Chapter 4: A Seed Against the Heavens
Ye Feng sat alone in the corner of his small, cracked wooden room.
The laughter of the other children echoed outside the window, warm and bright.
But inside — only cold silence.
His small hands tightened into fists.
"Copper sword... purple seed... odd martial souls..."
"Not much future."
Su Yuntao's cold evaluation stabbed Ye Feng's heart like a knife.
All these years of hard work, of relentless training, of dreams whispered under the stars —
Was it all meaningless?
A drop of blood welled up where he bit his lip.
He wiped his face roughly.
"No... I won't accept it."
Suddenly, he remembered something.
Ye Feng reached under his bed and pulled out a small wooden box, wrapped tightly in cloth.
Inside lay two things:
An old, fragile letter.
And an even older scroll, sealed with ancient symbols.
With trembling fingers, he unfolded the letter first.
---
> "My dear Feng'er,
If you are reading this, then you have awakened your martial soul.
No matter what the world says, remember this truth:
Bloodlines can fade. Talent can be buried.
But the human spirit... can surpass even the gods, if it does not yield.
You are the last heir of our clan.
I entrust you with the legacy that our ancestors guarded for a thousand years —
though none ever succeeded.
This is the Heaven and Earth Refining Scripture.
If you can endure it...
you will forge a foundation that no genius could ever match.
Feng'er... Defy fate. Even if it takes a hundred years."
---
Ye Feng pressed the letter to his chest, his heart shaking.
Then, slowly, he picked up the scroll.
The moment he touched it, a faint vibration passed into his hand — as if the scroll itself was alive.
He opened it.
Across the ancient parchment, characters shone faintly:
> Heaven and Earth Refining Scripture
(Refine the Body, Nourish the Soul, Forge the Spirit, Command the World.)
---
Beneath the title, the Scripture laid out its terrifying cultivation path:
Refine the body, toughening bones, skin, muscles until they could withstand heaven's lightning.
Nourish the soul power, strengthening its density and purity.
Forge the mental and spiritual energy, enabling supernatural awareness and focus.
Temper the vital force, extending lifespan beyond natural limits.
Even reshape and evolve martial souls at the highest levels.
The first step was called Foundation Baptism.
It demanded circulating not only soul power, but spiritual and vital energy simultaneously —
forcing them into collision, smashing, rebuilding every meridian, every inch of bone, every drop of blood.
The Scripture warned coldly:
> "The pain surpasses mortal limits."
"Thousands of ancestors tried. Not one reached the First Level."
"Those without monstrous will shall perish."
---
Yet if one succeeded, the rewards were unimaginable:
Beyond the Fifth Stage, the text grew blurred, sealed by time and fate.
---
Ye Feng stared at the scroll for a long time.
Nobody had ever succeeded?
Even his ancestors had failed?
But strangely, his blood boiled in excitement, not fear.
"If nobody could do it..."
"Then I'll be the first!"
He sat down cross-legged.
Following the Scripture's method, he slowly guided his breath inward —
attempting to fuse the body's strength, soul power, and spiritual awareness into one.
At first, nothing happened.
Then—
Agony.
Pure, brutal agony.
It was as if countless invisible needles stabbed into his bones.
His skin felt like it was being peeled off.
His muscles screamed with every heartbeat.
His vision blurred.
His body shook violently.
"It's too much..."
"Maybe I can't..."
But then, from deep within his soul, a faint voice rose:
> "Defy fate, Feng'er."
"Even if it takes a hundred years."
Ye Feng clenched his teeth until blood filled his mouth.
"No."
"I won't stop."
He endured.
Minute by minute.
Hour by hour.
Through the night, as stars wheeled across the sky, Ye Feng battled the impossible pain.
And finally, just as dawn's first light touched the horizon —
deep inside his trembling body, a tiny change began.
His bones emitted a faint creak — like steel being tempered in flame.
His blood flowed a little thicker, a little stronger.
His breath grew heavier, as if every inhale pulled the mountain into his lungs.
The first signs of the Titan Bone Body.
It was the smallest step imaginable.
But it was a start.
A seed against the heavens had been planted.
And Ye Feng...
would make it grow into a tree that pierced the stars.
---