I'm Going Full Grind Mode in the World of Cultivation

The first faint streaks of dawn bled across the eastern sky, painting the cultivation world in muted hues of grey and rose. Qin Shu knelt by her window, the chill of the morning air doing little to numb the icy dread in her stomach.

Eight years. Eight years of careful deception, of pushing herself relentlessly, only for it to unravel in a single, brutal moment. Her half-sister, Qin Yun, had somehow, miraculously, found her own cultivation path, and in doing so, had inadvertently exposed Qin Shu's secret.

The sect had been swift and merciless. Cast out. A mere third-level Qi Refinement, a laughable foundation in this unforgiving world. Her striking beauty, once a source of quiet pride, was now a curse, painting a target on her back for those who sought to use her as a spiritual furnace.

She closed her eyes, picturing the vast, dangerous landscape beyond the sect's protective barriers. Survival was not a given; it was a battle she had to win every single day. She waited, listening to the soft, rhythmic breathing of her few remaining belongings. When the last sounds of stirring had faded, she rose, a shadow slipping silently out into the pre-dawn quiet. Tonight, under the cloak of moonlight, she would begin the fight for her life.