Eternity Master

“Hmph! Xue Jiang! Such a fool! Did you really think you could steal my Dao of Space technique and get away with it? Arrogance! Today I'll show you why they call me the One Hit Kill Sword Immortal!” A man's voice echoes.

Xue Jiang looks up to see it was Wang Tian, his old rival from his childhood. He stood tall and slender, with soft, yet handsome features. He looked at Xue Jiang coldly, as if he wouldn't hesitate to kill at any moment, depending on his next whim.

As they grew up, Wang Tian was always much better at many of the things they did as kids, and as he progressed further and further, learning more than what Xue Jiang was capable of, a resentment grew in Xue Jiang's heart, forming the foundation for an inner demon to take hold.

“Wang Tian, don’t make accusations you can’t prove! I am a law-abiding and righteous man! I don’t dare to steal, honor my parents, and I’m fearful of the heavens! Since when have I ever schemed against you?” Xue Jiang exclaims. As far as he could recall, he had no memory of stealing any Dao of Space technique.

Wang Tian lets out a snort. “Hmph! What does that prove? At most it only shows that you’re a coward! Xue Jiang, I am also a law-abiding man; since a thief dares to steal from me, allow me to be the judge, jury, and executioner. Now, die!” He says, drawing his sword in an instant, and slashing out with a devastating sword intent.

Xue Jiang’s eyes open wide, and he couldn’t even blink; within an instant, the sword strike was upon him. He could barely let out a sound before the sword slash dug deep into his flesh; all Xue Jiang could feel was a sharp pain and the fading of his consciousness. Ah, it seems I was never meant to progress as a cultivator, Xue Jiang thinks, feeling his soul drift away towards the Yellow Springs.

…

…

Xue Jiang’s eyes open wide, startled awake by the feeling of death; his back was drenched in sweat and he was struggling to breathe.

Xue Jiang processes his surroundings and he sees that he was in his cabin. He lets out a sigh of relief. It must have been that same dream, He thinks.

Xue Jiang removes his blanket and stands to open the curtains; welcoming the day.

Xue Jian lets out another sigh. I should make breakfast, he thinks, heading to the kitchen…

…

…

This was a reoccurring nightmare for Xue Jiang… The place he was from was a world of cultivation, where there were all sorts of great masters, and some people could be comparable to deities; destroying rivers and mountains with a wave of their hands.

The heights people could achieve here were the sort of things that gave Xue Jiang nightmares. When he realized what sort of place he lived in, he could only try to deny it; he had always felt that it was a sort of place he didn’t belong to.

Of course, as a child who grew up there, he couldn’t help but have whims and fancies about becoming a great master one day; but as he grew up, those thoughts were doomed to change…

Xue Jiang’s family was quite secure as he was growing up, so they could afford to buy him a standard Introduction to Cultivation manual to guide him through the basics of cultivation in the Qi Gathering stage. If he could follow the manual and cultivate accordingly, he could become a Foundation Establishment master.

The idea of the basics of cultivation, in the Qi Gathering stage, was to brand thirteen principles onto the cultivator’s Soul Source step by step. Branding the first principle would open the dantian and allow the cultivator to gather spiritual energy. Branding the rest of the principles, step by step, onto the cultivator’s Soul Source would allow him or her to open the twelve meridians and create the foundation for a system of cultivation. At that point one would be a Foundation Establishment master, and would be qualified to apply to join a sect or school.

Xue Jiang tried to follow the manual faithfully, and his cultivation was diligent. His hard work was rewarded and he was able to become a Foundation Establishment master. Encouraged and eager to follow his dreams of becoming great, he applied to join the True Sword sect.

Xue Jiang was tested accordingly and the teachers were happy to find that his basic talent was quite good; the True Sword sect accepted him as a disciple with the hope was able to achieve the standard to remain in the sect.

But alas, all Foundation Establishment masters were not created equal. As the seasons passed, more and more of Xue Jiang’s peers advanced in their cultivations and became Core Formation masters, while he was not able to progress one inch!

Unable to figure out why, he asked those he was somewhat close to; only then did he realize that he had completely misunderstood the assignment!

The Introduction to Cultivation guided the cultivator through branding thirteen principles onto the Soul Source, but the manual didn’t quite explain in detail what sort of principles the cultivator should be branding. Xue Jiang assumed that they should be the general principles for how a person should live; for example, his fifth principal was to be a life-long learner.

Little did he know that his peers were branding principles such as the properties of space and time, or principles of gravity, and stuff like the principles of an unyielding sword; much of this was done in the hopes of becoming an unbeatable powerhouse in the future.

Xue Jiang wanted to spit blood; was he the weird one or were his peers the weird ones?

But alas, nothing could be done, and Xue Jiang still couldn’t make any progress past the Foundation Building stage. Naturally, he was removed as a disciple of the True Sword sect, and was left to go back home in defeat.

As Xue Jiang proceeded to get drunk to mourn his life and hopefully forget his worries, his reality began to sink in. This was a world of cultivation, and Foundation Building was only the starting point of cultivation. Xue Jiang could only imagine his future if he remained at this stage forever. Not only could he be killed by a random slap of someone more powerful, he would have to bear the shame of being talentless among his family and friends.

Xue Jiang couldn’t bear the thought, so he ran away, and eventually found himself a village of mortals. The people here had different stories; some were born with health issues that prevented cultivation and some had their cultivations crippled by people they couldn’t offend. But essentially, they shared a similar burden; they were unable to cultivate.

Xue Jiang, deprived of his hope of the future, resigned himself to his fate. He bought a boat, and decided to become a fisherman; content to live and pass away in peace.