A giant hand that could cover the sky with purple fire that could destroy the world!

Chaos descended upon Lin Xun’s horrified mind as his thin body violently shuddered and his fingers dug into his palms.

That scene had been so overwhelming and dazzling. A single hand that could envelop the sky itself, pulsing with almighty power that could destroy the world.

Lin Xun had been shaken to the core. He never knew that such power could exist in this world.

It was practically akin to a god of legends descending upon the mortal realm. A being of miraculous and immeasurable power, who could easily pluck the stars from the sky and refine the mighty seas.

The day will come where I will be able to do so as well! For sure!

Lin Xun took a deep breath as determination burned in his heart. Power was what he currently lacked the most.

He desired it beyond measure!

While growing up in the dark, sunless, mine prison, he had been told that his Origin Aeth Artery had been stolen. This caused Lin Xun to have an unusually strong attachment and deep thirst for power.

It took a long time before Lin Xun was finally able to calm his raging emotions. He gazed at the yellowing leather book on the desk as a complicated look flitted across his eyes.

After being pushed by Mister Lu into the abyss-like passage, all Lin Xun heard was a deafening boom before losing consciousness.

When he awakened, he discovered that he had appeared in some deserted black plains.

He subsequently spent three months trekking through the mountains and was forced to camp in the wilderness. He experienced numerous difficulties and dangers before finally arriving in the Ziyao Empire’s territory.

Although remote, Feiyun Village was considered a part of the Ziyao Empire.

Lin Xun still remembered Mister Lu’s final words—the one who had stolen his Origin Aeth Artery was in the Ziyao Empire!

Lin Xun gently touched the book with a finger as he took a deep breath to compose himself.

He stood up and carefully placed the yellowing leather book back into the old wooden box.

The book and brush had been hastily thrust upon him by Mister Lu in their final moments. This indicated that they were his most valued possessions.

Lin Xun could still clearly remember how serious Mister Lu had been when he had instructed, “Safeguard them well! The success of your future cultivation will depend on them, especially the brush! I have failed to uncover the secret within it but if you manage to, you’ll be able to defy the heavens and change destiny even after losing your Origin Aeth Artery!”

Lin Xun did not know what kind of earth-shaking secret the book and brush held nor did he wish to dwell on such things before properly ascertaining Mister Lu’s fate.

……

After blowing out the oil lamp, Lin Xun climbed onto the bed and began to cultivate in a cross-legged sitting posture.

Kuku~

Qi circulated in his body like water flowing along a creek, bringing with it wisps of aeth power through the channels of his body.

Cultivation thrived in the current era, giving rise to countless schools and inheritances. The sheer number of cultivation related texts could fill the seas, and there were too many for any one individual to count in their lifetime.

One’s cultivation progress was divided into five greater cultivation stages: the True Martial stage, the Spirit Dipper stage, the Spirit Sea stage, the Heaven Ascension stage and the Cyclic Derivation stage.

The True Martial stage was the cornerstone of cultivation. Although there were many people in the world, it did not mean that just anyone could cultivate.

The only criterion for cultivation was the ability to step into True Martial stage. This was the most basic and most important condition.

True Martial stage was further categorized into nine layers: Qi Drawing, Inner Strengthening, Organ Opening, Orifice Unlocking, Essence Refining, Blood Igniting, Little Cycle, Big Cycle and Aeth Transformation.

Every layer represented a complete transformation of one’s power.

For example, the first layer, Qi Drawing, consisted of using qi to draw aeth power through the meridian channels with the aim of slowly washing away the mortal impurities of the body.

After reaching this stage, a cultivator's impurities would be cleansed and purified. This made the person's flesh rich in vitality, bestowing the cultivator with the strength to split rocks and fight tigers.

There was a common saying that everyone knew: “Reaching Qi Drawing is akin to opening the door to cultivation and is the first step into True Martial stage.”

Whether or not a person succeeded in crossing the doorway was a mark of whether that person could become a cultivator.

After all, if someone couldn’t even reach Qi Drawing, how could they possibly become a cultivator? Such an individual could only stay as an ordinary person; unable to become a practitioner that could fly in the sky, tunnel through the ground and summon wind and rain.

Lin Xun first came into contact with cultivation at the age of ten, when Mister Lu imparted to him a cultivation method called Yuan Holding Art. The art focused on eliminating unnecessary thoughts to allow one to proceed with a calm and clear state of mind.

At the age of eleven, Lin Xun successfully stepped into Qi Drawing layer. He drew qi into his body to wash away his impurities, becoming a full-fledged cultivator.

Lin Xun was currently thirteen years old, but his cultivation had only recently broken through Qi Drawing to reach the second layer True Martial stage, the Inner Strengthening layer.

Inner Strengthening consisted of using a special technique to breathe aeth power, directing it to temper the inner organs and strengthen the qi senses. At this level, a cultivator would be able to breathe in like a cow and their exhaled breaths would become akin to an arrow, giving the cultivator the ability to keep moving for extended periods.

Lin Xun had been stuck at Inner Strengthening for two years.

Compared to others, Lin Xun’s cultivation progress was not too terrible, but it could only be described as ordinary. He was far from being able to match the super talented geniuses.

However, Lin Xun understood that it was already a miracle he could cultivate after the terrible misfortune of losing his Origin Aeth Artery!

Naturally, Mister Lu played no small part in this.

Gurgle~

Aeth power galloped in Lin Xun’s body. It circulated for eighteen cycles before Lin Xun finally felt he had approached his limit.

Phew~

Lin Xun immediately stopped and spat out a breath of white qi shaped like an arrow. The qi managed to travel three feet, creating a tiny ripple in the air.

𝙛𝓻𝒆𝓮𝒘𝙚𝙗𝒏𝙤𝙫𝓮𝒍.𝓬𝒐𝙢

“The Qi Drawing layer is considered complete once one is able to circulate aeth power nine times around the body. For the Inner Strengthening layer, one needs to reach eighteen cycles before attempting to ascend to the third layer, Organ Opening.”

Lin Xun had already become capable of eighteen aeth power cycles a year ago. However, he ended up stuck at this step for a year.

There were many reasons why. For instance, he lacked aeth-power-rich foods that were necessary to supplement one’s cultivation, money to buy cultivation resources, proper guidance, etc.

After all, Lin Xun was an orphan that had grown up in a dark, sunless, mine prison. It was already a miracle he had managed to survive and there was naturally no way he could match up to others.

Most importantly, Lin Xun’s channels were weak and were unable to bear too heavy a burden. He would only be able to advance to the next cultivation layer if he somehow managed to strengthen his channels substantially.

However, Lin Xun did not feel frustrated or impatient. Due to his unique childhood environment, he had long cultivated a freakish amount of patience and willpower.

The oldest and most veteran prisoner had once said—‘to survive in that dark mountain prison, one must first learn to patiently endure in silence.’

It was a saying Lin Xun kept close to his heart.

……

The next morning, Lin Xun woke up before daybreak by reflex.

He was initially somewhat stunned by the unfamiliar environment, but soon regained his bearings. This was no longer the all-too-familiar mine prison.

Due to the habits he had built up over the years, Lin Xun did not feel even the slightest bit sleepy and hurriedly rose from the bed.

This was Feiyun Village, his first stop in the Ziyao Empire. What he needed to do now was to become part of the village as soon as possible.

To do this, he needed to show his value.

He needed to do something similar to what he had done the night before. If his Light Drawing Rune hadn’t successfully solved Tie Shan’s worm problem, Lin Xun would not have been accepted so easily by Village Chief Xiao Tianren.

This was value.

Lin Xun believed that after yesterday’s event, the villagers would at least no longer be so resistant towards an outsider like himself.

After rising from the bed, Lin Xun stretched a little before proceeding to wash up. However, he was interrupted by a strange noise outside the room. Unable to hold back his curiosity, he pushed open the doors to investigate.

What he saw were several figures gathered in the weed-filled yard outside.