A cold wind moved across the empty plains, carrying fine gray ash along with it. The sky above was dull and colorless, hidden behind thick clouds of dust that rarely cleared.
This was Astra Minor.
Five hundred years ago, this planet had been known as a cultivation world full of resources. Powerful sects controlled vast territories, spirit beasts roamed the mountains, and spiritual energy filled the land.
Now most of that was gone.
Spiritual energy on Astra Minor had been declining for centuries. At first the change was slow, barely noticeable. But over time rivers dried up, forests disappeared, and many spirit herb fields stopped growing.
Cultivation became harder each year.
Eventually the major sects and empires made their decision.
They left.
Large fleets arrived from nearby star systems and evacuated the powerful cultivators, valuable artifacts, and rare resources. Cities that once held tens of thousands of cultivators were abandoned in a matter of decades.
When the evacuation ended, Astra Minor was no longer considered a cultivation world.
It was simply a dying planet.
Only a few small sects and scattered settlements remained behind. Most of them were too weak or too poor to leave.
The wind across the plains suddenly grew stronger.
Ash rolled across the ground like waves as another gust passed.
A lone figure walked through the storm.
The young man wore simple traveling clothes with a dark cloak wrapped tightly around his body. A cloth mask covered his mouth and nose to keep ash out of his lungs.
His name was Kael Orion.
Kael moved steadily across the plains, his eyes scanning the ground as he walked.
Traveling across Astra Minor was never easy. Without strong spiritual energy stabilizing the environment, storms like this were common. Dust and ash often covered entire regions of land.
Still, Kael seemed used to it.
He stopped near a cracked patch of soil and crouched down.
Using his hand, he brushed away a thin layer of ash.
A small plant slowly appeared beneath the dust.
Kael's eyes lit up slightly.
"Ash Spirit Grass."
The plant was small and fragile, with narrow gray-green leaves that blended easily into the surrounding soil.
It was not a rare herb in richer cultivation worlds.
But on Astra Minor, even weak spiritual plants like this had become difficult to find.
Kael carefully dug around the roots before pulling the plant out of the ground.
He placed it inside a small pouch hanging from his belt.
One herb wasn't worth much.
But if he gathered enough, it could help support his sect.
Kael stood and looked toward the horizon.
In the distance, dark mountains barely rose above the dusty plains.
That was where Iron Root Sect was located.
Iron Root Sect had once been a small but respectable cultivation sect. Five hundred years ago it had nearly a thousand disciples and several powerful elders.
Now things were very different.
After the great evacuation, the sect slowly declined like everything else on the planet.
Resources disappeared.
Disciples left.
Many elders eventually moved to other worlds where cultivation was easier.
Today Iron Root Sect had fewer than twenty disciples.
Their strongest elder had only reached Spirit Gathering Realm, a level that would be considered ordinary on richer planets.
Kael began walking again, his boots crunching lightly over dry stone.
The wind carried another wave of ash across the land.
Despite the harsh conditions, Kael didn't seem discouraged.
Instead, his eyes kept moving across the terrain, studying the landscape carefully.
Kael had always been curious about the world around him.
While most disciples spent their time cultivating inside the sect, Kael often traveled outside to explore the surrounding regions.
There were many abandoned places across Astra Minor.
Old cities.
Collapsed sect buildings.
Forgotten roads.
Sometimes small things could still be found there — a few spirit herbs, broken artifacts, or old maps.
But more than that, Kael enjoyed observing the land itself.
Even though the planet was dying, there were still many things he didn't understand about it.
Another strong gust of wind passed across the plains.
Kael looked up.
Far away in the distance, a large gray cloud was slowly forming along the horizon.
An ash storm.
He frowned slightly.
"Looks like it's coming earlier today."
Ash storms could become dangerous if someone was caught in the open for too long. Visibility would drop to almost nothing, and the wind could easily knock people off their feet.
Kael adjusted his cloak and began walking toward the mountains again.
Even through the thick air, he could barely make out the faint outline of buildings built along the lower slopes.
Iron Root Sect.
His home.
The sect was small and struggling.
The planet was dying.
Cultivation here was slow and difficult.
Yet Kael had never seriously considered leaving.
As he walked through the ash-covered plains, he glanced once more at the barren land stretching around him.
Most people saw Astra Minor as a lost world.
But Kael wasn't completely convinced.
Something about the planet still felt unfinished to him.
The wind howled louder as the storm slowly approached.
And Kael continued walking toward the distant mountains.