Thirteen years ago...
"Uwah~!" A new life was born into this world.
"Is it a boy or a girl?" A middle-aged man barged into the room anxiously, directing a question to the nanny while rushing up to his child.
"It's a boy, congratulations family head!" The nanny said with a smile before stepping out of the room, closing the door as she stepped out of the room.
The man was Wisteria Gale, the family head of the Gale family branch located in Breezy city. His face was full of vigour, his sword-like brows matching with his domineering demeanour.
The Gale Family located in the Breezy city was one of the top three families that were respected by all cultivators of this city. The three family heads were the only Martial Masters in this city. To the cultivators of the city, Martial Masters were as rare as diamonds in the abandoned mines.
Being the family head, Wisteria had always wanted a child to inherit in the position, especially when he was already approaching his forties. At last, heaven took pity upon him as his wife got pregnant with their first child after much effort,
"Crystal, it has been hard on you," Wisteria said dearly to his wife as he sat down beside her, carrying his son cautiously with one hand while his other hand caressed her face affectionately. This was the woman he loved. The woman who had been through thick and thin with him.
"Crystal! Why is your body this cold?" When Wisteria's hand came into contact with his wife's body, he panicked. The man who could maintain his calm even when in dire straits, was frightened by the current condition of his wife.
Wisteria took out a bottle from his spatial ring and poured out a few orange elixirs that felt burning to the touch.
Pushing Wisteria's hand away weakly, Crystal smiled and said her last words, regret evident in her eyes.
Crystal had wanted more time with her husband, but that was an impossible task for her, whose time was up. The cultivation method of hers and the injury she once suffered as a teenager, was impossible to suppress with her being this weak right now. Unless there was a 7th-grade elixir that was meant for Martial Kings, it would be impossible for her to make it through this ordeal.
"I'm sorry, but it seems like my lifespan is up. I have no other regrets after giving birth to this chubby boy. Just remember that he should not cultivate until the age of thirteen. I love you."
"Crystal!" Wisteria screamed in agony as tears gushed out of his eyes, the baby laid on the bed as he fell to the ground, his tears drowning the bed.
"Boom!"
"Bzzt! Vzzt!"
When Crystal's eyes closed, a lightning bolt descended from the sky. No one noticed the anomaly within the blue lightning bolt that soon vanished right after its appearance.
My child, please cherish this only gift your mother can give you.
Crystal thought within her mind as her soul entered the cycle of reincarnation she had created for herself.
That day, winter suddenly descended upon the world, the weather was so cold that everyone had to wear layers of clothing just to keep warm despite the inconvenience. The crop harvest was greatly affected as well, which became a problem for the farmers who couldn't come up with a solution. The ground was frozen and piled with snow while animals were starving to death.
Spring, Summer, Autumn, Winter. The four seasons rotated with the cycles of the year. The baby that day was already thirteen years. That child who had just seen hope, had it crushed before his eyes mercilessly during his birthday.
And with a,
"Boom!"
Hell descended upon the town on that fateful day,
"Help!"
"What is going on?"
"Mummy! I'm scared!"
The ground was scattered by corpses with their life force extracted. Without a doubt, their life force must have been absorbed by that psychopath.
When Ace regained consciousness and opened his eyes again, all he could see was pitch blackness.
"Ta-Ta! Ta-Ta!"
The sound of anxious footsteps in heavy armour shattered the silence of the night, glowing wands in the hand of the soldiers defied the natural darkness of the night, muffled screams and shouts against the calm and relaxed breathing of the night.
Blood painted the land, tears moist the soil, flames devoured the world.
"Father!" Ace knew that the soldiers were occupied enough just to keep themselves alive, pinning his hope on them right now would be a foolish decision. He picked himself off the ground and scurried frantically towards his father who had pushed him away from that psychopath at the last moment.
Ace knelt on the ground as he held his father's palm tightly, his body quivering in fear.
"Ace...run...he's unstoppable here...I'm...sorry that I...can't teach...you how to...cultivate…" As Wisteria closed his eyes, his palm fell onto the ground.
"Father!"
Ace escaped the area immediately, unwillingness filling up his sorrowful heart filled with pain.
Tears welled up in Ace's eyes, but he blinked and they were gone. His heart was aching, but he had to be rational. He had to figure out the truth behind his mother's death, he just had a feeling that someone caused her death and made him the scapegoat. For that, he had to stay alive.
"Damn you! I swear that I'll kill you no matter what!" Yet his cry was muffled by the merciless rain punishing the world for its impure soul.
Ace might be young, but because of this mistreatment that he had been receiving his young, he was already more mature than others of his age.
To the right…
"I'm trusting you this time, I need the strength for revenge now!"
Without any hesitation, Ace dashed towards the right instead even though that was the way back to the Breezy town that was incomplete a mess right now…
Ever since young, he didn't tell his father or anyone around him about the voice in his head.
Everyone called him a jinx because it was his arrival into this world that caused the death of his mother.
To his father, he didn't want his father to worry.
To those around him, they would be more than glad to pretend he didn't exist.
Of course, growing up in such an environment caused him to mature early and even though he demonstrated great talent in many aspects, others merely mocked him for being too lazy to cultivate.
He was able to read and write at just the age of three while doing every minor task such as eating and washing of clothes himself. At the age of four he mastered calligraphy, at the age of five he mastered painting and at the age of six, he picked up the sword.
Ace devoted most of his attention to the sword, but his desire for learning didn't stop there. At the age of seven, he was able to understand the cultivation methods and how important the building of a foundation is. He would push himself beyond his limits every day, the sword was a part of him that couldn't be replaced, it was tied to his life.
From there, Ace learned how to use the bow and arrow, he even learned how to ride a horse and even created a low-grade sword technique that he kept secret to himself. He knew he was a genius and that was enough.
In this world, a child would be able to start cultivating from the age of six, because that's the moment where one's body is at the prime age for cultivation at the Body Tempering Realm.
At the age of thirteen, a cultivator would step into the foundation realm regardless of the current stage in the Body Tempering Realm. In the foundation realm, one would only have one year before becoming a true cultivator of the Martial Apprentice realm.
"Father, why aren't you allowing me to cultivate?"
Laughing coldly, Ace regretted that question as he turned towards the left according to the voice in his head. It was towards the forest that wild beasts roam usually, but all of them were dead now anyways.
"Your mother, she has pushed back the age in which your body reaches its prime. Remember this, you only have one year from the age of thirteen to fourteen to build up your foundation in the Body Tempering realm which is divided into six stages, all the details you need are in this scroll. It contains the cultivation...experiences of your mother."
Pick up the sword...the voice in his mind said when he entered the forest, his eyes searching around for a sword.
Walk deeper into the forest...
But the deeper part means death. That was Ace's first thought before laughing as he dashed into the forest without fear.
If it meant death both ways, he would rather take the risk.
Yet even when he arrived in the forest, all he saw was the carcasses of terrifying demon beasts that once ruled the forest. Only their bones were left behind.
Father! If this was truly the case, it meant that the mysterious person would have done the same to his father as well. Killing everyone by devouring their cultivation and that included the demon beasts as well.
"Don't allow me to figure out who you truly are...I swear that I'll kill you if that day comes regardless of your identity!"
Ace didn't know why, but his body just moved instinctively and rolled towards the side, and before he realized it, he was gripping a sword.
"Congratulations to the host for fully awakening the Nirvana sect system!"
"Oh? I left out one young fellow here?"
The hoarse voice of an old man with pale skin startled Ace, he was ugly but had a face Ace can never forget, he was the one who murdered every life around here.
"Pretty impressive to still be alive. How about this, hand over your sword and I'll consider sparing your life."
The old man was eyeing the long sword in Ace's hand. It was an exquisite long sword and even though it looked simple, the old man as a cultivator could sense that it's a rare treasure.
"As a greeting gift, the cultivation base of the host shall be increased to the Martial Apprentice realm for five minutes!"
Even though he should be celebrating that he's at the Martial Apprentice realm right now two years before his peers, he just felt that it wasn't enough as his grip on the sword tightened.
It was temporary and on top of that, he had a problem settling right now.
The rain was affecting his vision, but that old man was a cultivator at the Martial Master realm that can only be found in those cities where the cultivation era is at its peak.
"Emergency mission has been issued!"
Mission details: Kill the Martial Master before you (0/1)
Reward: 100 system points
Penalty: Death
"Old man, you'll still kill me both ways right?"
The man merely laughed at Ace's words, so what if that was his intention. He was the dominant one here and him conversing with a young lad was merely for fun. But soon, his face darkened.
"To think that you're able to keep calm in such a situation. It seems like I can't spare you."
That old man knows for sure that if he allows Ace to escape today, then he would be capable of seeking revenge one day.
Ace was afraid, but he trusted in his sword capabilities. Even though his father didn't allow him to cultivate due to what his mother had told him, his father still allowed him to train with the sword.
Also, there was a secret he never revealed to anyone, not even his father. He believed that his sword had already reached the legendary realm of cultivating out his sword intent.
He had once read in a book that when one truly immersed oneself into a certain weapon or natural law such as the five elements, they would be able to awaken it as a weapon or elemental intent. Even though there are other intents in the world, that would be for him to discover if he survives this current ordeal.
He didn't know what sword intent he awakened, but the only reason he awakened it was because of the cold energy constantly rampaging about within his body.
For simple terms, he called it Frost. He didn't know if it was weak or strong, but since he was an early stage Martial Apprentice right now, he had the chance to take revenge even though it was slim.
"Come at me old man!"
Knowing that it was impossible to win a direct battle, Ace decided that he needed to bait the old man to come closer. In terms of cultivation experience and combat strength, he pales in comparison compared to the old man. But he had the brains to scheme against him.
What's this courage? Ace questioned himself as he opened his eyes wide and at the moment the old man was about to grab his neck, he swiftly stabbed his sword into the man's abdomen, blood splattered onto his innocent face.
"Hahahaha! Do you think that a true cultivator like me would die from a physical wound?"
Releasing the frost energy into the man's body, Ace knew that he needed to stall for time and distract the old man from realizing it.
"Release me! I'll give you the sword!"
Swoosh!
"Argh!"
Ace's body crashed into a tree and slid down it, the man was just toying with him.
"Old man, you want to know one thing?"
"What last words do you have?"
"You should be the one to say your last words!"
Standing up against the pain, he easily stabbed his sword across the old man's heart.
"Your body was already frozen on the inside. Idiot!"
As Ace said this with his back facing the old man, he fainted and fell forward…