Pandaria Continent.
Cao Fei, a descendant of the Cao imperial family of the Mogu who trained as a monk at the Temple of the Shado-Pan, felt deeply dejected. He had discovered that his dream of restoring his country was still far beyond reach—perhaps even impossible.
His friends did not understand and often tried to dissuade him.
"Cao Fei, don't be so naive. Accept reality and just live as an ordinary person."
"Cao Fei, you need to distinguish dreams from reality. You can't stop eating and living just for a dream, can you?"
"Cao Fei, you don't have that ability. Stop striving toward such an unrealistic goal. Once you finish your training, join us and fight alongside His Majesty Shaohao at the Great Wall."
Whenever Cao Fei heard his friends' well-meaning advice, he merely smiled and quietly listened until they had finished.
But Cao Fei did not want to give up.
Yes, he understood that times had changed. The chances of restoring the Cao Dynasty were exceedingly slim.
But he held such a conviction in his heart, and he did not want to abandon it.
Yet reality dealt Cao Fei savage blow after savage blow, like a hateful bully trying to crush the one remaining dream he had.
Even the White Tiger told him, "Give up while you can. You are not that sort of person. Neither your thoughts nor your vision are suited to becoming an emperor."
Time flew by. Cao Fei continued training bitterly, stubbornly clinging to his dream.
He always thought that his current training was laying the foundation, accumulating experience and strength for the day he would leave the Temple of the Shado-Pan and pursue his dream.
The friends around him remained the same, telling him over and over, "Give up. It's impossible."
Season after season passed.