Near the top of a hill, next to a long, wide flowing river, sat a village.
The village of Zhongde was, as many would describe it, out in the middle of nowhere. It was small with its only distinguishing feature being that it was near a wide, flowing river and being mostly made of large rice fields. It was a very unassuming village and everybody within it was just as unassuming.
And what played a fairly large part in that was the fact that this village hadn't bred any cultivators. Not the fact that it hadn't bred any notable cultivators, the fact that it hadn't bred any cultivators at all. In a world where power was dominant above all else, especially power from cultivation, that made the small village practically invisible.
However, that day, history was made for that small, unassuming village.
Within one of many equally-shaped and equally-sized wooden huts sitting near the brook of the river the village was near, a middle-aged man and woman were getting ready to start their day.
"It is quite nice outside today," the man says.
"Yes, it is warm, but there is also a nice breeze," the woman says. "Where is Siyuan? Is he not up yet?"
"That boy," the man says with a sigh. "He's become so lazy now. Especially after he found that book floating along in the river."
"I am aware, but should we be worried that he is spending more and more time in his room?" the woman says worriedly. "It is just a book, isn't it? What could be so interesting about it that he locks himself away over it for so much time?"
"I'll go fetch him," the man says. "Then you can ask him yourself. He should be awake by now."
The man turns towards the back of the house. However, just as he is about to begin his way to the room there…
There was a very, very bright flash of light. Followed by an ear splitting BOOM!
When the other villagers all scrambled towards the source of the sudden explosion, what they were greeted with was sheer destruction. The small wooden hut where it had come from was completely gone, only razed ground and destroyed planks of wood being the only sign that a house was there at all, with even its foundation being completely gone. Nearby, around the circle of destroyed ground, the man and woman that the house belonged to were on the ground nearby, dazed and in pain.
However, what everyone's attention was on was not them, but at the man standing within the destruction.
Standing in the center of the wreckage was a young, handsome man, no older than twenty years old, with short, crow black hair and amber-colored eyes. He was dressed in a simple dark green tunic and baggy brown pants, cheap clothing very much like everybody else in that village.
On top of all that, his whole body was bathed in a glowing, light blue aura.
"Oh, sorry 'bout that," he sheepishly says, rubbing the back of his head. "Didn't know that laying foundation would be so…explosive, eheheh…"
Nobody was concerned about that, however. They all just stared, amazed and wide-eyed, at him. Every single person there had come to the same conclusion.
For the first time in all of history, the small village of Zhongde had produced a cultivator.
|-|-|-|-|
When his parents woke up, Lin Siyuan apologized profusely and kowtowed over and over again, begging for their forgiveness. The old couple, however, were too shocked to respond. From the moment they first laid eyes on their son, they could both tell that he was no longer like them even though that aura he had was no longer there.
He was something more. Something more than human. Even when seeing him kowtow there in front of them, they felt below him.
He was a cultivator now. Somebody who pursued godhood. And now that he was a cultivator, he had to leave that small village and find a sect, a school for cultivators, to develop in. And he seemed oddly eager to do so to the old couple, but not before rebuilding a new house for them.
That was the first glimpse that he and the other villagers got of his newfound physical abilities.
The shack was small and the village wasn't exactly lacking in supplies, but building a near-identical one was an endeavor that still would have taken a team of four or five maybe a day or two to finish. That was assuming that they took minimal breaks and worked from very early in the morning to very late into the night.
It took Siyuan only several hours, albeit with the help of several of the other men from the village.
He was both much faster and stronger than since he laid foundation. On top of that, he seemed to never tire, working from start to finish without stopping at the slightest, effortlessly completing the tasks that his coworkers struggled to do and then some. The other villagers just watched in awe as the land was cleaned up and renovated, with another house identical to the family's old one having seemed to appear out of nowhere. The inside was a bit empty, but it could be refurnished very quickly, even without Siyuan's help.
He stayed for another day as he packed his meager belongings. His parents, of course, spoke to him of their concerns, but he assured them that he'd be fine. When the morning of his departure came around, he was more than ready for his departure and didn't stick around. On the way out, he hugged his father and kissed his mother's cheek before leaving them for who knows how long. Soon after, he left the village, waving to some of the villagers that he was familiar with and began down the path to the nearest city.
The other villagers were sad to see him go. And he was as well to a degree, but he was more happy than sorrowful. Because, now that he had finally finished laying foundation, he could finally start pursuing his desired life goal.
Siyuan stopped after walking a bit down the path. He turns around, casting one last fleeting glance at his home village. Then, he pulls the bag, full of his stuff, from his back and opens it, retrieving a single book.
Written on the front of its cover, "The Quest to Success: A Cultivator's Guide from the Famed Immortal Blacksmith."
"It took a year, but I'm glad to see that it finally all paid off!" he says. He opens the book, flipping through its pages. "Laying foundation seemed like an oddly peculiar process though. Good thing I found that book, otherwise I'd probably never find out how to do so in the first place. Now, according to the book, what I gotta do next is find a school that can help teach me the ways of relic smithing. The book has some recommendations, but I wonder if some country boy like me can get into any of them. Oh well, you don't know until you try, right?"
Continuing down the path, he began to go through the book for the dozenth time.
|-|-|-|-|
It took him almost a whole day of walking without break, but he had finally reached the nearby city.
"Finally, the city of Lingzheng!" Siyuan exclaims to himself.
He had been to the city a few times before, to buy some supplies that they could only find in the city or to just simply walk around. Regardless, he was blown away by the sheer size of everything around him when he finally got past the city gates and stepped into the city. It was alive and bustling with activity, whether it be people crowding the streets or nearby peddlers trying to attract customers to their stalls or to their nearby restaurant or brothel.
"Okay, now I need to find a sect agency," he tells himself. He stops and takes a moment to look around. "Except, I don't know what one of those looks like. I'll probably have to ask someone. But city folk are pretty mean unless you're buying something from them. And I don't have that much money on me at the moment…"
He sighs.
"Guess I'll just have to wander around until I find one. How hard could it be?"
…
Pretty hard apparently.
Siyuan wandered around the small town aimlessly for around half an hour before he finally found himself in front of one. And honestly, if it weren't for the sign in the front with the symbols for "Mystic River Sect" etched into it, he would've missed it completely.
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"The Mystic River Sect, huh?" he muttered to himself, staring at the small, yet tidy building in front of him, sandwiched between a hotel and a restaurant. He flips through the pages of the book in his hand. "That's the dominant sect in Lingzheng according to here. It doesn't have much on it though…"
He sighs, closing the book and putting it back into his pack.
"Oh well. Guess it'll have to make do."
He walks into the small building, pushing open the door.
Within the door was a small reception area with a few chairs sat near the left and right walls. In front of him, there was a small counter with a young woman sitting behind it, writing something . When the door opened with a quiet creak, the woman looked up from her work.
"Welcome to the Mystic River Sect's Lingzheng agency," she said. "How may I-?"
She suddenly stops when she lays eyes on him as he walks up to the counter. Siyuan was beginning to feel slightly uncomfortable with how her eyes were beginning to roam his frame.
A cultivator?! Here in Lingzheng?! she thought to herself. But how did he lay foundation?! This place is completely barren of cultivation resources! But it's not like he's the first one, the last guy said that he had several come by last year. It probably just took him a super long time. That aside, it means he can take the inner sect exam right away.
She looked away from him and to the pile of papers on the counter right in front of her. She began to go through the papers.
"Um, hello," Siyuan greets, a bit puzzled. "I'm here-"
"-to apply for enrollment into the sect?" the woman said.
Siyuan blinked.
"Yeah," he says.
"Great! You're in luck since the sect is currently taking in more disciples!" the woman said, her tone suddenly becoming more chipper as a smile appeared on her face. "Since you've already laid foundation, you can immediately go take the inner sect exam."
Huh, she doesn't seem too shaken, he thought. That's a relief. I'm starting to get tired of getting weird looks from everyone out in the streets.
It wasn't until that thought went through his head that he comprehended the last part of her statement.
"Wait, there's an exam?" he asks.
"Of course," the woman says. "But don't worry, I hear that it's not all that difficult. Plus, the sect will personally provide resources, including housing, although for at most half a year ahead of time in preparation for it."
She reaches a hand into her robe. When she pulled it out, there was a rectangular, green jade pendant in her hand. She hands it to him.
"Just answer the questions on there and I'll have an escort bring you to the sect," she says.
Siyuan stared at the pendant, which was blank.
"Questions? What que-?"
He suddenly stops as the pendant began to glow. Golden characters began to draw themselves out onto the crystalline surface.
"Whoa," he mutters, staring wide-eyed at it. "What is this?"
Huh? He doesn't know? the woman thinks. It's not like these are uncommon. Oh well, guess it's just to be expected even if he did lay foundation. This is Lingzheng after all.
"Transmission pendants, pretty cool, aren't they?" she says. "Just close your eyes and think the answer out in your head. Then the pendant will move on to the next one."
"That's pretty cool," he says.
He watched the woman pull another identical pendant from her robe. She closed her eyes for a moment. The pendant began to glow before disappearing from her hand.
"If there are any questions you have trouble reading on there, just ask and I can provide some assistance," she says.
With that, she goes back to the papers she was working on initially.
Siyuan just shrugged and gave a quick "sure" before sitting at one of the nearby chairs. He focuses back onto the pendant in his hand.
Finishing the questions wasn't all that hard. They were all mostly open-ended questions meant to glean in on the more nitty-gritty details of his early life. Ten minutes later, the pendant stopped switching through questions and its light green glow began to die down.
Then he was blinded by a sudden flash of light.
|-|-|-|-|
Five months had passed since Lin Siyuan was teleported to the front gate of the Mystic River Sect, having passed in the blink of an eye to him.
There, he was welcomed with open arms and promptly taken to the outer sect.
Under normal circumstances, the outer sect was a place where mortals who were accepted to come to the sect to build foundation, while doing various chores for the sect, and study for the inner sect exam. Siyuan was a special case in the context that he had already laid foundation, so he spent a mere half a month before he was prepared to take the inner sect exam.
Contrary to what the lady in the agency had said, Siyuan found the inner sect exam to be plenty hard. In fact, after talking to a test coordinator, he found that the average pass rate of the exam was just barely above 20%. Siyuan himself barely passed by the skin of his teeth.
Immediately after passing, he was proclaimed an inner sect disciple and was finally given access to the true supply of cultivation resources that the sect provided to its members.
And fortunately for him, the Mystic River Sect had a relic smithing division.
"Sensei, I've finished my project."
Siyuan stands at the doorway leading into a moderately-sized classroom, empty save for an older, middle-aged man sitting cross-legged on a red cushion all the way at the front of the classroom with his eyes closed. He had a smooth face with short, crow black hair tied up into a bun. Both he and Siyuan were dressed in elaborate, white and light blue robes, signature uniforms of the Mysti River Sect.
The older man's eyes open at the sound of Siyuan's voice, both a rich brown that seemed infinitely deep.
"Siyuan, done several days before the deadline as usual," he says. He stands up from the cushion as Siyuan steps into the classroom and up to it. He holds out his hand. "Your final product?"
Siyuan reaches an arm over his shoulder. Strapped to his back was a long, thin object, completely wrapped up in dark gray cloth. He grabs it by one end and pulls it from the strap on his back before holding it out respectful to his teacher with both hands.
The older man takes the object from his hands. He makes quick work of the cloth, tossing it back to Siyuan, and revealing it to the world.
Underneath that cloth was a sword. But it wasn't just any sword, it was a cultivator's sword. Made to be more effective and durable than any sword made with mortal hands or materials. It was just one kind of many weapons that cultivators could utilize, which were just as important to most cultivators as food and water. However, it wasn't exactly uncommon to come across one. In fact, they were so common among areas cultivators frequently populated that they could even be found just strewn around on the ground. And of course, mortals coming across them wasn't too uncommon of an occurrence either, though in almost every case, they weren't capable of wielding them.
This sword, however, wasn't just an average cultivator's sword. Anybody who came across it would immediately be able to sense that, as did the man who held it in his hands.
"A grade 2 sword relic, and it doesn't seem lacking at all in quality," he says as he scrutinizes the sword's blade. "How many attempts did it take to successfully forge this?"
"A total of 9," Siyuan says. "4 to forge the relic itself, 5 to enhance it."
The man bobs his head slightly.
"Not bad," he says. "A bit under your usual success rate, but still exceptional, especially considering how early you are."
He examines the blade for a few moments. Then he turns to a nearby window. In front of that window was a potted plant, a small, two-leafed plant that wasn't exactly in the best of conditions. It was losing the bright green luster that signified ripe growth and was wilting.
The man raises the sword in his hand before, very gently, tapping one of its leaves with the tip of the blade.
A spark of light came to life at the blade's sharp tip upon contact. As the man lifted the blade, both he and Siyuan watched as the plant seemed to spring back to life. A bright green color returned to its stems and leaves as it straightened itself up, its wilt having disappeared completely.
"A well-crafted relic that carries out its intended purpose," the man says, handing the sword back to Siyuan. "You pass. Do with it as you wish."
Siyuan nods and bows his head in thanks. He then takes the sword from his sensei, already thinking of exactly how much money he could pawn it off for. He quickly wraps it back in the cloth that he had brought it into the classroom with before reattaching it to the strap on his back. Just as he turned around and began to walk out however…
"Siyuan, a moment of your time before you leave, please."
Siyuan turns back around, bowing his head slightly.
"What does sensei request of me?" he asked.
"Siyuan, what do you want to see yourself doing in the future?" the man asks, ignoring his question.
One of Siyuan's eyebrows rose. For a moment, he didn't answer.
"I am assuming that you want to become a relic smith?"
Siyuan blinked again.
"Yes, sensei," he says. "And maybe also open my renowned smithery."
The teacher hummed at that, an eyebrow raising in interest.
"Opening up a renowned smithery?" he asks. "Now that is something I don't hear everyday. Usually, the average student relic smith is just simply aiming to become successful in the field, maybe apprentice under a famous smith. Opening up a smithery however, a renowned one on top of that…how ambitious."
"Thank you for your compliment, sensei," Siyuan says, bowing his head again.
The man cups his chin in thought, simply staring at the student as Siyuan raises his head.
"Yes, very ambitious," he says. "And that is a good thing. Somebody your age can make great use of that ambition. But ambition on its own is useless. What is the point of it if you are not capable?"
He sighs. Siyuan looks at him a bit confusedly, wondering where his teacher was going with this.
"Siyuan, you are good," he continues. "Exceptional even. Not the most prodigious student that I've ever had, but undoubtedly above average if I were to be very strict. A rough success rate of three forged relics out of every ten attempts is very good for someone who started less than half a year ago. However, a smithery owner can't just be exceptional or above average."
The teacher sits back down onto the cushion he was sitting on before before closing his eyes once again and reassuming a meditative sitting posture.
"It is only the best relic smiths that cultivators go to if they want to purchase a relic," he continues. "The smiths who begin the most famous and successful smitheries known today aren't the exceptional or above average ones. They are the ones who are the best of the best. The supreme talents that appear once every century. You are not one of those talents."
He suddenly stops. Both of his arms suddenly shoot out to his sides, stretching out to their full lengths to his left and right, both his eyes still closed. He then brings both his hands back to right in front of his chest before flipping the palms of his hands so that they were facing each other. Siyuan felt a slight fluctuation of qi prickle at his skin before disappearing as quickly as it had appeared.
"However, that is not to say you can't reach that level," he continued, maintaining his meditation. "You will have to work hard, however. Very hard. And if you are truly willing to fully dedicate yourself to this, you will undoubtedly face many hardships. I am not saying it is impossible for you, but perhaps your ambitions overstep your capabilities. I advise that you consider that."
The man brings down his hands, laying them on each knee.
"That is all."
With that, the room is reduced back to silence as the teacher went right back to his cultivation.
Siyuan stared at him for a moment. Then, he bowed one last time before turning around and leaving the classroom.