After transmigrating into the Great Kang Dynasty, Guan Ning finds himself facing a hellish start. His father, the Prince of Zhenbei, has disappeared. An imperial decree annuls his engagement and arranges a new marriage for him with a mute princess. Along the journey to the capital, he survives repeated assassination attempts. By chance, he acquires a secret cultivation manual that allows him to grow stronger by absorbing other people's negative emotions. Caught between the emperor, rival court factions, and his sworn elder brother's schemes, Guan Ning must outwit his political enemies, investigate the truth behind his father's disappearance, and resist the enormous temptation offered by remnants of the deposed emperor's faction. In the treacherous political world of Great Kang, he must fight for survival at every turn.