Sword pointing towards the sky

 Qingyun Village is located at the foot of Qingyun Mountain. Here, it is like spring all year round, with singing birds and fragrant flowers, resembling a secluded pure land. The villagers have been engaged in farming for generations, leading a peaceful and simple life. Although they have little contact with the outside world, they still live happily. However, for the young Lin Tian, this village is like a cage that traps his dreams. Lin Tian was weak and often ill since childhood. His parents passed away due to illness when he was young, leaving him to rely on his elderly grandfather. Although the villagers are simple-hearted, many are superstitious. They always feel that Lin Tian's birth has brought bad luck and call him a "sickly lad", believing that he won't live long. Lin Tian has long been accustomed to this. He knows that only by striving to change his own fate can he gain recognition in this village. His grandfather is one of the few in the village who believes in him. Whenever the night is quiet, his grandfather would stroke his head and say earnestly, "Tian'er, you must remember that fate is in your own hands. Although we can't choose our birth, we can choose our future." His grandfather's teachings have become a firm belief in Lin Tian's heart, allowing him to never give up hope for the future during the difficult times. In the early morning of Qingyun Village, the mist spreads, and the air is filled with the fragrance of soil and flowers. Lin Tian is always the first to wake up. After a simple wash, he begins his daily morning exercise. He runs along the path beside the village, attempting to strengthen his body through exercise. One day, while practicing in the mountains, Lin Tian overheard the villagers' casual chat. Several villagers were discussing an ancient rumor: It is said that deep in Qingyun Mountain, there is a thousand-year-old spiritual medicine. Taking it can wash the tendons and marrow, transform the body, and even potentially offer the opportunity to cultivate immortality. "This is an excellent opportunity for cultivating immortality!" One villager said mysteriously. "Come on! It's just a legend. Who knows if it's true or not?" Another villager responded dismissively. However, this conversation stirred waves in Lin Tian's heart. Cultivating immortality means that he might be able to completely change his fate and get rid of the label of "sickly lad". Although he knows this might just be a vague legend, the desire in his heart has been ignited. Back home, Lin Tian told this rumor to his grandfather. His grandfather stared at him, remained silent for a long time, and finally said, "Tian'er, the road of cultivating immortality is full of difficulties and dangers. But if you have a strong determination in your heart, you might as well go and explore. However, remember not to take risks." After some thinking, Lin Tian decided to try to find the legendary spiritual medicine. He knows that this might be his only chance. The next day, just before dawn, he packed his bags, bid farewell to his grandfather, and embarked alone on the journey to the depths of Qingyun Mountain. The mountain path is winding and tortuous. Lin Tian walks carefully, his ears catching the slightest sounds around, and his footsteps gently stepping on the fallen leaves. He knows that this journey is full of unknown dangers and he might encounter wild beasts' attacks, but he is fearless. The belief of changing his fate drives him forward. Along the way, he recalled the villagers' ridicule and taunts. Whenever these memories came to his mind, his belief would become even more firm. He wants to prove to everyone that he is not only a young boy who can bear the weight of fate but also a strong one who can overcome it. After several hours of trekking, Lin Tian finally arrived at the rumored secluded valley. It is quiet and mysterious, surrounded by tall mountains, as if it is a pure land isolated from the world. The valley is filled with spiritual energy, the flowers and grass are flourishing, and a crystal-clear spiritual medicine is growing on a huge rock, emitting a faint light. However, beside the spiritual medicine, a black giant python is coiled. It stares at Lin Tian with fierce eyes. The python is as thick as a baby's arm, and its scales shine with a cold luster under the sunlight. Lin Tian knows that he must have a life-and-death battle with this giant python to obtain the spiritual medicine. He holds his breath and slowly approaches the spiritual medicine, trying not to attract the python's attention. Although his heart is full of unease, he understands that this might be his only chance. Just as he is about to reach the spiritual medicine, the python suddenly raises its head, opens its bloody mouth, and pounces on Lin Tian with a fishy wind. Lin Tian is startled and quickly dodges sideways, narrowly avoiding the python's attack. He knows that a head-on confrontation is by no means a wise choice. Only by being flexible and witty can he find a chance of survival in this life-and-death struggle. He quickly retreats to the side, looking for a favorable terrain, trying to use the surrounding environment to confront this powerful enemy. The python's attacks are continuous. Its long tail is like a whip, whistling towards him. Lin Tian dodges nimbly, each step is taken at a stable position, not giving the python any chance. Just as the python pounces again, Lin Tian has an idea. With the cover of an ancient tree, he quickly leaps up, holds a short knife, and stabs at the python's seven-inch with all his strength. The knife blade enters the flesh. The python writhes in pain, and its powerful force almost makes Lin Tian unable to hold the knife handle. Lin Tian holds the short knife firmly and refuses to be shaken off. He knows that only by persevering until the last moment can he win. At the moment when the python is exhausted, Lin Tian resolutely pulls out the short knife and stabs it deeply into the python's throat. The python finally falls down after violent convulsions, and its breath gradually weakens. **The Spiritual Medicine and the Strange Stone** Lin Tian drags his exhausted body to the spiritual medicine and carefully picks it, a wave of victorious joy welling up in his heart. This spiritual medicine is the opportunity he has been dreaming of and the first step on his path of cultivating immortality. Just as he is about to leave, his gaze is attracted by a faintly glowing stone not far away. The stone is about the size of a fist, completely transparent, emitting a faint blue light, and the air around it seems to become much fresher because of it. Lin Tian's heart stirs, and he carefully picks up the stone and finds that it feels warm to the touch, as if it contains some unknown power. He brings the spiritual medicine and the strange stone back home. Although his grandfather warns him not to use them easily, Lin Tian's curiosity is hard to suppress. In the dead of night, he sits cross-legged, takes out the strange stone, and attempts to feel its mystery. Lin Tian places the strange stone on his lap, closes his eyes and concentrates, gently stroking the surface of the stone. A warm breath slowly flows into his body. This breath travels through the meridians. Lin Tian only feels that his body and mind are shaken. It seems that all his fatigue is swept away and the power within him is increasing rapidly. He begins to guide this power to circulate within his body according to the breathing method taught by his grandfather. After several days of cultivation, Lin Tian clearly feels the changes in his body. His physical strength has greatly increased. His originally weak body has become stronger and his skin has gradually regained a healthy luster. He gradually begins to sense the existence of spiritual energy within his body, which means he has officially embarked on the path of cultivating immortality. Whenever the night is quiet, Lin Tian would close his eyes and concentrate, feeling the flow of spiritual energy within his body. He discovers that under the guidance of the strange stone, the spiritual energy slowly circulates along specific meridian lines, like a warm stream nourishing his body. At first, Lin Tian is still unfamiliar with the control of spiritual energy and often encounters meridian blockages when guiding the spiritual energy. Whenever the spiritual energy cannot flow smoothly, his body would feel stabbing pains, as if countless needles are pricking inside. To break through this predicament, Lin Tian begins to focus more on cultivation and gradually explores a set of breathing and energy guiding methods suitable for himself. He adjusts the rhythm of breathing to guide the smooth flow of spiritual energy through the meridians. At the same time, he tries to inhale the spiritual energy of heaven and earth outside the body during each breath and merge it with his own spiritual energy to enhance his cultivation. Through continuous efforts, his cultivation gradually gets on the right track and the flow of spiritual energy within him becomes more and more smooth. Lin Tian integrates cultivation into his daily life. During the day, he completes the work in the village as usual, helps his grandfather take care of the household, and cultivates in the quiet night. Although the process of cultivation is full of hardships and challenges, Lin Tian never feels tired but becomes more and more addicted to it. Whenever he encounters a bottleneck in cultivation, he always remembers his grandfather's teachings: "The path of cultivating immortality lies in persistence. Only by not fearing difficulties can one achieve success." This sentence becomes his motto, inspiring him not to give up easily in the face of every difficulty. Lin Tian's cultivation is not limited to breathing and guiding spiritual energy. He also improves his cultivation by exercising his body and studying ancient books. Every morning, he runs in the mountains to exercise his physical strength and endurance and improves his combat skills through actual combat. At the same time, he studies the ancient books on cultivating immortality left by his grandfather in his spare time to comprehend the mysteries of cultivation. After several months of cultivation, significant changes have occurred in Lin Tian's body and mind. His originally weak constitution has been greatly improved. The whole person appears energetic and full of vitality. The villagers have also gradually noticed his changes and begun to look at him with new eyes. However, Lin Tian is not proud of this. He knows that he has just taken the first step on the path of cultivating immortality, and the challenges in the future are far more difficult than now. But it is precisely this unknown challenge that fills him with anticipation and motivation. Every day, Lin Tian gets up before sunrise, facing the rising sun in the east, and silently swears: He wants to become a true strong one, an immortal cultivator who can control his own destiny.