On the peak of a mountain, standing large amongst the other mountains formed by the mountain chain. Cross-legged sat a young man. The name of this particular mountain was enough to calm this young man’s mind. It was Peach Waves Mountain. Feeling better again, with a short sigh he started focusing on his breathing.

The young man stood up and looked down to the river at the bottom. One could see how the side of the mountain had been harnessed by the river that had been pounding on the side. Strong cliffs stood at the bottom of the mountain. The young man could not help feel dreadful, clenching his fists with the sweat dripping off his hands.

He calmed himself yet again, with the wind flowing in his hair he finally decided to turn around and head back through the shallow road he had taken to come up. His goal had been shattered and his only thoughts was to find a place to sleep for now. The county he was in was ruled by the xingxiu sect. They were particular with their pupils and would not take in anyone who could not train in the art of spiritual condensation.

On the way down the mountain back to the county named xiejia. It was a small county in the vast world, not entirely poor but could only be classified as inferior. The young man met an old man who nodded and greeted the young man.

“Greetings Li Lan, what is a youngster’ like you up to these days?” the elder spoke in a manner that neither seemed immature nor mature. “I came to clear my mind, once again I have failed to enter the sect and be taken as a disciple.” Li Lan sighed. The elder pitied Li Lan but could only reassure him. “All you young ones seem to want is to become an immortal, look at me, seventy-eight and still alive. I feel that you will be able to accomplish great merits Li Lan.”

Li Lan could not help but sigh once more. They stood and spoke for a few minutes and went their separate ways. Li Lan had failed to enter the outer sect of the xingxiu sect. When one managed to enter the outer sect it could easily be told that their lives were taken care of. Li Lan though did not want to join to be taken care of, he wanted to become strong, to be able to protect.

At his thoughts he clenched his fist before taking the last step down the mountain and go home. Calling it home is rather farfetched. Li Lan lives nowhere, he is homeless and have been ever since another sect, particularly the lingjiu sect, had attacked the xingxiu sect and its respective counties. He was the sole survivor of his family, though they were not part of a clan so he had no legacy.

Li Lan headed to a distant place a long way to the east of the county, in a placid forest where he usually spent his time. He looked around to ensure there was no one around, then he popped onto a stone where he sat cross-legged and started training. What Li Lan did is not physical training, he tries to feel the energy emanating from nature and the heavens.

Once when Li Lan had failed the test to inter the outer sect of the xingxiu sect, an elder had given him a few hints. One is that he should try to feel the energy, then lead it through his whole body through the dantian area and at some point a spiritual core will be formed inside his body where he will be able to condense his qi and become stronger.

Only when one has formed the spiritual core will one be able to step into the outer sect. Many people without knowing was born with the core already formed, and therefore many attempted to join without the knowledge of whether or not one had a spiritual core already. Before reaching a certain cultivation level one does not emit any aura.

A few hours passed while Li Lan sat meditating trying to lead energy through his body, yet he still fails. He stood up in a slight annoyance and rage, looked at the stone he had spent more than two years sitting on. He felt dissatisfaction and decided to try to move to another place. He had recently heard that in some areas the energy would be denser than other areas.

Energy revolts around life, and especially so in forests. Lin Lan decided to look for a place with a little lake and a waterfall. Meditating in such a place could benefit him a lot. The sound of the waves had always calmed him, hence his name Li Lan. Li stands for beautiful, or pretty. Lan stands for waves. As a man he felt no disgrace by knowing his names meaning.

Pretty waves were the same as him, they amounted to nothing, but they were pretty in the moment they existed. Li Lan gathered his thoughts before moving forward, he had to embrace the risks of moving late at night. He had neglected hunting, so he had no food. If he could find some kind of a spring he could at least have something to drink.

He had always stayed in this spot, never felt the urge to move further into the forest, while he was here he was protected by the sect’s barrier. If he without thought happened to walk outside the barrier, he could meet demonic beasts that would easily kill him in moments. With no fear Li Lan gathered his thoughts and moved forward.

When he reached one of the trees encircling the grassy area with the rock in the middle, he could not help feel disheartened. This place had basically been his home for the past years. With new determination he shook his head as he continued forward. Moving through the dense forest, thick stick and bushes stood everywhere. It was hard to move through.

Li Lan felt lucky as he stumbled upon a bush which grows a special type of berry. He kneeled down and picked a few. He could not help noticing that most berries had already been eaten. Most likely by the few wild animals that lives in the forest, the ones he usually hunts for food. He put some in a pouch that hung by his belt and kept moving forward.

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Scouting the area, he felt he had been walking for days. Though what by time had only been five hours. He was used to the hunger as he only went hunting every other day to eat. What he did not notice was a presence watching him, which followed him through the forest.

At last he frowned, he had finally found a spring. It was a seemingly grassy area, with a few rocks placed around the little lake that was provided with water from a minor waterfall. He ran to the side of the lake and sat down. Placed his hands in the water and gurgled some of it down. He had not had something to drink for days, if not weeks.

He sat down besides one of the big rocks, with his back leaning to it he felt his power needed a reset. He was tired from the previous day. The way to the test in itself took a few hours, and before that he had prepared himself by continuously trying to grasp the energy. He knew he would fail the test, but he went for the hints and help from the elders.

Despite sun rising, Li Lan chose to try and sleep. Walking in his own thoughts and grabbing himself, almost hugging himself to stay warm and feel secure. His mind wandered into sleep.

…

Many hours went by, Li Lan still sleeping would show he was truly fatigued. The sun was setting and Li Lan was still dreaming, or rather he was having nightmares. He remembers his powerlessness when seeing his family being killed.

Close to a house built of tree, a group of men with a Qi level of 5 or higher walked to the house. These men were not high rankings, they were simply outer sect disciples of lingjiu sect. For them this was not even a battlefield, it was a slaughterhouse.

One of the men spat on the ground while looking at the house they neared. “Lets round this up, my team will take this house yours can take the next!” the man said in a composed manner. A light smile could be seen on his face, he enjoyed killing.

The man supposedly in the thirties, led his men inside the tree house. In a corner of the house, a family of three people sat and hoped for someone to come and save them. They had no power to fight with, only despair. The team supposedly led by the man in the thirties, quickly searched the house.

“Boss, we have found them!” a voice rang through the house. The boss walked to the kitchen where a mother and a father was begging and kowtowing for them to leave their son alive, their only child. Ruthlessly one of the underlings kicked the father away and dragged him into another room. Shouts could be heard.

In another room, unseen by the child and mother, could only be heard shouting. Abruptly it ended followed by a shriveling and weakened voice, that left and never returned. The son was five years old, but at the thought of losing his father, he went enraged. He jumped up and hung to one of the underlings. Biting and tearing at him.

For a practitioner of Qi physical attacks from that degree held no meaning. It only helped enrage the underling, as he picked up the boy and threw him into a table that lied on the ground. It had been a fierce through from a Qi practitioner, the boy spat blood. His eyes were still lit up, and he crawled to another’s feet and started biting and tearing again.

Quickly before the other underling could take action the boss returned. His eyes shrewd, he looked at the underling and saw the boy tearing away. The mother begged for mercy and tried to take his son off, but in his rage he was too strong. The boss waited before taking action.

A few seconds, that felt like hours passed quickly. The boss picked up the mother and threw her to two underlings. “Take care of her, make it quick. By patriarchs orders we have to return by sun rise!” the man commanded. His face was bloodied.

The boy shouted, with hardships and not much voice left. “I .. I will kill ..” the boy was left for voice, he struggled with the power he had left. The boss walked over and picked him up. “You, kill me?!” the man laughed, then steadied his eyes as he looked into the ferocious boy’s eyes. He snorted and on a whim he threw the boy to the ground and commanded his group to retreat.

“Sun rise is in a few hours, retreat to the meeting spot, I will be right there.” The boss wanted to take care of the child alone. One of the underlings was not content with leaving without his boss. “Boss, just finish it, we do not have time play!” the boss looked at the underling. “Are you implying I cannot kill a little child?” he almost roared.

The underlings nodded and headed out, they felt that there was no more to say. Meanwhile the boy could not help but look in disdain. The boss sighed. “Remember my name youngster, if you want to kill me, then find me when you get older!” The man spat on the child and turned. Before leaving he said his name and left. The child passed into unconsciousness.

…

As night had once again come, Li Lan still sweating from his nightmares, the presence still stood watching him. It was as if this presence did not need to sleep.

Li Lan woke up, and with all his might he clenched his one fist, as if he felt all the pain coming from the nightmare. He shook his head and grit his teeth. He sat there looking at the moon, and for a while he thought he heard the name again, as whispered to his ear. “Wuhui Feng”.