The Empire of Tianhuang was vast, a land where cultivation ruled everything. Powerful sects controlled the land, and only the strong held power. The kingdom's streets were teeming with cultivators, their robes fluttering as they passed by, exuding an aura of invincibility. To be a cultivator was to be above all, to transcend mortality and attain immortality.
But not everyone in the empire was blessed with such power. In the small village of Xianzhou, the world of cultivation seemed nothing more than a distant fantasy.
Wu Jian had always been an outsider in Xianzhou. Orphaned at a young age, he was taken in by the village's elders and made to work the fields. Every day, from sunrise to sunset, he labored, his hands calloused and his body weary. The villagers saw him as nothing more than a servant, a boy who could never reach the heights of cultivation.
The children of the village would gather in the mornings, practicing their basic martial arts and cultivation techniques. They would laugh and spar, their energies flowing freely as they grew stronger with every passing day. But Wu Jian never joined them. He knew his place — a lowly servant who would never rise above his station.
"Wu Jian!" The voice of Liu Xue, his childhood friend, cut through his thoughts. She was always the one to speak to him with a mixture of kindness and concern.
Wu Jian glanced up, his face pale from the fatigue of another long day in the fields. Liu Xue was standing near him, her arms crossed as she watched him carefully.
"What is it, Xue?" Wu Jian asked, his voice tired.
"You're always out here, working. You never join us when we practice," Liu Xue said, a hint of concern in her tone. "You know that cultivating your Qi will help you get stronger, right?"
Wu Jian sighed deeply. "I can't cultivate," he said quietly, almost as if to himself. "I've tried and tried, but I can't even feel Qi. No matter how hard I try, it's as if I'm invisible to the energy that everyone else can sense."
Liu Xue softened. "But you're not invisible, Wu Jian. You have the potential. I can see it in you."
Wu Jian looked at her, his eyes dark with resignation. "I'm not like the others, Xue. I don't have any talent, and I never will."
He turned away, unwilling to meet her gaze anymore. It was a truth he had come to accept long ago. No amount of wishful thinking would change his fate.
Liu Xue was quiet for a moment, and then she sighed. "I don't want to see you give up on yourself," she said. "You have more inside of you than you think. Don't sell yourself short."
Wu Jian didn't respond. Instead, he bent down to pick up his tools, focusing on the task at hand. Liu Xue walked away, but her words lingered in the air, heavy with the unspoken hope she had for him. He knew she meant well, but the truth was inescapable: he was nothing special. He would always be just a servant in a world where power determined everything.
A Fateful Discovery
That night, long after the villagers had gone to bed, Wu Jian found himself wandering into the forest behind the village. The moon was high in the sky, casting a soft light over the dense trees. The forest was quiet, save for the occasional rustle of leaves as the wind blew through the branches.
Wu Jian enjoyed these moments of solitude. It was here, in the stillness of nature, that he could escape the crushing weight of his reality.
But tonight was different. As he walked deeper into the woods, he felt something strange — a subtle pulse of energy. It was faint at first, like the echo of a heartbeat, but it quickly grew stronger.
"What is this...?" Wu Jian muttered under his breath, pausing for a moment. He felt an inexplicable pull, as if something — or someone — was calling him.
He followed the sensation, unable to resist. The pulse led him through the dark woods until he reached a small clearing. There, partially hidden by overgrown vines and moss, was a strange stone structure. It was ancient, crumbling in places, but it radiated a power that was undeniable.
Wu Jian's heart skipped a beat. "This... this isn't on any map." He had lived in the village all his life, and he had never seen anything like this before. The stone was covered in strange, faded symbols, some of which seemed to glow faintly.
He stepped closer, his hand reaching toward the stone. A subtle, yet undeniable force tugged at him, urging him forward. The energy in the air was thick, suffocating almost, and Wu Jian's pulse raced as his fingers brushed the stone's surface.
The Awakening
The moment Wu Jian made contact with the stone, the world around him seemed to tremble. His body jerked violently as a surge of energy flooded through him, overwhelming his senses. His vision blurred, and the air thickened, as though time itself had stopped.
"Who dares to awaken the power of the Tianxuan Sect?" The voice echoed in his mind, booming and ancient.
Wu Jian staggered to his feet, his heart pounding. "What… what is this?" he gasped, his voice trembling.
The voice responded, deep and powerful. "You are a descendant of the Tianxuan Sect. The bloodline flows within you, though it has been dormant for centuries. You have been chosen."
Wu Jian's head spun. "Tianxuan Sect?" he whispered, confused. "I… I don't understand. What are you talking about?"
"You are not the powerless boy you think yourself to be. The power of the Starfall Sovereign stirs within your veins. It is time to awaken."
The flood of memories came next. Ancient images of golden light, of gods and demons, of titanic battles fought across the heavens. Wu Jian saw the ruins of an ancient sect, its disciples wielding powers that transcended mortal limits. The name Tianxuan Sect echoed in his mind, followed by the knowledge of its lost legacy.
The Power Within
Wu Jian staggered back, his hands trembling. The energy that had surged into him was still there, a burning sensation that seemed to pulse with every beat of his heart. He could feel it — the bloodline of the Tianxuan Sect coursing through his veins.
"I… I feel it," Wu Jian whispered, still trembling. "This power… it's real."
Before he could fully comprehend what had just occurred, there was a rustling behind him. He turned, his senses heightened, only to see Liu Xue standing at the edge of the clearing, her eyes wide with shock.
"Wu Jian?" she called, her voice laced with concern. "What's going on? What happened?"
Wu Jian turned to face her, still in shock. "I... I think I've just awakened something," he said, his voice shaky. "Something ancient. The Tianxuan Sect… it's part of me now."
Liu Xue's confusion deepened. "What do you mean? What's happening to you?"
Wu Jian closed his eyes, trying to process it all. "I don't understand all of it. But I feel it. I feel… stronger. Different."
Liu Xue stepped closer, her expression softening. "What do you mean by 'stronger'? What's happening?"
"I don't know," Wu Jian admitted, his voice filled with uncertainty. "But I think my life is about to change. I think I've been chosen for something… something much bigger than I ever imagined."
The Journey Begins
The moonlight bathed the clearing in an ethereal glow, casting long shadows across the ground. Wu Jian stood there, still trembling, the power within him surging. His life had just taken an unexpected turn. The Tianxuan Sect, a name lost to history, had reawakened through him.
And now, the world would learn his name.
But as the weight of this new responsibility settled over him, Wu Jian couldn't help but feel a sense of dread. The road ahead would be dangerous, and there were forces in the world that would stop at nothing to control him.
Still, one thing was clear, his journey had only just begun.