Pain came before breath.
Every time Lin Yan drew spiritual qi into his body, it felt like fire poured directly into his veins—violent, scorching, unforgiving. His meridians trembled, then tore apart as if they were made of dry paper.
He dropped to one knee.
Blood dripped from the corner of his mouth, splashing onto the stone platform.
Again.
Around him, laughter erupted.
"Hah! He's trying again?"
"Does he enjoy suffering?"
"Talentless trash will always be trash."
Lin Yan clenched his fists but didn't look up.
He had heard those words for ten years.
The Azure Flame Sect's outer courtyard was filled with youths his age, all standing tall as spiritual qi flowed smoothly through their bodies. Some glowed faintly. Others smiled confidently, basking in the praise of elders.
Lin Yan stood alone.
No glow.No resonance.Only pain.
"Enough," an elder said coldly. "Lin Yan, cultivation attempt: failure."
The verdict echoed through the courtyard.
The elder didn't even hide his disdain. "Your meridians burn upon contact with qi. You are unfit for cultivation. From today onward, you will cease training."
Lin Yan slowly raised his head.
"Elder," he said quietly, "please… let me try one more time."
A few disciples burst out laughing.
The elder frowned. "Stubbornness is not talent."
Lin Yan bowed deeply. "I understand."
He turned and walked away, his back straight despite the mocking eyes burning into him.
He was born into the Lin Clan once.
Back then, everyone called him promising.
Until his awakening ceremony.
The moment spiritual qi entered his body, flames erupted beneath his skin. He screamed until his voice broke. Elders panicked. Formation arrays shattered.
Diagnosis: Burning Meridians Curse.
A body that rejected cultivation itself.
After that, everything fell apart.
His parents died during a monster hunt.The clan expelled him quietly.The Azure Flame Sect took him in—but only as a servant.
Not a disciple.
A servant who cleaned floors, carried water, and endured humiliation.
Yet even so… Lin Yan never stopped trying.
Because giving up hurt more than burning.
That night, the forbidden mountain loomed beneath a moonless sky.
Lin Yan carried a crate of supplies on his back, his steps slow but steady. The elders sent servants here as punishment—dangerous terrain, unstable spiritual ground.
Perfect, they said, for someone disposable.
As he passed an old stone marker etched with faded warnings, the ground beneath his feet cracked.
"What—"
The world collapsed.
Lin Yan fell.
Wind howled past his ears as darkness swallowed him whole.
Then—
CRACK.
His body slammed into stone.
Bones shattered instantly.
Pain flared, then vanished.
His vision blurred.
So this is how it ends, he thought calmly.
No fear.No regret.Only exhaustion.
Then—
🔥 WHOOM 🔥
Heat exploded around him.
Flames burst from the darkness, wrapping around his broken body—not burning, but devouring. His shattered bones began to knit together. Torn flesh reformed.
Lin Yan gasped.
"What… is this…?"
A deep, ancient voice echoed through the cavern, amused and sharp.
"Curious."
The flames surged higher, forming massive wings of fire.
"A human whose body burns at the touch of qi… yet survives my flame."
Lin Yan trembled, unable to move.
A colossal shadow emerged from the fire—golden eyes, blazing feathers, a presence that crushed his soul.
A Phoenix.
"If cultivation burns you," the voice said,"then let us see how many times you can be reborn."
Agony erupted.
A blazing sigil carved itself into Lin Yan's chest, searing down to his very soul.
He screamed.
Not in pain—
But in awakening.
As consciousness faded, the voice whispered one last time:
"Live through the fire, little one.""You are my apprentice now.