An elderly daoist whose golden years were long gone stood next to a masked man outside of a wooden shack. The Old Daoist held a newborn swaddled in white linen. He gently rocked the infant back and forth.

"Look at you. You're a dirty old man with a crippled cultivation base." The masked man sneered condescendingly at the Old Daoist. "It would've been better for the sect if you had died in battle."

"I know." The Old Daoist sighed. "I have truly dishonored our sects name."

"Dishonored? You've done more than lose face! Our whole sect has become a laughing stock! Fleeing from a brat in the Core Formation Realm? You're a joke."

"I have no excuses."

"You should've been punished long ago. However, you've given great contributions to the sect. In light of that I've convinced the other elders to exile you rather than condemn you to the punishment hall."

The infant started to wail as if sensing the tension in the air.

The masked man stared apathetically at the young infant. Disdain obvious in his eyes.

"Take the girl with you. Raise her, kill her, or throw her to the beasts." The masked man said frostily. "Her spiritual roots are trash. She has no place in the Qin family."

"She is your daughter! Waste or not you can't just abandon her!" The Old Daoist showed a rare flicker of emotion in his eyes and protested stoutly. "Think about Yue'er!"

"You are not worthy to mention her name!" The masked man growled. "My Yue'er couldn't have given birth to such a waste."

The masked man took one last look at his child and flew off the ground with a flick of his sleeves. 

"Old Daoist. She has no fate in the immortal path. Let her live as a mortal." The masked man muttered as he flew away far into the horizon. 

"Your parents were the most talented cultivators in High Heavens. They swept away countless evil sects in lower worlds and were invincible." The Old Daoist whispered sentimentally. "It's a pity that even the heavens seemed to have abandoned you."

The Old Daoist was a warrior who knew little about matters outside of warfare. However with assistance from the villagers below the hill he was able to watch over her without accident for ten years. To the Old Daoist, ten years was a trival amount of time however the young infant grew into a rambunctious young child. 

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She was precocious child, a mischievous girl who had unrivaled confidence in her own abilities. Truly her fathers' daughter he thought to himself. 

Unfortunately the young girl's talent in cultivation paled when compared to her father's. She had barely managed to enter the first stage of the Qi Condensation Realm. 

Even though the young girl could be considered a cultivator in the first stage of Qi Condensation, her Qi was so weak she was hardly any different than a mere mortal. 

Perhaps If the Old Daoist had managed to retain his cultivation all those years ago he would've been able to guide her. Yet in his current state he could do little more than offer advice and pointers.

He lazily watched her as she tried to circulate her Qi throughout her frail body.

"It's no use." The Old Daoist gently smiled. "It's already impressive that you managed to enter Qi Condensation at ten. Your little meridians can't possibly handle breaking into the second stage."

"An extraordinary genius like me should be at Foundation Establishment by now." The young girl smiled bitterly. "I've dallied far too long in the Qi Condensation."

"Dallied too long in Qi Condensation?" The Old Daoist thought to himself. Just what does this brat think Foundation Establishment is?

Even in High Heavens a child breaking into Foundation Establishment at ten would be considered a spectacular talent. 

The Old Daoist couldn't bear to see the girl treat cultivation so frivolously lest she suffers a Qi deviation through her carelessness. 

"Fine. I'll impart a breathing exercise to you girl."

The young girl halted her mediation and listened attentively to the Old Daoist. 

The Old Daoist tossed a worn scroll to the girl. She caught it and ran off into the woods without a single word to the Old Daoist.

"It's not like I would take it back girl." The Old Daoist stared at her fleeing figure and smiled. "Just how exactly did the little girl view the old man in her head?"

"Where exactly does the young girl even go?" The Old Daoist thought. He had personally checked the woods, there was nothing but trees and wildlife. Not a speck of spiritual energy. Hardly an ideal location to meditate. 

Not that it mattered to Old Daoist. Although he had grown attached to the young girl she was a constant reminder of his failures. A constant reminder that he had been reduced into a decrepit old man who could do nothing but wait for eventual death. 

"Is this the punishment you intended? The Old Daoist muttered. "To watch over the fate of a cursed child? Quite the cruel punishment you've devised."

"In the end I suppose it doesn't matter anyway. I won't let you have your way." The Old Daoist whispered, nearly inaudibly, staring at the sky.