Long ago, in the ancient history of the Starry River Planet, a terrifying Demon suddenly appeared from an unknown place.
The day the Demon descended, the skies turned dark. Black clouds covered the heavens, wild storms swept across the lands, and a suffocating aura spread throughout the entire world.
Every living being felt fear.
The Demon's aura was so horrifying that countless weaker cultivators died instantly the moment they came close to it. Their flesh shattered into blood mist, their bones crumbled into dust, and even their souls seemed to be devoured by the Demon's terrifying presence.
It felt as though the end of the world had arrived.
No one on the Starry River Planet could stop it.
At that time, the strongest powers on the planet were the four great clans.
The Bing Clan.
The Xian Clan.
The Liu Clan.
And the Tian Clan.
The experts of all four clans joined forces together, yet even they were unable to suppress the Demon completely.
Fortunately, the Demon had already been gravely injured before arriving on the Starry River Planet. Otherwise, the entire planet would have become its food long ago.
Finally, after gathering nearly all the resources of the four great clans, the ancestors of the Tian Clan created a massive sealing formation known as the Greater Heaven Fortifying Formation.
After a bitter battle, they sealed the Demon deep beneath the Lunar Jade River that flowed below Heavenly Path City.
Even then—
Millions of mortals and cultivators had already died.
The fear caused by the Demon became engraved deeply into the hearts of all future generations.
And from that day onward—
The Starry River Planet entered an age of cultivation.
Countless sects, clans, and martial powers rose throughout the world. Resources were poured endlessly into younger generations so that the tragedy of the Demon's appearance would never happen again.
Cultivation became everything.
Strength became survival.
Only the strong had the right to decide their own fate.
------
The path of cultivation was divided into many realms.
The first realm was known as the Qi Conjunction Realm.
This was the beginning of true cultivation.
At this stage, cultivators learned how to absorb spiritual Qi from heaven and earth into their bodies and merge it with their flesh, blood, organs, and meridians.
The Qi Conjunction Realm was divided into four stages.
Early Stage.
Middle Stage.
Late Stage.
Peak Stage.
After breaking through the Qi Conjunction Realm, a cultivator would enter the Spirit Foundation Realm.
At this realm, the cultivator's spiritual foundation became stable and powerful. Their Qi reserves increased greatly, their divine sense expanded, and they gained the ability to use stronger spiritual techniques and weapons.
Beyond Spirit Foundation was the Core Formation Realm.
At this stage, cultivators condensed all of their spiritual power into a true Spiritual Core within their dantian.
Core Formation experts were considered true powerhouses capable of ruling cities and sects.
Above that were even greater realms.
And each realm was more terrifying than the last.
However, for ordinary people—
Even reaching the Qi Conjunction Realm was already considered a dream.
-----
Nine thousand five hundred years after the Demon invasion.
Present day.
Mylan Village rested quietly between endless green mountains and deep valleys. Small rivers flowed peacefully through the village while gentle winds carried the scent of trees and fresh grass through the air.
Dozens of houses stood scattered around the village. Children happily ran through the pathways while adults worked throughout the day carrying out their usual duties.
Inside this peaceful village lived a young boy named Fang Lin.
Fang Lin looked around twelve years old. He possessed handsome features, bright black eyes, and a lively personality. He often helped the older villagers with their work and always greeted everyone warmly whenever he walked through the village.
Most people in Mylan Village liked him very much.
Fang Lin lived together with a man called Uncle Wei.
Uncle Wei was a sculptor who made beautiful stone sculptures and sold them for silver. Although he appeared to be an ordinary man around forty years old, the sculptures he created always carried an extraordinary feeling.
Anyone who looked at his work would feel amazed.
Even merchants from the Green County regularly traveled to Mylan Village every month just to purchase Uncle Wei's sculptures.
Because of this, even the village head, Ma Liang, treated Uncle Wei with great respect.
However, despite living peacefully, Fang Lin always carried one question deep inside his heart.
Who were his parents?
He had asked Uncle Wei many times before.
Yet every time—
Uncle Wei only gave the same answer.
"It is not time yet."
-------
The morning sunlight slowly entered through the gaps of the wooden roof inside their house.
Fang Lin walked toward Uncle Wei's workshop quietly.
The moment he entered, he saw Uncle Wei carefully sculpting a large three-headed lizard statue from black stone.
Uncle Wei's movements were calm and steady. The small carving knife in his hand moved precisely across the stone as pieces slowly fell to the ground.
Fang Lin quietly watched from nearby.
Whenever Uncle Wei sculpted, he always seemed different.
Calmer.
Lonelier.
Almost as though he was remembering something far away.
After some time, Uncle Wei finally stopped carving and quietly exhaled.
Fang Lin softly said, "Uncle Wei…"
Uncle Wei turned around slightly before faintly smiling.
Uncle Wei said, "Little Lin, bring me some wine."
Fang Lin quickly nodded and brought over a wine jug and cup from the nearby table.
After pouring the wine, he handed the cup over respectfully.
Uncle Wei drank the wine in one large gulp before letting out a satisfied breath.
For a few moments, the room became quiet again.
Then Fang Lin finally gathered courage and softly asked,
"Uncle Wei… can you tell me about my parents?"
The room suddenly became silent.
Uncle Wei slowly placed the wine cup down and quietly looked at Fang Lin for a long time.
His eyes carried complicated emotions.
Sadness.
Pain.
Guilt.
Finally, Uncle Wei slowly stood up and walked toward the door.
Fang Lin hurriedly followed behind him.
"Uncle Wei…"
Uncle Wei stopped walking briefly.
Without turning around, he softly said,
"It is still not time."
The same answer again.
Fang Lin slowly lowered his head sadly.
He had heard those words many times before.
And every time he tried asking further, Uncle Wei would only stare silently toward the sky with painful eyes.
Because of that, Fang Lin eventually stopped asking further questions.
He did not want Uncle Wei to feel hurt.
Fang Lin softly said, "I'm sorry…"
Then he quietly ran outside toward the forest behind the mountains.
After Fang Lin left, Uncle Wei remained standing silently for a long time.
Finally, Uncle Wei softly muttered,
"I should be the one apologizing…"
-------
Fang Lin ran deep into the forest before finally arriving at a large black stone that rested quietly between the trees.
This place was his favorite spot.
When he was younger, he often fell asleep here while looking at the stars above. Uncle Wei would later carry him home quietly during the night.
Fang Lin slowly laid down on the black stone and looked toward the sky.
Night gradually arrived.
Countless stars filled the heavens beautifully.
Without realizing it, Fang Lin slowly began drifting into his thoughts once again.
Tonight was special.
Once midnight arrived—
He would officially become twelve years old.
Suddenly—
A bright shooting star streaked across the heavens above the Starry River Planet.
The moment Fang Lin saw it, his heart suddenly trembled strangely.
For some reason—
He felt an indescribable connection to it.
Then a powerful feeling of drowsiness suddenly filled his body.
Fang Lin's eyes slowly closed.
And he fell asleep upon the black stone.
-------
Inside his dream, Fang Lin felt himself becoming the shooting star.
He traveled endlessly through the vast universe.
He saw countless stars, galaxies, nebulae, and endless cosmic worlds drifting through space.
Time itself seemed meaningless.
After drifting for what felt like eternity, Fang Lin suddenly saw a massive mysterious world ahead of him.
The moment his vision landed upon it—
A sharp pain exploded inside his mind.
"AHHH!"
Fang Lin suddenly woke up violently.
Pain tore through his head like countless needles piercing into his brain.
Before he could even react—
Everything turned black again.
And he lost consciousness completely.
-------
Morning sunlight slowly fell upon Fang Lin's face.
When he finally woke up, his entire body was covered in sweat.
However—
Something felt different.
Very different.
Fang Lin slowly sat up while holding his head.
Then suddenly—
He froze.
He could sense everything around him clearly.
The movement of insects beneath the soil.
The buzzing of mosquitoes.
The flapping wings of birds high above the trees.
Even the flowing wind around him.
Everything appeared clearly inside his mind.
Fang Lin's eyes widened in shock.
"What is happening…"
He instinctively realized—
A strange spiritual sea had formed inside his mind.
And deep within that silver spiritual sea—
A mysterious grey stone quietly floated.
The moment Fang Lin focused on it—
His senses expanded even further.
The world around him became unbelievably clear.
Filled with confusion and shock, Fang Lin immediately ran back toward his home.
However—
The moment he arrived—
Uncle Wei was gone.