"Chapter 1
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“Chapter 1: Ten Years Later”
In the vast and rugged mountains,
With sheer cliffs and ancient trees reaching the sky,
A solitary Daoist temple stands atop the mountain peak, shrouded in clouds.
In front of the temple are two figures.
One old, one young.
“Lin Feng, ten years have passed. You are now invincible in the secular world; you may descend the mountain,” the old man’s voice is filled with age.
“If you want to hit me, just say so directly,” Lin Feng says, his eyes filled with resentment.
The old man falls silent for a moment and then says, “Actually, hitting you was for your own good!”
“Ha…”
Lin Feng sneers coldly upon hearing this, remaining silent.
“Lin Feng, do you hate me?” the old man suddenly asks.
“I used to hate you a lot.”
“And now?”
“Now it doesn’t matter. Ten years have passed, and talking about it is meaningless.”
“Yes, it’s meaningless! How many ten-year periods does life have…”
“Time cuts like a knife, slaying the proud.”
“Even someone as strong as I am still couldn’t reach that distant shore.”
The old man sighs deeply.
He struggles to look up at the distant sky.
The setting sun is sinking, casting a golden twilight.
The sunset and clouds intersect, reflecting a beautiful light over the vast mountains and forests.
“The sunset is infinitely beautiful, but it is near dusk.”
The old man sighs again and continues:
“Lin Feng, can you call me Master?”
Lin Feng lowers his head, still with an unchanging cold smile.
The old man seems accustomed to this and continues speaking to himself.
“Lin Feng, what do you think the Immortal Realm is like?”
“Lin Feng, I want to eat dumplings.”
“Lin Feng, my teeth hurt…”
The scene gradually quiets down.
“Sniffle~”
The evening breeze blows gently, bringing a touch of chill.
After a long while.
Lin Feng senses something is wrong and looks up at the old man.
To his shock, he finds that the old man’s eyes are closed and he has no breath.
Seeing this,
Lin Feng swiftly grabs the old man’s body and says coldly:
“You just wanted to trick me into coming down the mountain and then find a reason to beat me, didn’t you? Was it really necessary to resort to such a ridiculous act as pretending to be dead?”
But…
No matter how much Lin Feng curses,
The old man remains unresponsive.
His face is turning increasingly purple, and his body temperature is gradually cooling.
His frail body, less than eighty pounds, has lost the immortal aura he once had.
…..
Memories gradually surface.
Ten years ago.
Lin Feng was only 22, freshly graduated from university.
To fulfill a promise to his girlfriend, he traveled alone to Yun Chuan to meet her parents.
Unexpectedly, on the way, he encountered this mysterious old man.
The old man said he was born with a natural spiritual body and was a good candidate for cultivation.
Ignoring his objections, the old man forcibly took him to this remote mountain.
And so he stayed for ten years!
During these ten years,
The old man subjected him to the most rigorous training imaginable.
Every day before dawn, he had to get up to practice.
At seven, he practiced boxing.
At ten, he practiced leg techniques.
At noon, he practiced the sword.
At two, he practiced eye techniques.
At six, he practiced formations.
At nine, he practiced alchemy.
After midnight, he began to cultivate breath.
Day after day, year after year.
For ten years, he wanted countless times to escape, to leave, to go home.
But every time he was easily captured and beaten by the old man!
The worst time, he almost lost half his life.
Although cultivation is a great opportunity, Lin Feng didn’t care at all.
His girlfriend was still waiting for him to propose, and his elderly parents and younger sister were waiting for him to support the family.
How could he stay here?
No matter how he pleaded, the old man remained unmoved.
He even subtly suggested wanting to send a message home, and even knelt and begged, but the old man refused.
Instead, after beating him, the old man coldly said:
“Cultivation is against the heavens, and you must cut off worldly ties and karma!”
“Lin Feng, unless I die, you will never be able to descend the mountain!”
……
From that moment on,
Lin Feng hated the old man with a deep-seated hatred!
He practiced diligently every day, hoping to achieve great success in cultivation, surpass the old man, and tear him to pieces to avenge his grievance.
And so,
Ten years passed in the blink of an eye!
He practiced hard for ten years, not waiting for the day he surpassed the old man, but for this very moment.
At this moment,
Lin Feng feels an emptiness in his heart.
There is no joy as imagined, nor the rage he expected, only a calmness that is almost indifferent.
Or rather,
A numbness might be more accurate.
The perseverance of these ten years seems so laughable now.
The evening wind grows stronger,
The temperature in the mountains seems to have suddenly dropped below freezing.
Lin Feng silently buries the old man.
Then he stands, turns, and looks at the distant green mountains with melancholy eyes.
No one can understand his feelings at this moment.
A long while,
A long while…
“I didn’t expect you to really be dead this time!”
“Your body will slowly dissolve, becoming eternal, like grains of sand in the desert. In a sense, this might also be a form of immortality.”
“This farewell is forever!”
Lin Feng ultimately could not bring himself to call out “Master.”
Or perhaps, calling it now would be meaningless anyway?
He draws his sword, and with a flash of light, he disappears into the horizon.
At this moment, if there were cultivators present, they would be utterly shocked.
It’s hard to imagine that in this end-of-dharma era, someone can actually fly with a sword!
……
Half an hour later,
Lin Feng finally returns to his hometown in his memories.
His hometown is located on the outskirts of Jinling City in Jiangnan Province.
And the home he longed for is just a simple, unadorned small house.
In front of the house is a small pond, with willows swaying by its edge.
“So… everything hasn’t changed!”
Seeing the familiar scene before him, Lin Feng’s deep eyes finally become moist.
After ten years away, returning to his homeland.
Even with his current state of mind, he cannot help but feel a pang of sorrow, wanting to shed tears.
In the mountains,
He had dreamed many times of such scenes…
Dreamed of swimming in the pond as a child,
Dreamed of the mundane life,
Dreamed of youth… still present.
“These ten years, I disappeared without a trace. My parents probably think I’m dead now?”
“And my sister, she was only nine when I left. I wonder if she’s in college now!”
“The old man said cultivation is a path to immortality, to cut off all worldly ties, but if it means cutting off these closest people, what is the purpose of cultivation?”
Lin Feng exhales a long breath, steadying his restless emotions.
For so many years,
Wasn’t he waiting for this moment?
At this moment,
A terrified cry suddenly comes from inside the house:
“I was wrong! I don’t want the demolition compensation anymore! I was wrong, I know I was wrong!”
“Waah, don’t… don’t…”
“Slap! Be quiet!”
……