Age of gods

Before the age of men, there was the age of gods, or some say, immortals. Not many know for sure what these beings are due to the lack of information and contact. Only one thing is certain, these so-called immortals or gods are beings that we cannot comprehend due to our capacity for knowledge there seems to be a barrier that separates us from the so-called gods. 

Humanity has always been a pitiful existence, we can never be at peace always in conflict both internally and externally, thus causing us to be stagnant in terms of evolution as a species. 

But all that changed when the first intergalactic long journey mission came across a planet with life. Not just microscopic life but actual walking lifeforms, they called themselves descendants of the old gods. 

But humanity gave them the name “ASURA”, they massacred everyone aboard the ship not even leaving a single survivor, that brutal massacre was broadcasted live to everyone on earth. And it has already been 30 years since that eventful day, humanity has gone to war with the asuras as we had to defend the invasion. 

We were on the losing end but the founder of Dynasty Corporation a soldier during the “first great war” 25 years ago found a cultivation manual in an asura shipwreck. With that discovery, humanity realized that we could cultivate and have abilities similar to the so-called gods or immortals though not quite there yet. 

It was a giant leap for humanity as a whole allowing us to fend off the invasion. And now with 25 years of time cultivation has seeped deep into humanity’s roots, this is not the age of men anymore neither is it the age of gods it is the age of cultivators.

Thus let me ask you are you ready to begin your first year of cultivation high school. 

*SWITCH OFF*

“Urgm urgm since you all have seen the introduction video behind the need for cultivation I assume you kids also understand the seriousness of cultivation”

*THUD*

“You idiot why are you sleeping in my class and that too on the first day of school”

“Sorry teacher I dozed off”

“What do you mean you dozed off what kind of bullshit answer is that go STAND BEHIND NOW”

*giggles from the surrounding students*

“SHUT UP dammit arghhh all of you get out of here and go to your next class” 

Liu Feng got up from his chair and started walking out of the class for his next class on the basics of Qi gathering. Just as he was about to leave the class Han Yau the class teacher called him back. 

“Liu Feng today is the first day of high school I urge you to do your best like how you did in middle school so that you can get a scholarship to university. As you know you are an orphan and the government funding stops when you turn 16 which is in another 2 more years, you cannot make any mistakes and let your grade slip”

“Yes, Mr. Han,” Liu Feng said solemnly, as he walked out the door.

“I don’t think I’ll be able to get the scholarship this year though.” Liu Feng thought to himself.

 The reason as to why he was able to get a scholarship to middle school and not the high school was because of the cultivation curriculum. Middle school was just basic maths and history etc. But high school has cultivation tests which will hinder Liu Feng, as he innately does not have any talent for cultivation neither does he have any resources as he is an orphan with a little government funding for his basic needs.

The high school has a duration of 4 years and each year there will be 2 exams, a mid-year exam, and a final year exam. The requirements for such exams are simple you just have to be at that required cultivation level.

Liu Feng attended the class on Qi gathering, he was always the smartest one in middle school. Able to grasp new things faster than others, but his talent with comprehension did not help him with any of the classes regarding cultivation. 

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As he just was not able to cultivate at all. "I can grasp and understand all the teachings but for some reason when I try to apply in and cultivate it all goes to waste." Liu Feng thought.

Heading to his next class Liu Feng walked passed the hallway. The hallway was the place he hated the most in the entire world. He could always hear the other students talking behind his back.

Things like "Isn't that the guy who does not have any cultivation at all?", "What is the point of being book smart when you have no talent for cultivation. This is the age of cultivation." 

But after a while, Liu Feng was not bothered by such things anymore, though it still irks him. But what could he do, there was no way he could prove them wrong. 

"If only I was born in a powerful clan with resources. They would have found a way for me to cultivate, I guess this is my fate." Liu Feng lamented.

Heading to his next class which was practical combat. The teacher in charge of the class assigned everybody in pairs, for sparring. And the worst part was Liu Feng got paired with someone at Qi gathering 2.

Liu Feng took a beating but the teacher did not even bat an eye as this was part of toughening them up. When class ended Liu Feng limped out of the class, Liu Feng was relieved as he would not have been able to sit through another class with his aching body.  

Liu Feng reached back home after school to his one-room apartment which was provided by the government until he turns 16. He put down his bag and sat on his bed slowly lying down due to the body ache from the beating he got during school, he needed to think about what he wanted to do next once he fails to get the scholarship and wants the government funding stops. 

“I either can work as a garbage collector or a construction worker, who am I kidding to be a construction worker you need to be at least Qi gathering 2”

“I can’t even be a construction worker dammit dammit dammit” Liu Feng screamed as he slammed his head into the pillow.

Liu Feng slammed his head into the pillow a couple more times as soon as he realized that the mid-year exam is only 6 months away and he was not even at Qi gathering 2 which was the requirement for passing the exams. 

And to get the scholarship he has to be at Qi gathering 3, but currently, at the present moment, he did not even have any cultivation his dantian was empty. 

For some reason no matter how hard he tried to cultivate the Basic Military Qi gathering Art, which was the free cultivation art given by the government for the low-income citizens and orphans. 

His dantian was not able to contain any of the collected Qi, it just dispersed back into the surroundings.

“I’m gonna try one last time if it does not work, I might as just go apply to be a garbage collector tomorrow,” Liu Feng said to himself.

As he sat down in a lotus position and circulated the Basic Military Qi gathering Art, he felt the Qi from the surroundings seep through his pores and slowly headed its way to his dantian but only for it to flow back out of his dantian to no avail.

But little did he notice the red color Qi from a necklace under his bed flowing into his dantian, as that red color Qi reached his dantian they started swirling around his dantian wildly. 

“What is this Qi? Why is it red? arghhhhh”

*Thud*

“ARGHHHHH” Liu Feng screamed as he collapsed on to the floor screaming and rolling in agony.

Cracks started forming around his dantian slowly more cracks started showing, the pain increasing as well.

*CRACK*

His dantian split apart into a million pieces slowly turning into dust, he laid on the floor with sweat dripping down his forehead only to let out a burst of relief as the pain had stopped. But as he looked into his body he could only see dust where his dantian used to be.

“I was already unable to cultivate, but now without a dantian, I’m worse than trash” he sighed at his predicament.

He reached under his bed as he realized the source of the red Qi came from there as normally Qi from the surroundings is almost translucent with a hint of purple. 

“My necklace?”

This was the only belonging he had on him when he was a baby the government gave it back to him yesterday when he turned 14. 

They kept in all this while as when they found him in an abandoned war post at the edge of the North Valley he had this necklace on him when scanned it turned out it was an unknown material. 

So the government investigated the material they deemed the material to be a type of mutated iron and useless not having any value they gave it back to him.

“The necklace which was with me when I was abandoned was deemed useless like me and now it took away my only hope of ever becoming something,” Liu Feng thought as he rubbed the engraving on the necklace which was of a hammer, the necklace was red and had a silver chain. 

Looking at the necklace, Liu Feng thought about his life since the day he was found. He always had it harder than others, whenever parents came to pick his classmates up from middle school, he would look around hoping that his parents would suddenly show up to bring him back home.

Even now the hope that it might all be a bad dream and he would wake up to a loving family. 

“Dammit, dammit all. I hate my parents! They abandoned me when I needed them. Maybe they had their reasons, but still, how could they do this to me.” Tears started streaming around Liu Feng’s face.

Liu Feng kept back the necklace under his bed and went to sleep, deep in his slumber the dust where his dantian used to be slowly started gathering together bit by bit clump by clump, the dantian was slowly reforming and becoming whole. The newly reformed dantian was blood red, slowly pulsating and emanating a light glow. 

The necklace was glowing and emitting red Qi and it was pulsating together with his newly formed dantian, they pulsated together rhythmically. 

In harmony. 

=Little did Liu Feng know that his cultivation journey was about to begin.=