The Path of Lui Wei

CHAPTER 1 — THE BOY WHO COULD NOT CULTIVATE The night sky was dark. A cold wind swept across the mountains surrounding Azure Cloud Village, carrying the sound of distant beasts through the forest. Above the village, countless stars filled the heavens. Among them, one star suddenly flashed. Then another. Then thousands. No one in the village noticed. But deep within the mountains, something ancient had awakened. In a small wooden house at the edge of the village, a fifteen-year-old boy sat cross-legged on the floor. His name was Liu Wei. He had black hair, pale skin, and unusually calm eyes. Despite being only fifteen, there was something different about him. He had been cultivating since the age of eight. For seven years, he had tried to sense spiritual energy. For seven years, he had failed. Liu Wei slowly opened his eyes. He looked at the small candle in front of him. Another night had passed. Another failed attempt. He clenched his fists. "Why?" His voice was quiet. "Why can't I cultivate?" In this world, strength determined everything. Those who could cultivate were called cultivators. They could absorb spiritual energy from Heaven and Earth, strengthen their bodies, manipulate spiritual techniques, and eventually become powerful enough to destroy mountains and cross the skies. But Liu Wei couldn't even sense spiritual energy. His family considered him useless. The villagers called him a mortal. Even children younger than him laughed whenever they saw him. Liu Wei lowered his head. Then he noticed something strange. A faint golden light was coming from his chest. His eyes widened. "What... is that?" The golden light became brighter. BOOM! A terrifying pressure suddenly erupted from his body. The candle flame went out. The wooden walls began to shake. Liu Wei's expression changed. "What is happening?!" Suddenly, an unfamiliar voice echoed inside his mind. [Ancient Heaven Devouring Scripture has been activated.] Liu Wei froze. "What?" [Host confirmed.] [Bloodline awakening: 1%.] [Spiritual roots awakening: 1%.] [Beginning reconstruction of host's cultivation foundation.] Pain exploded through Liu Wei's body. "ARGHHHH!" He fell to the ground and grabbed his chest. His veins bulged. His bones cracked. His muscles trembled violently. Yet beneath the pain, Liu Wei could feel something he had never felt before. Energy. Countless streams of energy were entering his body from the surrounding world. He could finally sense spiritual energy. And it was everywhere. The air. The ground. The trees. The mountains. The stars above. Everything contained spiritual energy. Liu Wei's breathing became heavier. The energy gathered around him like a storm. Then— BOOM! A golden vortex appeared above his head. Spiritual energy poured into his body. His cultivation began to rise. [Mortal → Qi Condensation, First Stage.] [Qi Condensation, First Stage → Second Stage.] [Second Stage → Third Stage.] Liu Wei's eyes opened. Golden light flashed within them. He whispered: "So this... is cultivation." For the first time in his life, Liu Wei smiled. But he didn't know that the moment his cultivation began, something had changed. Thousands of kilometers away, inside an ancient palace floating above the clouds, an old man suddenly opened his eyes. His expression was one of disbelief. "Impossible..." He looked toward Azure Cloud Village. "That aura..." The old man's hands trembled. "The Heaven Devouring Bloodline has returned?" At the same moment, deep beneath the earth, something ancient opened its eyes. A voice echoed through the darkness. "After ten thousand years..." "The heir has finally awakened." Back inside the small wooden house, Liu Wei knew nothing about any of this. He simply looked at his hands. For seven years, he had been mocked as a useless mortal. Tonight, everything had changed. But this was only the beginning. Liu Wei slowly stood up. His eyes became cold. "If Heaven refuses to give me a path..." He looked toward the endless mountains. "Then I'll create my own." CHAPTER 1 — END