Wu Tan City was calm beneath the early morning sun, its tiled roofs shimmering with the faint warmth of dawn. Vendors were only just starting to open their stalls, the smell of steamed buns and medicinal herbs drifting lazily through the narrow streets. Inside the estate of the Xiao Clan, however, the atmosphere was anything but calm.
The training field buzzed with whispers.
"Xiao Yan… three years ago he was the clan's prodigy."
"Now he's stuck at… the third stage?"
"What a pity."
The mocking voices echoed from all directions, though none dared speak too loudly. A pair of boys snickered near the stone wall, their tones dripping with false pity.
"Falling from a genius to trash… tsk tsk. Heaven is truly unpredictable."
From a shaded walkway above the field, a young man watched the scene with narrowed eyes. He stood with his hands folded behind his back, posture straight, his expression calm but unreadable.
This was Xiao Shui.
At first glance he did not stand out—his robe was plain, his face youthful, and his aura quiet. But his eyes… they were a deep, dark blue, clear as still water in winter. Those who looked into them too long often felt their thoughts ripple.
He had awakened a unique water-aligned Dou Qi method a year ago. Not a heaven-defying talent like Xiao Yan once had—yet not insignificant either. His cultivation rose steadily and silently, unfazed by praise or scorn.
But today, he was not thinking of himself.
He was thinking of Xiao Yan.
Below him, the clan's former genius stood silently in the courtyard, fists clenched, enduring the sneers as though they were nothing more than wind brushing past him.
Three years ago, you were the pride of the clan.
Now they treat you like this…
Xiao Shui exhaled softly. Water ripples could hide storms beneath them; he knew Xiao Yan still had fire inside.
Suddenly—
"Xiao Yan, don't listen to them."
A soft, melodious voice drifted across the field. Xiao Xun Er approached, her steps light, her presence like spring wind. Even the mocking boys shut their mouths as she passed.
Xiao Shui watched her quietly. She was the only one who never wavered in her support.
On the field, Xiao Yan forced a smile. "I'm not bothered."
But his hands trembled faintly.
Xiao Shui turned away. He had seen enough.
He began walking down the steps just as a heavy voice echoed across the courtyard.
"Xiao Yan!"
The murmurs stopped immediately. All eyes turned toward the approaching figures—the elder Ge Ye of Misty Cloud Sect… and behind him, a young woman in light blue robes, veil covering her delicate face.
Nalan Yanran.
The atmosphere tightened like a drawn bowstring.
Xiao Shui froze mid-step.
"So… it begins." he muttered under his breath.
The scene was unfolding exactly as the rumors had predicted. The Misty Cloud Sect had come to break the engagement contract between Xiao Yan and Nalan Yanran. Aside from Xiao Xun Er, nobody looked surprised. Many even smirked in anticipation.
Xiao Shui took a slow breath and stepped forward, quietly positioning himself near the elders, ready to intervene if humiliation crossed a line.
Nalan Yanran's tone was polite, even coldly respectful, but the words she spoke were knives.
"Xiao Yan, three years ago, you were a genius. Now… you are not. I do not wish to marry someone whose talent has fallen."
Gasps.
Even Xiao Shui felt his chest tighten at the blunt cruelty of it.
Xiao Zhan—normally composed—turned pale with fury. But the Misty Cloud Sect elder warned sharply:
"Do not be disrespectful to Lady Yanran."
Xiao Yan's fingers dug into his palms. Humiliation burned deep, but his pride—forged across years of being worshipped—did not allow him to bow.
Then came his words, sharp and clear:
"Three years. Give me three years. In three years, I will stand before the Misty Cloud Sect and reclaim everything."
It was one of those rare moments when even the air remembered the words.
Xiao Shui's expression softened slightly.
Good. At least your fire hasn't been extinguished.
After the Misty Cloud Sect departed and the clan dispersed—some whispering, some sighing, some outright laughing—Xiao Shui approached Xiao Yan quietly.
"You handled it well," he said.
Xiao Yan forced a smile. "Did I?"
"You didn't kneel." Xiao Shui shrugged. "That's enough."
Xiao Yan let out a shaky breath. "Everyone thinks I'm finished."
"Are you?" Xiao Shui asked calmly.
Xiao Yan fell silent.
Xiao Shui looked straight at him. His dark-blue irises reflected Xiao Yan's face like a still lake reflecting the moon.
"I saw your talent when you were rising," Xiao Shui said. "And I see your determination now that you've fallen. Neither changed."
Xiao Yan's lips twitched. "You believe I can climb back up?"
Xiao Shui turned to leave. "Whether I believe it or not doesn't matter. What matters is whether you do."
Xiao Yan stared at his departing back, something faint flickering in his eyes.
—
That night, as the clan estate quieted, Xiao Shui sat alone in his courtyard, practicing his water-aligned Dou Qi. Threads of translucent blue energy flowed around him, condensing into small ripples on the ground.
Xiao Yan's fall is only the beginning of the storm.
And I cannot remain just an observer.
His cultivation surged faintly.
The water around him shimmered… then abruptly converged into a single drop of liquid that hovered above his palm—pure, crystalline, and vibrating with power.
—Water Vein Resonance: Preliminary Awakening.
A small smile touched his lips. Others couldn't see it yet, but he felt it clearly:
His path was beginning to diverge from everyone else's.
Just as Xiao Yan would soon meet a mysterious teacher hidden in a ring…
Xiao Shui had begun awakening something of his own.
A wind rustled the courtyard trees.
Two geniuses of the Xiao Clan—one fallen, one rising—were stepping quietly into the currents of fate.
And destiny was only just beginning to move.