Chapter 1

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The moonlight was bright, and all was quiet.

In an endless wasteland, a wordless stone stele stood alone.

The stele was two zhang tall, entirely bluish-gray, with the marks of time clearly visible. Its surface was uneven and covered with mottled imprints.

Suddenly, thunder roared in the sky, illuminating the stele. As if absorbing the light and power of the lightning, the stele trembled slightly but quickly fell silent.

But with the slight tremor of the stele, the desolate wasteland, which had been uninhabited for thousands of miles, seemed to come alive.

A terrifying roar echoed from the distance, as if an ancient demon spirit was roaring, causing the earth to tremble. In the distance, a terrifying giant, half of whose body was buried in the sky, stood there, appearing and disappearing in the night.

In the clouds, a man with a large coffin on his back, dressed in black with white hair but whose face was indistinct, stood quietly on the cloud, looking down at the stele.

In the distance, a six-clawed golden dragon, a hundred zhang long, writhed, its massive head emerging from the clouds. Its emotionless golden eyes stared at the stele, and dragon breath scattered, changing the color of the sky and earth.

At the same time, a giant demon covered in chains and a snow-white fox with nine tails, moving gracefully, approached.

Many powerful beasts gathered here but only watched the stele, not daring to move, as if they were afraid of something.

Finally, a man in a purple-golden robe, with a regal aura like an emperor, descended, his gaze stern and fixed on the stele.

At this moment, none of the gathered strong figures made a sound. Their target was one: the stele standing in the center of the wasteland!

They all knew that this stele contained a secret that would determine the future of this ancient world.

However, just as the strong figures gathered, the stele suddenly shattered with a loud noise, and a beam of light shot up, forming a pillar of light that tore through the moonlight and clouds in the sky, creating a massive pulling force as if calling for something from the void.

Instantly, the strong figures cried out, the divine dragon fell, the giant demon knelt, and even the regal emperor bowed his head, trembling slightly.

The powerful beasts hidden in the desolate land, as well as the divine and human strong figures who had come, could not withstand the terrifying pressure emanating from the stele!

After a long time, the light from the shattered stele gradually dimmed, and a white light resembling a fruit hovered in the air, quickly spinning and darting in one direction.

The strong figures immediately became agitated!

The ancient demon spirit moved to intercept it, but its indestructible body was pierced by the white light, blood raining down on the earth, and its massive body collapsed.

Next, the six-clawed golden dragon and the man with the coffin tried to block it, but both were thrown back by the white light.

The black giant demon, the nine-tailed white fox, and other beasts also tried to stop the white light, but they couldn't even touch it.

"Nine Heavens Fall Together!"

Seeing this, the purple-robed emperor rushed forward, using his most powerful move, slightly blocking the white light for a moment. But after a moment, it still forcefully pushed the purple-robed emperor aside and resolutely left the sight of the strong figures.

Watching it disappear, the man who looked like an emperor had a grim expression, waved his sleeve, and left without a word.

Seeing this, the other strong figures also sighed and left.

The desolate land, silent for a million years, fell into silence again.

However, after this night, in the countless stars of this world, a new, most shining star would surely appear!

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Bai Yang had been having a strange dream.

In the dream, he was a shining star, and all the stars in the sky revolved around him, covering the sky and illuminating the earth and its many creatures.

Countless strong figures tried to reach for the moon and stars, breaking through the starlight to enter the vast star sea and the boundless universe, but were all blocked by the shining star he had become.

For a million years in the dream, he turned into a stele, standing in the center of a vast land.

Around him, giant demons roared, golden dragons bellowed, and strong figures battled, changing the color of the sky and earth.

But the stele remained quietly, standing firm through the ages.

Bai Yang woke up from the dream, opened his eyes, and stared at the gray ceiling, muttering, "This strange dream again."

For half a year, this dream had appeared from time to time, always the same, causing him great distress.

The broken wooden window let in the dappled morning light, and the air in the room was slightly damp. Bai Yang forced himself to forget the strange dream, got up, and rubbed his face, clearing his mind a bit.

Every morning at this time, he would wake up on schedule and go to the kitchen to cook for the inner disciples.

He was a laborer, the most marginal figure among the outer disciples of the Xuanjian Sect.

So-called marginal figures referred to those who had not awakened their bloodline, had no cultivation potential, and even lacked the lowest-level spiritual roots.

Such people had an extremely low status in the sect, useful only for doing odd jobs and cooking.

Although Bai Yang had once been a "genius" who attracted countless gazes and exclamations when he entered the sect half a year ago, that was long gone. Now, he was just a laborer in the kitchen.

After washing his face, Bai Yang quickly put on his clothes and carried a wooden bucket to the well in the backyard to fetch water.

At this moment, two people were already chatting in the backyard.

Seeing Bai Yang approach, the chubby one asked, "Bai Yang, fetching water to cook so early?"

Bai Yang silently lowered the bucket into the well and softly nodded.

The youth beside the chubby one laughed and pointed at him, "Is that all you're good for? Today is the day the first floor of the sect's scripture hall opens, and anyone can enter to choose a cultivation technique. If you can find one suitable for you, you might even awaken your bloodline!"

Saying this, the youth's eyes rolled, and he "realized" with a feigned expression, "Almost forgot, you're just a little laborer now, without even a spiritual root, let alone the chance to awaken your bloodline! Sorry, I touched a sore spot!" His tone was full of mockery.

Bai Yang seemed used to this and was not angry. He smiled and struggled to pull the bucket up.

The chubby one was good at dealing with people, stepping forward to help and comfort, "Don't lose heart. You've only been here for half a year, and there's still a chance. If you choose the right technique, you might still have a chance to cultivate."

Mentioning this, Bai Yang hesitated slightly, his eyes flashing with hope, but it quickly faded. He just nodded and picked up the bucket, saying to the two, "I'll go first."

He left without looking back.

"Look at that wimp."

The youth stared at Bai Yang's back, his tone carrying a hint of envy.

"Ah," the chubby one sighed, "If Bai Yang's bloodline hadn't withered, he might have become an inner disciple by now."

"But he's just a stinky laborer now. Talking about 'ifs' is useless. The world doesn't have 'ifs.' Let's go, the scripture hall will open soon, don't waste time."

The chubby one heard this, lightly shook his head, and sighed as he left the yard with the youth.

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The Xuanjian Sect was one of the top sects in the Southern Wasteland, and even the kitchen showed strong discipline. Apart from the sounds of cooking, there were no other unnecessary noises.

After entering, Bai Yang quietly placed the bucket in the corner and walked to his position.

Although he was a laborer, he had good culinary skills, and he had his own stove in the kitchen, not just doing general helper or ingredient preparation work.

Bai Yang started the fire, washed and cut vegetables quietly. As time passed, one dish after another was completed under his hands, and other outer disciples came to take them away.

After a few cups of tea, a fine layer of sweat appeared on his forehead. He endured until the last dish was done, then wiped his forehead.

"Boy, come over here!"

Seeing him finish cooking, the kitchen manager, known as Old Liu, called Bai Yang over from the corner.

Bai Yang scratched his head and walked over to Old Liu.

"Do you know today is the day the scripture hall opens?" Old Liu glared at Bai Yang and asked slowly.

Bai Yang's body trembled slightly, and he forced a smile, "I know."

Old Liu rolled his eyes, knocked Bai Yang's head hard, and said sternly, "Do you know that if you miss the opening of the scripture hall, you'll lose your only chance to cultivate?"

Bai Yang's eyes dimmed, and he said sarcastically, "Even if I go, there might not be any hope."

"Talking nonsense!" Old Liu puffed out his mustache, "Just because your bloodline withered doesn't mean you can't cultivate for the rest of your life. Finish your work and don't cause trouble here. Do what you need to do!"

Saying this, he almost pushed Bai Yang to the kitchen door and quietly slipped a warm stone into his hand.

Bai Yang took the stone, slightly stunned, looked down, and saw it was a low-grade spirit stone, a hard currency that wouldn't depreciate in the outside world, worth at least a thousand gold coins!

A thousand gold coins was not a small amount, enough to support a typical family of three for several years.

A warm current flowed through Bai Yang's heart. He looked deeply at the closed door, put away the stone, and turned to leave.

In the kitchen, several middle-aged laborers gathered and asked, "Old Liu, do you think Bai Yang has a chance?"

Old Liu sighed, "Whether he succeeds or not depends on himself. In the past half year, I've watched him change from a lively child to what he is now. This heaven is truly cruel."

The others also showed expressions of regret.

Half a year ago, Bai Yang's bloodline, which was about to awaken, withered due to an accident, and he was sent to the kitchen to do labor. At first, he was optimistic, but over time, the rumors and gossip around him made him feel defeated, turning him into a quiet and reserved person.

"In any case, we can't let this child waste his life like we did in this place." Old Liu finished, sent the others to work, and sighed as he turned to leave.

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