Prologue
It was a night when the moonlight gently fell upon the riverbank.
A man knocked on the gates of the manor. With his long ears and beautiful face, he seemed otherworldly.
He claimed he would stay as a guest for one night and offer his medical skills, calling for the master of the manor.
His mysterious features and scent, like that of fresh grass, made the gatekeeper dare not treat him poorly.
As it happened, the master of the manor had a newborn child. Wishing to have the child's pulse examined, he accepted the long-eared man.
The man held the baby and observed closely before speaking.
"This child will struggle to live past twenty. That is their constitution."
"Do you mean he will die young? This child was born after sending their mother to the afterlife, so it's divine punishment after all?"
At the master's words, the man furrowed his brows as if hearing nonsense.
"Is that something you ask a physician? Even a country bumpkin should know better…"
"What is the condition, then?"
The master cleared his throat and asked.
"Still, you are the father. This is similar to Nine Yin Severed Meridians. I've never seen someone with such an extremely open Baihui Acupoint in my life. It's as if their crown is completely exposed."
"I thought Nine Yin Severed Meridians was about the meridians hardening until death."
"So you're not entirely ignorant. This child will pass because their crown meridian is excessively open. It's often called 'Diety Ascension'."
"Suddenly Diety Ascension? Isn't that what a Taoist master with great spiritual power does when entering the heavenly realm?"
"Do you believe in such things?"
The man brushed his long ears and continued.
"You may have heard that absolute martial artists use the upper energy center in their heads. Drunk on the natural energy that pours down from heaven and earth, they eventually fail to endure it and cross the River of Three Crossings—that's what Diety Ascension truly is. A distorted tale."
"It does seem like divine punishment."
"What a fool. And you call yourself a father…"
The man clicked his tongue and frowned. The master shot up, pointing a finger.
"Now listen here. You seem to be a man of the martial world, so what's your standing? No matter how noble you claim to be, your words are highly inappropriate."
"Standing? You dare speak of standing with me? Even if your grandfather's grandfather were here, to me…"
The man, who had insulted the master, was chased out, and their conversation never spread beyond the manor.
* * *
"If raised among the Unorthodox Sects or Demonic Faction, he would have become the Heavenly Demon. If raised in Shaolin Temple, he would have doubled the seventy-two elite training methods. And yet, he was born in such a backwater place, hated and fated to die young with no other way to live."
The man shook his head and left the manor.
"Unless he awakens on his own… who knows."