Chapter 5: The First Step on a Thousand-Mile Road
The first rays of dawn gently kissed Holy Soul Village, painting the small cottages in warm, golden hues.
Inside a modest, broken room, Ye Feng slowly opened his swollen eyes.
Pain —
deep, biting pain — spread through his body like wildfire.
But under the pain, something else stirred.
Strength.
Ye Feng clenched his small fists tightly.
He could feel it: his bones were firmer, his muscles slightly denser, and even his breathing was stronger.
A faint smile curved his bruised lips.
"The first step..."
"I've taken it."
---
Creak.
The door opened softly.
Old Jack, the village chief, stepped inside carrying a small bowl of steaming porridge.
When he saw Ye Feng's battered condition, his old face tightened with worry.
"Child...! What have you done to yourself?"
Ye Feng struggled to sit up, ignoring the piercing aches in his chest.
"I... just trained a little too hard, Grandpa Jack," he said, trying to smile.
Old Jack's brows furrowed deeply.
"Training is good, Feng'er," he said, placing the porridge down carefully, "but you are still just a boy. Life is more than endless labor. Play. Laugh. Make friends."
Ye Feng lowered his head slightly.
Inside, his resolve only grew firmer.
"I cannot stop."
"The world does not wait for the weak."
Old Jack sighed heavily, placing a wrinkled hand on Ye Feng's head.
"Eat, rest, recover," he said kindly.
"Tomorrow, we will talk about school."
Ye Feng's eyes lit up slightly.
"School?"
---
Later that day, under the bright afternoon sun, Ye Feng limped slowly to the village square.
Children laughed and chased each other, their joy filling the air.
Tang San was practicing alone nearby, throwing pebbles at a tree trunk with precise movements.
When Ye Feng approached, Tang San turned and smiled lightly.
"Ye Feng, you look... different," Tang San said after studying him.
"Different?" Ye Feng asked.
Tang San nodded.
"Sharper. Like a sword that's been tempered."
Ye Feng laughed quietly.
"If a sword is not sharpened," he said, "it rusts."
Tang San was silent for a moment, then nodded again seriously.
Though young, both boys could feel it —
they were different from the others.
Both carried dreams that ordinary children could not understand.
---
As the sun dipped behind the mountains, Ye Feng returned to his small room.
Despite the pain coursing through his body, he sat cross-legged once more.
Carefully, patiently, he began circulating his soul power following the method described in the Heaven and Earth Refining Scripture.
Tiny threads of energy from the world seeped into his body.
His soul power, his vitality, even his spiritual energy, grew drop by painstaking drop.
And above all,
he felt a faint response from his martial souls hidden within him.
The Purple Seed pulsed faintly with life.
The Copper Sword grew slightly heavier, more solid.
The Scripture was working.
He could not afford to stop.
---
The next morning, the entire village gathered once more near the square.
Old Jack, his chest puffed with pride, held up a carefully folded letter, stamped with the seal of Spirit Hall.
"Children, villagers," he announced loudly, "the Spirit Master Su Yuntao has sent his recommendation!"
He turned to face Tang San and Ye Feng, his eyes full of deep emotion.
"Only two children have been recommended to study at Notting Junior Academy — Tang San and Ye Feng!"
The crowd cheered politely, though some of the children looked disappointed.
Old Jack's eyes misted over as he smiled.
"My children," he said warmly, "walk tall. Work hard. Bring honor not just to yourselves, but to our Holy Soul Village!"
Tang San bowed solemnly.
Ye Feng bowed deeply, his heart swelling with silent resolve.
They would not fail.
No matter the obstacles ahead —
no matter the hardships or scorn —
they would carve their own paths toward the heavens.
---
End of Chapter 5