In the silent immensity of the skies and the lands, the quest for power knows only one true path: the Path of the Dao.
For ordinary mortals, cultivation first resembles a slow ascent, a struggle against the limits of the body and the mind.
Everything begins with awakening. At the Spiritual Awakening stage, then Qi Condensation, Spiritual Core, Nascent Soul and finally Law Master the first intuitive understanding of the laws of the world. Each mortal level is comprised between initial stage, medium, peak.
When one surpasses the limits of mortality at Heavenly Tribulation, one enters Transcendence where one stops aging. This is followed by divine cultivation with each level having nine stages:
Overlord, Demigod, Supreme, Deity, Deity Supreme, Heavenly King, Heavenly Overlord, Heavenly Emperor, Heavenly Sovereignty, Heavenly Immortal Immortal God and The Beyond... A hypothetical level.
Without adequate talent, a mortal can take fifty years to go from spiritual awakening to Qi condensation....
***
On the steep slopes of Night Cloudy Mountain, the air itself seemed repugnant to breathe. This place, infested with Rakshasas and traversed by Khao so unstable that it made the perception of the senses waver, was avoided by any sensible cultivator.
Lin Feng faced a horde of low-level Rakshasas. These one-horned creatures, closer to instinct than to reason, had only one goal: to devour his Qi. Their eyes gleamed with murderous envy.
Lin Feng held his long sword with a firm hand. His robe was now stained with the viscous blood of the Rakshasas.
He was considered one of the most talented of his generation, and these few monsters could hardly put sticks in his wheels. Yet he never underestimated an opponent.
While he crushed the skull of one creature, Lin Feng thought back to his past.
He was only a commoner orphan in the Lower Realms, a world where Qi is rare and life miserable.
His destiny changed during his encounter with Xia Fei, the younger sister of the patriarch of the immortal Xia family. She had detected in him an immense raw potential and had taken him under her wing, treating him with a kindness he had never known.
For him, she is much more than a master; his love for her goes beyond simple gratitude, bordering on absolute devotion. Today, he accumulates eliminations to prove his worth and become the heir of the sect leader.
Lin Feng pivoted to the side, avoiding the attack, then cleanly cut the outstretched arm. Black blood spurted, projecting splashes on his already soiled robe. Without giving it time to scream, he followed with an upward strike that split the creature's torso in two.
Lin Feng then released his Qi.... A wave of golden energy burst from his body, repelling the beasts that tried to take them by surprise.
He leaped forward, planted his sword precisely in the first's throat, then withdrew the blade to plunge it deeply into the second's heart.
Lin Feng took a deep breath, feeling the Qi circulate in his meridians. He then activated the technique he had learned after months of study with Xia Fei.
An internal circulation technique that transformed raw Qi into a fluid force, almost gentle in appearance, but of formidable efficiency. Xia Fei had taught it to him not for raw power, but for self-mastery. " A saber without calm is only a piece of metal " , she often repeated to him.
Lin Feng reopened his eyes. His gaze had changed. The haste had disappeared, replaced by absolute concentration.
The bestial instinct of the rakshasas captured a change in their prey. The smell of Qi was still there, but it now seemed to flow like a calm river.
His sword moved in a perfect arc. The golden Qi slid along the blade and, at the moment of impact, the claw did not meet steel but a slippery surface that deflected the force of the attack without confronting it directly. The unbalanced creature fell forward, and Lin Feng planted his blade in its nape without a sound.
He pivoted on his supports, letting the first pass, then used the movement of his body to amplify the thrust of his sword into the second's flank. The golden Qi followed the gesture like a second immaterial blade, penetrating the tough flesh and dispersing the corrupted energy of the Rakshasas.
While he had just finished off the last one, Lin Feng suddenly felt a glacial tingling run along his spine. A presence he had not felt stood behind him. He turned around with a leap, short of breath, his hand clenched on his sword.
Xuan BaiShe stood about twenty meters away, advancing with a nonchalant gait through the field of corpses.
His hands were crossed behind his back. He wore immaculate clothes, without a single bloodstain, as if he were strolling in a garden rather than in the middle of a carnage.
The aura emanating from him was so dense and oppressive that Lin Feng felt cold sweat bead on his forehead.
" You... Xuan BaiShe. What the hell are you doing here ? " he launched in a tense voice, without lowering his guard. " Did you come to stab me in the back to eliminate the competition ? "
Xuan BaiShe let out a light laugh, tinged with contempt.
" Stab you ? Do not be ridiculous. " He tilted his head slightly, adjusting his monocle.
" The position of sect heir does not interest me in the least. " He swept the air with a negligent hand.
" I am already the designated heir of the Immortal Xuan Family, and through my mother, I also bear the title of Saint within the Clan of Pride. So believe me, between the politics of the immortal domains and family responsibilities, I am already quite busy enough. "
" Then why are you here, in the middle of this battlefield ? " asked Lin Feng while squinting, looking puzzled.
" I received a request from your master, Xia Fei. " Xuan BaiShe tilted his head to the right, a friendly smile on his lips. " She asked me to lend you a hand in your quest. I am only responding to that request. "
A small smile, which Lin Feng did not notice, furtively stretched his lips.
" Master Xia..." Lin Feng saw how he spoke of his master with such casualness. He wanted to ask the nature of their relationship when...
Suddenly, a dull rumble shook the ground beneath their feet. The debris, fifty meters away, exploded outward. A massive silhouette emerged from the rubble. A rakshasa. But this one was far more imposing than the previous ones.
Its body was topped with two twisted horns that gleamed with chaotic energy. Its mere presence caused the ambient temperature to drop, making the son of luck uncomfortable.