The wind howled across the Baiyun Mountains, brushing through pine needles and whistling past the rocky cliffs. High above the mist-wreathed valleys, nestled at the edge of the world, was a forgotten village—Yunling. It was a place so small, the empires of the cultivation world rarely remembered it even existed.
But to Li Shen, this remote, nameless mountain was everything.
He knelt before a weather-worn grave marked by a single cracked stone slab. The inscription had long faded, but he didn't need words to remember.
Li Jiang—Traitor to Heaven.
His father. Once a cultivator of great power. Once a hero of the weak. Burned alive by decree of the Azure Sky Sect, labeled heretic, and erased from the records.
For ten years, Shen had returned here every morning. To remember. To mourn. And to whisper the same words.
"I will find the truth, Father," Shen said quietly. "Even if the heavens curse me for it."
Snow crunched behind him. He didn't need to look.
"Still clinging to ashes, Li Shen?" came a mocking voice.
He turned slightly, gaze calm but cold. Three boys stood at the edge of the path, each wrapped in wool cloaks lined with blue silk—the mark of those with noble blood.
At their center stood Liu Tian, the son of the village magistrate and a favored candidate for the Azure Sky Sect.
Tian sneered. "You really believe you'll awaken a root today? You're nothing but the son of a traitor. Wasting your breath on a broken stone."
Li Shen rose slowly. He didn't speak.
He didn't need to.
The silence unsettled Tian more than any retort. His smirk faltered.
"Hmph. Enjoy your last day of hope, trash." With that, they turned and walked off toward the ceremonial grounds, laughing as they went.
⸻
An Hour Later – The Root Awakening Ceremony
The plaza in the heart of Yunling village had been cleared of snow, its flagstones washed and swept. Lanterns lined the perimeter, and incense burned from jade censers in reverence to the heavens.
Over fifty children stood in line, aged between ten and seventeen, their expressions a mix of awe and nervous anticipation. Parents watched from the sides, hoping the immortals would bless their child with a root of power.
At the center of the plaza hovered a shining stone monolith etched with ancient runes—The Spirit Mirror of Heavensight. It was a sacred artifact of the Azure Sky Sect, capable of revealing a person's innate cultivation root.
Behind it stood three robed cultivators. Their blue and gold robes shimmered like flowing rivers of qi.
One of them, a stern-faced elder with silver hair and eyes like frost, raised his hand.
"I am Elder Mingshi of the Azure Sky Sect," he announced. "You will come forth one by one. Place your hand on the mirror. Let the heavens reveal your destiny."
One by one, the children stepped forward.
"Earth Root – Low Grade. Adequate."
"Water Root – Mid Grade. Acceptable."
"Fire Root – High Grade! Exceptional talent!"
Each time the mirror glowed a different hue, reflecting the nature of the child's root. The stronger the root, the brighter the light.
Cheers erupted when Liu Tian stepped forward.
He placed his hand on the stone. A brilliant red and gold light burst forth.
"Dual Root: Fire and Lightning – High Grade. Very rare."
Tian turned and smirked at the crowd, eyes flicking to Li Shen with unhidden glee.
"Arrogant brat," Elder Mingshi muttered, though a small nod betrayed his approval. "Next!"
Li Shen stepped forward.
Whispers broke out.
"Is that the traitor's son?"
"I thought he wouldn't dare show..."
"He won't awaken anything. It's been ten years..."
Li Shen ignored them all.
He placed his hand on the Spirit Mirror.
For a moment, there was nothing.
No glow.
No sound.
Then the stone pulsed once—and grew dark. Pitch black.
Gasps echoed.
Elder Mingshi frowned. He placed his own hand on the stone. It pulsed again—and remained black.
"No Root." he announced, his voice devoid of emotion. "The heavens have not gifted you the ability to cultivate."
It was a death sentence.
No root meant no qi. No qi meant no future. Without cultivation, a person was no more than livestock in a world of dragons.
Li Shen stood silently. He lowered his hand and bowed.
"Thank you for the opportunity, Elder."
Mingshi gave a slight nod. "Next."
As Shen turned to leave, laughter broke out from Tian's group.
"Trash! Look at him trying to act humble!"
"Go back to your grave, rootless freak!"
Li Shen kept walking.
But deep within his chest, something shifted. A slow, burning sensation began to rise. Like fire behind his ribs. Like a scream that had been waiting a decade to be heard.
⸻
That Night – Outside the Village
Li Shen sat at the foot of the grave again. The stars were hidden behind clouds, and the snow had begun to fall heavier.
His breath misted in the air.
"I failed," he said softly. "Just like they said I would."
No answer came. Just the cold whisper of the wind.
Then—
[System Activation Detected...]
[Host: Li Shen – Condition: Rejected by Heaven]
[Unique Root Identified: Forsaken Root]
[Status: Sealed... Awakening Initiated]
[New Path Unlocked: The Dao That Defies Heaven]
A sudden pain lanced through his body. Li Shen cried out, falling to the snow as ancient runes blazed across his soul. Memories not his own flashed before his eyes—cities burned by divine decree, cultivators slain for questioning the heavenly mandates, and one voice echoing above it all:
"To defy Heaven is not heresy—it is justice."
The snow melted around him in a ring of steam. Black flame danced on his skin. His eyes glowed silver for an instant, then dimmed.
[Awakening Complete. Forsaken Root: 1% Unsealed]
[Ability Unlocked: Devour (Sealed Techniques/Roots)]
[Warning: Host is now marked by Heaven's Gaze]
[Status: Forsaken... Yet Unbound]
Li Shen lay gasping, chest heaving. His fingers trembled—but not from cold.
From power.
Raw, primal, unfiltered power.
He had no root, they said.
They were wrong.
He had the one root the heavens feared most.
⸻
Meanwhile – At the Azure Sky Sect
Elder Mingshi stood on the balcony of his mountain hall, frowning at the stars.
A ripple had spread across the sect's barrier. A fluctuation... a tremor in the laws.
The Spirit Mirror still sat in its sanctum, its runes faintly glowing black.
"...Impossible," he murmured. "No one without a root can trigger that reaction. Unless..."
A memory rose—of a man burned alive by divine lightning, screaming one name as he died:
"Shen... live!"
Mingshi's eyes narrowed.
He turned and summoned a bird talisman.
"To the Grand Elder. Tell him the traitor's son lives. And something has... awakened."
To be continued…