"Zhao Han, Mortal Life Wheel"
The elder of the Martial Academy spoke indifferently to the child with black hair and light blue eyes, who kept his hands resting on a nine-colored board—on which only the yellow color had lit up.
Observing the result, Zhao Han showed no visible expression, his eyes as calm as deep waters.
This scene even surprised the elder. Usually, when children awakened their Life Wheels and received poor results, they would cry. But this boy in front of him… didn't seem to care at all?
Unaware of the elder's thoughts, Zhao Han cupped his hands in respect, then turned and left the entrance of the building, which had a stone gate. He walked slowly to the sidewalk, gradually quickening his pace.
Two hundred meters later, his mask began to fall apart. First, his calm eyes welled up; then, like an overflowing bucket, tears spilled out.
"Damn it!"
Zhao Han clenched his fists tightly, digging his nails into his flesh.
"Li Heng has an Earth Life Wheel! Why is mine one grade lower?"
Angry, he stomped the ground and then spat.
After venting, he returned to his previous indifference and continued on his way home.
After Zhao Han left, the academy elder—a gray-haired old man with a wrinkled face like a dried raisin—appeared where he had stood before.
"He's a child like any other… yet he seems to know how to control his emotions?"
This truth was hard to swallow. Even he, who had lived for centuries, couldn't pretend so well—and yet a brat who had barely grown his hair already could?
With a shake of his head and a glint of interest in his eyes, the old man took out a yellow-covered book from his storage ring and decided to give the boy a chance, to see how long he could maintain that mask.
…
Whoosh!
Zhao Han, who was walking calmly along the sidewalk, suddenly heard a buzzing sound from above. His first instinct was to look up.
Raising his head, he saw a .a yellow blur descending toward him, like an eagle diving.
"What?"
Zhao Han's pupils trembled and his heart raced. In the blink of an eye, the object reached him, revealing itself to be a yellow book.
Extending his hand like a claw, he grabbed the book purely by reflex, applying precise force so it wouldn't slip from his fingers.
Holding the book, Zhao Han frowned and began to read. The contents made his eyes widen.
"Cultivation! This is a cultivation method… why would something so valuable end up here?"
He looked around and realized he was alone. Then he raised his eyes to the sky—nothing but gray slowly being illuminated by the sun. Turning slightly, he saw the academy in the distance and had a single thought:
Was the elder responsible?
"He was impressed by my mentality and rewarded me with a cultivation manual."
With about ninety percent certainty in this hypothesis, Zhao Han assumed an arrogant expression.
"So what if I have no talent? I can control my body! My path isn't closed—it's just a bit harder than the others.
Having reached this conclusion, Zhao Han tucked the book beneath his shirt, committing the old man's help to heart, and continued toward his home, located in the western part of Blue Cloud City.
It was an area of old houses, made of clay, square in shape, with four rooms of equal size. Zhao Han's house was the twenty-ninth among a hundred.
Upon entering, he immediately saw a middle-aged man with a large beard, messy hair like bird nests, and black clothes full of holes.
The disheveled man sat on a bamboo chair, holding a gourd of wine.
"H-how did it go, Xiao Han?"
Drunk, his voice came out unsteady.
"Mortal Life Wheel."
Zhao Han replied without changing his tone.
"Hmm…"
Lowering the gourd, the man, cheeks flushed, sighed.
"Immortal cultivation isn't for everyone. Out of ten thousand, only a hundred can walk this path. Xiao Han, don't be discouraged. You can still pass the Imperial Exam—just study hard from today onward."
He tried to comfort him.
But instead of motivation, he saw the boy's face darken.
"Old man! Don't talk as if I've lost all my chances. I, Zhao Han, in this life will be nothing less than an immortal."
After declaring his ambition, Zhao Han passed by his adoptive uncle, Zhao Ling, and went straight to his room.
In the living room, Zhao Ling watched the boy disappear from view and thought:
"Could this child… really transcend mortality with a Mortal Life Wheel?"
"The Life Wheel isn't divided without reason… but Xiao Han is very strange. Creating a miracle might not be difficult for him."
In his heart, Zhao Ling rooted for him.
For a parent, seeing a child grow and achieve their dreams is something deeply gratifying.
…
Sitting on a worn mattress atop a wooden bed, Zhao Han took the book from beneath his shirt and began to reread it.
"Every human is born from an embryo. Every human possesses a soul. The Life Wheel is the connection between body and soul, also called the spiritual wheel."
"To cultivate immortality, the first step is to sense the Life Wheel through the spirit and visualize the connection between illusion and reality, thereby establishing the Mental Gate, which will be used to perceive the spiritual energy of heaven and earth."
"Once the Mental Gate is established, use breathing to absorb spiritual energy and store it within the skeletal structure as a whole. Each cycle represents a layer."
"The goal of the Body Refinement Realm is to cultivate the nine layers of bone refinement."
Finishing the reading, Zhao Han stilled all emotions and, with one final deep breath, began his practice.