The wind howled that night as though the heavens themselves were restless. Li Village, a forgotten settlement tucked deep within barren hills, lay shrouded in darkness. The huts were made of rotting wood, the paths muddy with years of neglect, and the people worn thin by hunger. For decades, they had endured ridicule from neighboring towns, branded as "low-born," the dregs of society.
But within the smallest hut at the edge of the village, destiny stirred.
Inside, a woman's labored breaths echoed against cracked walls. Madam Chen, her hair tangled and face pale with exhaustion, clutched her newborn tightly against her chest. Her clothes were little more than patches sewn together, her hands rough from years of labor, yet in her eyes burned a fierce determination.
Even in her weakness, she felt that this child was different, as though his tiny heartbeat carried the weight of mountains.
The child wailed, his cries raw and defiant, as though he were unwilling to accept the misery of the world into which he had been born.
The cry pierced through the walls of the hut, echoing into the night like a challenge hurled at the heavens themselves.
Then it happened.
The sky split open.
Above the hut, a star flared to life so bright it drowned out the moon, so fierce it painted the clouds in crimson and gold. The heavens trembled, the earth quaked, and even distant rivers seemed to pause their flow. It was as if the universe had halted, holding its breath to witness the birth of a destiny that would not be denied. Chickens clucked in alarm, dogs barked madly, and the villagers stumbled out of their homes, staring upward in terror and awe.
"The heavens…" someone whispered. "A sign from the heavens!"
"The last time a star like this appeared was during the founding of the Eastern Empire…" another muttered, trembling.
The light was not gentle; it was overwhelming, pressing down upon every living being in the village. Children cried and clung to their mothers. Farmers dropped their tools and fell to their knees. Even the proud village headman, who often mocked the poor Chen family, found his legs quivering uncontrollably.
Some knelt to pray. Others cursed in fear. All were bound by the weight of that blazing star.
The light pressed down like an invisible weight, forcing even the strongest farmers to their knees. Mothers shielded their children, while old men wept, convinced that doom or salvation had descended. The village headman, who had once scorned the Chen family, found himself trembling so hard his cane clattered to the ground.
Far away, across mountains and rivers, in golden palaces and lofty sect towers, cultivators sat in meditation. One by one, their eyes snapped open, gazes piercing through the night to the blazing star.
"An omen of destiny," murmured a venerable elder, his beard flowing like silver threads. "A star descending into the mortal world," said another, his voice heavy with dread. "If that child is allowed to grow, he will overturn the balance of the Nine Provinces."
Already, messengers mounted their steeds in hidden corners of the empire. Scrolls were sealed with blood and dispatched to sect masters and emperors alike. Whispers of the "Starborn Child" spread before the boy had even drawn his second breath.
Already, messengers mounted their steeds in hidden corners of the empire. Scrolls sealed with blood carried news across lands faster than the wind. Though the child had only just been born, the echo of his existence rippled outward like thunder before a storm.
In Li Village, Madam Chen rocked her child, tears glistening in her weary eyes. She brushed a finger across his tiny cheek.
"You are Li Wei," she whispered, naming him after the family she had fought so hard to protect. "Though we have nothing, the heavens have chosen you. Perhaps… you are the light this village has waited for."
From the shadows outside, an old man watched. His back was bent, his hair snow-white, and his legs crippled beyond use. The villagers called him "the useless cripple," a failed cultivator long abandoned by fate. Yet tonight, his cloudy eyes reflected the star blazing in the heavens.
For the first time in decades, his withered spiritual veins stirred faintly, as though the child's existence alone had awakened something long dead within him.
A bitter smile tugged at his lips as he muttered to the wind:
"Child, your path will not be easy. The star that blesses you also curses you. Remember this, greatness is born of suffering, and only those who endure the abyss can grasp the heavens."
The star dimmed, leaving behind only silence and the faint scent of burning air. Whispers would spread, fear would fester, and one day blades would be drawn against this fragile child. But in the quiet of that night, Li Wei's fists clenched in his mother's arms, as if even in infancy, he sought to challenge the heavens.
That single motion, small and fragile, would one day shake the foundations of the Nine Provinces.
The star slowly dimmed, leaving behind only silence and the faint scent of burning air. The villagers retreated to their homes, whispering in fear. Some vowed to worship the child. Others plotted how to distance themselves from the "ill-omen" family.
But within the hut, the newborn's cries had quieted. His small fists, still clenched, seemed to reach for something unseen as if even in his infancy, Li Wei sought to grasp the unreachable heavens.
And thus began the legend of the boy born beneath the star, a legend that would shake empires, topple dynasties, and carve his name into eternity.
Unaware of the tides his birth had stirred, Li Wei whimpered softly in his mother's arms, his tiny fists clenched as though he were already challenging the world.
The wind howled that night as though the heavens themselves were restless. Li Village, a forgotten settlement tucked deep within barren hills, lay shrouded in darkness. The huts were made of rotting wood, the paths muddy with years of neglect, and the people worn thin by hunger. For decades, they had endured ridicule from neighboring towns, branded as "low-born," the dregs of society.
But within the smallest hut at the edge of the village, destiny stirred.