CHAPTER 2 — THE MARK OF DESTINY
Yu Yuan stood frozen.
The golden leaf floating before him shimmered like a piece of the sun itself, warm yet untouched by wind. The old man's words echoed in his mind:
"Your fate is twisted… and your cultivation path will bring storms."
Yu Yuan slowly reached out.
His fingers trembled—not out of fear, but out of the strange pull the leaf exerted… as if it were calling his soul by name.
The moment his skin brushed it—
BOOM!
A surge of energy detonated around him.
It wasn't violent… more like a tidal wave of light rushing through every pore. Trees bent backward, grass flattened, dust swirled upward as if he stood in the eye of a divine storm.
Yu Yuan staggered.
Golden lines spread across his palm, forming a symbol he had never seen—an intricate, shifting sigil like a living flame.
"W-What is this…?" he whispered.
The old man's eyes narrowed slightly.
"Destiny's Echo," he murmured. "A mark that chooses only those who walk a path filled with calamity and greatness."
Yu Yuan felt heat burning into his bones, then cooling into a faint vibration beneath his skin—as if power had curled itself inside him, waiting.
The old man slowly stood up from the stump he'd been sitting on.
With a tap of his wooden staff, the leaves around them rose slightly, drawn by his invisible spiritual energy.
"Young one," he said softly, "tell me… why do you seek strength?"
Yu Yuan hesitated.
He remembered the night flames had swallowed his home.
His sister's scream.
The masked men.
The beast with crimson eyes that roared like the sky falling.
And he remembered standing there, powerless, as everything he loved was torn away.
Yu Yuan's fists clenched so hard his knuckles whitened.
"…Because I once had nothing," he said quietly.
"And if I don't become someone strong… I'll lose everything again."
The old man studied him for a long moment—too long—like he was measuring the weight of those words.
Finally, he sighed.
"You carry pain. But pain can forge diamonds… or shatter them."
He lifted his hand.
"Look at your mark, Yu Yuan. That symbol… will attract both opportunity and disaster."
Yu Yuan swallowed. "Can I remove it?"
A faint smile touched the elder's lips—sad, almost pitying.
"No. But you can learn to wield it… before it devours you."
Yu Yuan straightened. "Will you teach me?"
Instead of answering, the old man lifted his staff.
SWISH—
The wind thickened. Spiritual particles swirled, glowing faintly.
A small formation—a circle of ancient runes—etched itself onto the ground at their feet.
"This," he said, "is a basic cultivation array. Step inside."
Yu Yuan nodded and entered.
Instantly—
WHOOSH—
The world blurred.
No wind.
No sound.
Just a pressure that pushed against his chest as if the air itself had weight.
"What is this…?"
"A test," the old man replied. "To cultivate, you must feel the world's spiritual essence, not with your eyes… but with your heart."
Yu Yuan closed his eyes.
At first, he sensed nothing.
Just emptiness.
But then—
A faint pulse.
Like a heartbeat coming from the mountains.
Then another… from the trees.
Another… from deep under the earth.
Each one connected to him, threads of invisible power touching the center of his chest.
This... this is spiritual qi.
He reached out with his mind, trying to draw it in.
But the moment he did—
CRACK!
A sharp backlash struck him in the forehead, throwing him backward out of the formation.
Yu Yuan rolled on the ground, coughing.
The old man watched silently.
"…You rushed," he said. "The world doesn't surrender its power to impatience."
Yu Yuan groaned and tried standing. Pain pulsed behind his eyes.
But he wiped his nose, saw blood on his fingertips… and grinned.
"I can do it."
Most would fear after such backlash.
But Yu Yuan felt something else—excitement.
Determination.
The old man finally smiled.
"Good. Then begin again."
Yu Yuan stepped inside once more.
And this time… he moved slowly.
He listened to the faint rhythm of nature.
He breathed with the wind.
He calmed the fire in his heart.
Minutes passed.
The spiritual threads drifted toward him again.
He reached—not with force—but with acceptance.
FWOOM—
A warm stream of qi flowed into his chest.
Not violently.
Not painfully.
It filled him from inside, lighting his meridians like stars awakening in an empty sky.
His body shook. His breath caught.
This feeling…!
Sweeter than water after a drought.
Clearer than moonlight on a still lake.
Power.
Pure, living power.
The old man spoke gently:
"You have just stepped into the first realm—
Body Tempering, Stage One: Spirit Sense Awakening."
Yu Yuan opened his eyes, glowing faintly.
He felt stronger.
Sharper.
Alive.
The old man turned away, gazing into the forest.
His voice suddenly became distant… almost heavy with hidden meaning.
"Yu Yuan… do not misunderstand. This mark you bear… others will feel it. And they will hunt you."
"Hunt me? Why?"
The old man didn't answer.
Instead, his pupils reflected something moving in the far distance—something dark, slithering between the trees.
Something that watched them.
A chill crawled down Yu Yuan's spine.
"…Elder," he whispered, "what is that?"
The old man gripped his staff tightly.
"Your first enemy," he said gravely.
"And your first lesson in survival."
Chapter 2 END