The impact hurled Lin Yu backward, his right arm shattered like glass. Consciousness ebbed as he crumpled to the ground, vaguely registering screams, rushing footsteps, and the metallic tang of blood thickening the air. "Is this how I die?" he thought bitterly, "Sacrificing myself for her... At least it has meaning." Through the pain, his mind drifted into shadowed memories. A cold tear trickled down his cheek, unlocking a floodgate of recollection. Sunlight dappled through childhood trees as a pigtailed girl skipped into his world. Her smile had been a sunflower in spring, her jasmine-scented hair haunting his dreams ever since. After her loss, Lin Yu buried himself in work, numbing his heart with one-night stands and empty parties. But every midnight, her face resurfaced, twisting his gut with longing. "If only you were still here..." he whispered to the void, "Maybe I wouldn't have chosen this path of greed and loneliness. Wanqing, I miss you so much..." The year 2012 loomed like a storm cloud. Lin Yu hailed from the reclusive Xuanxiao Valley, where generations pursued immortality through cultivation. His childhood lacked textbooks and exams - instead, he memorized Taoist scriptures and endured brutal training regimens. According to ancient texts, the path to immortality required overcoming three trials: the Mortal Triad (Clarity of Breath, Qi Refinement, Foundation Establishment), the Daoist Tribulations (Corporeal Ascension, Void Refinement, Elixir Formation), and finally, achieving True Immortality. But reality proved harsh - even with a century of resources, few in Xuanxiao Valley reached the Qi Refinement stage. Lin Yu's training began with medicinal baths that seared his skin, followed by bone-crushing massages from his father's calloused hands. Tears stained his cheeks until Su Wanqing entered his life. At six years old, Wanqing's cherubic face lit up his world. They trained together daily, her laughter a silver bell even as she winced through pain. To impress her, Lin Yu gritted his teeth through agony, earning her teasing giggles that became his secret joy. As they grew, Lin Yu blossomed into a prodigy, while Wanqing remained plain but kind-hearted. Their bond deepened unspoken until that fateful day. At fourteen, Lin Yu rushed home to find Wanqing pale and fragile in her sickbed. The sight of her fading away shattered his world, revealing the depth of his feelings too late.

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