In a certain mountain range, a boy lay on the ground with clothes that looked like rags, his body smeared with blood, and a sword wound on his abdomen.
He slowly opened his eyes, "Ah…!" he groaned and quickly used his hand to cover the sword wound on his abdomen.
After the pain subsided a little his eyes slowly gained a sense of clarity. He exhaled deeply and muttered to himself, "So... I've really been reincarnated." His voice carried both surprise and a faint melancholy.
His name was Qichen, a mere menial disciple of the Heavenly Battle Sect, a sect known for its vast size and complicated hierarchy. At only twelve years old, he had lived a life of constant humiliation and struggle.
Just earlier that day, he had received his monthly ration of pills, the only glimmer of hope he had for breaking through to the Bone Strengthening realm.
On his way back to his quarters, he was ambushed by a group of outer disciples, individuals he had clashed with in the past.
They demanded his pills, but Qichen was unwilling to give up his only hope and decided to fight back. And was killed instead.
They ruthlessly shattered his dantian and dragged his body out of the sect's territory, tossing him into a remote area crawling with demonic beasts, hoping he'd be torn apart and eaten, leaving no trace behind.
"Sigh…" he let out another deep breath and clenched his fist. The feeling of having his dantian destroyed was like cutting his only hope of cultivation.
He tried getting back up but fell to his back. The blood that stopped flowing out from his abdomen rushed out as if it was free.
His body trembled a little as if a sword was cutting through his abdomen.
He gritted his teeth and forced himself up. He knew that demonic beasts would soon find him so he had to endure.
He leaned towards the trees for support and continued walking with staggering steps.
Aoooo!
Not long after he left, a wolf's howl echoed in the distance drawing closer.
Qichen's eyes panicked. His worst fear came true.
He quickened his steps and with every stride, a sharp jolt surged through his body as if threatening to cut his path to survival.
Aooooo! The howl this time around was closer and he could hear the growls of beasts chasing after him.
He struggled to increase his speed but it was nothing compared to the wolf chasing after him.
Aoooooo!
Qichen panicked knowing he couldn't escape alive. He quickly took a stick with a sharp edge and got in a fighting stance.
A moment later three wolves appeared with blood red eyes and dark fur. They bared their teeth looking at Qichen and slowly encircled him.
"Stay back…!" Qichen yelled trying his best to stand still. He recognized them at a glance. These were the most common demonic beasts in this mountain range called the Blood-Eyed Wolf.
They had a resemblance to wolves.
One of the demonic beasts couldn't control its bloodthirsty urge and charged towards him.
Qichen staggered back with the tip of the stick facing the Blood-Eyed Wolf.
Crack!
The pointy stick didn't even penetrate its skin before it broke, but it still managed to deflect the Blood-Eyed Wolf.
Qichen quickly stood up holding the two halves of the stick and started swinging it as much as he could to intimidate the wolves.
When Qichen wasn't looking one of the demonic beasts leaped towards him and took a bite of his leg.
"Ah….!" Qichen yelled in pain, his right hand instinctively swung towards the demonic beast.
Crack! The stick broke in contact with the demonic beast's head, but it also forced it back.
"Ah…!" Another demonic beast attacked, its fangs biting into his right shoulder and the sound of bones breaking could be heard.
Qichen fell to the ground, he tried using the other stick in his left hand to pierce the demonic beast's eyes but his left hand was bitten into by another demonic wolf.
The largest Blood-Eyed Wolf stepped forward, its blood-red eyes locked onto Qichen's trembling form. With fangs bared and bloodlust surging, it opened its maw wide aiming directly for his throat.
A final, savage bite.
Qichen wanted to struggle but was held down by the two demonic beasts. Blood kept pouring out of his body.
"Am I going to die like this? I haven't even taken revenge yet." Qichen said unwillingly. His body kept trembling.
As the demonic wolf was about to bite into his throat, twelve-colored light burst out from Qichen's body, causing the three demonic beasts to scream as they were flung back and lost consciousness.
Qichen caught a glimpse of the 12-colored light before also losing consciousness.
His body slowly levitated up and the twelve-colored light washed over his body. The injuries all over his body healed as if they were never there.
His dantian which had been shattered, bones which were broken, healed and radiated 12-colored light. Even his blood also radiated 12-colored lights.
The whole mountain range fell into silence, even birds that usually chirp, couldn't be heard.
But even in that unconscious state, something incredible was happening.
The silence lasted for 10 hours and the 12-colored light slowly disappeared into Qichen's body.
His fingers twitched a little and he slowly opened his eyes.
"What happened?" He asked. He slowly put his hand over his abdomen "How could this be? My dantian has healed and I seem to have broken through the first level of Qi Condensation." Qichen asked with a shocked voice.
He concentrated more and felt his internal injuries. "And my Qi sea seems to be 12-colored. Isn't there only 10 different types of Qi sea, how can mine be 12-colored?" Qichen asked with widened eyes.
Qi Condensation is also called the Qi Sea Realm.
Qichen's eyes narrowed. But wasn't a Qi Sea supposed to hold one color, maybe two? Then what was this twelve?
Qichen slowly stood up, wanting to check his body more but before he could…
Aoooo!
The howl of the Blood-Eyed Wolf was heard drawing him back to reality.
The wolves stirred.
Their blood-red eyes slowly opened, filled with confusion and then fear.
They remembered. The twelve-colored light, the force that slammed them unconscious, the pain that still echoed in their bones.
Like the name Blood-Eyed Wolf suggested, all they were driven by was bloodlust. Greed overtook reason — the scent of blood, the faint memory of a human once helpless.
They snarled and rose again.
But Qichen didn't flinch in the slightest. He could feel that his strength was not something the Blood-Eyed Wolf could challenge and survive.
He stood tall, calm, barefoot on the blood-soaked earth. His black eyes reflected not fear but disdain.
This was a sharp contrast with what he showed before.
"I was almost killed by you... Now your corpse would serve as my rebirth and beginning of my path."
The wolves charged with no hesitation.
Qichen also charged out with precise steps.
In a blur, Qichen appeared beside the nearest beast. His fist arced like a falling star.
Boom!
The wolf's head exploded, its massive body flung into a tree with such force the trunk cracked and split in two.
The other two paused mid-lunge and wanted to retreat, but it was too late. In the face of death, their bloodthirsty eyes showed fear.
Crack!
A foot swept through the ribs of the second wolf. Its bones shattered and it flew out exploding into a pool of blood.
Snap!
The final bigger wolf tried to retreat after seeing its kind's outcome. Qichen appeared before it, grasped its neck, and lifted it off the ground with one hand.
"It was you that tried to bite into my throat!" Qichen looked at it and punched at its throat.
The last Blood-Eyed Wolf tried struggling the way Qichen did, but no miracle occurred.
Qichen's fist passed through its throat ending its life.
Qichen released his hand gripping its throat and its body fell lifeless to the ground.
The mountain was silent again.
Qichen stood amidst the blood and ruin, his bare chest rising slowly, calmly.
He looked at his bloodied hands.
Qichen looked at his hands which had blood over them and was surprised. The strength he showed shocked him. He was like a rabbit waiting to be slaughtered but the situation turned around before he knew it.
"Bone Strengthening, I was so close. But now I've leaped past it entirely."
He said melancholically. He couldn't forget how he had to struggle for pills he was later killed for.
"Sooner or later I'll come for you." He clenched his fist thinking about those who shattered his dantian and left him to die.
"Master!" He was still being amazed by his own strength when a call rang out. He was startled and quickly got into a fighting position.
"Who's there?" Qichen shouted looking around his surroundings.
"Master! Don't be alarmed. I am currently in your mind." the voice sounded again.