In the Azure Cloud Continent, mercy was a myth.
Strength was the only law.
Those who possessed it stood above others.
Those who didn't were trampled without hesitation.
Lin Tian understood this truth long before he turned sixteen.
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Morning mist lingered over Qingshan Village, clinging to the dirt roads and broken wooden houses like a reminder of poverty that never left. At the center of the village stood a stone platform—rough, cracked, and uneven.
Yet today, it was the most important place in the entire village.
The Awakening Ceremony.
For the children of cultivators, it was a formality.
For ordinary villagers, it was a gamble with fate.
Lin Tian stood at the edge of the crowd, his hands calmly clasped behind his back.
His clothes were old but clean, carefully mended many times over. Compared to the silk robes, jade pendants, and confident smiles around him, he looked painfully ordinary.
Or rather—poor.
Whispers followed him wherever he stood.
"That's Lin Tian."
"The one from the poorest family."
"I heard his father was once a cultivator, but now he can't even stand straight."
"What a disgrace."
The words were spoken loudly, without shame.
They wanted him to hear.
Lin Tian heard everything.
He simply didn't care.
Weak people rely on words, he thought coldly.
Strong people rely on results.
On the stone platform stood Elder Huang, the only cultivator in Qingshan Village. His cultivation was barely at Qi Condensation, but in a place like this, that was more than enough to dominate everyone else.
He glanced at the youths below with a bored expression.
"Begin," Elder Huang said.
The ceremony started.
One youth stepped forward after another, placing their hands on the Spirit Stone.
Some stones glowed faintly.
Others glowed brightly.
Each glow determined their fate.
"Low-grade talent."
"Mid-grade talent."
"High-grade talent."
Every announcement was followed by cheers or sighs.
When Zhao Ming stepped forward, the Spirit Stone shone brightly, almost dazzling.
"Qi Condensation, Mid-Grade Talent," Elder Huang announced.
Applause erupted instantly.
Zhao Ming smiled proudly, lifting his chin as if he already stood above the rest. As he stepped down, his eyes deliberately met Lin Tian's.
Mockery flashed across his face.
Lin Tian returned the look calmly.
No anger.
No jealousy.
Just indifference.
Zhao Ming frowned.
That calmness annoyed him more than any insult could have.
Soon, only one name remained uncalled.
Elder Huang glanced at his list, then spoke flatly.
"Lin Tian."
The crowd went silent—for a brief moment.
Then murmurs returned, louder than before.
"So it's finally his turn."
"Let's see how trash looks on the Spirit Stone."
Lin Tian stepped forward.
Each step was steady, unhurried.
He climbed onto the stone platform and stood before the Spirit Stone. Up close, he could feel a strange pressure pressing against his body, probing his meridians and bloodline.
Elder Huang looked at him with faint impatience. "Place your hand on the stone."
Lin Tian did so.
The Spirit Stone remained dark.
One breath passed.
Two.
Three.
Nothing.
Not even the weakest flicker of light.
Silence fell—followed immediately by laughter.
"Hahaha!"
"I knew it!"
"Zero talent!"
Zhao Ming laughed the loudest. "As expected from someone born in the gutter!"
Even Elder Huang's expression turned cold.
After a moment, he shook his head. "No reaction. Mortal physique. No cultivation talent whatsoever."
The verdict was merciless.
"Lin Tian," Elder Huang continued, his voice sharp, "from today onward, you are forbidden from receiving cultivation resources. Do not attend future ceremonies."
That was it.
One sentence—his path seemingly severed forever.
The villagers exploded with mockery.
"Poor trash!"
"Born useless, die useless!"
"Go back to chopping firewood!"
Zhao Ming stepped forward, grinning maliciously. "Lin Tian, why don't you kneel and beg? Maybe Elder Huang will let you clean the sect's toilets."
Laughter followed.
Lin Tian slowly withdrew his hand from the Spirit Stone.
Only then did he raise his head.
His eyes were calm.
Too calm.
He looked at Zhao Ming—not with hatred, but as one would look at an insect.
"I'll remember today," Lin Tian said quietly.
Zhao Ming sneered. "Remember what? Your humiliation?"
Lin Tian smiled faintly.
"No," he replied. "Your face."
That smile sent an inexplicable chill down Zhao Ming's spine.
Elder Huang frowned. "Enough. Get off the platform."
Lin Tian turned and walked away, ignoring the laughter behind him.
As he stepped off the stone platform, his fingers clenched slightly.
Inside his body, deep within his dantian, something that had been silent for sixteen years stirred.
A warmth.
A pulse.
Unnoticed by everyone.
Lin Tian's lips curved almost imperceptibly.
So this world thinks I'm trash…
Fine.
I'll climb from the dust.
And when I reach the heavens—
I'll make them regret ever looking down on me.