The Primordial Vast Continent.
An ancient continent of such immense scale that even the most powerful cultivators dared not claim to have seen its entirety.
Legend has it that if one were to fly non-stop for a thousand years from east to west, they still might not reach the continent's end.
Ancient mountains towered like sky-piercing spears.
Primeval forests covered the land like an endless green ocean.
Deep within this world lived various races—humans, ancient beasts, spirit races, and mysterious creatures whose origins even history could not record.
Yet, far on the southern fringes of this vast continent, in a region not even marked on the maps of the great cultivators, lay a small place almost forgotten by the world.
It was called Qinghe Village.
Qinghe Village sat on the banks of a clear river that flowed from distant mountains to the north. The river cut through wild forests before finally vanishing into an unknown expanse.
The villagers lived simple lives.
Some hunted in the forests.
Some planted low-grade spirit herbs.
Others worked as village guards, fending off small beasts that occasionally wandered out of the woods.
To outsiders, this village was but a tiny speck in a vast world.
But to its inhabitants, this place was their entire world.
And in this small village…
lived a boy named Lin Tianyuan.
As the morning sun began to rise over the mountains, thin mist still hung over the river.
The morning air felt crisp and fresh.
In the courtyard of a simple wooden house, a young man around fifteen years old sat cross-legged on a flat stone.
His eyes were closed.
His breathing was slow.
He was meditating.
The young man had a handsome face, still bearing a hint of childishness. His long black hair was tied simply behind his head.
But what stood out most about him was the calmness on his face.
His name was Lin Tianyuan.
The son of the village hunter.
At least… that was what everyone believed.
A few meters behind him, a middle-aged man stood with his hands behind his back.
The man was tall, broad-shouldered, and his eyes were as sharp as a hawk's.
His name was Lin Feng.
Tianyuan's father.
Though he wore simple hunter's clothes, the aura around him felt distinctly different from an ordinary person.
He looked at Tianyuan with an expression that was hard to describe.
Hope.
Worry.
And a hint of sorrow.
Moments later, Tianyuan opened his eyes.
He let out a soft sigh.
"Father…"
Lin Feng smiled faintly.
"How was it?"
Tianyuan lowered his head.
He was used to that question.
Yet the answer was always the same.
"Still… no change."
Silence descended upon the courtyard.
The morning wind blew gently.
Lin Feng gazed at the sky for a moment before letting out a soft sigh.
In this world, almost everyone could cultivate.
Even if their talent was poor, as long as they opened their meridians and absorbed the heaven and earth qi, they could still enter the first stage of cultivation:
The Mortal Refinement Realm.
But Tianyuan was different.
Since he was little, his body had always absorbed qi in a strange way.
The qi that entered his body never stayed for long.
It was as if…
something inside him was constantly devouring it.
Many villagers said Tianyuan had a damaged body.
Some even said he had no talent at all.
But Lin Feng never believed that.
He knew his son was different.
Very different.
Because when Tianyuan was born…
the sky above the village had changed.
Stars had appeared in broad daylight.
And for a brief moment…
the very space around their house had seemed to tremble.
Yet no one in the village remembered that event.
It was as if the world itself had chosen to forget it.
Lin Feng looked at Tianyuan with a deep gaze.
"It's okay."
"The path of cultivation is long. Sometimes, one just needs more time."
Tianyuan smiled slightly.
He had heard those words countless times.
But he still appreciated his father's effort to comfort him.
"Father, I want to go into the forest today."
Lin Feng's brows furrowed slightly.
"The forest?"
"Yes. I feel… there's something there."
Tianyuan didn't know how to explain it himself.
Over the past few days, he had felt something strange.
Like a faint calling.
As if something within the forest… was summoning him.
Lin Feng looked at his son for a long time.
Several seconds passed.
Finally, he nodded.
"Alright."
"But don't go too deep."
"And if you see an Origin Beast, come back immediately."
Tianyuan stood up and smiled brightly.
"Thank you, Father."
He grabbed a small hunting knife from the wooden table and walked toward the forest behind the village.
Lin Feng stood still, watching his son's figure grow distant.
His eyes slowly turned serious.
"That feeling… it has finally appeared…"
He muttered softly.
The forest behind Qinghe Village was vast.
Its trees were tall and ancient.
Some trunks even required ten adults to wrap their arms around them.
For the village hunters, this forest was a source of life.
But for the village children, this place was also filled with danger.
Tianyuan walked slowly among the trees.
He had entered the forest many times.
But today felt different.
The deeper he walked, the stronger the strange feeling in his chest became.
It was as if something was resonating with his body.
"What exactly is this…"
He muttered.
Suddenly—
GRRAAAHH!!
A roar shook the forest.
Tianyuan froze.
A few meters in front of him, the bushes suddenly rustled.
A large beast leaped out.
Its body was as big as a buffalo.
Its skin was as dark as stone.
Its eyes were red.
An Origin Beast.
Tianyuan's breath instantly caught in his throat.
Origin Beasts were far stronger than ordinary animals.
Even experienced hunters usually hunted in groups to face such creatures.
But right now…
he was alone.
The beast stared at Tianyuan.
Then it growled lowly.
The next moment—
THE BEAST ATTACKED.
Tianyuan immediately turned and ran.
Dry leaves scattered beneath his feet.
The beast chased him, its heavy steps shaking the ground.
"Faster… faster…!"
Tianyuan ran with all his might.
But the distance between them was closing.
Suddenly, the ground in front of Tianyuan collapsed.
He didn't have time to stop.
His body plummeted into a large pit hidden behind the bushes.
"AHH—!"
He fell several meters before finally hitting the hard ground.
Everything went dark.
Tianyuan didn't know how long he had been unconscious.
When he opened his eyes…
he found himself inside a large cave.
The air inside the cave felt cold.
But the strangest thing was…
there was a dim light in the center of the cave.
The light came from a black crystal floating in the air.
Tianyuan stared at it in confusion.
As he looked at the crystal…
his heart suddenly began to pound violently.
THUMP.
THUMP.
THUMP.
The feeling of resonance he had felt earlier suddenly became much stronger.
It was as if his body recognized this object.
Unconsciously, Tianyuan stepped closer.
When he was just a few steps away—
THE CRYSTAL SUDDENLY VIBRATED.
Small cracks appeared on its surface.
Then—
BLACK LIGHT ERUPTED FORTH.
Immense energy instantly enveloped Tianyuan's body.
"AAAHHH—!!"
Excruciating pain assaulted his entire body.
But amidst the pain…
strange images flashed through his mind.
He saw…
a colossal creature swallowing stars.
He saw an ancient war that shattered the heavens.
He saw powerful figures before whom the world seemed small.
Then everything vanished.
The black crystal transformed into a stream of light that flowed directly into Tianyuan's chest.
The next moment—
A BLACK CORE FORMED INSIDE HIS BODY.
But this core was different.
It was not an ordinary Essence Core.
It felt like…
the origin of something far more ancient.
Qi energy from the entire forest began to surge toward the cave.
Even the beast that had chased Tianyuan earlier suddenly stopped outside the cave.
As if it sensed something terrifying within.
Inside the cave…
Tianyuan's body began to change.
Slowly.
Silently.
Something that had been sealed for thousands of years…
had finally awakened.
And far away in Qinghe Village…
Lin Feng, who was standing in his courtyard, suddenly raised his head.
His eyes narrowed.
He looked toward the forest.
"That energy…"
For the first time in years…
a look of shock appeared on his face.
"Impossible…"
He immediately leaped into the air.
His body shot toward the forest like a shadow.
Meanwhile, deep inside the cave…
Lin Tianyuan was still unconscious.
But within his body…
an ancient voice, almost forgotten by the world, slowly echoed.
"At last… the heir has appeared…"
And with that…
a new legend began to be born.