At the heart of the village, atop the tallest structure,a simple stone building weathered by time and wind an urgent gathering was underway.

On the top floor, dim lantern light flickered over the wrinkled faces of several elderly men seated around a heavy wooden table. The air was thick with silence, broken only by the creak of shifting chairs and the distant cries of early morning roosters.

At the head of the table sat Grandpa Ji, the village chief, his single eye narrowed beneath silvered brows beside him, the vegetables he bought earlier were placed on the ground. Though draped in coarse robes like any other elder, his quiet presence commanded every gaze in the room.

The others waited, tense and expectant.

Finally, Grandpa Ji broke the silence.

“Everyone,” he began, his voice slow but firm, “the matter we must discuss today is of great importance… and grave concern. Our supply of spirit stones is dwindling. What little remains is only enough to cover the entrance fees for the children this year. Next year-we may not be able to support even one.”

A murmur rippled through the room. Some elders lowered their heads. Others clenched their aged fists.

Grandpa Ji continued, his tone darkening, “The spirit mine near Nine Dragons Mountain… it has collapsed. No known cause. Our last attempt to salvage the site yielded nothing but rubble and ash.”

An elder with neatly combed white hair and a calm face spoke next. This was Elder Liu Yun,one of the ten elders of the village council, but unlike the others, he was not born here. He had once come from a larger city, choosing to retire in this quiet village alongside his granddaughter, Lin Jing Jing.

“This is the core issue,” Liu Yun said with a furrowed brow. “Even if we old bones are no longer chasing cultivation, the children have a future ahead. We must give them the means to walk the path… even if it costs us everything.”

Another elder, Tang Shen, a man with narrow eyes and a shrewd expression, grunted from across the table. “How about this? We keep a portion of the stones back… and simply not send the weakests. They’ll never succeed anyway. Why waste resources?”

“You old bastard!” Liu Yun snapped, rising halfway from his seat. His voice echoed with uncharacteristic fury. “They may be weak now, but they have talent. You want to crush a child’s future for your cowardly risk calculations!”

Tang Shen’s eyes narrowed. “Don’t twist my words. I’m only saying.Our priority should be those with greater potential. If we gamble on everyone, we may end up saving no one.”

The room began to stir with growing discord.

Just then, Grandpa Ji, who had remained still, raised a single hand. The room fell silent once more.

He slowly looked at each elder, his voice low and steady but what he said next sent a chill down every spine in the room.

“Let’s set a trap at Nine Dragons Mountain,” he said. “Lure in rogue cultivators. Ambush them. Kill them. Take their stones.”

The entire table froze.

“Old man Ji…” Liu Yun's voice trembled, not with fear, but disbelief. “I can accept that Tang Shen is mad… but you? Are you truly insane?! You want us to kill cultivators? Even if they’re weak, if their sects find out….. do you know what they’ll do to our village? We’ll be burned to the ground!”

He slammed his palm on the table, sending a wooden cup crashing to the floor.

“Have you forgotten the news about the Heavenly Sword Sect’s massacre of River Town over a single inner disciple’s death?! We are mortals in their eyes. Dust! And you want to provoke them?!”

The room was deathly quiet. Outside, the wind howled softly, brushing against the wooden shutters like a whisper of fate.

Grandpa Ji exhaled slowly and closed his single eye.

“If any of you have a better plan, speak now. If not… this meeting is over.”

No one answered.

The silence stretched, heavy as iron.

“Then call all the able-bodied men in the village. Have them prepare the traps at Nine Dragons Mountain,” he ordered.

With that, he stood and picked up the basket of vegetables by his side. As he reached the doorway, he paused briefly, glancing back at the table of speechless elders.

“Lao Liu, you’re the most familiar with tactical layouts. You lead the team. Make sure everything is done carefully. One mistake… and we all pay the price.”

He didn’t wait for a response. With slow, steady steps, Grandpa Ji disappeared into the hallway, leaving behind a room filled with unspoken tension.

Liu Yun stared at the door for a long moment, then muttered bitterly, “Old fool… You’ve really chosen the most dangerous path.”

At Ke Yan’s House

Outside a modest home built from stone and wood, Fu Hong Jun stood with a cloth-wrapped bundle in his arms, shouting with energy.

“Brother Ke! I brought the meat! Come out already!”

The door creaked open. A grinning Ke Yan appeared, his muscular frame filling the doorway. “Yo, Xiao Jun! Haha! I knew you’d bring it early. Get in, get in!”

Ke Yan’s home was simple but clean. The smell of fresh herbs and dried spices hung in the air. His mother, a kind-faced woman with calloused hands, was out selling vegetables in the market. Inside the room, several stones of varying shapes and sizes were scattered on the floor—clearly used for training.

Fu Hong Jun stepped in and handed over the bundle. “Here. This is your share, Brother Ke.”

Ke Yan chuckled and took it with a pleased look. “Not bad! You’ve got taste.”

Then, Fu Hong Jun hesitated for a moment before speaking again.

“Brother Ke… I’ve got something to ask you.”

“Come on, what’s with the hesitation?” Ke Yan laughed. “Your big brother’s got answers. Just ask.”

Fu Hong Jun looked serious. “How do you train your body? I mean, is it just… lifting heavy stuff?”

Ke Yan stared at him, blinked, then looked him up and down.His gaze stopping on Fu Hong Jun’s thin arms and narrow shoulders.

“…Do you want to die under a pile of rocks?”

Fu Hong Jun’s face darkened like a thundercloud. “I’m being serious.”

Ke Yan held back a laugh, wiping an imaginary tear from his eye. “Alright, alright, don’t get mad, my little brother. If you really want to train, then start simple. Lift some weights,nothing too heavy. And run. Run until your legs give out. A full circle around the entire village.”

Inwardly, Fu Hong Jun groaned.

“Damn it… I knew I was screwed…”

Suddenly, a familiar voice echoed in his mind like a devil whispering from the shadows.

“Brat, why don’t you go punch a mountain? Maybe uproot a tree while you’re at it?”

Fu Hong Jun nearly slipped. “Screw you, old monster!”

“…Three brooms.”

“W-wait! Sorry, Master! Hehe…”

“Hmph. Stupid brat. Since your mortal brain can’t even follow simple instructions, I’ll give you a basic routine.”

Golden characters formed in his sea of consciousness, written in fiery runes that crackled with suppressed power:

– Lift 5 jin stone × 50 repetitions
– Run 10 kilometers around the village
– 100 push-ups
– 100 sit-ups

Fu Hong Jun stared at the glowing text in horror. His face turned green.

“Is this training or a death sentence?!”

But before he could complain further—

“Brat, if you want to see your parents in the future, you have to train more like this. Don’t be lazy. Now go. Start running. I’ve calculated.You need four full rounds around the village.”

Gritting his teeth, Fu Hong Jun clenched his fists. I have to get stronger… I have to know why they left me.

“Fine! Fine, old monster!”

He turned to Ke Yan and forced a smile. “Brother Ke, I’ve got something to do. I’ll see you later.”

Ke Yan raised an eyebrow. “Huh? You’re leaving already?”

But Fu Hong Jun was already out the door.

Outside, on the path to the gate

“Hey, brat. Don’t even think about slacking off. You have to run exactly four rounds. No more, no less. And add one more round… for calling me an old monster. Hahaha!”

Fu Hong Jun wanted to kill the voice in his head but instead, he stayed silent and started running toward the gate.

“Brat, running to the gate doesn’t count. Start from the gate.”

At the gate, Fu Hong Jun exhaled heavily and began his run around the vast outer circle of the village,dense forest, uneven paths, narrow trails.

Half an hour passed.

Not even halfway through the first round, Fu Hong Jun’s breath was ragged. His legs shook. He wanted to sit down.

But then he saw something.

Floating ahead, Emperor Ye had appeared, inscribing glowing runes onto wooden sticks nearby. The sticks began to hover five in total.

“Brat, I think you need some power, right?”

Fu Hong Jun’s eyes widened.

“No, no, no……!”

WHACK!

All five sticks slammed onto his backside.

A sorrowful wail echoed through the forest.

Two Hours Later

Fu Hong Jun, drenched in sweat and on the verge of collapse, finally completed five full rounds.

Before he could rest, he heard—

“Brat. You still have to lift 5 jin stones fifty times. I’ve found the suitable stones.”

A stone landed at his feet.

His eyes trembled as five more sticks hovered nearby.

“M… Master, why are there more sticks? And what is this stone?”

The sticks answered with action.

WHACK WHACK WHACK—!

“AIIIIIIIEEEEEE!!!”

The sound that came from his mouth could make anyone think a wild beast was being hunted in the woods.

“All right, all right, Master! Stop hitting! I’ll lift!”

By Evening

The sun was sinking beneath the horizon, casting long shadows across the forest. The once golden sky had begun to deepen into hues of orange and crimson.

In a quiet clearing deep within the woods, Fu Hong Jun - bruised, sore, and bleeding was still moving.

“98… 99… 100…”

His voice was faint, trembling with exhaustion.

And then he collapsed.

Face-first into the earth.

From above, Emperor Ye slowly descended, his expression unreadable, his gaze sharp.

“An ordinary child can’t endure such cruel training. Not even a so-called genius could last this long... His background… must be extraordinary.”

With a flick of his fingers, he summoned the life force from the nearby trees and birds. Ethereal strands of glowing energy rose from the forest, swirling together before flowing gently into Fu Hong Jun’s battered body.

Wounds closed.

Bruises faded.

Not even a scar remained.

Fu Hong Jun lay motionless, his small chest rising and falling with steady breaths.

Then splash!

A sudden blast of cold water struck his face, jerking him awake.

“AHHH! Who the hell did this?!” Fu Hong Jun shot upright, wiping water from his eyes. He looked around wildly, and then froze.

Hovering above him, arms crossed and robes billowing in the evening wind, was none other than Emperor Ye.

“Master?! What are you doing?! My training is done, right?”

Emperor Ye gave him a cool glance and pointed behind him. “Go home. Carry this stone on your back.”

Thud.

A stone dropped in front of him. A familiar weight.

It was none other than the five jin stone.

Fu Hong Jun’s face twisted with despair. “Seriously?! Again?!”

But he didn’t complain. He had learned his lesson. The phantom pain of ten sticks still lingered in his soul.

Gritting his teeth, he hoisted the stone onto his back. His knees bent slightly under the weight—but strangely, his body didn’t feel weak anymore. His legs moved with ease. His breath was calm.

He didn’t realize it immediately.

But he had recovered.

Fully.

Without another word, he began jogging toward the village. His movements grew faster with every step, and for the first time, he felt… light. As if something dormant inside him had awakened.

Above him, Emperor Ye narrowed his eyes, then slowly dissolved into mist and returned to the boy’s body.

“Hmph. You don’t even realize it yet, brat… but your first meridian has started to open.”

Inside the dimly lit house, Grandpa Ji sat in silence, his face calm but his eye sharp.

On the table before him lay a single piece of paper.

Its surface bore only one line:

"She knew."

He stared at it for a long moment.

Then he chuckled bitterly, his expression unreadable.

“…So she felt it already…”

At that moment, the wooden door creaked open with a sudden gust of wind. Fu Hong Jun stumbled inside, sweat pouring down his face. He dropped the 5 jin stone into the garden with a dull thud and let out a long exhale.

“Grandpa, I’m back!” he shouted, voice slightly hoarse but filled with energy.

Hearing that, Grandpa Ji’s expression softened. He threw the paper into the fire and watched it curl into ash.

“Jun’er, go take a bath and eat dinner. And don’t play too late.It’s dangerous at night.”

“Okay, Grandpa!” Fu Hong Jun’s voice echoed as he darted down the hallway, the sound of running water soon following.

Grandpa Ji leaned back in his wooden chair. The candlelight flickered gently, casting shadows across the old wooden walls.

“Body training…” he murmured. “So that’s what you’ve started with…”

But then his brow furrowed.

That wasn’t ordinary exercise.

The way the boy moved. The steadiness in his step. The weight of the stone he carried, the bruises on his skin, now fading-signs of structured, disciplined body refinement.

His one eye narrowed.

“Who… taught you that, Jun’er?”

He fell into silence for a while.

Then he sighed, the tension in his shoulders relaxing.

“…Forget it. This world is vast. There are countless hidden legacies, nameless masters, ancient remnants… If someone truly chose to guide you, then perhaps… it’s fate.”

He stood up, walked over to an old chest, and opened it slowly.

Inside were folded robes, a water flask, dried food, and a few silver coins wrapped in cloth. He began quietly preparing a travel bag for Fu Hong Jun.

Fold by fold. Item by item.

As he worked, he hesitated then reached beneath the false bottom of the chest and pulled out a jade token, its surface cracked, but the engraving of a tiger biting its tail was still visible.

He stared at it.

Then tucked it away into a hidden compartment in the bag.

“…Just in case.”

Suddenly remembering, he raised his voice toward the bath.

“Jun’er! Have a good rest and eat more. Tomorrow, you’ll go to Jing Kong City to study at Mortal Academy!”

From the steaming bath, a cheerful voice called back:

“Okay, Grandpa!”

Grandpa Ji looked up at the stars through the open window, his expression growing quiet.

“Heavenly Dao… I hope you don’t mess with this kid.”