Xue Jiang had eggs for breakfast, and then he spent his morning fishing. Then he had a chicken sandwich for lunch, and spent the afternoon fishing. Then he had grilled fish for dinner, and spent the evening fishing; watching the stars occasionally, before becoming tired and going to sleep.

Xue Jiang's life… it became very predictable. Other than spending his time selling fish and buying food, most of his days were like this.

After failing to progress his cultivation, Xue Jiang resigned himself to this life. Having given up his hopes for the future, the flames of desire he was born with began to dwindle; there was no goal ahead, so most of his motivation was to simply make it to the next day.

When a person is born, he grows with all sorts of curiosities for the outside world, ideas of how things should or shouldn’t be, and questions that they may or may not seek the answer to.

In essence, people are born with a flame, to push their days forward and to maybe live a life worth living.

But when Xue Jiang became a fisherman, he had given much of this up; his questions and curiosity for life faded away, and he was less of a flame, and more of a river. His actions always found the common denominator, and if you were to ask him the same question a thousand different ways, he would probably still answer the same.

Much of his actions were guided by the principles he had engraved onto his soul source; not knowing that he should have been aiming for power, he had branded basic principles for how a person should live, and these principles consolidated the possibilities of what his life could be, into a single, free-flowing river.

Although Xue Jiang couldn’t step forward on his path of cultivation, he simply let those worries flow away; he couldn’t do anything about it, so why cause trouble for himself.

But as Xue Jiang continued to live life as a fisherman, he had begun to experience life in a very weird way. What he did day by day, could be easily predicted, which sort of changed how he was perceived by the world around him. Xue Jiang would constantly experience déjà vu, and as his mind became more simplistic, his vision became clearer. Although he would constantly have a feeling that he had lived this same day in the exact way previously, he had also grown a sixth sense; if he flowed like a river, it wasn’t difficult to sense danger and opportunities ahead.

With this sense, he became quite successful as a fisherman, and he always knew the best place to fish. It was as if one day was lived multiple times, and he had checked multiple places, before finding a good fishing spot; the river would settle, and flow in that direction each time.

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Even when Xue Jiang was in the village; he seemed to know whether he would find trouble, depending on which path he took, so he was generally safe most of the time.

But alas, although it was weird, Xue Jiang wasn’t sure what he could attribute it to.

…

…

One day, Xue Jiang went to the fish shop to sell his catch, when he hears signs of conflict from outside.

“If you don’t want your shop smashed, you’ll give us all your spiritual stones old man!” A mean voice says from inside.

“Please, please! I’m just an old man getting by, I can only give so much!” Wei Jun, the shopkeeper, pleads from inside.

Xue Jiang’s eyes open wide. Old Jun’s being robbed! He exclaims. Xue Jiang could run, but if this question was asked a thousand times, the river would only have one answer. Xue Jiang opens the door and enters the shop.

Xie Long sneers; how could this shop only have so few spiritual stones? Although he and his brothers were only Foundation Establishment masters, they had discovered this village full of the weak and crippled. They may be weak among the cultivation world, but would they be weaker than these villagers?

Xue Jiang enters the shop and sees three men who looked like trouble. He settles his fish onto the floor and prepares himself for the conflict.

Hearing the door, Xie Long and the others turn around to see Xue Jiang.

Old Jun’s eyes widen. “Xue Jiang, run! These guys are Foundation Establishment masters!” He exclaims.

“Hmph! So what? Although I, Xue Jiang, have never fought before, for evil-doers like you, my fist would rumble like thunder from the heavens!” Xue Jiang exclaims, getting into his Snake Fist stance.

Unfortunately, the True Sword sect only taught the most basic martial arts before the Core Formation stage, and most of them were sword techniques.

The Snake Fist was the only fist technique that Xue Jiang had become proficient in before being removed from the sect.

Xie Long’s eyes widen. “Hmph! So it’s another practitioner of the Snake Fist! Brothers, let’s show this little brother how our Scorpion gang practices and give him a few pointers!” He says as he and his brothers move to surround Xue Jiang.

Xue Jiang’s senses become heightened to the extreme, and as his body senses a fight coming, a crack his heard, echoing through his body; it was as if the rising tension from a storm had broken, and it had begun to rain. All the spiritual energy in Xue Jiang’s body gathers in his dantian, before pressing together; shifting, pushing and pulling, as the energy slowly melds into one.

Xue Jiang’s eyes widen. Holy shit! Core formation! He exclaims. But unfortunately, it was not time to worry about that.

It may have been a weird luck, but these gangsters all practiced the snake fist, and were somewhat less proficient than Xue Jiang. He could easily see the flaws in their technique; not to mention, he was stronger and faster.

***BOOM***

***BOOM***

***BANG***

Three hits later and the three gangsters were knocked to the ground.

Slowly, they struggle to get up and make their way to the door. “Come on, brothers! This poor shop isn’t worth our time! Hmph! Little brother, we’ll remember you!” Xie Long says, exiting the shop with his brothers.

Xue Jiang lets out a snort. “Hmph! Although I, Xue Jiang, am very weak, I’m not afraid of anyone!” He exclaims.

Wei Jun let’s out a sigh of relief. “Thank the heavens. Xue Jiang, if you hadn’t come, I don’t know what I’d do!” He exclaims.

Xue Jiang lets out a short laugh. “If you’re grateful, maybe you’ll give me a bit more for the fish I brought! Hah!” He says, his tension releasing, glad the fight was over.