Chapter 1: The Fool's First Step
The sun was still low in the sky as the quiet village of Huanling stirred into life. Birds flitted between the trees, and the distant sound of the river flowing echoed through the air. The simple, humble dwellings were bathed in golden light, each roof a patchwork of thatched straw and tiles, a far cry from the towering spires and majestic halls of the cultivation sects.
In one of the most modest of homes, tucked away behind a stack of hay and wooden beams, a young boy of fifteen sat cross-legged in front of a rickety desk, his brow furrowed in concentration. He was thin and unremarkable, with messy black hair that fell over his dark brown eyes, obscuring the usual look of despair that clouded his expression. Despite the early hour, his room was dim, with only a flicker of candlelight illuminating the scroll before him.
"Lei Xian... just do this properly, and you'll be able to cultivate. You'll finally show them. Show them all," the boy muttered to himself, taking a deep breath.
He wasn't exactly optimistic. Cultivation was a practice that could only be pursued by those born with the right innate spiritual talent. Even the weakest of cultivators could manipulate the energy of the world around them—called "Qi"—to enhance their strength, speed, and abilities. And Lei Xian? Well, he was different. He had no spiritual talent. No natural affinity to Qi.
But he had determination. And that, at least, was something.
Lei Xian had tried for years to cultivate, hoping that maybe, just maybe, if he tried hard enough, he could rise above his humble origins. He had tried every technique he could get his hands on, from the basic Qi Condensation techniques to the more advanced arts of the Foundation Establishment Realm. Yet, time and time again, the scrolls remained blank, the air unresponsive, and the Qi... well, the Qi simply laughed in his face.
But today was different. Today, he had something the others didn't—a secret.
A glint of excitement flickered in Lei Xian's eyes as he unfolded a new scroll he had found buried deep in his father's old chest. The scroll was ancient, its edges frayed and the ink faded, but there was something about it that made his pulse race. It wasn't like any cultivation manual he had ever seen. Most of them focused on breathing exercises, body postures, and meditations. This one, however, had no such instructions.
Instead, the scroll was covered in symbols, strange runes that glowed faintly under his touch. Lei Xian couldn't understand them, not fully, but something about them resonated with him. It wasn't a traditional cultivation technique. It was something else. Something more... unconventional.
He had no idea what it was, but it didn't matter. If there was even the slightest chance it could help him cultivate, he had to try.
With trembling hands, Lei Xian placed his palm on the center of the scroll. His breath caught in his throat. For a moment, nothing happened. No buzzing energy. No surge of power. Just the cold, indifferent silence of the room.
But then, something stirred deep inside his chest.
A faint pulse.
It wasn't Qi. It wasn't like the cultivation techniques he'd tried before. It was... something else. A different energy, subtle and elusive, that hummed faintly in his chest, as if the universe itself had acknowledged his presence.
The runes on the scroll began to glow brighter, their strange patterns swirling before his eyes. Lei Xian could feel the energy, now, swirling around him, but it wasn't the kind of energy that came from the world outside. This felt... internal. Personal.
He closed his eyes, focusing. There was something familiar about it, something he couldn't put his finger on. It wasn't like Qi; it didn't move like Qi. It felt like... like something that was a part of him, something locked away that he had never known how to unlock.
The energy swirled around his body, wrapping itself around him like a warm embrace, pulling at his every nerve, every fiber of his being. He could feel it inside him, struggling to break free, yet unable to do so.
"Come on... Come on... Just... move..." he whispered, forcing his mind to focus, willing the strange energy to do something—anything.
And then, it happened.
A rush of warmth flooded his veins, the energy inside him stirring with newfound purpose. For a brief, fleeting moment, Lei Xian could feel it—the power of the scroll, the strange, unknown technique, surging through him. His heart raced, and his body tingled with energy he had never felt before.
But just as quickly as it came, it faded.
The energy retreated, leaving Lei Xian sitting there, breathless and exhausted, staring at the now-dim scroll in his hands.
"What... what was that?" he whispered to himself. He had felt something, no doubt about it. For a moment, he had felt... powerful. Not powerful like a cultivator with years of experience, but still—there had been something. It was unlike anything he had ever felt before.
But it was gone now. The energy was gone, leaving him with only the bitter taste of disappointment.
His fingers brushed over the scroll, his gaze heavy with doubt. Maybe it had been nothing. Maybe it had been some trick of his mind.
Just as he was about to put the scroll down and return to his usual routine of failure, something unexpected happened.
The runes on the scroll flared to life once more.
---
The scroll began to glow again, more intensely this time, the symbols pulsating as if they had a life of their own. The strange energy that had briefly surged inside him returned, stronger this time, more persistent. It was like something inside him had finally unlocked, like a door had been opened that he had never known existed.
A sudden burst of light filled the room, blinding Lei Xian as the power coursed through him. The room seemed to warp and twist, the air thick with energy as if the very fabric of reality was being altered.
Lei Xian gasped as his vision blurred, but he couldn't look away. His heart pounded in his chest, each beat vibrating with a power that he had never experienced before.
For the first time in his life, he wasn't just an ordinary boy with no talent. He wasn't weak, powerless, or helpless. For the first time, he could feel that something was changing within him.
He could feel the transformation happening.
He was a cultivator.
Or... at least, he was on the verge of becoming one.
His hands clenched, and he felt the pulse of energy grow stronger, centering around his chest. It felt like a power unlike anything he had ever experienced, but it wasn't complete. He had to focus. He had to control it.
The scroll continued to glow as the strange energy wrapped around him, encasing him in a cocoon of light.
And then, with a sudden burst, the energy exploded outward, filling the room with a blinding brilliance.
---
When the light faded, Lei Xian stood there, panting, his eyes wide with shock. He looked down at his hands, and for the first time, he felt it—the power. The energy.
It was no longer just a fleeting sensation.
It was real.
He had done it.
He had unlocked the first step of cultivation.
But at what cost?
Lei Xian's heart pounded in his chest, his breath ragged as he stood in the dimly lit room. The energy that had flowed through him only moments ago was now gone, but the aftereffects lingered, crackling faintly in the air. His body hummed with a strange power, as if his very soul had been touched by something greater than himself.
He looked down at his hands again, half-expecting to see something different—something tangible to show for the energy that had rushed through him. His palms were still rough from years of farm labor, his fingers calloused and worn. But inside, there was a new awareness. A new... potential.
Could it really be true? Could this strange energy, this mysterious technique, actually have allowed him to cultivate?
"Maybe... maybe I'm not as useless as they all say," Lei Xian whispered to himself, a smile tugging at the corners of his lips. The doubt that had plagued him for years—the constant whispers of others telling him he was too weak, too unworthy to even be considered a cultivator—faded for the moment. Instead, there was a small spark of hope, fragile but real.
His head spun as the full weight of what had happened started to settle in. He wasn't sure what exactly he had tapped into, but it wasn't like any cultivation method he'd read about. There were no obvious signs of Qi entering his body, no burst of spiritual energy filling the air. Yet, the sensation inside him was unmistakable. He felt like... like he had taken the first step.
The first step on a long, treacherous journey.
He closed his eyes, focusing on the feeling, trying to summon the energy again. He reached inward, searching for the same warmth that had filled him before, but this time, nothing happened. No surge of power. No response from the mysterious energy.
"Come on... come on..." Lei Xian muttered under his breath, willing the energy to return. But it didn't. The scroll in front of him lay dim and lifeless, its glowing runes now faded, leaving behind only the black ink stains of an ancient script.
For a moment, he felt the creeping weight of failure pressing on his chest. Was it all just a fluke? Was the energy nothing more than a trick his mind had played on him?
"No," he whispered, shaking his head. "It wasn't a fluke. It was real. I know it was."
Lei Xian reached out and carefully rolled the scroll back up, his mind still racing. He needed to understand it, to figure out why the energy had responded to him. He wasn't sure what had happened, but he couldn't just let it go. He couldn't afford to.
A sudden knock at the door snapped him out of his thoughts. Startled, he quickly shoved the scroll into the corner of the room and stood up, wiping his palms on his robe. His heart thudded in his chest—not from the mysterious energy this time, but from the anxiety of being caught.
"Lei Xian? It's time for breakfast. Don't forget your chores today," a voice called from the other side of the door. It was his mother, her tone warm but tinged with the usual sense of responsibility.
"Yes, Mother," Lei Xian replied, his voice steady. He took a deep breath to calm his racing heart. He couldn't let anyone know what had just happened. Not yet. Not until he understood it better.
He took one last glance at the scroll before he opened the door and stepped into the simple hallway of their house.
---
The next few hours passed in a blur as Lei Xian went about his chores, helping his mother with breakfast and then working on the small farm they kept behind the house. The early morning air was crisp, and the scent of fresh dew on the grass filled his lungs. But despite the peaceful surroundings, his mind couldn't settle. It kept drifting back to the events of that morning.
The energy. The power. It was unlike anything he had ever felt before. But now that it was gone, how could he get it back? Was it something he could control? Something that had just chosen to reveal itself to him?
He stared at the field as he worked, his hands moving mechanically, his mind still grappling with the implications of what had happened. Could it be that he had somehow unlocked a hidden potential? Was he really capable of cultivating, despite his lack of spiritual affinity?
"Lei Xian, are you paying attention?" His mother's voice broke through his thoughts, and he turned to see her standing by the well, a concerned expression on her face.
"I... I'm sorry, Mother. Just... thinking," Lei Xian replied, giving her a sheepish smile. His mother didn't say anything more, but her expression softened with understanding.
She always worried about him. Lei Xian couldn't blame her. After all, he wasn't like the other children in the village. He had no natural talent for cultivation, and he was often teased by the other villagers for his lack of ability. Yet his mother never once doubted him, never once made him feel like he was anything less than the most important person in her life.
"I'll finish the field today, Mother," he said, his voice filled with quiet resolve. "You can take a rest."
She nodded, though she still looked concerned. "Just don't push yourself too hard, alright?"
Lei Xian smiled, but it was a bittersweet one. How could he explain to her that he was on the verge of discovering something great? That he had, just this morning, felt the stirrings of power within him? How could he tell her that he might finally be able to change his fate?
He couldn't. Not yet.
But the thought of proving everyone wrong, of showing the village that he was more than they thought, kept him going through the day. Even if it was just a flicker of hope, it was more than he had ever had before.
---
The sun began to set, casting a warm golden light over the village, and Lei Xian found himself standing by the well again, lost in thought. He had finished his chores early, and now, with no one around, he had the time to meditate on what had happened earlier.
He closed his eyes, focusing inward. He searched for the energy again, the warmth, the power that had stirred within him. This time, he didn't force it. He didn't try to summon it. Instead, he simply opened himself to it, letting his mind relax and his spirit attune to whatever lay hidden inside him.
Minutes passed. The air around him seemed to hum with quiet anticipation, but nothing happened.
Lei Xian exhaled slowly, disappointed but not discouraged. He could feel it, faintly—a tug, as if something were just out of reach. But that was all. The energy hadn't returned.
He opened his eyes, frustrated but determined. If this was going to work, if he was going to rise in cultivation and finally prove everyone wrong, he would have to try harder. He couldn't afford to give up now, not when he had felt the power, even if just for a moment.
Tomorrow, he would try again. Tomorrow, he would be ready.
But as he turned to head back inside, a strange feeling washed over him. It was faint, almost imperceptible, but unmistakable.
The energy wasn't gone.
It was just waiting.
---