Fang Long was shocked. Shocked by what he saw. Shocked by what he heard. Most of all, he was terrified.
His body trembled uncontrollably.
"Who are you?" Fang Long asked, his voice shaking.
"I have been waiting for you," the voice responded.
"Who I am does not matter. Who you will become… does."
Fang Long didn't quite understand what the voice was implying.
"What do you mean?" Fang Long asked.
"You are a boy with extreme talent. But broken meridians are what stopped you. Bullied and discarded. Humiliated and brought to the brink of death."
The voice echoed softly through the cavern.
"But all of that can change."
Fang Long's eyes widened.
"Your fate…"
The cave fell silent for a moment.
"Can change."
....
"How!?" Fang Long asked, his fear quickly turning into excitement.
"I wish to pass on my talents… to you."
"Everything else will depend on you and you alone," the voice answered.
"Open the book that lies next to me. Read the title… and do not fear."
"Fear is what holds a man back. Fear… is weakness," the voice continued.
Fang Long could hardly believe what was happening. His mind struggled to comprehend it. But he trusted the voice. More than anything, he wanted to become strong. He wanted to become a god. Slowly, he reached down and picked up the book. A thick layer of dust covered it. Fang Long gently blew the dust away.
That was when he saw it. The title. Written in letters that looked as though they had been painted with blood.
"The Legendary Demonic Sword Arts."
At that moment, he felt it. A strange sensation entered his body. At first it was soothing, like warm water flowing through his veins. But soon the warmth turned into burning pain. Fang Long dropped to the ground. He couldn't bear it.
From all around him, a reddish-black aura began pouring into his body, seeping through his skin like smoke. The air in the cave trembled as the energy rushed toward him. He screamed. It felt as though his entire body was being torn apart.
His bones cracked. His veins burned. His meridians twisted and shattered. Then, slowly…
They began to rebuild. Piece by piece, his body was being reconstructed. The pain was unbearable.
Fang Long clawed at the stone floor, his screams echoing throughout the cavern. But eventually, his body could endure no more. His vision blurred. Darkness swallowed him.
And Fang Long passed out.
....
Fang Long slowly opened his eyes.
For a moment, he lay still on the cold stone floor, his mind hazy and unfocused. He didn't know how much time had passed since he lost consciousness. It could have been hours… or even days.
But one thing was certain. He felt different. Stronger. The weakness that had followed him his entire life was gone. His body no longer felt hollow and fragile. Instead, a strange energy pulsed inside him, flowing through every part of his being.
Fang Long slowly pushed himself up. His movements felt light. Effortless. He looked down at his hands.
The thin, fragile fingers he had grown used to seeing were no longer the same. His hands were steadier now, his skin no longer pale and sickly. The bones that once stuck out beneath his skin were less visible, and faint lines of strength ran through his arms.
Confused, he clenched his fist. A sharp crack echoed through the cave as the air itself seemed to vibrate from the force.
Fang Long froze. He stared at his own hand in disbelief.
"What…?"
His breathing quickened. He could feel it now — energy flowing through his body like a river. It moved through pathways he had never felt before, circulating from his chest to his limbs and back again.
His meridians. They were no longer broken. Fang Long immediately sat down cross-legged on the ground, placing his hands on his knees as he closed his eyes. The moment he focused inward, his consciousness sank deep into his body.
What he saw left him speechless. Where shattered meridians once existed, there were now dark crimson pathways glowing faintly with power. The energy flowing through them was unlike anything he had ever heard described.
Dangerous. Yet it obeyed his will.
Fang Long opened his eyes slowly. "The Demonic Sword Arts…" he whispered.
A smile slowly formed on his face. For the first time in his life…
Fang Long could cultivate.