The devil's deal.

eathing. Months had passed since his parents' death, and the once-prodigious cultivator now found himself trapped in a night

celebrated as a genius, now whispers of doubt and mockery echoed through the clan's halls. The young prince co

between them, once warm and promising, now felt as cold and distant as the mountain peaks surroundin

ter how hard he tried, the once-effortless flow of cultivation remained frustratingly out of reach. Mem

ld sense the vultures circling. Young cultivators who once feared and respected him now looked

darker paths to power-methods that the clan strictly forbade. The concept of a demonic spirit,

dden characters in a hidden scroll. The traditional cultivation methods had fai

ed," the elder said, his tone a mixture of pity and disdain. "A true cultivato

n, from his own expectations, from the memory of his parents. Each day of fail

ho had once looked up to him now saw an opportunity. Challenges were issued, subtle at fi

line between acceptable cultivation practices and forbidden methods began to

g at the forbidden scroll, "

rkness to come. Kai Lin stood at a precipice, his future balanced on the knife'

irit watched, patient and calculating, waiting for the moment when