The One Without Flame

When the Moon Weeps

That night, after the first training as a void cultivator, Yue Ling retired to her room, her mind swirling with anticipation of the journey ahead into the outside world. She needed to uncover more about her bloodline, to unlock secrets long buried. As she lay on her bed, preparing for sleep, an eerie pull gripped her, as if the very ground beneath her was dissolving.

Before she could react, her body went limp, and darkness swallowed her whole. Suddenly, she was drenched in cold water; the air thickened with the scent of salt and distant crashing waves. A strange weightlessness overtook her. When she opened her eyes, she found herself surrounded by an endless ocean, vast beyond comprehension.

Floating on the water’s surface was a single strand of flower petals, and resting delicately atop them was the ancient ring. But it is different now. The ring shifted, transforming until a figure stood before her, an ethereal version of herself, clad in white robes, with flowing silver hair and piercing blue eyes that mirrored the sea. The figure radiated an otherworldly aura, like a celestial being born of water.

Yue Ling’s heart pounded. Is this... me? She wondered. Confusion churned within her. Was this a vision? A memory? Or something else entirely?

The figure’s voice echoed softly, sending chills down her spine. “You are the one who has listened, who chose the flower petals, aren’t you?”

“Who are you? What is this place?” Yue Ling’s voice trembled, panic creeping in. “How did I get here? My grandfather… he will be worried. Please help me.”

Before an answer could come, the waters around her roiled violently. Towering giants of water rose, their forms immense and fluid, advancing to engulf her. The battle had begun.

Instinctively, Yue Ling raised her arms, feeling power surge through her veins. But these were no ordinary foes. Their movements were precise, almost deliberate echoes of the lost Yue family’s ancient martial art awakening within her. As the battle raged, she felt her body transform: bones reshaping, muscles strengthening, impurities burning away and replaced by newfound strength.

With each strike, she grew more powerful, more connected to the ancestral skills once wielded by her lineage. The giants faltered, dissolving back into the ocean as if they had never been.

Silence fell like a heavy curtain. Breathless and drenched, Yue Ling looked around, a mixture of triumph and bewilderment washing over her.

A gentle, wise voice broke the quiet. “Well done, Yue Ling. You are the last bearer of our bloodline, and your power runs deeper than you know. This was only the beginning.”

The figure, her ancestor, smiled faintly, then continued, “Now, you must understand your bloodline fully. But first, you must be refined. Your power, if left unchecked, will consume you.”

In an instant, the scene shifted. Yue Ling stood before a massive medicinal cauldron, glowing with ancient energy.

“It is time to refine your bloodline,” the figure said. “This ritual will strengthen you, clearing the weaknesses of the past and preparing your path. Steel yourself.”

Before she could respond, the cauldron’s heat enveloped her. Though intense, it brought a strange comfort as she sank into its depths. This was more than a ritual—it was the key to unlocking her true potential. There was no turning back now.

Though she embraced the process, Yue Ling couldn’t shake the feeling this was just one chapter of a greater story—one that would lead her into unknown dangers beyond the small world.

Outside the ancient ring and the small world, something ominous brewed.

The skies darkened.

Thunder rumbled across realms.

The stars seemed to flicker in fear.

This was no ordinary storm.

From the heavens to the lowest corners of the cultivation world, eyes turned to the phenomenon. Only one thing could cause such a shift—the awakening of an ancient bloodline.

Far away in the Heavenly Jade Palace, deep within the Empress’s chamber, a woman sat frozen, her silk robes trailing off the edge of a jade bench. Her name was Empress Qingtian, a descendant of the Yue family lineage, and one of the last who knew the truth of what had been lost.

Her trembling hand dropped the scroll she was reading.

"Ye’er… Ye’er’s bloodline?" she whispered, her voice caught in disbelief.

“Could it be… Ye’er’s daughter? But… Ye’er’s last wish was for her child to remain unknown and be free of anything that would make her unhappy…”

She stood up abruptly, worry etched into her perfect brows.

“What is Old Man Yue thinking?” she muttered. “Why now? No… no, I trust him. He would never betray Ye’er’s last wish. He loved her very deeply.”

As the storm grew louder, the ancient ring within Yue Ling’s consciousness also stirred. It shuddered in panic, sensing the thunderous attraction of celestial punishment—it was a natural test, a cleansing, but it could also kill her. The ring wouldn’t allow it.

“This child is not ready for such attention…” the ancestor’s echo whispered from within.

With a swift decision, the ancient ring conjured another smaller artifact ring—a twin to itself, refined with the power of bloodline essence. It drew the thunder in… pulling the dangerous force like liquid lightning into itself. The ring turned a glowing violet as it transformed the thunder into spiritual thunder liquid, then dissolved it into the medicinal bath surrounding Yue Ling.

The moment the liquid thunder merged with the bath, the rumbling ceased.

The skies cleared.

The world calmed.

Back in the Heavenly Jade Palace, Empress Qingtian pressed a hand to her chest, sighing deeply.

“I knew it, she said. He wouldn't do it. He's a man of his word… good.”

“But this storm…” she whispered to herself, her heart aching, “if the enemies of Yue ever sensed it, they will come for her. I… I can’t lose my niece.”

Meanwhile, inside the Yue Family’s Hidden Realm, Grandfather Yue stood silently in the training courtyard. His long white beard fluttered in the quiet night breeze, his hands folded behind him.

“Butler Sān,” he called.

The ever-serious man in gray robes appeared instantly.

“Yes, Old Master?”

“I want you to go ahead of us to old man hu and give him this voice transmission tailsman. “Begin preparations to leave immediately.” With a metallic clang, Butler San flew with his sword for preparation and to deliver the message.

Inside the ancient ring

Light.

The serene, angelic figure appeared again, brushing a soft hand against Yue Ling’s cheek.

“Remember Old Yue’s instructions,” the voice whispered like flowing water.

“Your veil is your first shield. Let your eyes remain visible—but never the rest of your face. If the day comes when you tire of the veil, you must change your entire appearance. Disguise yourself so no one— not even your shadow—recognizes you. Only then will you find true freedom, without endangering yourself or those you love.”

The figure’s tone faded as the world around Yue Ling dissolved into a whirlpool of ancient symbols.

“And don’t forget… the words of your ancestor…”

Whoosh!

Yue Ling jolted awake within the small world. Though her body still felt heavy, she realized she was floating—light as a feather, bones refined and weightless. Her skin glowed faintly under the moonlight, and her hair shimmered like flowing ink.

“What… what is this?” she whispered, awe and disbelief mingling.

Then, the ancient ring’s voice echoed in her mind:

“Though many opponents lie ahead—some far stronger—you must train.”

That was the last thing she heard before a sudden shadow loomed behind her.

Her breath hitched.

She wasn’t alone.

Unseen to Yue Ling, across the farthest borders of fate, the one destined to cross her path stirred in silence...

Xueyin.

The name echoed through the grand halls of the Heavenly Jade Palace—empty and silent, yet filled with powerful cultivation energy. The palace bore marks of the Snake Tribe, Bird Tribe, Dragon Tribe, Flower Tribe, and Merfolk Tribe—ancient forces woven into its very walls.

But none of this could fill the emptiness in Xueyin’s heart.

“Xueyin,” a persistent voice called—his sister, the princess.

He sighed, weighed down by grief—the loss of his mother, the demotion from crown prince to Star Cycle, the unbearable loneliness.

“I’m not deaf,” he muttered, rising from his chair. “If she has something important, she knows how to reach me.”

With steady steps, he left, retreating to the sanctuary of his cultivation chamber, where his master awaited—the man who had stood by him through every trial, who had taught him the secrets of the Void Element.

For nine hundred and ninety-nine years, Xueyin had cultivated tirelessly, preparing for the coming turbulence.

His path was the Void Element, rare and powerful—an integration of the five elements. Though gifted, his heart was restless.

He kept himself distant, avoiding attachment, even to the princess born after their mother’s death.

Haunted by memories of betrayal, loss, and the Yue family’s self-imposed exile, Xueyin knew he had to unravel the mysteries buried beneath his past.

Before the turbulence demanded his all, he had to find the truth.

Would he succeed?