“If Heaven will not crown me, I will rise anyway—fire and all.”
Born a concubine’s daughter in the grand halls of Great Qi, Li Ziyan was expected to be silent, obedient, and invisible. Instead, she dared to dream — of justice, of change, of power denied to women like her. Cast out by her powerful family for a single act of defiance, she is left disgraced, alone… and furious.
But exile is only the beginning.
Joined by a fierce sword-wielding ally and a quiet apprentice with secrets of his own, Ziyan begins her journey as an outcast — building strength in the shadows, gathering allies among the forgotten, and uncovering ancient truths buried by a corrupt empire.
Yet danger follows close behind. Someone from within her own bloodline wants her erased. A shadowy conspiracy tied to relics, legends, and forbidden orders hunts her every step. And deep within an abandoned monastery, Ziyan awakens something older than prophecy — a flame tied to the lost Phoenix Archive, and a power long denied to any woman.
As secrets unravel and enemies close in, Ziyan must choose:
Will she remain a fugitive hunted by the past?
Or will she rise from the ashes — and reclaim a destiny that even Heaven tried to steal?