Knocking on the Gate of Fate

The sky fractures, and chaos erodes the nine great spirit veins. Cultivators must refine the deadly tainted energy before absorbing spiritual energy. The Cultivation Realm follows a cruel rule: those who break through the “Life Gate” must gouge out their eyes, cut open their hearts, or mutilate their bodies to gain power. But a curse from the Heavenly Dao turns them into “Heaven-Despised,” whose lifespans shrink as their cultivation rises. **Protagonist Shen Wuya:** An outer-sect disciple of the Qingyang Sword Sect, Shen Wuya has borne the mark of the “Heaven-Despised” since childhood. He practices the Basic Qi Refining Art, but something strange lurks within it: half of a bronze key lies dormant in his dantian, while a red-eyed sword spirit named Chixiao coils inside his natal spirit flame. To uncover what happened to his parents, who vanished with a falling star thirty years ago, he secretly learns forbidden arts and trades his lifespan with the black-market organization Hall of Rebirth. Armed with a blood-drinking wooden sword, he sets out to defy heaven. **Core Conflict:** On the surface, Shen Wuya investigates the mystery of his parents’ disappearance. Beneath that lies the struggle to mend the rift in the sky and stop chaos from destroying the world. Along the way, he is hunted by cultivators from Wuxiang City, who conjure visions of his future death. At an auction in Fengdu’s ghost market, he bids on his own heart. He also discovers that every year the sword spirit grows, it burns away a shared memory. It turns out Chixiao was transformed from the first Heaven-Despised, and can only awaken by devouring the lifespans of those caught in the cycle of fate. **Innovative Systems:** - **Living cultivation art:** The ancient Great Void Scripture takes root inside cultivators and evolves by devouring other texts. It once turned on three successive masters. - **Tribulation ash economy:** A cultivator’s Dao foundation turns into gray crystals upon their death, allowing others to temporarily inherit their cultivation