The Mission That Changed Everything
Ten days ago, Kang Jun turned sixteen, and the day finally arrived when he could enroll in the martial arts academy. This academy is an alliance of three forces: the Righteous Factions, the Evil Factions, and the Neutral Factions.
Kang Jun himself comes from a neutral faction founded by his father, Kang Lei. It can be said that the peace established between the factions twenty-five years ago was achieved thanks to his father, who was an anomaly in the world of martial arts. His power dispelled all hostile intentions from both factions, as they realized that if Kang Lei joined one of them, victory would be assured for that side.
Although this story resurfaced in his mind as he had read it in historical books, he knew that once he left the clan, he would begin writing his own story.
As luck would have it, a few days ago, a celestial body fell near the Kang clan's territory. This meant that unknown metals had arrived on the planet, potentially forming the foundation for a new legendary sword. His father assigned him the task of locating the celestial body and recording its coordinates, after which he was to head directly to the academy.
For this journey, they took seven wagons and fifty people. Most of them were stonemasons and warriors of the clan.
Before departure, his mother, Kang Meili, came to see him off. She was his father's fourth wife and one of the most beautiful women he had ever seen in his short life. Although his mother was over fifty, she looked like a twenty-year-old beauty, all thanks to her high level of martial arts and the Qi within her body.
However, Kang Jun could confidently say that none of his father's wives were inferior to her in appearance.
"Son, take care of yourself on the way to the academy and carefully examine the celestial body. Such an opportunity may not come again in a lifetime. Oh, I almost forgot! You left your sword behind—the one we gave you for your birthday," said Kang Meili.
Kang Jun just smiled and scratched his head. He was so excited about the journey to the academy that he nearly forgot not only his sword but also his other weapons.
"Thank you, Mother!" Kang Jun shouted as he was about to get into the carriage. However, he quickly dashed back, took the sword from her hands, and ran off again.
Although Kang Meili saw her son off with a smile, she knew for certain that there would be a fight over the celestial body. Such rare occurrences happened once in a hundred years, if not less.
Her son had never been in real battles before, despite training since childhood—not only with her but with all her sworn sisters. He had shown great talent, yet his confidence was shaken by the fact that he had not fully inherited his father's power, the "Demonic God's Body." Because of this, his older brother constantly mocked him.
Kang Meili took one last, careful look at her son, memorizing his appearance and the smile on his face. He would return to the clan only after a year when he would get a break for the academy holidays.
Kang Jun was dressed in a long, multi-layered outfit consisting of a white high-collared shirt and a black cloak or cape adorned with metallic-looking details. The sleeves were white but lined with black leather or metal elements, emphasizing the protective nature of his clothing. His shoulders and forearms were decorated with metallic details resembling armor or magical ornaments. His short black hair, slightly tousled, added to his energetic and confident appearance.
Kang Meili was particularly fond of her son's appearance, as he had inherited his father's features while their combined genetics had made him even more handsome than Kang Lei.
For the first time, Kang Jun was traveling without his parents, so everything felt new to him. However, over the past few days, he had noticed that the high-ranking individuals in the clan did not treat him very well, despite their attempts to appear respectful. Their words were polite, but he sensed a falsehood in their tone. Kang Jun was certain that these people were influenced by his older brother, who had been spreading all kinds of falsehoods about him.
He had long noticed that the clan's core members did not hold him in high regard, especially after his older brother left the clan to study at the academy two years ago.
From their perspective, they had a reason to think so—after all, he had been unable to advance in his martial arts for the past three years, stuck at the level of "First-Rank Warrior." He could not understand why. Many of those accompanying him were clan experts who had surpassed this threshold within a year or even sooner. His sisters and brother had done so in less than a month.
Kang Jun sighed and pushed these thoughts away. Leaning back in his carriage, he closed his eyes.
For days, all he had seen were green trees and mountains, and he had grown tired of them. He was sure it was because he had spent most of his life in the clan and rarely ventured outside.
A few hours passed as Kang Jun dozed off, but he was soon awakened by the clan experts informing him that they had arrived at their destination.
"Sigh…" he muttered as he stepped out of the carriage.
The sun was still shining, and it was around three in the afternoon. The people who had traveled with him grabbed their pickaxes and sacks for valuable metals and followed the vice-captain.
After a few moments, the leader of the elite warriors, Man Sunjo, approached him. He was in charge of this operation.
"Young Master, I have sent our men to locate the celestial body. I believe we will discover its exact location in a few hours. In the meantime, please rest or take a short walk nearby," Man Sunjo reported.
Kang Jun only nodded, as his mouth was dry from sleep. He walked over to a water barrel for a drink.
Looking around, he saw that the surroundings were still dense with forests. However, one thing stood out—a towering mountain, nearly two kilometers high, loomed before him. Something told him he would have to climb it.
As it turned out, he was right.
A few hours later, the scouting team returned and reported that they had found the celestial body. The workers had begun extracting valuable materials, but the process would take several more hours. The celestial body was covered in ordinary rock, and most of the valuable resources needed to be mined from within. The workers also requested shovels to dig out the part buried underground after impact.
After waiting for the scouts to return, Kang Jun and Man Sunjo gathered the necessary tools and headed up the mountain with their escorts.
When they arrived at the excavation site, work was in full swing. The chief worker's eyes sparkled with excitement. The moment he saw Kang Jun, he rushed over and exclaimed:
"Young Master, I am so grateful that your father hired my company for this excavation! This is the first time in history that our continent has received such a massive gift from the heavens. Thirty meters! It's a full thirty meters! This is the largest celestial body ever recorded, and I will boast about this in taverns for the rest of my life!"
It was the first time Kang Jun had seen an elderly man—who was already over fifty—rejoicing like a little boy. But he understood him, as he himself had been greatly surprised when he saw the colossal object. However, he would never forget Man Sunjo's expression, his mouth agape as he stood there in shock.
Before Kang Jun could reply, a sudden voice from the forest interrupted them.
"Hey, you! What do you think you're doing here?"
"This is our territory!" another voice called out from the opposite side.
"This is the land of the Banhuan Mountain Bandits!" a deep voice declared as a middle-aged man stepped out from the shadows of the trees.
"We are from the Kang Clan, and you are trespassing on our territory. But I don't mind turning a blind eye to trash like you today since we've had a good harvest," replied Man Sunjo, the leader of the elite warriors.
"I am Min Sun, the overlord of Ejon Forest. Looks like today is not your lucky day. Come out, boys!" the man shouted.
From the forest emerged approximately one hundred and fifty men.
Despite the numbers, the elite warriors of the Kang Clan did not flinch. Instead, they simply smirked and turned toward Man Sunjo, waiting for his command.