Tan Yu's family had always relied on his grandfather to get by in this world.
He wasn't particularly powerful, but at least he could provide a stable life for them.
After his grandfather fell ill and passed away, their family's wealth was inadvertently exposed, and outsiders immediately came to seize their belongings.
In that battle, the Tan family suffered devastating losses. Tan Yu's parents were both gravely injured and perished.
Logically speaking, Tan Yu — only ten years old at the time — should have died as well.
Fortunately, an elder from the Sun Moon Sect happened to pass by, drove off the attackers, and brought the ten-year-old Tan Yu and his five-year-old sister to the Sun Moon Sect.
At the Sun Moon Sect, both Tan Yu and his sister displayed astonishing talent. Before long, they became two of the sect's most outstanding prodigies.
Two hundred and thirteen years ago, Tan Yu's bloodline awakened, triggering a heaven-and-earth phenomenon.
The phenomenon was no small matter — it shook the entire world.
Tan Yu should have soared to new heights in an instant.
But who could have guessed that the awakened bloodline would not earn the Sun Moon Sect's favor? Instead, it brought catastrophic ruin upon him.
The Sun Moon Sect's strongest disciple was the sect master's grandson. Fearing that Tan Yu would surpass him, he conspired with Tan Yu's own sister, drugging Tan Yu and digging out his Dantian.
"Wait — when you say your sister, do you mean your biological sister, or the sect master's grandson's sister?" Zi Ling asked.
"My biological sister."
"She joined the Sun Moon Sect alongside me and also showed remarkable talent. Later, she married the sect master's grandson."
"I thought that by marrying him, my sister would further solidify our standing in the sect."
"But after she married into his family, my cultivation resources not only failed to increase — they dwindled further and further."
"Even her heart became bound tightly to her husband's."
"By the time I realized this, it was already too late."
"My sister's marriage coincided with a critical period in my cultivation. On top of that, I had repeatedly rendered great service to the sect. There was no reason for them to do anything but increase my cultivation resources."
"Yet my resources kept shrinking. I began to realize something was wrong — I had likely threatened the title of 'strongest genius' held by the sect master's grandson."
"So after my bloodline awakened, when my cultivation resources for that month still hadn't increased and continued to decrease even further…"
"I became certain of it."
"I decided to secretly leave the Sun Moon Sect."
"I only told my biological sister about this. I was afraid that if I left without her, she might be implicated, so I wanted to bring her along."
"But while I had recognized the darkness of the Sun Moon Sect, I failed to see the change in my sister."
"When she heard my plan, terrified that I would leave, she immediately drugged me — then reported everything to her husband."
"When I woke up, not only had my Dantian been ripped from my body, but I was also framed with the accusation of stealing treasures from the Sun Moon Sect."
At these words, Tan Yu shook his head with a bitter smile.
It was clear that this ordeal had wounded him deeply. Even after more than two hundred years, he still hadn't been able to move past it.
"Afterward, my sister pleaded on my behalf, and I was allowed to keep my life."
"Of course, perhaps letting me live was exactly what they wanted."
"After all, our family was nothing but a trivial clan in their eyes. Never mind that my family was gone — even if they'd still been around, they wouldn't have feared them."
"A helpless man who could no longer cultivate — how could I possibly be a threat to them? I was nothing more than a laughingstock."
"But betrayed by my own flesh and blood, stripped of my cultivation, wracked with pain — I no longer wanted to continue living in this world. So I went to my parents' graves, intending to end it all."
"Little did I know, I happened to run into Senior Zhao, who was on his way to pay his respects at my grandfather's grave."
"Senior Zhao was deeply sympathetic upon hearing what had happened to me."
"Not only did he give me some resources, but he also comforted me — saying that as long as one is alive, there is hope, but once you're dead, everything is truly gone."
"He then helped me find this place."