Stone Island.
On a shore facing the sea, a farewell was taking place.
Several villagers stood in silence, watching a lone teenager.
He was dressed in white garments, washed many times.
On his back, a great sword with a two-meter-long stone blade and an iron dagger were fastened by a wire cord that ran from his right shoulder to his left waist.
On the opposite side, the strap of an animal-skin bag was tied around the edge of his pants.
"Xiao Xuan, don't give up on your dreams, no matter what happens."
An old man missing his right leg, holding a cane in his left hand, stepped forward with difficulty.
"Don't strain yourself, Grandpa."
Concerned, Wu Xuan lifted his feet off the ground and, without difficulty—even with all that weight—moved to the old man and carefully supported him.
'What a sensible boy, but it's a pity his stubborn personality brings unnecessary trouble to me.'
"Cough, cough."
Taking a deep breath, the old man coughed a few times. Then he addressed Wu Xuan again.
"Remember my words. Do not return until you become a cultivator. And if you can't, give up."
After finishing these harsh words, guilt appeared on his face, but he quickly composed himself.
"Okay."
Wu Xuan accepted, his expression unchanged.
But deep in his eyes, a trace of refusal appeared.
"Then, I'm leaving." He bowed before his grandfather and looked at the others with a serious expression.
"Sorry for all the trouble I caused."
Letting out a heavy breath, Wu Xuan turned without looking back and headed toward the sea.
A wooden fishing boat was positioned on the water.
Inside it, there were two oars and two crates: one with twenty bottles of water and another with neatly arranged rows of dried meat.
The island's inhabitants, watching the young man's back disappear, none of them looked relieved.
"I don't dislike Xuan, but I don't understand. Why do you think he only trains at dusk?"
"I don't know. Maybe Elder Wu knows?"
Immediately, a pair of eyes fixed on the old man. Coughing once more to hide his embarrassment, he made an excuse.
"Xuan was born with a strange body that makes him stronger when he trains at night."
Hearing these words, their eyes lit up.
"Then maybe it's not impossible for our small island to produce an immortal cultivator."
A voice spoke with enthusiasm, believing Elder Wu's words.
Which wasn't hard, seeing the figure of a one-and-a-half-meter-tall youth carrying a sword fifty centimeters longer than his head.
"I believe it too!"
The old man showed enthusiasm at first, but soon lost it completely.
'I will die before that happens. What a pity…'
Tears welled up in his eyes, threatening to fall.
Turning away without looking a second time at his grandson Wu Xuan, he held back the tears of their final farewell and returned to his home.
'The path of cultivation is not easy. But I'm sure Xuan will overcome the obstacles that appear in his way.'
Silently rooting for his grandson, he finally let the tears slip down his lashes.
....
On the boat, Wu Xuan sat cross-legged at the back, holding the wooden oars.
'Take care, Grandpa. When Xuan becomes an immortal cultivator, he will surely take you on an adventure through the skies.'
Leaving that promise behind, he began to row across the waters.
The boat, once still, began to move slowly forward, gradually increasing in speed and drifting farther and farther from Stone Island.
A lone teenager sailed across the Sea of Yellow Springs.
Leaving from the north and heading toward unknown lands.
On the first day, nothing happened; the journey went smoothly.
But on the fourth day, the calm waters began to stir drastically.
The pressure beneath the wooden planks began to crack the vessel.
'Great Sword, my life now depends on you.'
Removing the stone weapon from his back, Wu Xuan placed it over the opening.
The moment the waters touched its surface, nothing happened.
In the surroundings, only the sound of water crashing against stone could be heard.
Mounted on the sword, Wu Xuan's heart pounded like a drum, and his blood heated up.
'Incredible'
He wanted to enjoy the feeling even more, but held himself back for now.
Grabbing the crates before the boat completely broke apart, he stacked them on his lap and then seized an oar.
Balancing on a sword and sailing across the waters is difficult—bordering on impossible for mortals.
But not for him, Wu Xuan.
Ever since he found this great sword on Stone Island five years ago, while chasing an immortal cultivator, he had regarded it as his greatest treasure.
To others, this stone weapon is merely a heavy object.
But only he understands that it is usually light and becomes heavy only when he tries to cut something.
It also has the ability to absorb the light of celestial phenomena.
On the island, he would cut wood at night to absorb the moon's energy.
This repeated motion made his body better than that of an ordinary person.
He is not a superhuman with overwhelming strength capable of destroying mountains.
But he can guarantee that he can cut through the trunk of a thick tree with a single strike.
Run across a rope tied from one tree to another without falling.
...
Balancing on the sword, Wu Xuan set off once again.
The stone sword, though not breaking upon contact with water, still struggled against the force of the current, being dragged by the sea.
As the waters struck more intensely, it was propelled forcefully toward the southeast.
Wu Xuan's hair stood on end.
His face trembled under the impact of the speed.
The crates in his hands opened, causing the items inside to float upward.
Not wanting to lose his food, he hugged it tightly against his body.
With the waters crashing over him, he closed his eyes.
Enduring the cold against his skin—which felt like plunging into ice—he withstood the remainder of the journey, hoping to soon find solid ground.
Six hours later.
The sword crashed against something with force, but mysteriously, the impact was completely absorbed by it.
Wu Xuan, standing atop it, jolted awake at the loud sound.
Opening his eyes, he saw not water, but vegetation.
Several trees grew before him, their dark green leaves painting the place with a beautiful landscape.
'This place is so visually beautiful, unlike my island, which has only stone and few trees.'