A chipped tea cup steamed faintly in the early dawn chill.
Su Yanzhou sat alone on the crumbling stone steps of the Outer Voidfeather Sect's east courtyard, dark eyes fixed on the pale liquid within. The bitter scent of cheap leaves rose toward his face, mixing with the sharp bite of mountain air.
He took a slow sip and grimaced.
"Ugh. Figures."
That's what happens when you brew spirit tea leaves six times over, he thought. But at least it was warm.
Some mornings demanded warmth. This was one of them.
He pulled his patched outer robe tighter against the wind and looked up. The sky above was still dark, scattered with faint stars. Dawn would break soon, and with it, the first bells would ring — summoning the Outer Sect's disciples to morning drills.
Su Yanzhou doubted he'd be there.
After all… what was the point?
A faint pulse tugged at the cloth pouch tied to his waist. The stone fragment inside — cold, heavy — seemed to thrum with its own rhythm. His fingers brushed it absently through the fabric.
Void Nexus.
That was the name it had whispered to him last night. In his mind, as clear as the mountain wind:
[Host Identified. Void Nexus Calibration Incomplete. One Reset Available.]
Even now, thinking about it sent a chill to his spine.
He took a look around the courtyard,the emptiness settling in like a whisper. No one was watching. No one ever watched Outer Sect trash like him, unless they were looking for someone to bully.
A dry smile appeared on his face.
"Reset… what a joke."
He took another sip of bitter tea.
The Outer Voidfeather Sect had once been a place of legends.
A thousand years ago, it had stood among the great sects — its disciples revered, its Void Dao was feared and admired. But centuries of decline and internal strife had reduced it to a shadow of its former glory.
Now? The Inner Sect barely maintained its numbers. The Core Elders bickered endlessly. And the Outer Sect… well. It had become a dumping ground.
A place for orphans. Bastards. The untalented. Those with spirit roots too weak to attract better sects. Those like Su Yanzhou.
He'd entered the Outer Sect three years ago with nothing but determination and a cheap wooden sword. No spirit root. No backing. No family. He survived by scrubbing floors, carrying water, and getting beaten in sparring rings more times than he could count.
And tomorrow, during the Entry Trials, he'd likely be thrown out.
Outer Sect disciples who failed to advance by sixteen were expelled — forced to fend for themselves beyond the sect walls.
Su Yanzhou was sixteen today.
Happy birthday to me, he thought dryly.
Another pulse from the pouch drew his attention. Fainter this time, but insistent. He hesitated, then reached inside and pulled the fragment free.
It looked unremarkable — a broken piece of obsidian-like stone etched with faint runes. But the moment his skin touched it, a cold voice echoed in his mind:
[Void Nexus Adaptation 87% Complete.]
[Reset Function: One Aspect May Be Reset.]
[Warning: Cost Unknown. Proceed?]
He stared at the stone.
One aspect. Body? Bloodline? Fate?
The possibilities were dizzying.
And terrifying.
Su Yanzhou wasn't an idiot. He'd heard stories of ancient artifacts, of soul-bound legacies and forbidden relics. He knew enough to understand one thing:
This was dangerous.
Too dangerous to ignore… and too tempting to resist.
A Reset. A chance to rewrite the single most broken part of his life.
His lack of talent.
Footsteps echoed faintly from the distant hallway. Su Yanzhou tensed, quickly slipping the fragment back into his pouch.
Two Outer Sect disciples passed by the courtyard gate, talking loudly about tomorrow's trials. They didn't spare him a glance.
He waited until their voices faded, then let out a slow breath.
"Cowards. They're no better than I am."
But they had one thing he didn't — spirit roots. Even weak ones. Enough to scrape by. Enough to stay.
Su Yanzhou tilted his head back and looked at the stars.
Three years of struggle. Three years of sweat and pain. And all he had to show for it was a battered body and a wooden sword.
No Qi. No techniques. No future.
Unless…
He looked down at his hand. It trembled slightly.
Unless he used the Reset.
He stood slowly, joints aching. His stomach growled — he hadn't eaten since yesterday.
"Figures," he muttered. "No food, no cultivation. Perfect time to gamble with ancient relics."
But wasn't that what he always did? Gamble? Survive one day at a time?
He glanced at the distant Sect Hall, where the Inner Elders no doubt sat in meditation or political intrigue. If they found out about the Void Nexus…
He'd be dead before sunrise.
His fingers brushed the pouch again. The pulse quickened in response.
"Fine," he whispered. "You want a choice? You'll get one."
He looked around the empty courtyard once more. No one watching. No one listening.
"Body… bloodline… spirit root… what do I even have to Reset?"
A bitter laugh escaped him. "Nothing. Maybe that's the point."
He closed his eyes.
If I can change one thing… just one…
Images flickered behind his lids — the jeering faces of sparring partners, the dismissive glances of Elders, the cold hunger in his gut. The years wasted chasing a dream out of reach.
"I want… a chance."
He opened his eyes, gaze hard.
"I want to cultivate."
His palm closed around the fragment.
[Reset Command Accepted.]
[Aspect Selected: Spirit Root.]
[Warning: Reset Cost Unknown. Proceed?]
[Confirm?]
He inhaled, but the breath caught halfway—nervous, uncertain
There's no going back now.
"Confirm."
The stone flared with cold light.
Pain.
White-hot. All-consuming.
Su Yanzhou screamed, dropping to his knees as invisible forces tore through his meridians, burned through his veins, shattered the fragile shell of his old spirit root.
Something deeper stirred — a vast, ancient presence beyond comprehension. For a moment, he glimpsed endless stars, a churning void where light itself seemed afraid to tread.
Then darkness claimed him.
Somewhere, in that darkness, a voice spoke:
[Void Affinity Established.]
[Spirit Root Recalibrated: Void Root — Rank Unknown.]
[Nexus Adaptation Complete: 100%.]
[Host Compatibility: 97%.]
[Limitless Reset Locked — Cooldown Initiated.]
[Welcome, Seeker. The Path of the Void Monarch Begins Now.]
When Su Yanzhou awoke, dawn was breaking.
The first bell rang across the sect grounds, its low tone rolling through the mountains.
He sat up slowly, breath ragged.
His body… felt different. Lighter. Stronger. And somewhere deep within his dantian, where once there had been only emptiness, a faint Qi of cold, dark energy pulsed in rhythm with his heartbeat.
Void Qi.
Real.
He stared at his trembling hands, heart pounding.
"Damn yeah…It worked."
For the first time in years, hope flared within him.
Not much. Just a spark.
It only took one spark, and the whole thing went up in flames
Across the courtyard, unnoticed by mortal eyes, the shadows seemed to shift — watching. Waiting.
The game had begun.