accident.
Lin Yuan knew better.
After that, his mother disappeared without any explanation.
No one searched for her.
No one cared.
By the time Lin Yuan turned eighteen, he had become a burden the Lin Family no longer wanted.
So they chose the easiest solution.
They threw him away.
Rain soaked into Lin Yuan's body.
Cold spread through his chest and limbs.
He could barely feel his fingers anymore.
His breathing grew weaker.
"Is this really how I die?" he thought faintly.
He felt anger.
He felt sadness.
But more than anything, he felt unwilling.
He had done nothing wrong.
Yet the world had decided he did not deserve to live.
His heartbeat slowed.
Darkness slowly swallowed his mind.
Then—
A strange sound echoed inside his head.
It was not thunder.
It was not rain.
It was clear and calm.
[DING]
Lin Yuan's fading consciousness trembled.
A warm light appeared in the darkness.
[Supreme Ten-Thousandfold Amplification System detected]
[Host identified: Lin Yuan]
[Condition: Near Death]
[System binding initiated]
Lin Yuan did not understand what the words meant.
But his body suddenly felt warm.
The sharp pain in his chest weakened.
The unbearable pain from his broken bones slowly faded.
His heartbeat grew stronger.
[System binding successful]
[Core Ability unlocked: Ten-Thousandfold Amplification]
[Effect: All cultivation-related gains increased by 10,000 times]
His breathing stabilized.
The cold disappeared.
Inside his body, something began to change.
Broken bones slowly moved back into place. Torn muscles reconnected. Blood flowed smoothly again. It was painful, but it was not deadly.
It felt like his body was being rebuilt.
Lin Yuan suddenly gasped and opened his eyes.
Rain was still falling.
Thunder still roared.
But he was alive.
"Am I… still alive?" Lin Yuan whispered weakly.
A translucent panel appeared before his eyes.
[Host: Lin Yuan]
[Age: 18]
[Status: Mortal]
[Cultivation: None]
[Available Cultivation Paths:]
[Qi Cultivation]
[Body Cultivation]
[Soul Cultivation]
[Alchemy]
[Weapon Refining]
[Formation Dao]
[Talisman Dao]
Lin Yuan stared at the panel.
His heart beat faster.
He did not understand everything, but one thing was clear.
This was his chance.
[Recommended Action:]
[Begin Body Cultivation]
[Reason: Body too weak to hold Qi]
Lin Yuan clenched his fists.
Rain washed over his face, mixing with dirt and blood.
"If the world wants me dead," he said quietly, "then I'll live."
"I'll become strong."
"So strong that no one can ever throw me away again."