Ye Tian’s footsteps felt heavy as he trudged down a stony pathway overgrown with wild moss. He had been walking aimlessly for hours ever since the entourage of the Cloud Sword Sect discarded him like a piece of trash. As it turned out, this floating island was vastly larger than he had imagined. Around him lay only a dense forest of strange trees with trunks that gleamed like silver, accompanied by the occasional faint roar of wild beasts in the distance that made the hairs on his neck stand on end.

Hunger began to gnaw at his stomach. Ironically, half a bag of pure rice—stolen back in the mortal world—hung at Ye Tian's waist. Yet in this entirely foreign realm, there was no fire, no clean water, and no pot to cook it in. The rice remained nothing more than hard grains he could not eat.

Whenever exhaustion threatened to collapse him, Xiao Mei's pale, famished face would flash before his eyes. How is Xiao Mei doing right now? Is there a kindhearted neighbor feeding her? Or... Ye Tian shook his head vigorously, banishing the dark thoughts that crept in like poison.

"I have to go back," Ye Tian whispered to himself, his voice raspy. "I must find a way down from the heavens."

However, the harsh reality of the Immortal Realm soon dealt him a heavy blow. As he walked, Ye Tian observed the edge of the floating land. Beneath it was nothing but an endless sea of clouds. There were no stairs, no ropes, and no paths to descend. Recalling the Grand Elder's earlier words, the only way to breach the boundary between realms was to possess God-level power capable of cleaving dimensions on one's own.

God-level power? While he was merely an ordinary human who lacked even a "spiritual root," according to that sect disciple. A thick despair began to take root in his heart. Standing at the edge of the magnificent yet lethal cliff, Ye Tian felt as small as dust. Frustrated tears nearly welled up in the corners of his eyes. How could a mere rice thief like him ever reach the realm of gods?

Just as despair threatened to drown him, Ye Tian caught sight of a faint golden glow hidden behind a dense thicket of thorny bushes at the foot of a small hill. Driven by curiosity, he pushed through the thorns, ignoring the sharp branches that tore at his ragged clothes.

Behind the thicket stood an ancient, abandoned temple. Its stone walls were cracked and covered in hanging roots, giving the impression that time had forgotten this place for centuries. In the central courtyard of the ruined temple grew a massive, extraordinary tree—a Bodhi Tree. Its heart-shaped leaves were a deep burnished gold, and its trunk exuded an aura of tranquility that instantly soothed the surging panic in Ye Tian’s chest.

Strangely, as Ye Tian took a step closer to the Bodhi Tree, the lingering remnants of Lady Mei’s Ascension energy within his body's meridians suddenly stirred with warmth. The heat flowed up from his lower abdomen, surged through his chest, and spread out to the tips of his fingers. The agonizing fatigue and hunger that had plagued him evaporated instantly, replaced by a refreshing vigor he had never experienced in his life.

Ye Tian approached and leaned against the sturdy trunk of the Bodhi Tree. Beneath the canopy of golden leaves whispering in the wind, he felt a mystical peace. This place was isolated, far from the contemptuous gazes of the sect members, and felt safe.

He stared at the coarse hemp bag in his grip, then looked up toward the sky of the Immortal Realm, dotted with other floating islands.

"Xiao Mei," Ye Tian said softly, as though his sister could hear his voice across space and dimensions. "Forgive Gege for not being able to come home tonight. But I promise... beneath this tree, I swear I will not give up."

Ye Tian clenched his fists tightly. The light in his eyes sharpened once more, casting away every lingering doubt.

"They say I have no talent. They say I’m mortal trash who will die in a few weeks. But they don't know how desperately I want to survive for your sake," he continued, embedding the resolve deep into his very soul. "If the righteous path will not accept me, I will forge my own way. From ground zero, right here in this ancient temple, I will begin my cultivation. I will split these heavens open and return to you, no matter what it takes!"

The Bodhi Tree above seemed to glow a fraction brighter, as if nature itself were bearing witness to the sacred vow of a brother willing to defy the destiny of the gods for his starving sister. Ye Tian sat cross-legged among the roots, closed his eyes, and began trying to sense the warm stream of energy swirling within his body. A new chapter of his life in the Immortal Realm had officially begun.