The Empty Meridian

Publicly rejected by the prestigious Glass Meridian Sect, herb-garden disciple Lian Ruo is declared incapable of cultivation because her meridians hold no spiritual energy. Beneath the Ascension Arena, she discovers the sect's miracles are powered by an imprisoned celestial crane. When the extraction ritual begins draining every disciple, Lian enters the hidden chamber and chooses to release the creature's dying essence instead of claiming it. Her empty meridians awaken as the Hollow Path, returning stolen power to its owners. Lian breaks the sect's formation, exposes its revered master, frees the crane, and walks toward a realm no hierarchy can own.