Sweeping the Ashen Path

Taiyeng just wants to sweep courtyard leaves. Centuries ago, he was a peerless martial paragon, but sick of the endless bloodshed, he faked his death to live as a lowly monk. His peaceful retirement shatters when he wakes up floating, pinned to the monastery ceiling by his own leaking Qi, only to crash down directly in front of Ryunhia. She is the disowned princess of the Xibei Empire, mocked and rejected by every master for her shattered meridians. Unable to ignore her fierce, stubborn spirit, the fiercely loyal but notoriously hot-tempered Taiyeng takes her under his wing. Alternating between Taiyeng's grumpy, affectionate internal panic and Ryunhia's awe at her explosive growth, they bond as outcasts. By teaching her "chore-katas," he accidentally transforms her into a tournament-crushing juggernaut. But as Ryunhia rises to reclaim her honor, they must face Chidao, a dreaded warlord destroying sects across the continent. When Taiyeng's true identity is forced into the light, he discovers a devastating secret: Chidao is destroying the sects because they are hoarding spiritual Qi, causing the mortal realm to starve. Will Taiyeng protect the cultivation society he abandoned, or join the villain to save the powerless?