The sun rose hesitantly over the tiny, secluded village of Stone Creek. Its golden rays could barely pierce the gray and stormy clouds. The streets were muddy from the night's rain, and the air was heavy with the smell of damp earth. Lin Feng sat cross-legged in his ramshackle hut, having finally identified himself as the reincarnation. Soul Devourer Manual lay open before him, its pages exuding a faint, sinister glow.

The words etched on the yellowed parchment seemed to pulse with life, twisting and writhing, as if eager to be read. The cultivation method was unlike anything Lin Feng had encountered in his previous life, and that alone intrigued him.

> "The path of devouring begins with the seed of hatred. Emotion fuels the spirit; fear tempers the soul. To cultivate the Soul Devourer Method is to walk a blade's edge: the stronger the emotions, the greater the power—but the steeper the fall."

Lin Feng dryly chuckled. "A blade's edge, indeed. But what path worth walking doesn't require blood?"

He shut his eyes and cast his attention inward. His dantian, the central site of spiritual energy, was embarrassingly weak—only able to maintain the tiniest flicker of qi. But he knew just how to rectify this. The Soul Devourer Method required negative emotions to strengthen one's cultivation base, and thankfully Lin Feng had no shortage of hate to draw upon.

He remembered the faces of the three thugs who had broken into his house, their jeers, their threats-the shame of his past life's betrayal. Anger ignited within him, and a faint tendril of black qi coiled inside him. Unstable, volatile-but power nonetheless.

The sound of footsteps approached, breaking his contemplation. Lin Feng's eyes snapped open, cold, alert.

A loud knock reverberated around the hut. The door creaked open without an invitation, and a stooping old man with a hunched back and a cane entered. His long beard was streaked with gray, his eyes sharp and calculating. This was Elder Zhou, the de facto leader of Stone Creek.

"Lin Feng," Elder Zhou started, his voice full of fake pity. "I heard about the fight last night. Zhang Bai and the others are saying that you initiated an unprovoked attack on them. They are even saying you almost blinded one of them."

Lin Feng didn't rise from his position. His cold gaze met the elder's. "Is that so?"

Ellder Zhou scowled, anticipating at least respect from the crowd of onlookers, if not fear. "You've stirred up trouble in this village before. The debt of your father is still around your neck, yet you have the nerve to strike out at people who only wish to reclaim what's rightfully theirs?"

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Lin Feng huffed, curling his lips just the tiniest bit in mockery. "Debt, Elder Zhou? Or means of using intimidation against the weaker?"

The face of the elder darkened momentarily, but then he masked the anger. "Mind your words, boy, or you will be cast out-or worse."

Lin Feng got to his feet, and his weak body exuded a silent intimidation. "Let me make one thing clear for you, Elder Zhou. The Lin Clan's debts have nothing to do with you. From now on, if anyone dares to cross me again, I won't stop at blinding them."

Elder clutched his cane, a walking-stick. Someday or other, with regard to one single conflict, the tension seemed thicker than any slice would allow cutting. In another instance, Elder Zhou stamped his foot and, muttering over, left.

Lin Feng watched him go, but his mind was already whirring with calculation. The elder's visit wasn't one of genuine concern-it was a warning, a display of power. The village had tolerated his existence only because they saw him as weak and inconsequential. That would need to change.

---

The following day, Lin Feng came out of his hut and walked up to the village square. His emergence generated whispers and fidgeting. It was never often that Lin Feng, the crippled orphan, emerged.

The square was full of merchants and farmers trading goods. Amongst the crowd, Zhang Bai and his two friends were hanging around a stall, their injuries from last night bandaged but still obvious. They immediately caught sight of Lin Feng, and their faces darkened at once.

"What are you doing here, you little rat?" Zhang Bai growled as he stepped forward.

Lin Feng ignored him, walking calmly to the center of the square. He climbed onto an empty cart, drawing the attention of the villagers.

“People of Stone Creek,” Lin Feng began, his voice carrying despite its softness. “For years, you’ve looked down on me. Mocked me. Treated me as a cripple, unworthy of the Lin name. But today, that ends.”

The villagers murmured amongst themselves in confusion and curiosity.

Zhang Bai laughed, stepping forward. "What nonsense are you spewing, Lin Feng? Get off that cart before I—"

Lin Feng’s hand shot out, and with a flick of his wrist, a blast of dark qi erupted from his palm. The energy slammed into Zhang Bai’s chest, sending him sprawling to the ground. Gasps erupted from the crowd as they stared at Lin Feng in disbelief.

“Impossible,” someone whispered. “He’s… he’s cultivating!”

Lin Feng stepped down from the cart and walked toward Zhang Bai, who was groaning in pain. He knelt beside him, his voice low enough for only Zhang Bai to hear. "This is your last warning. Cross me once more, and I'll make an example out of you so brutal that its legend will shake the very foundations of the world."

Zhang Bai's face had turned pale as he struggled backward, defeated, his confidence in tatters.

Lin Feng straightened, his gaze returning to the villagers. "Let this serve as a lesson. The old Lin Feng is dead. From this day forward, anyone who dares to challenge me will suffer the consequences."

The square immediately fell silent, his words falling like a storm cloud across the crowd. Lin Feng's gaze swept across them, as cold and unforgiving as ever. He could smell their fear, their fidgeting. And it was good.

---

In his hut once more, Lin Feng sat before the Soul Devourer Manual. The events of the day had filled him with a potent mix of emotions: anger, satisfaction, grim determination. He channeled these feelings into his cultivation, and the black qi within him strengthened.

His progress was slow but sure. He knew that the path ahead would be long and fraught with danger, but that was nothing new. He had once clawed his way to power before, and he would do it again.

The moon rose high in the sky, its pale light falling over the village as Lin Feng opened his eyes. They gleamed with a cold, ruthless determination.

"This world has no place for the weak," he whispered. "And I will never be weak again."