I felt like I was floating in a vast, endless void—nothing but silence and darkness. Then, amidst the infinite black, a white flower bloomed. It radiated light in the center of nowhere, its petals glowing softly as if calling to me.
I moved toward it, step by step, the light growing brighter with every breath I took. I reached out and touched it. In an instant, the flower shattered into countless particles of light. The fragments danced around me and began rising, gathering in the sky above.
The glowing particles merged to form the shape of a crescent moon—ethereal, enormous, and pulsing with energy. I stared in awe.
Then, the moon began to descend.
At first, slowly… then faster… and faster.
Panic surged through me. I turned to run, but the moon kept growing larger, heavier. A pressure unlike anything I'd ever felt bore down upon me. Just as the glowing mass was about to crash into me—
—I woke up.
Gasping. Sweating. Breathing heavily.
Morning light filtered through the windows. My robe clung to my skin. I clutched the blanket tightly, my heart racing.
Moments later, Sima Baoxiang entered the room, his footsteps soft. "Young Master Rin, are you alright?"
"I'm fine," I replied quickly, though my voice trembled slightly.
It was just a dream… but it felt so real.
I washed up and got dressed with Baoxiang's help. At breakfast, the same daily routine resumed—Father's soft sighs, my sister's silent stares, my brother's overprotectiveness, and my mother's ever-present gaze of judgment.
After eating, I stepped outside the manor.
Grandpa was already waiting.
Today was the day we would visit the Sima Clan's treasure pavilion.
As I approached him, his expression turned unexpectedly serious. He grabbed my wrist without a word, feeling my pulse, then raised my chin and examined my eyes closely.
"Is something wrong, Grandpa?" I asked, puzzled.
After a moment of silence, he stood and let go of me. "No. Everything's fine." But something lingered in his tone.
He grasped my hand again. "Let's go."
We arrived at the treasure pavilion, a majestic structure guarded by two elite warriors. The moment they saw Grandpa, they greet us.
He presented Grandmother's token.
The guards examined it and opened the massive wooden doors. "You may enter, but the boy is only allowed to pick one elixir."
Grandpa nodded. "Wait here," he said, disappearing inside.
Minutes later, he emerged with a small wooden box. He said nothing as we left the pavilion and returned to the training ground.
"Sit," he instructed once we arrived.
I obeyed, sitting cross-legged on the stone platform.
"This pill," he began, "is made from a rare ginseng that grows only in the Forbidden Forest of Yunnan. It contains the equivalent of five years' worth of Qi."
He handed me the small box. Inside was a dark green pill, faintly glowing.
"Eat the pill," he continued. "Then focus all your Qi toward your abdomen. That's where you'll create your lower dantian—the core of your cultivation. Don't worry. I'll guide you."
He sat behind me and placed both palms gently on my back.
I swallowed the pill. Warmth spread through my stomach almost immediately. Then, I began the breathing technique, guiding the energy inward.
With Grandpa's Qi flowing into me, I felt like water was coursing through my veins. The warmth spread slowly, merging with my breath.
I focused on my abdomen. There, I sensed a vast emptiness—like a cavern waiting to be filled.
Following the breathing pattern, I gathered the energy and began rotating it in a circular motion.
A sensation built within me, like an empty pot slowly being filled. When it was full, heat erupted.
I clenched my jaw, enduring the fiery pressure inside my core. My entire body trembled. But I endured.
And then—
Silence.
I opened my eyes.
I felt… light.
My body moved effortlessly. My vision sharpened. My breath flowed smoother.
"I did it," I whispered.
Grandpa smiled. "Congratulations. You've become a Third-Class Martial Artist."
A rush of emotion hit me.
I had taken the first step on the path I was denied in my past life.
Just as I smiled, Grandpa called out, "Rin, look me in the eyes."
I turned.
Suddenly, a wave of pressure slammed into me.
A chill spread down my spine. My heart raced. My knees buckled. My vision darkened.
I couldn't move.
Grandpa's expression hadn't changed, but his presence had. He looked like a blood-soaked war god.
His killing intent wrapped around me like chains, suffocating, paralyzing.
Then, in an instant, it vanished.
I gasped and stumbled back.
"What… was that?" I asked, breathless.
"That," Grandpa said calmly, "was killing intent."
I looked up at him, still shaking.
"Remember this feeling. Whenever you sense it, prepare to fight. There are people in this world whose killing intent is so strong, even their minds are consumed by it."
I nodded slowly.
There was still a long way to go.
"But don't worry," Grandpa added with a grin. "I'll make sure the phoenix soars from the Sima Clan."
"Why not a dragon?" I asked.
He laughed. "Because you're not a woman."
I groaned. "Again with that."
Grandpa pulled out two manuals and handed them to me. "Let's start your next step. These are the Gentle Sword Arts and the Sima Clan's Palm Techniques."
We spent the rest of the day practicing together.
Sword slashes.
Palm strikes.
Breathing control.
Endless repetition.
As night fell, I dragged myself to bed, body aching but spirit light.
I lay there, staring at the ceiling.
Despite everything I had learned today, something troubled me.
Why did it feel like I didn't know anything before?
I closed my eyes and thought deeply.
Then, the realization hit me.
I am not Mo Liang.
I am Sima Rin.
Though I carry the memories of Mo Liang, I am still a ten-year-old boy. I may have his knowledge, his emotions, even his pain—but this life is new. This world is new.
And so, as I grow, I will learn to merge the wisdom of my past life with the innocence of this one.
I smiled faintly as sleep claimed me.
The journey had only just begun.