"Whoosh..."
Julius steadily walked on the old suspension bridge.
On the suspension bridge, the iron cables responsible for connecting the two sides of the cliff swayed and clanked continuously with the howling cold wind, emitting bursts of "clang" sounds.
One minute later...
"Shhh..."
One leg stepped onto the snow-covered ground at the edge of the cliff.
In one minute, Julius, braving the biting cold wind, arrived in front of this familiar temple.
He straightened the lapel of his chest, stepped forward, placed his palms on the dilapidated wooden double doors, slowly applied force, and with a harsh "creak" sound, pushed open the temple doors.
"Whoosh whoosh~~"
The moment they opened, a biting cold wind, carrying a large amount of glistening snowflakes, howled into the temple.
Julius gazed at the desolate temple before him, sighing in his heart.
"Five years have passed, and Master has yet to return."
He remembered that the last time he saw Master was in the winter of 1982.
Time had changed, five years had passed, but Master still hadn't returned.
But he, he had found the right path, his own path.
"Clang!"
Julius entered, pressed both hands against the double doors, and forcefully closed them amidst the howling cold wind.
He simply cleared the accumulated snow inside the temple, making a space for himself to rest.
Immediately, Julius went to the kitchen inside the temple. The kitchen was spacious, estimated to be twenty square meters. Besides a stove, there was a large amount of stored firewood.
Julius had never used this stove, but he had seen Master use it.
But he himself had never used it.
There was no water source on Ambitious Peak, and snow could not be used as drinking water, as snow would carry many harmful substances when falling from the sky.
As for Master...
Julius still clearly remembered that the first time he saw Master cook, Master fetched water from the town below, carrying two large wooden buckets on a shoulder pole back to the temple before the water completely froze.
And from the town below to halfway up Ambitious Peak, it would take an ordinary person at least three days.
But Master made a round trip in less than ten minutes.
"Clap."
Julius put down his mountaineering bag, took out some ingredients and cooking utensils from the bag, built a campfire with the firewood in the kitchen, and set a pot over it.
"Click... crackle..."
The dagger scraped against the flint, a spark flashed, the kindling in the woodpile ignited, and a small flame gradually grew stronger until it blazed fiercely, setting the firewood alight.
"Eh?"
Suddenly, Julius noticed something placed on the stove. Out of curiosity, he got up and went to the stove.
"This is Master's book."
Julius picked up an old yellow-covered book from the stove. He remembered it was a book Master kept in the temple; Master would sometimes take it out to look at it.
"Master has returned!?"
Thinking of this possibility, Julius's spirits lifted.
After many years, although he was now vastly different from his former self, he still respected the old monk who had introduced him to the path of cultivation and guided him, just as he did before.
"Just wait."
Julius thought that Master might have gone down the mountain, so he sat down cross-legged again, patiently waiting.
A long time passed...
He didn't know if five hours had passed, or six.
When Julius awoke from his meditation, the outside world was already dark, but Master was still nowhere to be seen.
Julius raised his wrist, watching the hands of his watch slowly turn until the three hands of different lengths converged, pointing to twelve o'clock.
"It's time to go."
Julius decided not to wait any longer. He blew out the fiercely burning campfire with a single breath, got up, pushed open the door, and stepped into the vast dark night.
And while Julius left to go to the summit of Ambitious Peak to cultivate, his Master, the one in his heart, was currently thousands of miles away in the island nation.
Southern region, Shiraishi Pass.
Valleys dotted with canyons connected to steep hills or peaks. This was a very remote mountain range.
Within the foggy canyon, a stream meandered through the mountains. Bright moonlight poured down, illuminating the fine sugar-like gravel, reflecting the moon in the water, and sparkling with starlight, like the Milky Way.
Mountains and water connected, as if adorning the peaks with ribbons of starlight and jade.
"Boom!!!"
Suddenly, a loud bang erupted in the canyon.
"Swish!"
In the mist, two massive dark figures flashed past, and the sea of mist surged.
The next moment, a point of crimson appeared in the white sea of mist.
A scorching pillar of fire, rotating in a spiral, shot through the canyon. The intense high temperature evaporated the surrounding dew, and a large amount of vegetation turned to ashes in an instant.
The scorching pillar of fire flew extremely fast, instantly catching up with the two massive creatures.
The pillar of fire paused between the two massive creatures. It immediately condensed, transforming into a blazing orb of light that continuously expanded outwards, emitting a dazzling red glow.
"Boom~!"
The blazing orb of light exploded violently, sending the two massive shadows flying tens of meters in mid-air, then dropping to the ground, still rolling hundreds of meters further, hitting the stone walls on both sides of the canyon with two loud "bangs."
The two massive shadows instantly became dispirited. Their already scarred bodies were now at their limit.
"Thump... thump..."
The flames dispersed, and an old monk in a white robe emerged.
The old monk's white eyebrows were as sharp as knives. His hands were clasped in front of his chest, and his lips trembled, murmuring something unknown.
Peculiarly, this old monk's eyes were completely black inside, with no whites, no pupils, as if his eyeballs had long been gouged out. Yet, he stared with wide eyes like a normal person, which was chilling.
And his arms were also covered with circles of tattoos, each a black circle, one positive and one negative.
"Humans... after all, are just..."
"Sooner or later... my clan... will replace..."
One of the giant shadows lay sprawled against the stone wall, struggling, and spoke its last fragmented words.
But before it finished, its head lolled to the side, completely losing all signs of life.
The giant shadow suddenly shrank, transforming into a large mass of transparent liquid that seeped into the ground.
"Howl~!"
Another giant shadow rose, roaring mournfully. The next moment, it bent its legs, intending to flee.
But no sooner had it stood up than the white-robed old monk suddenly flashed, appearing above its head, raising his right arm, and striking its huge head with a palm.
"Roar!!!"
The giant shadow looked up, roaring in fury. Its massive claws extended from its fingertips, grabbing at the white-robed old monk.
The giant claw, imbued with overwhelming black Nen, enveloped the old monk like the gates of hell, covering him entirely.
If Illumi were present, he would surely recognize at a glance that the terrifying Nen emanating from this massive shadow had already reached an S-rank threat level.
This concentration and quantity of Nen were unstoppable by anyone except Nen users of Netero's caliber.
"Boom~!!!"
The moment the two attacks clashed, a large expanse of invisible Nen exploded, and everything within a twenty-meter radius instantly turned to dust.
The giant shadow controlled its dispersed massive Nen to condense, transforming into black fierce tigers that pounced at the old monk with bared fangs and claws.
But even so, the old monk remained calm and composed.
He extended his right hand forward, spread his five fingers, palm facing upwards, and a red light glowed in his palm.
"Hum..."
A large amount of golden-red Nen gathered in a spiral in his palm. With a thunderous roar, the red light grew from small to large, erupting like lava, instantly sweeping through the entire canyon and completely engulfing the numerous black Nen.
"Boom!"
With a loud bang, flames engulfed its body.
"Wailing~!!!"
The giant shadow twisted its body, howling towards the sky. A hint of despair flashed in its monstrous pupils. Its huge mouth opened wide, revealing tens of centimeters of teeth. It pushed off with its legs and charged towards the white-robed old monk in front of it with a "boom."
Attempting to swallow that damned "bug" whole.
But the old monk merely raised his right hand again. Golden-red light continuously gathered in his palm, and in the giant shadow's despairing eyes.
A terrifying golden-red beam of light shot forth from his palm.
"Boom!"
The golden-red beam emitted from his palm instantly expanded dozens of times upon contact with the giant shadow, transforming into a golden-red pillar of flame, a meter in diameter, that shot into the giant shadow's mouth, passed through its body, and continued to spray for tens of meters before gradually dissipating.
"Bang!"
With a loud crash, the giant shadow's charred and smoking corpse slowly fell.
It transformed into a mass of transparent liquid and seeped into the ground.
"Alas~"
The white-robed old monk gazed at the ground where the giant shadow had disappeared. After a long while, he sighed, shook his head slightly, and turned to leave.
Island Nation, Southern Border.
In the remote countryside, far from the city's hustle and bustle, there was a small town called Qingyao Town.
Qingyao Town was located in the southern border region of the island nation, a highly impoverished and remote mountainous area.
Here, the annual rainfall was only 30 to 40 centimeters, and vegetation could easily become lush.
It was now early November, the time of Frost's Descent, precisely the changing season between late autumn and early winter. Withered tree leaves could be seen flying everywhere, falling to the ground with gusts of autumn wind.
Behind Qingyao Town, stood a majestic mountain.
This mountain was perennially green and vibrant, and because its shape resembled a giant stone, it was named Qingyao Mountain.
Qingyao Town was also named after it.
And on such a majestic mountain, there also stood a solid wooden house, where a family of four lived.
"1...2...3...Lift!"
Outside the wooden house, three young boys and girls, one big and two small, together lifted a bamboo back-basket filled with charcoal, placing it on the back of the older boy.
"Good job, you worked hard."
The oldest boy rubbed the hair of his two younger siblings, smiling thankfully, even though they hadn't played much of a role.
He then shook the back-basket to make it more comfortable and stable on his back.
"Hehe..."
The two children, praised, lifted their innocent and adorable faces, revealing neat, white teeth.
"Kai-chan."
At this moment, a somewhat weary middle-aged woman stepped out from inside the door.
She wore an apron and a white headscarf, her face weathered, and her clothing plain.
"Why is your face all black with charcoal?"
The woman looked at the black charcoal dust on the boy's face, pulled a clean white towel from her apron pocket, and wiped the charcoal from his face.
"It's getting cold outside. Remember to put on more clothes before you leave."
The woman gently instructed as she wiped the boy's face.
"Hehe, I'm not afraid of the cold, Mom."
"New Year is coming soon. I want everyone to eat well and for Naru and Hana to wear new clothes."
The boy, Kai-chan, looked at his weary mother and smiled very thoughtfully.
"You've worked hard, Kai-chan."
Mom finished wiping the charcoal from the boy's face, put the towel back into her pocket, and smiled gently.
"Brother, we want to go to town too!"
"I want to go too!"
The boy's two younger siblings gathered around, excitedly raising their small hands, looking at him with eager expressions.
"No, you two can't keep up with Kai-chan."
Mom stood up and immediately refused the two children's request.
"Mommy~"
"No~!"
"Aww~~"
The two children simultaneously pouted, their eyebrows drooping, showing crestfallen expressions.
"Naru, Hana." Kai-chan came in front of the two, stroked their soft hair, his expression gentle, "You two, just stay home and help Mom well."
"I'll buy lots of delicious things back, so we can all have a happy New Year this year."
"Really?"
The younger siblings looked hopeful.
"Mm."
Kai-chan nodded heavily with a smile, and his younger brother Naru and sister Hana then smiled again.
"Hana, I'll also bring books back for you. I'll read to you tonight."
Kai-chan stroked his sister's hair and said.
"Mm."
Hana narrowed her eyes, happily nodding and "mm"-ing.
After comforting his younger siblings, Kai-chan stood up, looked at his mother, and said, "Then I'm heading out."
"Mm, be careful on the way."
Mom smiled and nodded, watching with the two children as Kai-chan walked down the mountain path with the charcoal on his back.
Kai-chan walked towards the forest with a smile. For him, life was not easy right now, but it was happy.
However, life is always changing.
The sky doesn't stay clear forever; it has both cloudy and clear days. Sometimes, clear skies for too long are not a good thing, just like the fate that Kai-chan's family was about to face.
When happiness is destroyed, it always carries the scent of blood.
Qingyao Town.
After an unknown length of travel, Kai-chan finally arrived at Qingyao Town at the foot of the mountain.
At this time, on the gravel-paved streets of Qingyao Town, withered leaves covered everything. Many people were sweeping the fallen leaves in front of their homes with brooms.
An auntie sweeping leaves outside her house inadvertently glimpsed a figure appearing at the street corner. She couldn't help but stop sweeping, squinting her eyes as she watched the figure gradually approach.
It wasn't until the figure came within ten meters of her that the auntie gradually recognized the newcomer's face.
"Oh dear~ it's Kai-chan."
"Are you still coming down the mountain in this weather? You must be working hard."
"Be careful not to catch a cold."
The auntie, seeing Kai-chan thinly dressed, couldn't help but show concern.
"This much is fine, Auntie Mitsui."
"Do you still have enough charcoal? Do you want to buy some charcoal?"
Kai-chan stopped in front of the auntie and asked her.
"Hey~ Kai-chan!" No sooner had he spoken than an uncle not far ahead waved and shouted, "Sell me some charcoal, I'm almost out."
"By the way, thanks for helping me change the door before, it's much sturdier than before."
The uncle smiled, thanking him.
"I need to buy some too."
"Me too."
The people in town seemed to know about Kai-chan's family's difficulties, and they all extended a helping hand. In less than half an hour, Kai-chan's charcoal was all sold out.
And to thank everyone in town, Kai-chan would often go to town to help out.
Whether it was moving things, pulling goods, or delivering items, he would try his best to help everyone.
"Kai-chan, can you help me move some things?"
"These furniture pieces are too heavy; I can't move them by myself."
An uncle stood in front of his house, wiping sweat from his forehead. He happened to see Kai-chan and asked for his help.
"No problem, Uncle Shimura."
Kai-chan ran to the uncle, put down his back-basket, picked up a piece of furniture, and walked towards the doorway.
At this moment, at the end of Qingyao Town's street, two unfamiliar figures, a man and a woman, appeared and walked leisurely down the street.
"Hm?"
Suddenly, Kai-chan, who was about to enter the house, stopped for some reason, standing motionless.
"What's wrong, Kai-chan?"
The uncle, seeing him suddenly stop moving, asked worriedly.
"Uncle Shimura, do you know those two people?"
Kai-chan stared intently at the man and woman in the distance down the street, asking in confusion.
"Never seen them. Maybe they're just passing through."
Uncle Shimura scratched his head, unsure.
Kai-chan said nothing more. He watched the man and woman appear from the end of the street, then turn at the crossroads, and disappear without a trace.
"Is something wrong, Kai-chan?"
Uncle Shimura asked again. Kai-chan shook his head, no longer thinking about it, and walked into the house with the furniture.
In the evening, Kai-chan walked up the mountain with his back-basket.
On the way back, his brows furrowed. The moment those two appeared, an inexplicable sense of alarm rose in his heart, making him extremely uneasy.
He grew up on the mountain, constantly traveling through dangerous forests and dealing with various wild beasts.
From childhood, his physical fitness was as strong as an ordinary person's, and even his instincts were honed to be like a beast's.
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