"Stop where you are."
In the deep forest, a group of travellers carrying a wagon were stopped by the group of people clothed in black, concealing their identities.
"Where may you be headed to?"
One of the black-clothed ones stepped forward and spoke in a masculine voice. In response, the seeming leader among the group of travellers, wearing a bamboo hat, correspondingly stepped forward with his hand on the hilt of his sheathed sword.
"That will be none of your business."
"Heh, not like it matters."
Simultaneously, the black-clothed ones revealed their weapons. Glimmering against the sun, said weapons were sharpened to the brim, meaning that they were ready to kill.
Sensing the killing intent, the group of travellers, all wearing bamboo hats like their leader—which is conventional since the hats help them fare better against the rain—unsheathed their swords. The state of their weapons weren't in the best state, which suggested that this wasn't the first time they've fought during this trip.
With a roar, both side charged at one another. No more words needed to be spoken.
Metal clashed against metal. There were blood-thirsty ones, scared ones, determined ones—all kinds. Regardless of the type, the blood was shed, some died, some were critically injured, and a rare few ran away even.
After a while, the silence returned.
None of the bamboo-hatted travellers was left alive. All that remained was a wagon that sat in the middle of the corpses.
The group of black-clothed people slowly approached the wagon with their eyes expressing greed.
"Heheh... let's see what they were trying so hard to protect."
The leading figure of the group jotted his head to one of his minions, who nodded before walking up to the wagon and slamming the door open.
"..."
There was a person of a short stature. Or in other words, a child.
This child's appearance was peculiar. Crimson hair. Crimson eyes. Clear and vibrant skin that was as white as snow. Handsome was the only way to describe the boy's appearance.
"Heh, you must be a brat from one of the prestigious clans. Let me guess... Gu clan?"
Seeing that there was no trap placed, the leader walked up to the wagon.
"Doesn't matter... soon, you will speak. Surely, your mama and papa would be willing to pay us huge for you, right?"
"Fifteen minutes."
Suddenly, the child spoke.
"Hm?"
That's when the leader realized. The child was far too calm, even after witnessing all the blood and dead bodies laid around.
Something was off.
"You wasted my precious time."
The child's crimson eyes flashed.
Rule number one.
In the world of martial arts, beware the children and the elderlies.
"Do I still look like a kid to you, fool?"
In the next second, all thirty five people in black clothes had their heads run away from their necks. All detached, flying, and spraying blood unto their deaths.
Slowly, completely unfazed by the homicide to which he committed, the child walked out of the wagon, stepping on top of corpses as he did so.
Then, something strange occurred.
The blood that filled the environment slowly levitated from the ground. Drop by drop, they were suspended in the air.
Then, they abruptly flew into the child as he held his hand out. Yes, he absorbed their blood.
"...Hah,"
The child frowned.
"Hiya... a low quality blood... the martial world surely has fallen from its past glory."
With his hands held together at his back, he walked away from the scene as if nothing happened.
All that remained were corpses that seem to have gotten sucked dry until no fluid was left in them.
__________
Strength. Be it hidden or flaunted, no one could deny that today, it is strength that rules the world.
"One thousand years ago, long before the establishment of Yan dynasty, there existed a fearsome warrior named Shi Xue. With an evil martial art, he was said to have reached the cultivation realm that no other human being was able to!"
Standing among the crowd, I watched as a street entertainer, with a donation can laid in front of him, exaggeratedly depicted the story that he was unveiling.
"What was he going to do with it? A complete annihilation of humanity! Become even stronger! Challenge the supposed gods! He was going to conquer the world, and naturally, our ancestors had to fight! So the legends gathered from here and there, letting go of the old grievances and allying with one another! Such was the birth of five sects four clans alliance, now known as Nine Stars!"
The street entertainer was great at entertaining the crowd. He was a veteran.
Chuckling, I checked my pocket to see if I had a spare money to donate. Unfortunately, none was left for me after the errand.
'Tch, of course Master Gong has to be such a scourge.'
Pouting, I checked the bag made out of low quality cloth that I was hanging around my shoulder and holding its edge with my left hand.
Well, there was a dry rice. That was the only thing I had to get.
My name is Lin Yuan, twelve years old. I am an orphan who was found in the woods by my master, Lin Gong.
Having been exposed to martial arts from birth, it could be said that I am extremely lucky, especially in this world where strength tends to matter the most.
Sometimes, I do feel a little tired from living in mountains isolated from the others, but hey, I am alive. That's good enough.
Having felt that I watched more than enough, I turned away from the crowd, walking away.
'I wonder when will be the next time I'll get to come down again.'
Making trivial thoughts in my mind, I walked. Street, as always, was filled with many people.
It was a proof that the current era was relatively peaceful, enough for the commoners to live without as much to worry.
"Hey, youngster!"
Someone then called out to me, making me stop and turn my head around.
The call came from an old-aged woman who was sitting by the corner on top of a tattered mat.
She was smiling creepily.
"Yes, ma'am?"
Rule number one: respect the elderly. You never know if they are hidden martial arts masters or not.
I don't recognize seeing this person the last time I visited this village.
"I sense a yarn of fate ahead of you. Quite a mess, I'd say! Say, why don't I help you unveil your future so that you can create the life you truly desire?"
"I'm penniless right now."
"What?! Then fuck off, kid!"
The old woman spat at my direction, which made me wonder if she hurt her head.
Nevertheless, not bothered by the vulgar language, I turned and continued my way out.
Beyond the village, there exists seven majestic peaks; six smaller ones surrounding the largest and the most majestic peak. The terrain is very harsh for travellers to go by, but at the same time, is ideal for the martial artists to train.
This mountain range is known as Tianyun Peak, and it is the hearth of the Azure Cloud Sect—one of the Nine Stars that I belong to.
The Azure Cloud Sect is located at the tallest peak in the middle.
This meant that getting back to the sect will take me days of work.
'Still better than Master Gong's training though.'
I shuddered as I thought of my master who has quite a fiery temper. He was shouting most of the time in my memory.
Taking in a deep breath as I stood at the gate of the village, I ran off.
Seven Clouds Lightness Skill.
I moved at a speed that many commoners wouldn't be able to catch.
Soaring through the mountain, I was fast and nimble yet stable at the same time.
Of course, a mere human wouldn't normally be capable of something like this.
I was leveraging a miraculous energy named qi.
Qi is a fundamental factor of life. It is an energy that is within us and around us.
A normal person cannot feel qi. However, by feeling and resonating with nature, one can awaken the ability to feel qi.
Such is the first step to becoming a martial artist.
Following that, one must learn how to integrate the existing qi into oneself. In other words, absorb the surrounding qi into one's own body.
The qi will be submerged into the ongoing flow within one's body. They flow through the special, spiritual vessels that are known as meridians.
As the cultivation continues, the stream of qi will gradually increase. Upon reaching a sufficient level, one will then utilize the qi to push through a barrier that is usually kept shut for a normal human. Upon succession, the qi will flow into an empty cavity and become what is known as the 'lower dantian.'
'And I'm in the process of doing that!'
The more efficient the rotation of qi through the meridians, the faster the gathering of qi. This Seven Clouds Lightness Skill that I currently use is the famed cultivation technique that raised the cultivation speed by several folds.
By the time I stopped due to a built up exhaustion, it was already night.
Deep in the woods, I swiftly set up a temporary camp that i would momentarily rest in.
Fire was lit, and reaching my pocket, I took out a jerky, frowning on its saltiness as I reluctantly chewed.
'What a pain.'
Cultivation was about becoming stronger, transcending heavens, blah blah... but really, all that I wanted to do was to survive.
Leaning back, I listened to the subtle sound of fire whistling as I closed my eyes for a rest.
...
My eyes abruptly opened. Having forced to wake up, I rolled to the side, just in time to evade a dagger that was thrown at my way.
The fire has long died.
Grabbing the bag of rice, I stood up and raised my guard.
"Who?!"
Tianyun Peak was under the protection of the Azure Cloud Sect.
Yet, someone managed to sneak in, and was currently after my life.