Set centuries in the future, an orphaned girl is found beneath a lightning-struck Tree of Heaven north of Ashend Temple and adopted by the revered Abbot Son He, who names her Wong Di Yi.
Growing into a curious and determined young woman, Wong Di Yi earns the consent of her Elder Brothers to enter the Imperius Trials, a series of games testing her Wit, Combat, and Command. As she gives it her all, things go wrong and lives are lost when she comes face to face with an unforeseen adversary from a competing temple.