Sun Tie felt his core enter turmoil as the words left his mouth. His connection with the paths increased, like when he ascended to the 9th stage. Something was changing inside him. He was advancing to the 10th stage.
Sun Xian ran in his direction and pressed a hand into his chest. Sun Tie’s heart felt heavy. Ah, the irony of life. The ultimate defeat at the edge of the first step toward immortality.
“Do it.” Sun Tie said, locking eyes with his grandfather
“I’m sorry, child. I tried. This is the only way.” His grandfather muttered cryptically, and then he felt it as if Sun Xian ripped his core from his body. Sun Tie felt the sensation of a thousand knives thrusting his heart. And then nothingness.
The colors of the world faded. The paintings were less beautiful, and all was suddenly white.
Sun Tie thought he had fainted, but when he tried to stand up, he felt his body moving, but he could see nothing besides the white light.
----------------------------------------
A voice suddenly broke the stark silence in the white room.
Integration Concluded
Earth, Eternal Wind Continent, and Umbraheim are as one.
The celestial alignment across the multiverse has set the stage. You have five days. Think of this period as both your shield and your testing ground. Your task: not merely to survive, but to excel.
You are worthy of earning the [Swordsman] class.
Do you want it?
[Y/N]?
"A swordsman? How quaint. Do you also offer 'Baker' or 'Street Muggler'? No, thank you." His patience was stretching thin. Only a few things could be as offensive as that question. Whoever was talking with him behind the light was slowly becoming an enemy.
You are worthy of earning the [Swordsman] class. It fits your stats and previous life experiences.
Do you want it?
[Y/N]?
“I said, NO! Such a pedestrian role shall not stain this young master’s future!”
Are you sure?
[Y/N]?
“By the Heavens, do I have to spell it? N-O! I don’t want it!”
This time, the silence remained for much more time. Sun Tie wondered if he would be there forever.
[No class assigned.]
You will be able to acquire the [Swordsman] class anytime. You will still have access to basic skills, runes, and masteries. You will also be able to upgrade your stats. Having a class will make your integration easier. Consider doing it as soon as possible.
Before he could think, his body dropped to the ground. Not long after the first impact, he opened his eyes.
He was not in his master’s room anymore but in a dense forest. Behind the trees’ canopies, he could see three suns in the sky.
While Sun Tie tried to rationalize the strange fact, two metal barrels filled his vision. The strange object was close to his forehead, making him cross-eyed.
Adjusting his vision, he could see a man with a big hat at the other point of the strange object. He had the whitest hair and mustache Sun Tie had ever seen.
“You get any reason to be here, kid?" The man asked with the strangest of accents.
Sun Tie’s words were shaping in his mind when the man before him removed the strange object from his face and looked to the horizon.
The stranger was hearing something in the distance. Sun Tie didn’t hear anything.
“Be prepared, kid,” the old man said with his gaze still distant.
“Prepared for what?!” Sun Tie half exclaimed, half asked. He tried to access his spiritual energy to amplify his hearing.
[Your cultivation core is shattered. You can not cultivate.]
Do you want to accept the [Swordsman] class?
[Y/N]?
“Oh, Heavens…” Sun Tie muttered, getting up and cleaning his red and green robe. He was full of dirt and leaves.
The message disappeared. Sun Tie would not accept this humiliation.
“Hey, strange mustache man, what are you hearing?” Sun Tie was waving his arms frantically in the old man’s direction, but before he could answer, Sun Tie recognized the sound.
Leaves and branches were getting smashed in their direction quickly. An animal was running toward them.
“Be still, boy,” the old man said, pointing his strange object toward the sound.
Unauthorized reproduction: this story has been taken without approval. Report sightings.
Oh, it’s some kind of weapon! I see!
“You were pointing a weapon at this Young Master, you decrepit old man!?” He asked close enough to the man’s ears, but the stranger remained stoic.
A creature was already jumping from the forest in their direction.
The animal looked like a lynx but was larger and had black spots all over its body.
The creature was at least the same size as Sun Tie. It should have not been a problem for him.
A loud sound left the stranger’s weapon, but the beast didn’t get hit.
It would not be the first and last time the great Sun Tie would slay a powerful creature.
It jumped once again, this time aiming at Sun Tie. He prepared himself to dodge.
An easy and fast movement. With a little Qi, he would be okay and ready to hit the beast.
He used his Qi to reposition himself and threw his right arm in the beast’s direction. It should have been fatal with his Qi condensed in his fist.
I have no Qi, he suddenly realized.
Fangs carved at his flesh as the beast snapped at his arm with a vicious bite. He looked at the animal holding his arm and released a big scream of incredulity.
[Your cultivation core is shattered. You can not cultivate.]
Do you want to accept the [Swordsman] class?
[Y/N]?
As the creature bit Sun Tie, he shouted out — a response to the pain and to answer the message.
“NOOOOOOO!”
Sun Tie next heard the old man's weapon slicing through the air. After that, the beast was on the ground, dead, with its neck torn apart and several red wounds on its fur.
Sun Tie dropped to the ground in a sitting position and watched his arm heal as quickly as any healing cultivator could perform it.
His shock was not vanishing.
I can’t actually cultivate.
Sun Tie looked to his sides and saw only trees. In the sky, three suns were close to one another, like in a strange dream. He could see the light fading and the sky becoming black on the far horizon as if something was corrupting the atmosphere.
In the other direction, he could see a gigantic pillar of light crossing the sky and connecting with the infinity, a familiar light. One of the fonts of power of Eternal Wind.
He was probably dead or in shock after his core got shattered. That was the only viable explanation. This or he was in a completely different world.
The other man was talking, but Sun Tie couldn’t hear.
Sun Tie pushed himself backward and then got up. Upon close inspection, Sun Tie saw his necklace on the man’s hand. The dragon pendant shinning in the sun’s light. Sun Tie rushed and took it away from him in a swift motion.
“How dare you touch my belongs?” Sun Tie roared at him. The stranger lifted his two arms up as if saying he meant no harm to the young master.
“ Easy, kid. It fell when the fight began. Are you okay?”
“I’m better than fine, of course,” he lied. “I must say your help was… adequate. Thank you, peasant. How should I call you?” Sun Tie asked, putting his nose up and straightening his back.
The old man lifted his right brow, rested his weapon on his shoulder, and clucked before talking.
“My name is Cole Williams. And who are you?”
“I’m Young Master Sun Tie.” The youth said, walking in circles in the old man’s direction, one step at a time, calculating what he would do next.
"Am I supposed to be impressed?" Cole drawled, each word dripping with sarcasm.
"The unwashed masses never cease to disappoint. You haven't heard of me because you're too busy... what do you people do? Walk through creepy forests?" Sun Tie smirked, dismissing the other man’s lack of manners. He would let it pass this time. “Enlighten me. Where are we?”
Cole Williams chuckled.
“I was expecting you to tell me, kid. I have no idea. I was drinking my pale ale while watching the Cowboys lose another game when I heard a noise outside,” the old man grabbed his weapon with two hands as if acting out and continued. “I grabbed my shotgun, and then everything was white. A voice talked to me. I got a class, and the next thing I saw was you lying on the ground.”
What a strange conjunction of words.
“This pale ale of yours maybe has something to do with it. Who made this potion? Some young alchemist? Who is your Sect master?” Sun Tie asked, losing his patience. Clearly, it was a hallucination, but if he drank this strange potion, why is it me going crazy?
The old man once again chuckled, beating his weapon against his shoulders.
“You clearly know less than me. What class did the ‘voice’ give to you?” He asked, crouching and looking at the beast dead on the ground.
“I have no such class. I’m a Cultivator.” Despite the strange situation, this old man had saved his life not long ago. If he had answers, Sun Tie would try to get some. “They offered me a [Swordsman] class. Can you believe that? As if I would degrade my Dao of the Flame with such peasant pursuits."
“Seems fancy to me,” Cole said, lifting his eyes but not his head. He wore blue pants of a strange fabric, leather boots of an animal Sun Tie didn’t recognize, and a black shirt stamped with the saying: Don’t tread on me. “I would take it if they offered, but I’m okay being an [Archer].” Cole finished his thought and removed a knife from his belt. “I don’t know what is happening, but I’ll most definitely need food.”
“What’s this animal?” Sun Tie asked, getting close.
“Don’t you know? There are no jaguars in Asia?”
“Asia?” Sun Tie asked, “Never been in such a place. Seems like a forgettable one.”
Cole looked at him for a few seconds and started skinning the animal. No words were said, but a little smile formed on the corner of his mouth.
“This kind of jaguar doesn't live here either. This beast is in the wrong place, or we are.”
The old man removed the beast’s leg skin and dismembered it. Then he cut a piece of Sun Tie’s robe in a rapid motion.
“Hey! Hey! What are you doing?” Sun Tie demanded, getting back from Cole.
“Just getting a piece of your dress.” The old man said with his knife loose in one hand.
“It’s not a dress, you old scum! It’s a robe!”
“Whatever…” Cole said, wrapping the meat in the fabric. “Are you coming with me? I need more information. You could be helpful,” he asked, already moving in another direction.
“Of course not! Nobles don’t mix up with peasants. I’ll try to cultivate around here.” Sun Tie responded, sitting on a rock and crossing his legs.
"Gonna farm trees? Kid, you're crazier than a raccoon in a trap. Good luck to you out there. Seems you’re going to need it.” Cole tipped his hat toward Sun Tie and started walking away.
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The suns in the sky had not moved by an inch, troubling Cole. What kind of place was he in? Strange lights in the sky, three suns, Amazonian jaguars in a freaking rainforest in the middle of Texas?
Nothing was making sense. The messages Cole received in front of his eyes were even more confusing.
Cole regretted refusing to play video games with his nephews.
You are in a party with Sun Tie
[You have slayed Amazonian Jaguar - lvl 2]
Feline from the Amazonian Rain Forest. The jaguar possesses formidable strength and has a bite force strong enough to pierce its prey's thick skulls or shells.
[You have gained a level]
You have received 1 basic skill point, 1 class skill point, and 1 stat point.
Open the menu to unlock or upgrade your skills and increase your stats.
The message was being shown to him once again. These text messages were becoming annoying quickly.
Cole was curious about what he could do with these points, but he was more preoccupied with staying alive.
Now, he had to find a water source, avoid unnecessary conflicts, and find a safe place to stay and observe his surroundings. Will it be daylight forever?
From everything Cole had seen so far, he believed he couldn't be hurt in the future, just like the kid he found who had healed from the jaguar's bite. However, feeling a pain similar to the stranger's wasn't in his plans.
What a peculiar guy, indeed. Cole thought and also considered how the young man reminded him of someone. Cole pushed away this reflection pretty quickly.
The middle of a strange forest was not the place to become emotional.
Do your best, always a full measure. Cole reassured himself, as he always did in times like this.
Cole was again rethinking his choice of leaving the young man behind when he heard the forest revolting. Something was running fast in his direction.
All thoughts evaporated as a dark silhouette burst forth from the trees.