When dawn broke, the outer disciple courtyard roared to life.
Dozens of new disciples gathered under the blistering morning sun. Some whispered nervously. Others fidgeted with their wooden tokens. All were here for one purpose—to survive the body refinement training.
A tall man strode into the courtyard, his muscles like iron, his gaze sharp as blades.
"I am Instructor Fang. From now on, your life and death will pass through my hands."
His voice was calm, but it carried the weight of an unspoken threat.
"Today, we start with the basics. Body refining is the foundation of everything. Without it, you are ants. If you collapse, if you vomit blood, if your bones shatter… stand up and keep going."
No one dared to speak.
The first task was simple in words but brutal in execution—endless sprints across the mountain paths.
The sun climbed higher, and our legs burned. I pushed forward, each step heavier than the last. Sweat blurred my vision, but I kept running.
The Heaven Reversion Law demanded this. My body had to suffer before it could grow.
When my legs failed, I crawled. When I could no longer crawl, I forced myself upright.
I was not the only one struggling.
A boy with untamed hair and a scar on his chin kept falling near me, but he always got back up.
His name was Li Shen. He was loud, stubborn, and cursed constantly, but he refused to quit.
"Damn… this sect is trying to kill us!" he growled, wiping blood from his lips as we stumbled together. "Hey, you! You're from Xianyu Village, right?"
I nodded weakly.
"Name's Li Shen. Since we're both dying together, let's at least curse this place side by side."
I couldn't help but grin.
Li Shen was the first person I could call a friend in this harsh world.
But not everyone was so friendly.
When we returned, another disciple named Yue Han, the son of a wealthy merchant family, sneered at us.
"Low-borns like you two should know your place. Don't embarrass yourselves thinking you can rise."
His gaze was sharp, his movements steady. He had already cultivated before entering the sect—a rare advantage.
Li Shen growled, but I held him back. I didn't forget Yue Han's face. One day, I would settle that debt.
---
That night, while others slept, I sat cross-legged in my small stone hut.
The pain in my legs throbbed, but I ignored it.
I slowly circulated my breath, recalling the first passages of the Heaven Reversion Law.
The energy moved clumsily at first. My muscles spasmed. My bones creaked.
But as I repeated the cycles, something changed.
My breathing synchronized with a rhythm I couldn't explain. A deep, ancient pulse echoed in my body, like the pounding of a distant war drum.
The first stage: Iron Bone Tempering.
I clenched my fists as I felt the faintest, sharpest pain biting into my bones.
It had begun.
Tomorrow, Instructor Fang would push us harder. Yue Han would sneer again. Li Shen would curse the heavens.
But I would keep going.
I would forge my body. I would walk the path.
And I would survive.