1 Lustre Awakening

It was a dark stormy night, the sound of falling leaves and constant rain rang around the village. The community was quite small, with only a little more than a thousand residents mostly consisting of farmers and industrial workers. The forest of blooming wheat plots danced vividly in the wind, swinging in time with the rhythm of the rain.

"Little Jun! Come back inside before you catch a cold!" shouted a feminine voice full of concern.

A faint rustle created by an irregularity in the dance of the wheat patches was followed by a childish shout and a laugh, "Don't worry Sis, I won't catch a cold. How can the future overlord of this world catch a mere cold!"

"Little Jun! You're not listening to your sister's words again. Do you want to be disciplined by father like last time?" replied Jun Shen, the elder sister of the immature child, also a first year student of Lan Tian Academy.

Her looks, although not city toppling, were still enchanting and yet to develop later in her youth. The curvature of her body was on par with some of the top beauties in the village which often brought her unwanted male guests. Fortunately, her little Jun was as innocent as a lamb, untouched by the great sins of man.

This year was the year that little Jun would take the entrance examination for the selective schools of the province. The examination event was held annually by the nine prestigious schools in order to seek talents in martial cultivation from around the province. Within the 'Yuan Province' in which their village and numerous other villages resided, the nine schools ruled as a powerful body containing the most excellent and renowned characters throughout the past millennium. Each examination, the representatives from each school would select a number of students from the masses to take in as disciples.

Jun Xiang, bounded out of the wheat farms and took his sister's hand all the way back to the little cottage by the edge of the village. The instant the two siblings toes touched the wooden boards of the cottage, a stern voice called out, "Jun'er, it's raining outside yet you still want to play? Do you value your cultivation path in the future? If you miss this examination you must wait a full ten years before the event happens again, you know that right?"

Questions and stern remarks bombarded Jun Xiang's ears and he quickly replied, "Sorry father, I was out exploring the wheat fields. I wouldn't get sick just like that!".

"Hmph, the child doesn't even know what's good for him. If you catch a cold, you can't attend the examination. How are you going to become the next overlord if you do?", the father, Jun Wu, further berated. Uneasily, Jun Xiang walked to the back of the house to begin his daily training yet again. Each day, the mildly loud 'thwock' sounds of his fists slamming into the special tree in the backyard of their cottage filled the air. Jun Xiang's father was strict on cultivation and before Jun Xiang's fists were red from training, no breaks were allowed.

During the beginning, Jun Xiang's dream was to break a hole through the peculiar regenerating tree, yet as his physical body advanced through the most basic cultivation realm, the Body Refinement Realm, Jun Xiang could still only damage the first layer of the tree's bark. Jun Xiang had trained ever since his sixth birthday and tomorrow would be the sixth anniversary of his path of martial cultivation. Tomorrow also marked the day he would undergo an examination to determine his talent and raw martial power and give him a chance to be selected by the nine prestigious schools of the province.

His fatigued body and fists slammed repeatedly against the tree and the familiar feeling of numbing fingers permeated his senses. At last, the long desired shout to approve of a break came from Jun Wu, "You've done enough for today, take a break and make yourself presentable to prepare for tomorrow's examination." Jun Wu was still stern as ever.

Jun Xiang sunk into the cold tub of water and let his hair loose of the tight training band. Due to his controversial hair style which was short and sleek, many of the local village boys often rejected him from any of their common activities, leaving Jun Xiang to find his youthful enjoyment in the mundane life of a farmer and the endless wheat fields that filled the scenery. His sister had always been his closest friend and companion, endlessly caring for him and worrying for his safety.

The sweet thoughts of his childhood filled his mind as his vision dimmed into a sleeping state. His smile was still stuck on his face. The air in the room grew increasingly heated and humid and before long, his figure was but a shadow above a bucket. No one would have expected it, nor would anyone have realised, a surge of energy filled the misty room and sounds of the bucket exploding could be heard. On the floor sat Jun Xiang, his eyes still closed, his face still plastered in that nostalgic grin, yet his back sprouting beautiful golden wings.