I Hatched a Divine Beast Ancestor

In a martial world where spiritual qi reigns supreme and talent determines one's fate, sixteen-year-old Lu Ran is known throughout the Lu family as the “Leaky Body.” His dantian is like a broken sieve, unable to hold even a trace of spiritual qi. Cast out to live among the servants in the woodshed, he endures the contempt and abuse of his clan. One day, while gathering firewood, he digs a strange egg out from among the rocks at the bottom of a cliff. Gray-black, icy cold, and covered in twisted patterns, this “stone” has no trace of spiritual qi, yet becomes the one warm comfort and secret in his bleak life.

As family intrigue and prying eyes from the outside close in, the gray egg cracks open ahead of time on a night of utter desperation. What hatches is no auspicious spirit bird, but a frail chick with red-gold eyes and a faint flame burning atop its head. It recognizes Lu Ran as the only one it can depend on, and with the power it possesses at birth, burns a powerful enemy and frightens off demonic beasts. From that moment on, Lu Ran's life takes a turn far from the ordinary. While others draw in qi and temper their bodies, struggling to break through, his strength comes from the fragile, warm creature in his arms. The chick feeds him the pure energy it gains from devouring strange berries, healing his injuries, sharpening his senses, and filling him with vitality unlike anything he has known.

But this gift comes with a hidden price. Each time the chick shares its energy, it not only strengthens his body, but also leaves inhuman marks upon him. His sight and hearing grow as keen as a beast's, golden down-feather patterns occasionally appear on the back of his hand, and even the blood seeping from his wounds is faintly tinged gold-red. Once a mere “good-for-nothing,” he is now slipping toward becoming an “abomination” the world will not accept. The greedy pursuit of the family's guards, the ruthless ambushes by his clansmen, and the bloodthirsty interest of the forest's demonic beasts all stem from this seemingly insignificant chick. The boy and the little beast depend on one another as they flee, protecting each other through every desperate crisis, and their bond grows ever stronger.