Qingyun Town, Lin Clan Ancestral Hall, Noon
The noonday sun scorched high above Qingyun Town. Within the Lin Clan Ancestral Hall, incense smoke curled lazily from bronze burners, their aged luster gleaming on the stone floor, casting a solemn and oppressive atmosphere. The hall was packed with clan members and townsfolk, murmuring like a restless tide.
At the center stood Lin Yuan. His coarse robe clung to a lean, upright figure. Sixteen years old, yet already sharp-eyed and hard-boned like forged steel. A jade pendant rested against his chest, faintly glowing—his mother's only keepsake, etched with indistinct archaic runes, as heavy as his fate.
His meridians were silent. No spiritual flow. A crippled vein.
The shame of the Lin Clan.
On the raised dais above, Liu Qingyao stood in a flowing goose-yellow dress. Beautiful as frost, her aura cold and untouchable—Spirit Apprentice, Fourth Layer. Beside her was Liu Hao, smirking in ornate brocade, his Spirit Apprentice, Third Layer cultivation humming faintly beneath his skin. The elders of the Liu Clan flanked them like judges, their eyes sharp with disdain.
Liu Qingyao stepped forward. Her voice, as clear and cutting as a blade, rang through the hall:
"Lin Yuan, our engagement is nullified. A cripple has no right to marry into the Liu Clan."
Her gaze pierced him like ice. Laughter and sneers erupted all around.
"The Lin Clan's trash still dares to dream?"
"A cripple like him, matched with a prodigy like her? What a joke!"
The jeers stabbed like needles. Lin Yuan's fists clenched tight, fingernails breaking skin. Blood dripped silently to the floor. His mind flashed back to childhood—under the cherry blossoms, Liu Qingyao had once shyly handed him a flower, whispering promises of never parting. That smile was now ice, slicing his pride to shreds.
He lifted his head and stared straight into her eyes.
"Liu Qingyao," he said, voice calm but iron-hard, "you think a crippled vein will decide my fate? One day, you'll regret these words."
The hall fell briefly silent. Then Liu Hao stepped forward with a sneer.
"Regret? You worthless piece of trash dare talk back? I'll end you right now!"
Spiritual energy flared around him—but a Liu Clan elder raised a hand with a cold snort, halting the blow.
Liu Qingyao's lips parted, as if she might speak, but she stopped. Her slender fingers clenched the edge of her skirt. For a flicker of a moment, something stirred in her eyes—contempt, or hesitation?
She turned quickly. "Let's go, Brother," she said softly. Her steps were firm, but as she walked away, a faint blush crept over her ears, unnoticed by the crowd.
Rage flared in Lin Yuan's chest. Shame seared like flame.
Just then—the jade pendant burned against his skin, radiating warmth. A pulse of green light flickered faintly.
Then—
"God-Level Puppet System… detecting host willpower… initiating binding."
A cold, mechanical voice exploded in his mind.
Lin Yuan's eyes widened. His heart thundered. His breath caught.
A system? What is this?
He looked down. The ancient runes on the pendant were glowing, beating like a pulse—like something long dormant now awakening.
Around him, the townsfolk kept laughing. But inside, Lin Yuan's world had changed.
The voice sounded again, deep and emotionless:
"Host: Lin Yuan. Crippled body, but indomitable will. Binding conditions met. First task: Endure humiliation. Ignite resolve. Reward: 10% system binding. Fragment of Tianmai detected. Accept?"
His mother's final words flashed in his mind—"This pendant will protect you."
This system… was it tied to her? To the mysterious Tianmai?
He gritted his teeth and answered under his breath, "Accept."
A teasing chuckle followed:
"Good. The first step for a cripple to defy the heavens. Ready to make that ice beauty cry?"
Excitement surged through him. Despair had long hollowed him out—but now, a glimmer of hope cracked through the darkness. He clenched the pendant tight. Green light seeped through his fingers.
If this system could change his fate—
Then Lin Yuan would tear through the sky itself.
Back in the hall, Liu Hao was still mocking, "Come to the sect selection, and you'll leave in a coffin!"
Lin Yuan's eyes snapped open, sharp as a blade. His voice rang out:
"Liu Qingyao. Liu Clan. Mark this day well! Three days from now, at the Qingyun Sect's selection, I'll make you witness the rise of the one you called trash!"
His voice thundered. The crowd fell into stunned silence.
Some still sneered. Some frowned. Yet a few eyes gleamed with new interest.
Liu Qingyao halted mid-step. She turned slightly, eyes shadowed with emotion. Lin Yuan's aura—it was no longer something a cripple should have. Her fingers trembled slightly.
"Arrogant fool," she muttered. But her heart was not calm.
Liu Hao barked, "You're dead!"
A Liu elder snapped, "Enough. Don't bring further shame to the Lin Clan."
Lin Yuan raised his chin and walked out of the hall. Sunlight blazed down on him. His simple robes fluttered. But in that moment, the boy who left was not the same one who entered.
The system's voice returned, low and amused:
"Mission complete. Binding progress: 10%. Data: Qingyun Sect selection—Liu Clan has a plot. Pendant holds Tianmai fragment clue. Investigate?"
Lin Yuan gripped the pendant and gazed at the distant Qingyun peaks.
He whispered, "The truth behind Tianmai… and my mother's secret—I'll uncover it all."
Outside the ancestral hall, the crowd slowly dispersed, chattering in all directions.
Not far away, a young woman in a flowing green dress stood silently. Hands crossed over her chest, her Spirit Apprentice Fifth Layer aura stirred the air like a breeze.
Su Wan'er watched Lin Yuan's retreating back, her lips curling.
"A cripple? Hmph. At least he's got guts…"
With a flick of her skirt, she turned and left, a glimmer of curiosity flashing in her eyes.