Li Feng hesitated for a moment before opening the door. Wang Tao, his childhood friend, stood outside, his face pale and covered in sweat. His normally carefree expression was gone, replaced by urgency.
"You won't believe what just happened," Wang Tao said, stepping inside and shutting the door behind him.
Li Feng's mind was still reeling from his breakthrough, but he forced himself to focus. "What's wrong?"
Wang Tao took a deep breath before speaking. "I was coming back from work when I saw something… impossible. There was this old beggar near the bridge, the one we always see. But tonight, he—he was floating in the air! And then, right before my eyes, he vanished into thin air!"
Li Feng's grip on the jade pendant tightened. A floating man? Could it be a cultivator?
"Are you sure?" Li Feng asked, his voice calmer than he expected.
"Of course, I'm sure! One second he was there, the next he was gone! And then… right after that, I felt this weird energy, like the air was pressing down on me. It only lasted for a moment, but I swear it was real!"
Li Feng frowned. Before today, he would have dismissed Wang Tao's words as nonsense. But now, after inheriting the Eternal Star Legacy and unlocking his own Qi, he knew the supernatural was real.
"Wang Tao, listen to me," he said carefully. "What if I told you that something big is happening? That the world is far more mysterious than we thought?"
His friend blinked. "What are you talking about?"
Li Feng hesitated, then reached out his hand. He closed his eyes and focused, guiding his newly awakened Qi. A faint golden glow shimmered around his fingertips.
Wang Tao gasped, stumbling backward. "What the—Li Feng! What is that?!"
"It's Qi," Li Feng said. "I think… I've stepped onto the path of cultivation."
Wang Tao stared at him, speechless. Then, a strange expression crossed his face. "Li Feng… if you can do this, then what I saw wasn't just my imagination. There are others out there… and if they can float or disappear, that means they're far ahead of you!"
Li Feng nodded. "And that's why I need to grow stronger."
A moment of silence passed between them before Wang Tao suddenly grinned. "Damn. My best friend is becoming some kind of martial arts master. This is crazy… but I guess if the world is changing, I'd rather be on your side than against you."
Li Feng smiled. "Then stay close, Wang Tao. I have a feeling this is only the beginning."
Outside, the night seemed darker than before, as if unseen eyes were watching. The world was shifting, and fate had begun to move.