Chapter 1: Chapter 1: Every Ending Has a Beginning
An unknown location.
"Hm." A voice hummed blankly.
Inside the dim void, surrounded by the luminescence of fading stars; a lone figure dressed in pure white was curled up in solitude.
Long hair in the same, snowy colour stretched down to his waistline. Unkempt front bangs overshadowed expressionless eyes. His hands fiddled around and was preoccupied with something.
There was an object that looked like a paper doll in his hands, in a human shape. It had very realistic features and radiated strange auras.
If anyone looked closer, they would be shocked. The resemblance was near perfect between the figure and the doll. However, half of the doll was in black instead of being completely white.
The slightest trace of a smile showed on the figure's face, as he tore the doll in half between the black and white. Suddenly, he spewed out a mouth full of golden liquid and coughed violently.
After an unknown amount of time, the figure finally recovered in an extremely frail manner. With a wave of his hand, a vortex of light sprouted out from the unknown. Inside, one could see millions of stars and planets, stretching beyond human comprehension.
Weakly raising his hand with the black side of the doll, the figure waved it into the hole as it travelled down a ethereal river of light, disappearing into the unknown.
"If I could do it all again, would I still do the same?"
...
Vermilion Bird Nation, Flame Wind City.
The sun shone brightly in the sky, enveloping the bustling streets that were dotted with various vendors and stalls, stretching as far as the eye could see.
Flame Wind City had grown prosperous from focusing on commerce, acting as a popular trade center and tourist area. Many travelers who passed by from other cities, or even nations, would visit the well-developed location.
Massive wagons of produce being wheeled, or long lines of round-up livestock, were a common sight in the lively lanes.
Many intersections and alleyways also snaked their way throughout the city, directing people through hotspots just like how a shepherd would herd sheep. It is exactly in one of these wide alleyways that a young boy is seen.
"Today's the day of the enrollment exam." A 13-year old youth is seen nimbly dodging between the crowds of people.
His black hair and eyes gleamed with anticipation, contrasting with his mellow facial features. With a slim but firm build, the young boy had no trouble moving through the masses.
Yu Tian couldn't wait to begin his cultivation journey.
A farmer holding a shoulder pole was in front of him, carrying 2 buckets filled to the brim with hawthorn berries. Feeling something coming up from behind him, the peasant began to turn with the pole, swinging it in the process.
Yelping in surprise, Yu Tian immediately ducked down from the incoming projectile. He lunged under and across, nimbly dodging the obstacle that was moving towards his face.
Tang Rong's eyes widened. He noticed the white clothing on the well-dressed Yu Tian. Many intricate designs were sewn in the cloth, giving off a regal aura.
The nobility stood out in Flame Wind City with what they wore. They were able to afford rare materials, and many of which had capabilities in reflecting bright sunlight. This allows the wearers to stay nice and cool, even in scorching hot weather.
He immediately dropped the buckets he was carrying and knelt down, spilling hawthorn berries onto the busy streets.
"I'm so sorry young master! Forgive this servant for not having eyes." The farmer sweated profusely as he kowtowed.
The passersby quickly walked past the scene, although there were a few curious glances at the old farmer and the youth. Tang Rong ignored the hawthorn berries that were being crushed underneath the feet of those who passed.
Even if he loses his produce, it was only a day's work and his family might only be hungry.
However, if he accidentally offends the young master of a prestigious family in Flame Wind City, being hungry would be the least of his problems. Tang Rong's family would be targeted as well.
Stopping in his tracks, Yu Tian sighed. He was used to the treatment that the commoners gave him, and he disliked it. If it wasn't necessary for today's exam, he would've preferred to wear the less flashy commoner clothes. The young boy did this usually to stay incognito.
"Uncle, uncle. Don't worry, I'm not hurt." Reaching into his clothes, Yu Tian pulled out a coin and secretly placed it into the weathered hands of the farmer. "I need to go. See you uncle."
Looking at the silvery coin in his hands, Tang Rong immediately kowtowed to the disappearing figure of the young boy as his heart sang with gratitude.
Forget about having to starve, a silver piece was worth more than 20 whole batches of hawthorn berries. His family would keep their stomachs full for over 2 weeks, just on the coin alone.
Quickly tucking the coin into his shirt, Tang Rong gathered up the remaining undamaged berries and looked around in wary. He was afraid that some of the more unsavoury population in the city would attempt to rob him of his coin.
Seeing that nobody appeared to be paying him any attention as they walked past, Tang Rong breathed a sigh of relief. The farmer lifted up his shoulder pole and began the journey home.
...
Yu Tian hummed happily as he dashed away. He liked to help the less fortunate whenever he could, but this always caused his family headaches.
"You're going to be taken advantage of badly one day." His father always said in a disapproving manner before giving in and doting on his son.
Yu Tian never really took the matter to heart. He knew that his family was happy for having such a kind young master. The young boy also believed that he was great at judging the character of others.
Suddenly, Yu Tian stopped walking.
"Uncle Wei Yang, is that you again?" The youth asked and frowned, sensing a presence. He turned around and looked behind him cautiously.
Shaking his head in amazement, a man looking to be in his early forties emerged from the shadows. He slowly approached the young boy. "Young master, how did you know that I was there?"
Yu Tian rolled his eyes in annoyance and stuck out his tongue. "I know that because I like to go off on my own, so father always sends you to protect me."
Zhang Wei Yang was about to cheerfully reply, before hearing Yu Tian's next words that gave his forehead some black lines. "I also felt a bad old man was stalking me again."
"Stinky brat." Wei Yang's shoulders slumped in exasperation.
He was one of the Li family's protectors, with higher status than ordinary household servants. All of the protectors have served the Li family for generations. Due to the patriarch's absolute trust in him, Wei Yang was tasked with looking after Yu Tian at nearly all times.
The young master of the Li family is truly a natural born genius. Wei Yang's cultivation was already in the realm of War Master, yet Yu Tian was still able to somehow detect him. The young master hasn't even stepped into the Qi Novice realm yet, much less activated his Qi element.
Shaking his head again, Wei Yang immediately remembered the importance of today. "Come on, if you dilly dally anymore from helping out the commoners, you'll be late for the exam!"
Phoenix Academy is one of the top cultivation schools in all of Vermillion Bird Nation. Each year, hundreds of youths apply to have a chance to enter the prestigious school. However, only a handful of them would get accepted.
If you weren't a part of the nobility, getting into the school would be even harder. Most commoner families don't have the luxury of affording cultivation materials, which are just as necessary as talent and hard work in the road of cultivation.
If you fail to be accepted, you'll have to wait another year to try again. The minimum age of applying is 13. Once a child is over the age of 16, there are no more chances of trying to enter the school.
Wei Yang had absolute confidence that Yu Tian would pass the exams. However, if the young master was late, it would cause some loss of reputation for the Li clan.
"Ah! You're right." Yu Tian immediately continued to run with Wei Yang following behind.
...
"Look! Look! Black Swallow Sword is challenging Lonesome Blade to a fight!" A voice rang out.
Yu Tian looked over curiously. He and Wei Yang arrived near the entrance of the Academy's school gates, but the sudden outcry attracted even the protector of the Li family.
"Black Swallow Sword and Lonesome Blade are both at the mid-stage of War Master like me." Wei Yang murmured, causing Yu Tian to look at him.
In Flame Wind City, if your cultivation was already at War Master, you are considered an expert. However, compared to the entirely of Vermillion Bird Nation, being a War Master was only slightly above average at most.
The ranks in cultivation went as follows: Qi Novice, Qi warrior, Dou General, War Master, War Grandmaster, and Battle Ancestor. The next 2 ranks, Martial King and Martial Emperor, were more scarce in order within the entire Holy Beast Continent.
Each rank also had 10 layers, with the tenth layer being the hardest bottleneck to break through. The layers also increase in breakthrough difficulty by order. When a cultivator broke through to the fifth layer, they would be considered at the middle stage of that current rank.
Ascending to Martial Emperor already makes you a legend. The number of Martial Kings that broke through to Martial Emperor in the past 500 years could probably be counted with just 2 hands.
Finally, there were the Saints who were essentially a mythical existence. Most believe that all the Saints have already died out, with the last recorded breakthrough being 1000 years ago. However, there is a rumour that the guardian of the royal family is a Saint realm cultivator.
As for beyond the ream of Saint, no one really knows or if it even exists.
Standing on a tiled ceiling, Black Swallow Sword and Lonesome Blade stood at a respectful distance from one another on the restaurant roof. Yu Tian and Wei Yang joined the growing group of spectators anticipating a spectacle.
"I've always heard about brother Lonesome's Tyrant Blade techniques being outstanding." Black Swallow Sword's voice was solemn and respectful as he cupped his hands.
Then, Black Swallow Sword drew his weapon. It was a sword completely forged with black metal, gleaming with a vicious edge. The sharp unsheathing sound increased the excitement of the crowd.
"Brother Swallow Sword's Rain Sword techniques are just as famous." Returning the gesture, Lonesome Blade appeared to accept the challenge as he drew his own blade.
Lonesome's weapon was a massive blade. Like his Tyrant Blade technique suggested, the weapon was a colossal blade and looked to require 2 hands to wield. However, Lonesome Blade easily held it in one hand.
Both cultivators took a stance and began to slowly approach one another, causing the crowd to quiet down in anticipation as their hearts jittered.
Wei Yang knew that Flame Wind City prohibited fights, but if two cultivators challenged each other to a duel and it was mutually agreed upon, the city would not interfere as long as it did not cause too much havoc, or involve innocent bystanders.
Black Swallow Sword initiated first, thrusting in with his black sword at an amazing speed. Using his Rain Sword technique, his thrusts were synonymous with the rain as he laid a torrent of blows against Lonesome Blade.
Taking a step back, Lonesome Blade lifted his large weapon to block his opponent's strikes. Suddenly, both War Masters lowered their weapons, and retreated back to their original positions when facing one another.
This caused the curious eyes to turn from excitement to confusion. Did something happen?
Black Swallow Sword was the first to speak. He pulled out a small, transparent bottle containing pills of various colours. "Brother Lonesome, it looks like you're low on energy from hunting all those demonic beasts. Thankfully, I have Master Lu's Fruit Flavoured Energy Pills, helping me replenish my strength after a long battle."
Lonesome Blade also pulled out a bottle. "What do you know? I just bought a Master Lu's Fruit Flavoured Energy Pills as well. It's a shame that I didn't get to replenish my energy before the fight. I had been practicing all night!"
The spectators were now dead silent before a loud voice could be heard swearing. "Fuck! It's just a stupid advertisement!"
The annoyance could be physically felt in the air as the crowd began to scatter, having been bamboozled by the two War Masters. Even Wei Yang was slightly ticked off and wanted to go up there to give those two a piece of his mind.
Martial arts should be filled with honour and integrity, not just some cheap way to make money by becoming advertisers. Both Black Swallow Sword and Lonesome Blade held their positions with the pills shamelessly, ignoring the jeers and insults from the leaving people.
However, Wei Yang had to look after the young master. He noticed that Yu Tian was already ahead of him at the gates of Phoenix Academy.
"Young master, why aren't you going in?" The War Master was confused. Wei Yang saw Yu Tian was pale and drenched in sweat. The sun was hot today, but it wasn't so hot that the youth should be perspiring this much.
Turning in a ghastly manner, the young boy had a smile of extreme distress. Yu Tian felt like something broke inside him. "Uncle Wei Yang... I think I'm late."
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