Ren Liwei's parents had passed when he was only a child, leaving him with a burden of loneliness and a thirst for something greater. He worked the fields during the day and trained his body in secret by night. But no matter how hard he pushed himself,no matter how many martial techniques he learned from the feel scrolls he had managed to find,his soul remained quiet, never once igniting the spiritual flame necessary to embark on the path of cultivation.
That changed on the night of the red moon.
The village elders spoke of the red moon only in fear- the harbinger of disaster, the night when the boundary between realms thinned, ancient spirits wander the earth. But for Liwei , it was the night his fate would finally be written.
The sky bled crimson as the moon hung low in the heavens. Every villager huddled inside, doors bolted shut, but Liwei stood alone in the fields, his eyes fixed on the sky.
Suddenly, a blinding column of light erupted from the distant mountains, its brilliant glow reflecting off the blood-red moon. The ground trembled, and from the heart of the beam , a shadow descended. It was an old man with robes as black as the night and eyes burning with golden fire. He floated down like a wisp of smoke, landing softly in front of Liwei.
"You, boy," the old man said, his voice cracking like firewood . " Do you seek power ?"
Liwei swallowed, his heart pounding, but his answer came without hesitation. "Yes". The old man's smile widened. " Good . Then let the eternal flame awaken within you."
The elder's hand touched Liwei forehead , and in that instant, something within him roared to life-a searing, all -consuming flame ignited in his core, burning through his veins. It was as If his body was being torn apart and reforged in the furnace of creation. His mind expanded, filling with knowledge of the world beyond Ashwood Hollow- the nine immortal realms,the seven scared flames, and the endless path of cultivation that stretched toward the heavens.
When Liwei opened his eyes, the old man was gone, leaving only a single phrase echoing in his mind:
The path of cultivation has just begun.