Xiang Fu was born a farmer's son. His father expected him to till the soil, sow the seeds, and tend to the farm. It was his fate, his father repeatedly reminded him.
But the farmer's son doesn't want any of that. So he left home, pursued cultivation, and then joined a sect. It felt fulfilling for him, to challenge the world with only his sword at hand.
In his every waking day, he cultivated, and refined his swordsmanship, and challenged experts.
The Biron kingdom is too small for him. That's why when he reached the Spirit Mystery realm, he resolved himself to leave for a higher place— the Azuon Empire.
Filled with ambition and dreams, he ventured into the golden sands of the Sandwyrm Desert in preparation to reach the higher stage.
It didn't take long for Xiang Fu to realize how futile his actions were… his ambitions and dreams are reduced to delusions as the heavens above strike him with lightning.
The 5th stage, the Soul Recognition realm, was just before him. When the lightning above descended, Xiang Fu was mercilessly struck with misfortune.
Heavenly Tribulation, they happen on the rarest of occasions for lower-level cultivators. It will certainly happen if it occurs for those ascending in the 8th stage and above.
But the 5th stage?
Xiang Fu can only blame his bad luck.
The despair is not something you can just forget with a little bit of optimism.
When he returned to the Biron kingdom, his cultivation was forever reduced to the 3rd stage, the Will Reinforcement realm. Xiang Fu gave up cultivating ever since.
It was a cruel reality, he met a wall in his cultivation, and never was he disillusioned enough to force his way out just to find a breakthrough that uncertainly exists.
He then returned to his village, only to be met by his parent's graves.
With the appearance of a 20-year-old, but is in fact at least a 50-year-old-geezer, the village learned of his identity as a cultivator.
The villagers were fearful of him at first, but slowly he was able to integrate with their community thanks to his amiable personality.
Since then, Xiang Fu lived his every day as that a farmer with the powers of a cultivator. With his abilities better than an average mortal, it took him not that long to become the most acclaimed individual in the village.
It was an ironic but satisfying outcome for him. Longevity? Power? This in the first place is not what helped people to gain happiness. In the passing of time, he learned of this golden truth while forgetting all of the despair that caught him in its webs.
More than ironic, it was a funny thing. As a farmer, he has become truly a 'cultivator' in every sense of a word.
After that, he then married the village elder's youngest daughter and had kids. Quickly after that, he wizened and aged, now old and weary— he wanted to rest.
Time quickly ate at him as his pursuit of longevity comes to a definite end. However, it wasn't that bad. The 'journey' after all is what truly mattered.
Xiang Fu the cultivator was no more; there is only elder Fu, a person who lived two lives.
As a cultivator, he lived the tenacious life of living by the edge of his blade. Meanwhile, as a farmer, he lived a fulfilling life of having children and now… a granddaughter.
But the world is unforgiving. Cultivation or without, the world won't just leave you alone in your happy peaceful days. Sometimes, tragedy really does happen in the most unforgiving of circumstances...
Why? Why does this tragedy have to happen now? Now, that he's still happy, and his granddaughter is happy?
Xiang Fu perishes the thought as he learned this through his bones and blood— he just has terribly bad luck...
When he lost his wife to a disease… he mourned as any mortal would.
After his only child, a son was eaten by a demonic beast… he raged and desired vengeance as any father should.
Before his daughter-in-law died as she gives birth to her child… he prayed to the heavens for the two of them, mother and child, to survive.
Even though there are so many sad things that happened to him, elder Fu wants to live a happy life with his granddaughter. He doesn't want to blame it all on bad luck.
Now, it is happening all over again. Another sad thing… another misfortune…
Xiang Fu can't help himself but swear at his rotten bad luck.
A trace of blood, and from a distance, elder Fu's eyes landed on the hardly breathing Xiang Ya.
"You will make me taste despair? I have been there, it ain't a funny place."
With a sword at hand, elder Fu lunged forwards with the might of crashing waves.
"Not bad," Zha Dong snidely commented.
"But did you forget? I am a 4th stage expert!" He added as he parried elder Fu's sword with the sharp accuracy of a darting hummingbird.
Their steel cried. It has been a long time since elder Fu has wielded his sword.
But he didn't relent as his sword continues to flow like the crashing waves of the waterfalls. Each strike is heavy and suffocating,
"I could tell. Did you use to be a 4th stage expert huh? Too bad for you, your skills have regressed with your cultivation!"
SKULL-PIERCING-STAB!
Zha Dong's sword enveloped by sharp demonic qi, with a single thrust, erupted into a straight line. It bypassed elder Fu's defenses, drawing the first blood.
Elder Fu felt a stinging sensation in his cheeks. If it were a second longer, he could have died from that stab.
"You dodged that one, lucky you~" Zha Dong teased.
"Huff… huff… huff…"
Elder Fu's breathing is heavy and ragged. If only he had the strength he once had.
Using his thumb, elder Fu stabbed his Dantian… it was a suicidal move to amplify a cultivator's strength within a short period of time.
Edler Fu's qi devastatingly leaked from his Dantian.
"You filthy demonic cultivator… You are so proud of your strength; let's see you fight with all you got!"
Spirit Mystery realm, also known as the 4th stage!
Zha Dong can't believe it. There are cases where cultivators burst their Dantian to achieve a momentary increase in strength but rarely was it possible to increase one's cultivation base momentarily.
At the expense of his own life force, elder Fu's Dantian is overflowing with qi.
"My name is Xiang Fu! Once an inner disciple of Flowing Blade Sect! Die!"
FLOWING-HUNDRED-CONSECUTIVE-CUTS!
The elder's sword made a silent cry. If not for the undulating wave of the air, you wouldn't realize that something is happening.
One. Two. Three. Four. Five!
Like the consecutive sounds of the clanging bell at the temple, the qi in the air vibrated consistently with the cry of the wind.
Twenty-Five! Fifty! Seventy-Five!
Like the wet monsoon, the atmospheric circulation erratically reversed creating a fearsome tempest!
ONE-HUNDRED-CUTS!
Just like that, came a small drizzle, and... accompanying it are a hundred cuts that desired complete destruction.
Zha Dong was overwhelmed by the masterful display of elder Fu's swordsmanship. He can hardly keep up as he protected his vitals with all he got.
Cuts after cuts continued to accumulate on his skin. It was a storm of blades.
"DIE!" Today, elder Fu shall kill!
Gritting his teeth, he brought his sword down to his foe.
But.
Elder Fu's life force has run too short for... the demonic cultivator with all his might was able to weather the storm.
The elder's eyes turned grey, while his body slumped to the ground.
Except for the wound on his cheek, not a blemish can be observed on his dead body.
"He..hehe…hehehehehe! HAHAHAHAHAHA!"
Zha Dong laughed with his bloodied face and cuts all over his body.
Xiang Ya's tears streamed down her cheeks as she watched her only relative perish like that. Semi-conscious, she thought what she is seeing is a dream. She can't utter a sound, even a whimper as the demonic qi course through her veins.
"That's what you get, for getting too ahead for yourself." Zha Dong was blinded by rage as he stabs the dead elder in the heart all over again… and again… and again.
Nee Chen never knew that the amiable elder Fu was actually a cultivator himself. It came as a surprise to him more so, aware that the elder was one of the keenest on implementing their 'inconspicuous propaganda towards cultivators' in their village.
For the first time in his life, he felt anger too much for him to bear. It reached the point that he suddenly was able to perceive qi in his blood vessels.
Suddenly, just at his core near his navel, a Dantian was formed as his qi gathered and swirled. It was the Martial Tempering realm, also known as the 1st stage, the basest core of cultivation.
Too blinded by rage, Zha Dong wasn't able to recognize the sudden change in Nee Chen.
Though Nee Chen achieved some level of strength, it didn't get in his head. He is just too aware of the difference in strength between him and the demonic cultivator.
There was a calm rage that was fermenting in Nee Chen's heart.
'I swear--- I will make this filthy man suffer a thousand cuts!'