In the northern part of Qingshui City stood a vast and imposing estate—the Wang Family's domain.

Mention the Wang clan in Qingshui, and no one would be unfamiliar. Ranked just below the Liu clan, they were one of the Four Great Families—Liu, Wang, Lei, and Ma.

Dong!

The deep chime of a bell echoed through the estate. It was early morning; sunlight broke through the mist, spilling golden rays over the grand plaza.

The square was already packed. All eyes were locked on the tightly shut gates ahead, tension thick in the air. Today, the fate of one of the family's so-called “genius” disciples would be decided.

That name was Wang Lin. Only son of clan leader Wang Xiao, he began cultivating at seven, reached the Innate Realm by ten. At thirteen, even the Imperial Academy took notice and granted him a place by recommendation. The kid used to be the pride of the Wang family, their brightest flame. He was a legend.But before the day of selection came, Wang Lin—the once-celebrated prodigy—lost all his cultivation overnight. In the three years that followed, he made no progress at all. Not even the first level of the Mundane Shedding Realm.

Now, three years had passed. Wang Lin was sixteen. As per family rules, anyone without talent in cultivation by this age would be sent away—either to study or enter trade. In short, they’d be tossed out and no longer allowed to live off the clan for free.

"You’re really not worried at all, young master?"

Beneath a tall tree stood a boy and a girl. The boy was none other than Wang Lin.

"Xiao Lan, you've been with me all this time. Don't you know me by now?"

Xiao Lan had served Wang Lin since they were children. She’d watched him rise with pride to the top, becoming the clan’s brightest star—then watched him fall hard and fast, overnight. Yet even after losing everything, he never panicked. No matter the ridicule, the scorn, he stayed calm—like he’d planned it all along.

“Three years are up. Don’t let me down.”

Wang Lin gently touched his forehead. Right between his brows, a hidden mark: the faint outline of a cauldron. His greatest secret.Three years ago, by sheer chance, he came across that cauldron. Along with it, he got hold of a strange cultivation technique—Creation Immortal Scripture. In all his years, Wang Lin had never seen anything like it.

But cultivating this scripture was no easy path. The first step? He had to abolish all his existing cultivation. Then, he needed to use the Creation Immortal Cauldron to suppress his own body for three full years. If he didn’t, death would be the price.

When he first got the technique, Wang Lin had hesitated. Who wouldn’t? But after thinking long and hard, he ultimately crushed all his cultivation and did exactly as the scripture said—endure suppression for three years.

Now, the three years were up. The time for cultivation had finally come.

With a creak, the door that'd been shut tight for a whole hour slowly opened.

“He's out! He finally came out!”

“Wang Feng, what’s the result?”

“Well, from today on, Wang Lin won’t be getting any more cultivation resources from the clan.”

“Haha! Just as I thought. That useless guy’s getting booted.”

“A waste like him should’ve been kicked ages ago. Let him fend for himself. If his father wasn’t the clan leader, he wouldn’t have lasted this long, freeloading off the family.”

“Did the Elders say what that loser’s supposed to do now?”“No idea. Either he's going into business or hitting the books.”

“Yeah, probably.”

Wang Lin gave them a glance, let out a faint sigh, then turned and left without another word.

“Young Master, where are you going?”

“Xiao Lan, don’t follow me.”

Xiao Lan froze in place, watching his figure walk away. She bit her lip and thought, Young Master’s not in the mood... Let him be alone for a bit.

Wang Lin walked straight out of the square, didn’t linger anywhere, just made his way back to his room. Once inside, he shut the door and sat down cross-legged.

He had waited three long years for this moment. Let the rumors fly—he didn’t care.

Hands forming a strange seal, eyes closed tight, Wang Lin focused all his thoughts on his dantian.

First step of cultivation: center the mind, sense the qi.

Most would struggle with this at first, but not him. His mind cleared fast, like calm water, locking onto the dantian without distraction.

Soon enough, a wave of warmth rose from within. Like spring water bubbling up—gentle, but steady.Having trained before, Wang Lin knew this was the first step—sensing the qi. Once successful, the dormant dantian would stir, coming back to life.

If word got out that Wang Lin managed to sense qi in just a short moment, someone would probably cough up blood in anger. Even prodigies need ten days, maybe half a month, to get this far.

He didn’t waste time. With eyes shut tight, he focused fully, cutting off all distractions.

As time passed, a surge of warmth rose from his dantian, stronger and stronger. The qi around him grew thick, heavy.

This was a shift—pure buildup. The heat kept climbing, the qi kept deepening.

The stronger one’s life force, the better the body. A normal person, once reaching a threshold, would have their life force explode into raw power. With the right chant, this power could be molded into spiritual energy.

That was cultivation.

His dantian swelled, heat rushing out like a hot spring, bursting with life. It churned like a furnace set ablaze.

When that heat reached its peak, it broke past the limit—turning from quantity into quality. Spiritual energy took shape.

This was the first step for a cultivator—the Mortal Shedding Stage.The Body Refining Stage had nine levels, commonly called the Nine Heavens of Refining. During this stage, cultivators train their techniques, open their dantian, draw in the essence of heaven and earth, and store it within. With this essence, they wash their bones, nourish their flesh, and strengthen their bodies—stepping beyond the limits of the mundane.

No one knew how much time passed. The still air suddenly churned violently. Streams of spiritual energy broke free from the air, seeping into Wang Lin’s body through every pore, quickly transforming into his own energy.

So much energy flooded in that his meridians stung with a dull pain. But Wang Lin was tough—he endured it without flinching.

Clenching his teeth, he ignored the soreness from every inch of muscle and vein, and kept channeling the Creation Immortal Canon, slowly guiding the energy into his dantian to break through.