The night Li Tian was born, the sky cracked.
It was not thunder.
It was not lightning.
It was something deeper—something that seemed to tear through the fabric of heaven itself.
Grey Willow Village lay at the edge of the Fallen Cloud Mountains, a place so remote that even wandering cultivators rarely passed through. Mortals lived and died there, their lives bound to soil and seasons.
But that night, the wind screamed.
Clouds spiraled unnaturally above the village, forming a vast vortex that blotted out the stars.
Inside a small wooden house, a woman cried out in labor.
The midwife trembled. "This is not natural…"
Another rumble shook the mountains.
Then—
Silence.
The child was born.
He did not cry.
He opened his eyes immediately.
And the vortex above slowly dispersed.
Far above the mortal realm, within a palace of jade and starlight, an ancient figure seated upon a throne of constellations slowly opened his eyes.
"Interesting…"
Then he closed them again.
And fate began to move.
Sixteen years later.
Azure Cloud Sect.
The Spirit Measuring Ceremony was a grand affair.
Hundreds of youths stood in orderly lines, dressed in silk robes, escorted by wealthy families and hopeful clans.
The Spirit Pillar rose twenty feet tall, carved with ancient runes. It shimmered faintly with spiritual light.
One by one, candidates stepped forward.
"High-grade Fire Root!"
"Dual Wood and Water!"
"Earth Root, mid-grade!"
Each announcement brought applause or disappointment.
Li Tian stood at the very end of the line.
His clothes were simple cotton. His hands bore the roughness of farm work.
He had walked for three days to reach this place.
This was his only chance.
If he failed—
He would return to a life of dust and harvest.
Finally, his name was called.
"Li Tian. Grey Willow Village."
Some disciples snickered at the unknown origin.
Li Tian stepped forward calmly.
The elder overseeing the ceremony glanced at him indifferently.
"Place your hand upon the pillar."
Li Tian obeyed.
The moment his palm touched the cold surface—
Nothing happened.
No glow.
No flicker.
The crowd murmured.
The elder frowned and injected spiritual energy into the pillar to confirm.
Still nothing.
The elder withdrew his hand.
"Li Tian."
His voice echoed across the courtyard.
"You possess no detectable spirit root."
A wave of whispers spread instantly.
"No spirit root?"
"That means he's completely mortal."
"He can't cultivate at all."
Li Tian felt heat rise to his ears—but he did not lower his head.
"Is there… any other way?" he asked quietly.
The elder's expression hardened.
"Heaven has already decided your limit."
Limit.
The word cut deeper than any blade.
Li Tian bowed stiffly.
"Thank you for the test."
He turned and walked away as laughter followed him down the stone steps.
Each step felt heavier than the last.
Above him, clouds gathered slowly.
Unnoticed.
Night fell before he left the mountain path.
Exhausted, Li Tian sat beneath an ancient pine tree.
He stared at the sky.
"Heaven has decided…"
He clenched his fists.
"I refuse."
The moment the words left his mouth—
Pain exploded in his chest.
He collapsed onto the ground, gasping.
A searing heat burned beneath his ribs.
Something awakened.
Inside his body, in a place where a spirit root should have existed—
A black vortex formed.
It spun slowly at first.
Then faster.
And faster.
The surrounding air trembled.
Faint strands of spiritual qi drifted toward him—then were violently pulled into his body.
Li Tian's eyes snapped open.
He could feel it.
Energy.
Raw.
Untamed.
But it did not flow through meridians like normal cultivation.
It was devoured.
Crushed.
Refined into something darker.
Something heavier.
A voice echoed inside his mind.
Cold. Ancient.
"You dare defy heaven?"
Li Tian trembled—but did not answer.
The vortex expanded.
"You have no spirit root," the voice continued.
"So I shall give you something greater."
The spinning core condensed into a black crystal sphere.
It pulsed once.
Li Tian screamed as his body convulsed.
Bones cracked.
Veins ruptured.
But he did not lose consciousness.
He endured.
Minutes passed.
Then silence.
The vortex stabilized.
The pain vanished.
Li Tian slowly sat up.
The world felt different.
Clearer.
He could sense the faint spiritual energy drifting in the air.
And when he focused—
The energy rushed toward him willingly.
No.
Not willingly.
It was dragged.
Devoured.
Refined.
He stood slowly.
His breathing steadied.
"I can cultivate…"
But deep inside, he knew—
This was not normal cultivation.
This was something forbidden.
Something that would one day shake heaven itself.
Far above, within the jade palace among the stars, the ancient figure opened his eyes once more.
A faint smile appeared.
"So the Devouring Core has chosen its host."
Lightning flashed silently across the void.
"The age of obedience may finally end."