From Shadows to Stars

a streak of light. He moved so quickly that he seemed to fly above the ground

e qi. The young man in white stood tall and proud, his expressi

came a breathless

ed to his back and a firewood knife in his hand. He looked exactly like a young man who had been cu

und with a loud thump. He sat down and stretched out his legs, wiping his fo

weighed it in his hand, and gave a small nod. Apparently satisfied, he tossed a pill toward Silas. Then, he rolled the bundl

g was steady now. His eyes no longer looked tired. His body was no longer s

ad been pretendin

hundred pounds of ironwood normally took outer disciples two full days to complete. But he had

t without hesitation. A sweet scent flowed down his throat, spreading w

outer disciples. Just one was enough to satisfy a

nd trees. The forest was quiet, peaceful even. But Silas had no interest in the scenery. He moved quietl

to climb down. There were some oddly shaped rocks sticking out of the cliffside. Most people wouldn'

, he reached a group of large boulders. Behind them, al

e of cold air struck him like

ly different from the warm night outside. It

as quiet and dark, and nothing much sto

mist of cold air hovered over it. It looked calm and still, but Silas didn't

er clothes and stepped to the edge. He

" Silas

. It felt like thousands of tiny knives were scraping his skin. His t

l. Slowly, he began to run his cul

top of a massive ironwood tree to look out over the landscape, and from there, he no

ld safely store. His body gathered the energy quickly, but his ability to refine and balance it was slower. Over time,

ight explode from wit

freezing temperature could reduce the danger by

ound him. The cold mist floating above the pool started to fade, pushed away by the thick s

s slightly and smile

ergy entered his body faster, and more of it was transformed directly into Spirit Core energy-the kind needed for higher stages of cultivation.

le, his body b

to himself, "I'll be able to refine essence int

rned with d

o Primordial Energy could one rise to the ranks of real cultivators. It was said that once someone truly mastered

y from Silas. But for the first time

ation. His body soaked in the cold pool, glowing slightly

the pool, somet

n for who knows how long, a

had been calm and flowing into his body, suddenly became chaotic. It split into two parts

hill ran do

s eyes. "Wha

th the water sta

surface, and the w

g was wa

"No way... is something livi

ody was still wet, and the freezing air bit into his skin, but he didn't care. He stare

got the be

wall, ready to flee if needed

t from the water. The entire cave lit up

, sharp force e

e gust of wind and energy shot past him,

ooked up,

the cave, as smooth as if it had been cut by a

wallowe

e thought, his face pale,

his forehead, even tho

still t

terrifying had awaken