theways

In a world where power ruled and trust was a blade waiting to strike, Lu Yan walked alone. Not out of fear, not out of weakness, but because solitude had always been his greatest strength. As a plant summoner, the earth itself bowed to him. Forests obeyed his whispers, roots coiled at his command, and even the wildest of flora bent to his will. There was no need for allies—until he met them.

Fan Zhi. Lila. Jian Mo.

The strongest of the strong. A warrior whose blade could cleave mountains, a magician who wove destruction with a flick of her fingers, and his most trusted—his shadow—Jian Mo. Not a friend, not family, but the one person Lu Yan had allowed closest.

Their strength was undeniable. Their presence, unavoidable.

And so, for the first time, Lu Yan walked beside others. Together, they ventured into the final dungeon, an ancient ruin pulsing with power long lost to time. Every step deeper tested their skill, their will, their loyalty. They bled together, fought together, survived together. Or so he thought.

The betrayal wasn’t reckless. It wasn’t obvious. It was precise, patient—rooted in greed, waiting for the perfect moment to surface.

Every look, every word, every shared battle had been a thread in their web. They had studied him, learned the way he thought, anticipated his every move. They knew his strengths, but more importantly, they knew the weaknesses even he had overlooked.

So when the final trial came, when the dungeon itself trembled with the weight of the power they had sought, the trap was already set.

The air was thick with heat, the walls licked with molten fury, the ground unstable beneath their feet. And then, Jian Mo struck first.

A blade—not of steel, but of something darker, something ancient—sank into Lu Yan’s back. A paralyzing force surged through him, seizing control of his body, locking his power away in an instant. The one person he had trusted most had known exactly how to sever him from his strength.

Fan Zhi’s sword followed, slicing deep. Lila’s magic wrapped around him like a serpent, binding him in chains of searing energy.

They had calculated every detail. No dramatic speeches, no arrogance—just cold, efficient betrayal.

And then, without hesitation, they cast him into the abyss.

The last thing he thought about was Jian Mo’s face, expression unreadable as the molten depths swallowed him whole.

Pain.

Fire that melted flesh, burned bone, and tore through his very essence.

For the first time, Lu Yan truly knew what it meant to die.

But fate was not done with him.

In the heart of the inferno, something stirred. A force beyond comprehension. A power that did not belong to this world. The fire did not destroy him—it remade him.

The pain became something else.

Something worse.

Something greater.

Then, darkness.

When Lu Yan awoke, it was not to fire, nor stone, nor the ruins of the dungeon.

It was to a world reborn.

The sky above him was a fractured canvas of impossible colors, shifting and writhing like a living thing. The air was thick, charged with an energy that thrummed beneath his skin. And all around him, the earth pulsed—not as he had once commanded it, but as something wild, untamed, ancient beyond reason.

The plants here were not mere tools of a summoner’s will. They were alive in ways he had never imagined. And they watched him.

He was no longer the betrayed summoner.

He was something else.

Something far greater.

As he stood amidst the endless forest, his body still echoing with the power that had saved him, one thought burned brighter than all the rest:

if fate brought me here I would master it all. 

The winds whispered his name. The trees bent, waiting.

The Life begins with a seed 


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(Hello Author here, I'm open for any suggestions)

Forest Cultivator

The dim glow of the cauldron flickered in the quiet temple, casting long shadows against the stone walls. The scent of herbs, burned failures, and lingering medicinal energy filled the air, thick and suffocating. Lu Yan sat cross-legged before the simmering liquid, his breath steady despite the exhaustion weighing on his body.

For eight days, he had done nothing but refine, temper, and perfect the art of alchemy. The failures had been endless—countless batches ruined, energy wasted, and Qi depleted to the brink of collapse. Yet, each failure had sharpened his control, each mistake refining his understanding.

The Ancestors' Beasts had granted him the rarest of materials, resources that most cultivators would not see in their lifetimes. To waste even a single petal would be a sin, a disgrace to the path he walked. And so, he had pushed himself beyond limits he had thought unbreakable.

Now, after eight relentless days, the final step lay before him.

The cauldron trembled. The liquid within had turned a deep, molten gold, swirling with strands of concentrated energy. The herbs had fully merged, their essences purified under the guidance of his Rank 3 Forest Manifestation. Lu Yan's fingers formed a seal, his Qi surging forth to direct the final infusion of power.

A deep hum resonated through the temple.

The flames beneath the cauldron roared to life, burning with an intensity that sent waves of heat rolling across the room. The golden elixir pulsed, its glow expanding outward like ripples on still water. Lu Yan's brow furrowed—this was the final test. If he failed here, all eight days of work would be reduced to nothing.

With a steady breath, he pressed his palm forward, guiding his Qi into the cauldron with absolute precision. His spirit, his energy, his very being poured into the elixir. He could feel the balance shifting, the final impurities breaking apart. The resistance that had plagued him for days was gone. This time, the cauldron did not reject his will—it accepted him.

The golden liquid stabilized. A wave of energy exploded outward, shaking the temple walls. The cauldron's trembling ceased, leaving behind a perfect stillness.

Lu Yan opened his eyes, his breath slow and controlled. Before him, nestled in a jade flask, was the result of his efforts—an elixir of flawless refinement, brimming with boundless energy. He lifted it, feeling the concentrated power within.

A sudden pressure surged within his dantian. The moment his Qi connected with the elixir, his cultivation stirred violently, as if something long suppressed was finally breaking free.

His meridians burned. The stagnant Qi within him churned wildly, breaking through barriers that had seemed unshakable before. His entire being resonated with the energy of the elixir, the walls of his realm fracturing under the overwhelming surge of power.

A golden aura erupted around him, the force shattering the silence of the temple. His spiritual energy surged like a roaring flood, rising without restraint. His muscles tightened, his bones hummed with newfound strength, and his consciousness expanded as his cultivation ascended.

He exhaled slowly, his chest rising and falling with steady control. The strain of eight days melted away, replaced by a clarity unlike anything he had known before. His Qi flowed like a river, no longer sluggish or erratic but smooth, vast, and untamed.

The foundation of the basics mastery had been established.

chapter 23 “Mastering Basics and The New Stage”