The storm had ended, but its echoes lingered in the air — soft rumbles of thunder rolling far across the distant mountains. The scent of ozone clung to the soil like the memory of fire.Lian Fei stirred, his limbs heavy, his mind drifting between pain and silence.
When his eyes opened, the world was tinted gold.
A faint light pulsed from his chest — the same spot where the divine lightning had struck. Beneath his torn shirt, a glowing rune shimmered, shaped like an ancient sigil that seemed both holy and forbidden. The lines of the symbol were alive, shifting like threads of flame under his skin.
"System initializing…""Binding complete.""Welcome, Host — bearer of the Heaven's Forsaken Seal."
The voice was neither male nor female, neither loud nor soft — it simply was, echoing through the deepest corners of his soul.
Lian Fei's eyes darted around the empty clearing. "Who's there?!"
"This entity is the Heaven's System, a remnant of the Primordial Law. You are its chosen vessel."
He staggered to his feet, gripping his chest. His heart hammered like a drum. "Chosen? Me? There must be a mistake! I'm no one… a peasant who can't even form a spirit root!"
The voice remained calm.
"Error detected. Host possesses latent lineage: Heaven's Forsaken Bloodline. Hidden potential — one in ten billion. The seal has awakened to restore the rightful balance."
Lian Fei blinked. "Heaven's Forsaken… Bloodline?"The words sounded like a curse and a prophecy at once.
Images surged through his mind — fragments of forgotten wars, celestial beings clashing above endless skies, and a child cast down from a world of light. The visions vanished as quickly as they came, leaving only confusion and a lingering ache in his chest.
"Do you wish to initiate Root Creation?"
He hesitated. For fifteen years he had begged the heavens for power — and they had stayed silent. Now the heavens themselves offered it to him?He clenched his fists. "Do it."
The golden sigil flared, and pain unlike anything he had ever known ripped through his body.
Lightning flooded his veins.Every muscle locked, his bones screamed, and his blood boiled until it steamed. He fell to his knees, teeth grinding so hard he felt them crack. The air around him turned into a maelstrom of light and wind.
He wanted to scream, but no sound came — only a strangled gasp as the rune carved itself deeper into his flesh.
Then, all at once, the pain stopped.
A soft hum filled the air. Threads of golden energy coiled around him, merging with his blood and marrow. He could feel something being born inside him — a spark that pulsed with the rhythm of thunder itself.
"Spirit Root Creation: Complete.""Root Type — Divine Lightning, Heaven Grade."
The words echoed like the voice of destiny.
Lian Fei collapsed onto his back, staring up at the dawn sky as it began to lighten from indigo to crimson. The storm clouds were gone, leaving a quiet serenity over the ruined field.He felt… alive. More alive than he had ever been. He could sense the wind, the moisture in the air, the gentle movement of energy flowing through the world.
He stretched his palm outward. A faint thread of lightning flickered between his fingers, soft as silk, sharp as a blade.
He laughed — a weak, breathless sound that turned into tears."Is this real? Am I dreaming?"
For the first time in his life, the heavens had not ignored him. They had struck him — and in doing so, given him power.
The light of dawn crept slowly over the horizon, painting the trees and stones in warm hues. Lian Fei's hut lay in ruins, splintered by the blast. The old straw roof was gone, leaving only charred beams and a single half-burned wooden carving — his mother's keepsake.
He knelt beside it, brushing the ash away. The carving depicted a bird with spread wings — the Celestial Roc, symbol of freedom. She used to tell him stories of the ancient clans, how some bore the blood of beasts that once flew through the stars.
"You were right, Mother," he whispered, voice breaking. "The heavens weren't deaf. They were waiting."
The sigil on his chest pulsed again, almost in response — as though acknowledging her memory.
Hours later, footsteps crunched through the scorched soil.
"Look over there! Smoke!"
Voices — several young men. Lian Fei turned, tensing. A group of cultivators in crimson-trimmed robes appeared at the edge of the clearing. Their emblems bore the insignia of the Cloudfire Sect, one of the three local sects that dominated the region.
At their center walked Han Yue, son of an elder and the one who had tormented Lian Fei since childhood. His smirk was the same cruel one Lian Fei had seen a hundred times.
"Well, well. The trash still breathes." Han Yue's eyes swept over the ruined field. "What did you do, burn your house down trying to light a candle with your useless hands?"
Laughter erupted from the other disciples. Lian Fei said nothing. He stood still, his eyes calm — too calm.
"Or maybe," Han Yue continued, circling him, "you finally realized you're not fit to live among cultivators. Should I help end your misery?"
He reached out to grab Lian Fei's shoulder — but the instant his hand touched him, a spark leapt.
Crack!
Han Yue screamed and staggered backward, clutching his arm. Tiny arcs of golden lightning danced over Lian Fei's skin before fading.
The disciples froze.
Lian Fei's gaze lifted, his voice low and steady."The next time you touch me, you'll lose more than your arm."
Han Yue's eyes widened. "Y-You dare—!"
Before he could finish, a bolt of lightning flashed from the rune on Lian Fei's chest, striking the ground between them. The earth hissed and split open, leaving a smoking fissure. The smell of ozone filled the air.
The laughter stopped.
No one spoke. Even Han Yue took a step back, fear flickering behind his pride.
He forced a smirk. "Enjoy your little trick, orphan. When the sect learns you're meddling with forbidden lightning arts, they'll flay you alive."
He turned and strode off, his followers hurrying behind him. Their voices faded down the mountain path until only the wind remained.
Lian Fei exhaled slowly. His hands trembled, not from fear, but from the raw power coursing through him.He could have killed Han Yue just now — the thought startled him. The energy felt intoxicating, almost too easy to call forth.
"Host emotional fluctuation detected.""Warning: Overuse of divine energy may destabilize mortal vessel."
He took a deep breath and steadied himself. "Understood."
"Quest unlocked — The Path of Vengeance.""Objective: Enter Cloudfire Sect. Rise beyond mortal rank. Discover the reason for Heaven's Forsaking."
Lian Fei's lips curled into a grim smile."The sect that mocked me… the heavens that abandoned me… Fine. I'll start with them both."
He looked toward the distant mountains where the Cloudfire Sect's towers gleamed faintly under the morning sun. A place of power, prestige, and cruelty — and now, his first step toward something far greater.
The lightning mark glowed once more, casting his shadow long and sharp across the blackened earth.
Later That Day
The village elder, Old Mu, hobbled up the path with his walking stick, shaking his head at the damage. "Child, what calamity did you bring upon us this time?"
Lian Fei bowed slightly. "A… storm, Elder. Nothing more."
"Storm?" Old Mu's eyes swept over the perfectly circular scorch mark on the ground and the still-smoldering trees. "A storm doesn't carve runes into rock."
He sighed and handed Lian Fei a small bundle. "Take this. Dried meat and herbs. If you're leaving, make it quick. The Cloudfire patrols are already asking questions."
Lian Fei blinked. "You knew I'd go?"
The old man's gaze softened. "Your mother once said that you weren't meant to live a small life here. Go, boy. Just don't forget who you were before the lightning."
Lian Fei accepted the bundle with both hands. "Thank you."
As he turned away, Old Mu called after him, "And if you meet your mother in the heavens, tell her the storm she left behind finally learned to roar!"
Lian Fei smiled faintly, then walked into the rising sun.
That Night
Deep in the mountains, he rested by a stream. The moon hung large and pale above the forest canopy, silvering the surface of the water.He studied his reflection — the faint crackle of light in his eyes, the rune pulsing in his chest like a second heart.
"System inquiry: Would the Host like to view current stats?"
"Yes," he murmured.
[Status Panel — Heaven's Forsaken Seal]
Name: Lian Fei
Age: 15
Cultivation Rank: Mortal (Unranked)
Spirit Root: Divine Lightning — Heaven Grade
Affinity: Thunder, Light
Skills:
Lightning Root Creation (Heaven-Tier, Passive)
Thunder Pulse (Basic, Active)
System Quests:
The Path of Vengeance — Enter Cloudfire Sect.
The Hidden Law — Unknown (Locked).
He stared at the glowing symbols. "Heaven Grade… lightning affinity… a system."A weak laugh escaped him. "I've really become one of those monsters in the legends."
Then his expression hardened. "If this power was hidden inside me… who sealed it? And why?"
"Answer: Data corrupted. Further progression required to restore lost memories."
He clenched his fists. "Then I'll grow stronger. Strong enough to uncover everything."
The mark pulsed in approval, and faint thunder rumbled somewhere beyond the mountains — as if the heavens themselves were listening.
Lian Fei closed his eyes, letting the hum of energy in his veins lull him into uneasy sleep.
For the first time in fifteen years, he dreamed — not of mockery or hunger, but of wings made of lightning cutting through the clouds, defying the heavens that once cast him down.