## 📖 **Chapter 1 – The Ashes of the Liang Clan**
In a world where the heavens shape fate and the earth hides forgotten secrets, spiritual cultivation is not just a path — it is the very essence of survival.
Empires have risen and fallen by the power of a single cultivator. Plains have turned into seas of flame. Magical beasts have torn continents apart in silent wars between ancient clans. And between the heavens and the dust, the weak walk with heads bowed, while the strong stride like gods.
On this vast continent known as **Yián**, thousands of provinces and kingdoms exist, each with its own laws, skies, and mysteries. But in the midst of it all, hidden in a mountain range lost to time — the **Cold Cloud Mountains** — lies a small village, forever shrouded in mist.
This village is home to the **Liang Clan**, one of the five most prominent clans in the small city of **Baichuan**.
Though they are ranked fifth, they occupy one of the best regions — a fact that stirs envy and suspicion among rival clans.
But the land is also dangerous. The Liang Clan lives on the edge of a wild forest where savage beasts roam. A single disturbance could lead to catastrophe.
Yet, over ten generations of settlement, only five beast attacks have occurred — and even so, many lives were lost each time.
Rumors whisper that a **Spirit Beast** resides deep within the mountain's core. This fear grips even the city's citizens — let alone the members of the Liang Clan.
There is a crucial difference between **Beasts** and **Spirit Beasts**:
* Beasts, no matter how powerful, possess no intelligence — unless altered by unnatural means.
* Spirit Beasts, on the other hand, are born with awareness. And because of that, it's rare to find a weak one; a single Spirit Beast can easily destroy a small city.
Because of this, the Liang Clan remains in constant training and alert. Their position near the forest makes them a **natural shield** for the city — earning them both respect and rivalry.
How many men and women have died to protect strangers?
Yet, after generations of sacrifice, their roots have been forgotten.
Goodwill, when unrewarded, turns bitter.
Those who once gave their lives for the safety of the city now receive only cold stares and mounting taxes. What was once a sacred duty has become a burden — and worst of all, an unappreciated one. Their children grow up hearing stories not of glory, but of lost honor, of an identity slowly erased.
---
At this very moment, an important meeting is underway.
The clan leader and three elders are discussing a decision recently made by the city's authorities — a decision about the Liang Clan, **without their presence or input**.
To the surprise of many, a fifteen-year-old boy sits among the elders in the room.
These meetings are usually reserved for the most powerful and influential cultivators.
So what is the **"talentless son of the patriarch"** doing here?
This boy is **Li Ke**, son of the current clan leader.
Though he bears no family name, he bears the **respect of all**.
Since childhood, he has helped the elderly and the weak of the clan. While his brothers and other youths act arrogantly, Li Ke remains simple, kind, and just.
But it is not only kindness that brought him to this meeting — his **sharp mind** has saved the clan from poor decisions more than once.
Even the most traditional elder, **Liang Tianxu**, holds deep respect for him. Years ago, **Li Ke stopped his older brother from spying on Tianxu's granddaughter while she bathed** — the result was a broken arm and the fury of a talented but dishonorable sibling.
That brother has since joined a sect and forgotten the clan.
But that's a story for another time...
---
Inside the meeting hall, the current patriarch — **Liang Zhenhai**, a warrior-built man with slightly graying hair and Western features inherited from a unique bloodline — speaks with firmness:
— "You've all heard what happened. A meeting about **us**, held behind our backs. They've raised our taxes without warning."
Silence follows. Then **Liang Tianxu**, the oldest and most respected elder, speaks gravely:
— "And what can we do? Unless the next generation breaks this cycle, we will continue to be pushed aside. After all our years of goodwill... all we have left are enemies."
Li Ke clenches his fists but remains silent.
**Liang Baofeng**, the hot-blooded elder, speaks with outrage:
— "How dare they treat us this way? How many years did we protect them for free?"
**Liang Ruiwen**, the calmest of the group, replies bitterly:
— "It's human nature to be greedy. There hasn't been a beast attack in years... they've forgotten our sacrifices."
Li Ke lets out a long sigh. Without visible results, no one values old stories.
Then, his father turns to him:
— "Li Ke, do you see a way out of this?"
All three elders look to him. But this time, **not even his sharp mind can find a perfect solution**.
— "The only thing we can do," Li Ke says, "is suggest that we abandon the city. Ask for a tax reduction... or let another clan take our place as the shield."
Silence again. Then slow nods. It's their only card to play.
---
The meeting ends shortly after.
Li Ke, exhausted, returns to his private courtyard within the clan's main residence.
There, he gazes at the sky and murmurs:
— "Even after years of doing good… I still have no talent, no strength... where's that so-called law of planting and harvesting?"
The wind was calm that night, and the stars above shimmered with quiet indifference. Somewhere in the forest, a beast howled — as if echoing his doubt. The mountains stood still, ancient and cold, holding within them truths that no cultivator had yet uncovered.
But Li Ke, unaware of what fate had in store, simply stood there — a young man with a golden heart in a world of stone.
---
**Li Ke was not native to this world.**
Reincarnated from a simple life in Brazil, he had no special powers, no innate gifts — only memories, questions, and a stubborn desire to do good.
At fifteen, he stood 1.85 meters tall, with a strong frame built through intense training. His curly black hair was cut in a modern fade — which he personally described to the local barber. His brown eyes carried a unique fire.
His Western appearance — a legacy of the clan's mixed bloodline — made him seem even more out of place in a world dominated by Eastern tradition.
Outwardly, Li Ke was handsome. Inwardly, he was a boy tired of waiting for a brighter future.