The wind over Mount Yun carried the sound of falling stones. High above the clouds stood the broken gates of the Silent Heavens Sect, a once-legendary sect now reduced to little more than crumbling halls and fading banners.
Disciples trained in the courtyard. Spiritual energy flickered in the air as swords sliced through wind. Among them stood a boy who could feel none of it.
Lin Aether.
"Again."
A senior disciple kicked him to the ground. Dust scattered across the stone courtyard. "You can't even gather Qi", the disciple sneered. "Why are you still here?"
Laughter echoed around them. Lin wiped blood from his lip and slowly stood. His body hurt. His pride hurt more.
FIVE YEARS. Five years in the sect. And he was still stuck at Qi Awakening, the lowest stage of cultivation. To cultivators, that was the equivalent of being barely human.
Another disciple spoke. "You're wasting sect resources." "Leave already." Lin said nothing. Instead he picked up his sword. The blade was chipped and old. But he held it firmly. "I'll stay.", he said quietly.
The disciples burst into louder laughter. "You?' "Become a cultivator?" "Impossible."
But Lin simply turned away. He had heard the same words a thousand times. They meant nothing anymore.
Later that night, the mountain was silent. Moonlight fell across the ruined halls of the sect. Lin climbed the stone steps toward an abandoned pavilion. This was where he trained when no one was watching.
He lifted the sword. Breathed slowly. and practiced the same strike. Again. And again. And again. Hours passed. Sweat soaked his clothes. His hands trembled. But he continued.
Then suddenly — The wind stopped. The air grew cold. And a voice spoke behind him.
"You swing that sword like someone chasing death." Lin froze. He turned slowly. Standing in the moonlight was a woman with silver hair. Her body shimmered like mist. Ancient torn robes drifted around her like clouds. Her eyes held centuries of silence.
Lin stared. "...A ghost?" The woman sighed. "I suppose that is the simplest explanation." She looked around the broken pavilion. "To think my sect has fallen this far."
Lin frowned. "What do you mean your sect?" The ghost stepped closer. The air around her trembled with ancient power.
"I am Mei Yue."
Former Grand Elder of the Silent Heavens Sect. And I have been dead..... for EIGHT HUNDRED YEARS.
Lin blinked. "...Right." He slowly backed away. "I must have hit my head earlier."
But the ghost raised a hand. The wind around the mountain suddenly surged. Spiritual energy exploded into the sky. Lightning flickered across distant clouds. Lin felt something for the first time in his life.
Qi.
Flowing everywhere. His eyes widened. "I can.... I can feel it." Mei Yue smiled faintly. "Of course you can." "You always could." She pointed toward his chest. "You were never talentless." "You were sealed."
The words echoed through. Lin's mind. Sealed? "Why?" Mei Yue looked toward the heavens. And for the first time her expression grew serious.
"Because if your power awakens...."
Her voice dropped to a whisper. " The heavens themselves will try to kill you."