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Synopsis:
In a world where spiritual roots determine destiny, Lin Moyan was once hailed as the youngest alchemy genius in the Eastern Realm. But betrayed by her sect, her spiritual root shattered, and her body destroyed, she reincarnates in the body of a crippled noble girl in a declining clan. With ancient alchemy knowledge, a mysterious cauldron spirit, and a heaven-defying temperament, she embarks on a journey of vengeance, defiance, and ultimate ascension to the heavens.
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Chapter 1 awakening in flame
Flames roared. The scent of scorched blood filled Lin Moyan's nose. She couldn't move—her body chained, her meridians shattered, her spiritual core shattered like broken porcelain.
"Lin Moyan, your death is a necessary sacrifice for our sect's rise!"
A cold voice—once her senior brother, now her executioner.
Her last sight was the alchemy flame she had nurtured for twenty years… devouring her alive.
But fate had other plans.
Boom!
She awoke gasping in a dilapidated courtyard, her limbs weak, body bruised, but her mind sharp.
"This… isn't the Spirit Cloud Peak." Her voice was raspy.
Then the memories came—this wasn't her body.
It belonged to another Lin Moyan, the shame of the Lin clan. A girl bullied by her cousins, born with a crippled spiritual root, abandoned even by her parents.
But now, it was her soul inside.
A cold smile curled her lips. "Fine. If heaven wants to give me another life, I will defy it again."
From the shadows, a strange glow stirred—a small black cauldron hovering midair, humming with power. The voice of a sleepy old man echoed in her mind:
"Finally awakened… Master."
Chapter 2: The Crippled Phoenix Rises
The voice was ancient, filled with an otherworldly calm and power.
"Who… are you?" Lin Moyan asked inwardly, her gaze locked on the hovering black cauldron.
"I am the Spirit of the Ninefold Netherflame Cauldron," the voice replied, "bound to your soul since you refined me in your previous life. When your spiritual flame perished, I drew your soul into the void, waiting for a new vessel. This body is weak, but your soul… remains formidable."
Lin Moyan's eyes flickered. So it wasn't mere fate—this rebirth was orchestrated by the very artifact she once forged in secret.
She sat up slowly, ignoring the stabbing pain. The courtyard was barren, overgrown with weeds. The original owner of this body had lived in neglect and disgrace. Even the servants didn't bother checking in anymore.
She staggered to a cracked mirror. The face staring back was hers now—young, pale, bruised. But in those phoenix-like eyes burned a cold, calculating fire.
"Tell me," she asked the cauldron spirit, "can I refine pills again?"
The spirit hesitated. "This body's root is crippled… but with the Ninefold Cauldron and my guidance, we can rebuild your cultivation from the ashes. And more… we can evolve."
Moyan clenched her fists.
"Good," she whispered. "Then let's begin. First, I'll need herbs. Then… blood."
The cauldron hummed in approval.
"But beware," it said gravely. "Your enemies will soon learn of your awakening. And they fear what a true alchemist can become."
A rustle at the gate.
"Trash girl! Get out here! You dare eat from the clan stores again?!"
A voice rang out, shrill with arrogance. Lin Moyan turned. A smirk played on her lips.
Perfect. The first insect arrives.
Chapter 3: First Blood
At the gate stood Lin Yueru, daughter of the second elder, flanked by two handmaidens. She wore a pink brocade dress, her face pretty but twisted with disdain.
"Still pretending to be noble, cripple?" Yueru sneered as she stepped into the courtyard. "I heard you fainted yesterday while stealing from the herb stores. Thought you'd wake up smarter, but I see you're still shameless."
Lin Moyan didn't reply. She simply sat there, brushing a strand of hair behind her ear as if she hadn't heard.
The calmness in her eyes sent a strange chill through Yueru.
"What? Cat got your tongue?" Yueru took a step forward, raising her hand. "Maybe I should knock some sense into that thick skull of yours—"
Before her hand fell, Lin Moyan moved.
Fast. Too fast.
Her hand shot up and gripped Yueru's wrist with a strength that shouldn't exist in a "cripple."
Crack!
A sickening sound echoed as Yueru's wrist bent backward unnaturally.
"AHHH! Let go! Let go, you mad—"
Lin Moyan's smile was cold. "You came to hit me. I'm just helping you finish what you started."
Then she pushed. Yueru stumbled back, fell hard to the ground, face pale with shock and pain.
"You dare hit me?" she shrieked, tears welling up. "You—You're finished! I'll tell Father!"
Moyan turned away, already walking toward her room. "Go. Run to your father, your grandfather, the heavens. Just remember what happened here: the cripple fought back."
Yueru scrambled away, half in panic, half in fury. The courtyard fell silent.
Inside, Lin Moyan sat cross-legged. She pulled open the floorboards, revealing a small bundle of dried herbs—what the original Moyan had hidden for survival.
She began sorting them.
"Not much, but enough to draw out the first impurities," she muttered. "And awaken the meridian points."
The cauldron spirit stirred. "Refining without a spiritual flame will be slow. Painful. But if anyone can do it…"
"I will," Lin Moyan said, her voice sharp as blade steel. "This time, I'll forge a path not even the heavens can block."
And so, as dusk fell over Lin Manor, the scent of alchemical smoke began to rise from the ruins of a forgotten courtyard.
The crippled phoenix had spread its wings.
Chapter 7: Azure Spirit Selection
Three days passed in the blink of an eye. Within the Lin Clan, whispers of Lin Moyan's sudden rise filled every corner. Some praised her talent, others called her a fluke—but none dared provoke her again.
On the morning of the Azure Spirit Academy selection, Moyan stood alone at the training grounds, dressed in plain dark robes. Her long black hair flowed like silk, and her eyes—cold, steady—seemed to pierce through those who looked her way.
"Is she really going to the academy?"
"She's just a cripple who got lucky with one pill…"
The crowd's muttering halted when a group of armored riders arrived on spirit beasts, bearing the Azure Spirit crest—a soaring dragon encircling a lotus flame.
At their head rode an elderly man in dark-blue robes, his cultivation deep and unfathomable.
"Grandmaster Qiu of the academy," someone whispered. "A Grade Four alchemist… why would he come personally?"
The old man's gaze swept over the gathered juniors. It paused briefly on Lin Moyan—and lingered.
"We're here for the Eastern Province selection. Step forward if you wish to enter Azure Spirit Academy," he said.
One by one, the clan's favored sons and daughters stepped forward—Lin Yueru among them, her wrist freshly healed by a renowned healer.
When it was Moyan's turn, she stepped forward, offering a small bow.
Qiu's eyes narrowed slightly. "You. Girl. Step into the formation."
A glowing formation array appeared, designed to test one's spiritual root and soul strength.
Moyan entered.
Light flared. Red… then gold… then dark violet.
Gasps echoed.
"T-Two colors?! That's a dual manifestation!"
"A violet soul flame… that's the mark of a Pill Spirit Constitution!"
Even Qiu's expression shifted. He nodded slowly.
"Very rare… very dangerous. You are accepted."
Lin Yueru's face turned pale. "She—how—?!"
Moyan turned as she walked past her.
"I thought you'd like to witness this up close," she said softly.
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Chapter 8: Journey to the Academy
By nightfall, the chosen candidates had departed the Lin Clan in a sleek flying carriage drawn by wind eagles. Inside sat five disciples, each a talent in their own right. But the atmosphere was tense.
Lin Yueru sat at one end, flanked by two boot-licking admirers. Across from her sat Lin Moyan, eyes closed in meditation.
"Still pretending to be calm?" Yueru said, her voice sharp. "Don't think the academy will favor you just because of one test."
Moyan didn't respond.
"Where did you even learn alchemy? No master. No books. Nothing in our clan's library could have—"
"Yueru," said Grandmaster Qiu, seated near the front, his eyes still closed. "Some talents are like cold iron—silent until forged."
Yueru bit her lip and said nothing more.
After several hours, the clouds parted to reveal a sprawling island in the sky.
Azure Spirit Academy.
Floating jade platforms stretched across the horizon, linked by silver bridges. Towers of green crystal pulsed with spiritual light. Countless disciples in blue robes cultivated, fought, studied.
It was a city above the clouds—and Moyan felt something stir in her chest.
"I've returned," she whispered. Not to this place—but to a world where strength reigned. And this time, she would take her place at the top by her own hand.
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Chapter 9: Dorm of Strays
Upon arrival, disciples were divided by status and recommendation.
Lin Yueru and the other nobles were sent to the "Sky Petal Pavilion"—a luxurious sect manor.
Moyan?
She was directed to a dilapidated compound on the far edge of the academy grounds: Dorm Nine, often called the Dorm of Strays.
It was home to orphans, fallen prodigies, and disciples who couldn't pay "tribute" to the academy's inner factions.
"Fitting," she murmured.
A youth met her at the entrance. He had lazy eyes, tattered robes, and a sword strapped across his back.
"New blood, huh? Name's Ye Qingfan. Welcome to the land of the forgotten."
He showed her a room. It was small, dusty, but quiet.
"I heard about you," he said. "You shook the Lin Clan. But here? Things are different. The top dogs don't care who you were—only what you can do."
Moyan nodded. "Then I'll show them."
That night, as the moon hung high, Moyan knelt before her cauldron.
A new concoction. One she hadn't made in years.
"A pill to awaken the blood marrow," she whispered. "Enough to shake even inner disciples."
The cauldron flared to life.
The real alchemy had begun.
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