Cripple of the Ao clan

Ao Fi Lu was originally born into what would've been a good life, a life with prospects for greatness, as the son of two high ranking officials who were part of the senate of the Global Alliance, as well as important people within the Ao clan, one of the 2 clans of the '7 sects, 2 clans' which formed the core strength of the Global Alliance.

However, Ao Fi Lu was beset with multiple tragedies early on in his life.

When his talent was tested at the age of 5, he was revealed to shockingly have no Spirit Root, the first recorded in the history of Earth since it had entered the Age of War when cultivation had become possible on Earth, not even the lowest Bronze Spirit Root.

This obviously caused much humiliation, especially considering Ao Fi Lu's background, causing him to become the object of ridicule at the Ao clan, however it never was done in front of his face, always being done behind his back.

This changed after the death of Ao Fi Lu's father when he was 8. During a routine check up on the borders of the super continent formed after the combination of 90% of the landmass on Earth, a beast tide erupted with a peak Core Formation beast leading the charge.

Sacrificing his life to allow his colleagues to retreat, Ao Fi Lu's father, named Ao Lian, slaughtered the beast, a Nine Yin Manticore, dying in the process.

Ao Fi Lu's mother however had the great talent even in the entire Global Alliance, with a great chance of breaking through to the Nascent Soul realm in her lifetime, so despite her being stationed on Pluto, far far away from Earth, as the head of the apartment dedicated to relations between extraterrestrial lifeforms, Ao Fi Lu was still comfortable within the Ao Clan.

However, at the age of 11, the greatest and final tragedy befell Ao Fi Lu.

When Ao Fi Lu's mother, Ao Xian'er, was going to investigate a disturbance on the borders of the Solar System, her entire team and herself all went missing, with any attempts to find them turning up fruitless, with no signs of a struggle anywhere.

Just like that, Ao Fi Lu's last and greatest support went up in smoke.

Now 15, Ao Fi Lu, a relatively handsome boy, of a tall and lean structure, sat within a small house on the outskirts of the Ao clan's city, known as Dragon Firmament city, which doubled as their main base.

60% of the inhabitants were of the Ao clan, with the remaining 40% of people being unaffiliated people all at the varying levels of the Qi Condensation realm, and situated in the outskirts of the city.

Ao Fi Lu lived alone on the very outskirts of the city, attempting to isolate himself from his clan members, who ever since the death of his mother had ostracised him and bullied him, in part out of elation at the downfall of someone of higher status than them, and in part out of scorn for the least capable person since the start of the cultivation era Earth had entered.

Slowly but surely Ao Fi Lu had been phased out of the clan, despite the incredible contributions hid parents had rendered to the Global Alliance and the Ao clan.

Despite his anger and the hatred he felt, Ao Fi Lu had to suppress it inside himself. Without the power to back himself up all he could do was grit teeth and suppress his feelings.

What was the point in righteous anger when he was so much weaker than all his tormentors?

Regardless of how he really felt Ao Fi Lu presented a smiling exterior, burying his resentment deep inside himself and moving into the outskirts of Dragon Firmament city, disassociating himself from the Ao clan.

However, even in the outskirts of the city enemies of his father and mother within the clan had made life difficult for him, making it so no businesses would employ him, causing Ao Fi Lu's income to absolutely pitiful, with him subsisting off of benefits.

Having been completely pushed out of his family clan leaving him with no background whatsoever, and with no cultivation to speak of in a world where cultivation was the most important possible factor in determining one's worth, Ao Fi Lu had been leaving a lonely life on the outskirts of Dragon Firmament City.

However, over the last 3 years since he had been pushed out of the Ao clan, he hadn't been unhappy, rather he had become apathetic, used to his monotonous daily life.

Every day Ao Fi Lu would exercise vigorously, meaning his actual fitness and health level was among the very highest a mortal could achieve, and every day he would browse the internet, reading about the history of Earth since it had entered the cultivation era, learning as much as he possibly could about the cultivation world and any interesting news pertaining to cultivation he could find.

On this very day, 6th May, Ao Fi Lu's birthday, he started his day as normal, waking up at dawn and exercising vigorously for 2 hours, before eating a breakfast consisting of cardboard like porridge, the cheapest meal he could find for himself.

After this Ao Fi Lu began browsing the Internet, just like any other day, before the sun had even come up.

"My birthday huh, maybe something good will happen today now I'm 16, maybe God if he really does exist out there, maybe he'll take pity on me and stop fucking with me..."

Mocking himself Ao Fi Lu laughed a little at his thoughts. After a cursory glance at the headlights on the GBC, Global Broadcasting Corporation, the main news channel of the Global Alliance, Ao Fi Lu decided to go out for a jog through Dragon Firmament city's outskirts, where he could see the great wilderness outside where a variety of spirit beasts lived.

It was impossible for humanity to have exterminated all the spirit beasts within the borders of the Spirit Continent, however the vast majority of beasts had been pushed back into the vast ocean, giving it it's name, the Sea of Beasts.

However on the Spirit Continent the beasts were all contained and the strongest of them would at most be at the early stage of the Core Formation realm, posing no problems for the defence mechanisms of the many cities built over the land.

Even then, the vast majority of beasts on the land were no where near this strong, making an adventure into the vast wilderness covering most of the Spirit Continent a good tempering adventure for youths starting out on their cultivation journey, or veterans searching for lucky chances in the form of fragments from the Blacksun.

Looking up into the sky as he ran out Ao Fi Lu saw the Blacksun, as it was now called, burning brightly in the sky and sighed, feeling an intense yearning to be a cultivator, to be able to fly into the vast reaches of space and explore the Solar System and beyond.

However Ao Fi Lu knew that would never happen for him, he had been cursed from birth and it was merely a pipe dream he'd never be able to accomplish.

Dragon Firmament city was built on a raised plateau, formed from the power of cultivators, making it appear imposing and unique from afar.

As he ran around the outskirts of the city, looking out from the edge of the plateau Ao Fi Lu felt his breath being taken away at the enormity of the wilderness around the city.

As far as the eye could see there was a sea of green, with trees of varying heights as if there were waves in the green sea.

"Let alone exploring the void of space, I'll never be able to even enter the vast wilderness just outside my city. What a sad existence, maybe in my next life."

As he sighed to himself Ao Fi Lu ran back through the city.

Everyday he took a different route, winding back through the city, and for whatever reason, today Ao Fi Lu decided to follow a route which took him past a decrepit shop on the outskirts of the city.

When he ran past this shop, which had a sign with faded writing practically falling off the shop, he felt a pang inside of himself and an intense yearning inside of himself, as if he felt his destiny, his calling, within the shop.

Turning and stopping, Ao Fi Lu took a look at the shop's sign, and saw its name, 'Nine Void Blacksun artificer'.

"What a grand name, Nine Void Blacksun eh?"

Intrigued, and still feeling that intense calling Ao Fi Lu walked closer and closer, stopping outside the entrance of the shop.

As if he had to compose himself, feeling as if he was about to find something momentous within this shop, Ao Fi Lu took a deep breath before stepping across the threshold of the shop.