Chapter 2
The crushing pain of the present was a distant echo, replaced by the vivid, sunlit memories of a time when the name Ye-Liyun was spoken with reverence, not contempt. It was a time when he was the undisputed sun of the Ye Clan.
The Clan was a minor power, but they were ambitious, their entire future resting on the discovery of a true prodigy. That wait ended the moment Ye-Liyun was born. His meridians, the vital channels for spiritual energy, were naturally wide, pure, and unblocked—a condition known as the Heavenly Conduit. It was a talent seen only once in a thousand years, a gift that made the process of cultivation effortless for him.
At the age of six, while other children were still struggling with basic breathing exercises, Ye-Liyun had already mastered the first stage of the Physical Refining Phase. By eight, he had not only completed it but had successfully broken through to the Qi Condensation Realm. The news had sent shockwaves through Azure Cloud City. Clan Heads from rival families came to pay respects, their faces a mixture of envy and forced admiration.
His father, the Clan Head, was a man consumed by ambition, and Ye-Liyun was the key to his dreams. He would parade the boy before every visiting dignitary, his voice booming with unconcealed pride. "Look at my son! He is the future Elder! He will lead us to the ranks of the Great Families!" Resources were poured into him—rare, fragrant herbs, expensive cultivation manuals, and the best spiritual stones were his to command.
This meteoric rise created a deep, bitter resentment in his older siblings. Ye-Feng, the eldest, was a decent talent, but his progress was slow and steady. He watched as his younger brother, with seemingly no effort, surpassed him in mere months. Ye-Hao, the second brother, was even more mediocre, and his jealousy was a constant, visible sneer. They were forced to address the eight-year-old as "Young Master Liyun," a title that tasted like ash in their mouths. They were relegated to the standard, common resources, forever standing in the shadow of the boy who was supposed to be their junior.
The only person who remained unchanged by the glory was his mother. She was a quiet, reserved woman, often found tending to a small, secluded garden. She never boasted of his achievements, but her eyes held a deep, knowing pride.
One day, when Ye-Liyun was nine and basking in the glow of having instantly mastered a complex sword form, he asked her why she never seemed surprised by his genius.
"Liyun," she said, her voice soft but firm, as she gently touched the simple, unadorned wooden ring on his finger. "Your talent is a gift, but it is also a tool. This ring is a promise. I gave it to you to ensure the survival of someone very important, a great master whose life force was fading. By wearing it, you are fulfilling a great destiny, one far grander than any clan title."
She never explained who the master was, or how the ring worked, only that he must never take it off. Ye-Liyun, trusting his mother implicitly, wore it every day, believing it to be a lucky charm that fueled his incredible talent. He was too young, too consumed by his own success, to question the strange, cool sensation the ring sometimes gave off.
For four glorious years, from age eight to twelve, he lived in a golden haze of success. He was the clan's sun, the destined Immortal in the making.
But the glory was a fragile thing, built on a secret he didn't understand. The golden haze began to fade on his twelfth birthday. The spiritual energy he absorbed would simply vanish, like water poured into a sieve. His cultivation stagnated, then slowly, inexplicably, began to regress. While Ye-Feng and Ye-Hao surged ahead, breaking through to the Foundation Establishment Realm and beyond, Ye-Liyun was dragged back to the very beginning, stuck and struggling in the Physical Refining Phase.
The family dynamics shattered. His father's pride turned to cold disappointment, his words becoming sharp and critical. His brothers' resentment finally blossomed into open mockery. Ye-Liyun became the clan's greatest shame, a living reminder of a failed prophecy, unaware that the very ring he wore, the token of his mother's love, had been intentionally siphoning his energy for the last four years to sustain the dying master within. The stage was set for his final, desperate attempt to reclaim his destiny.