Shattered Spiritual Energy: The Last Cultivator on Earth

In the vast expanse of the Ten Thousand Great Mountains,

Where sheer cliffs rise and ancient trees pierce the sky,

A solitary Taoist temple stands amidst the clouds atop the peak.

In front of the temple, two figures stand—

An elder and a youth.

"Lin Feng, a decade has passed. You have become invincible in the mundane world. It is time for you to descend the mountain,"

The elder's voice is weathered and full of age.

"If you wish to beat me, just say it outright,"

Lin Feng's gaze towards the elder is filled with deep resentment.

The elder falls silent for a moment, then says, "Actually, when I beat you, it is for your own good."

"Heh…"

Lin Feng responds with a cold laugh, remaining silent.

"Lin Feng, do you harbor great hatred towards me?"

"I used to."

"And now?"

"Now it no longer matters. Ten years have passed. Speaking of it is meaningless."

"Yes, it is meaningless. How many decades does one have in life…"

"Time is like a blade, severing the pride of the heavens."

"Even someone as strong as I could not reach that distant shore,"

The elder sighs deeply.

He laboriously raises his gaze to the distant sky.

At this moment, the setting sun bathes the sky in hues of dusk.

The evening glow melds with the clouds, casting a sublime radiance over the vast mountain forests.

"The setting sun is infinitely beautiful, but it is near dusk."

The elder laments and then adds,

"Lin Feng, could you call me Master one last time?"

Lin Feng lowers his head, a constant cold smile lingering on his lips.

The elder, seeming accustomed to this, continues speaking to himself.

"Lin Feng, what do you think the Immortal Realm is like?"

"Lin Feng, I want to eat dumplings."

"Lin Feng, my tooth hurts…"

The scene gradually falls silent.

"Woo~"

The evening breeze picks up, bringing a hint of chill.

After a while, Lin Feng senses something amiss and looks up at the elder,

Only to find that the elder's eyes are closed, devoid of any breath.

Seeing this,

Lin Feng rushes forward, lifting the elder's lifeless body with a cold voice:

"You wanted to trick me down the mountain and find a reason to beat me, didn't you? Must you resort to such absurdity as feigning death?"

But…

No matter how Lin Feng spoke,

The elder remained unresponsive,

His face turning gradually purple, and his body growing colder.

The emaciated figure weighed less than eighty pounds, lacking the ethereal presence of years past.

…..

Memories gradually surface.

Ten years ago,

At the tender age of 22, Lin Feng had just graduated from university.

To fulfill a promise to his girlfriend, he traveled alone by car to Yunchuan to meet her parents.

Unexpectedly, along the way, he encountered this mysterious elder.

The elder proclaimed him a naturally gifted cultivator, an excellent candidate for Taoist training.

Ignoring Lin Feng's objections, the elder forcibly brought him to this remote mountain.

And thus began a decade-long confinement!

During these ten years,

The elder subjected him to the harshest training known to the mortal realm.

Every day, he had to rise before dawn to practice.

At seven, he practiced boxing,

At ten, he practiced leg techniques,

At twelve, he practiced swordplay,

At fourteen, he practiced eye techniques,

At eighteen, he practiced formations,

And at twenty-one, he practiced alchemy.

After midnight, he would begin to cultivate breath and energy.

Day after day, year after year.

For ten years, he tried countless times to escape, to leave this place, to return home.

But each time, he was easily caught and beaten by the elder!

The worst time nearly cost him his life.

Though cultivating immortality is a great opportunity, Lin Feng did not care.

His girlfriend was still waiting for him to propose, and his aging father, mother, and younger sister were waiting for him to support them.

How could he stay here?

But no matter how he pleaded, the elder remained unmoved.

He even pleaded on his knees to send a message home, yet the elder refused.

Instead, after beating him, the elder coldly declared:

"Cultivation is against the heavens; one must sever all worldly ties!"

"Lin Feng, unless I die, you will never descend the mountain!"

...

From that moment on,

Lin Feng's hatred for the elder became all-consuming!

He practiced diligently every day, hoping to surpass the elder and exact his vengeance.

And so, a decade passed in the blink of an eye!

He had trained for ten years, but instead of surpassing the elder, he was met with this scene.

At this moment,

Lin Feng's heart feels hollow.

There is no joy, no anger, only a calm resignation.

Perhaps,

Numbness is more fitting.

The perseverance of these ten years seems so absurdly trivial.

The evening wind grows stronger,

The temperature in the mountains plummets below freezing.

Lin Feng wordlessly buries the elder.

Then he stands and turns, his melancholic eyes fixed on the distant green hills.

No one can comprehend his current emotions.

After a long while,

A long while…

"I never expected you would truly die this time!"

"Your body will gradually dissolve, becoming eternal, much like the grains of sand in a desert. In a sense, this too might be a form of immortality."

"Parting here, we shall never meet again!"

Lin Feng ultimately could not bring himself to utter the word Master.

Or perhaps it was meaningless to say it now?

He draws forth his long sword, transforming into a streak of light, vanishing into the horizon.

At this moment, if a cultivator were present, they would be utterly astounded.

It is unimaginable that, in this era of broken cultivation, someone could still fly on a sword!

...

Half an hour later,

Lin Feng finally returns to his hometown as remembered.

His hometown is on the outskirts of Jinling City in Jiangnan Province.

And the home he yearns for is merely a simple, unadorned small house.

In front of the house is a small pond, with willows swaying by its edge.

"So… everything remains unchanged!"

Seeing the familiar scene, Lin Feng's deep-set eyes finally well up with tears.

After ten years away, returning to his homeland,

Even with his current state of mind, he cannot help but feel a pang of sadness and desire to cry.

In the mountains,

How many days and nights had he dreamed of such scenes…

Dreamed of swimming in the pond as a child,

Dreamed of earthly life,

Dreamed of green years… of people still here.

"These ten years I vanished without a trace. My parents must have thought I was dead, right?"

"And my sister, when I left she was only nine. I wonder if she is in college now!"

"The old man said cultivation is a path to immortality, severing all worldly ties. But if it means cutting off the closest ones, what is the purpose of cultivation?"

Lin Feng exhales deeply, steadying his disordered emotions.

After all these years,

Wasn't he waiting for this very moment?

At this moment,

A fearful cry suddenly emerges from the small house:

"I was wrong! I don't want the demolition compensation anymore! I was wrong, I know I was wrong!"

"Woo woo woo, no… no…"

"Smack! Be quiet!"

...

Hearing this terrified voice,

Lin Feng's expression changes drastically.

Is that Xiaoyao's voice?

Is his sister being assaulted?

"D*mn it!!!"

Lin Feng's expression turns icy.

His body seems to teleport, rushing towards the small house's door!

Meanwhile, inside the modest house, two bald men with tattoos of mythical beasts encircled a girl, their faces twisted with sinister grins.

"A rare gem indeed!"

"Unbelievable! We've really lucked out with this one, haven't we, brother?"

"Let me go! Please!" Lin Yunyao's voice trembled as she begged. Her delicate face was flushed and swollen, with blood seeping from the corners of her lips. She struggled desperately, but it was futile—no matter how hard she fought, she couldn't escape their vile grasp.

"Stop resisting! If you satisfy us, we'll let you go!"

"Don't worry, we'll treat you real nice," they sneered, pinning her down as their laughter filled the room. Tears welled up in Lin Yunyao's eyes, cascading down her face. She knew that tonight, there would be no escape. Her body grew cold as memories of her hardships flashed through her mind. She thought of all the years she'd endured: wearing old clothes, struggling to pay for college, counting every penny just to eat.

During holidays, while others celebrated with feasts, she huddled alone in this very house, praying for the night to end. Now, even the promise of a demolition payout had turned into a nightmare. The company had offered her a pittance, taking advantage of her solitude. When she refused, these two men had come to assault her.

What had she done to deserve this? She had worked so hard, tried so desperately to survive, yet life refused to show her mercy. Perhaps she should have left this world eight years ago when her parents died. It would've been easier that way. A sigh of hopelessness escaped her as she closed her eyes, surrendering like a puppet whose strings had been cut.

Seeing her finally give up, the two men laughed even louder. Just then, with a deafening crash, the door flew open. Lin Feng burst in like a bolt of lightning, his heart shattering at the sight before him.

"Die!!!" he roared, his voice shaking with fury as he unleashed a deadly strike.

Before the men could react, they were obliterated into nothing but a mist of blood.

"Did… did he just kill them?" Lin Yunyao stared in shock, her hand covering her mouth. Terror overwhelmed her, and she fainted on the spot.

"Xiaoyao!" Lin Feng rushed to her, holding her tightly as tears streamed down his face. He had never imagined that upon his return, he would be greeted with such a scene. Seeing his sister's bruised face and torn clothing made his heart ache in ways he hadn't thought possible.

For a long while, he sat there, trying to steady his emotions. Finally, he reached out and touched his sister's forehead, erasing the memory of the two men's gruesome deaths. He knew such a sight would be too much for her to bear.

Then, gently, he dressed her in clean clothes and meticulously cleaned the room of all traces of blood. Afterward, he sat beside her, watching her intently, as if he could never look enough. Ten years had passed, and his sister had changed so much—from the little girl he remembered to a stunning young woman.

At that moment, Lin Yunyao slowly opened her eyes. When she saw Lin Feng, she immediately recoiled, her face pale with fear. "Who are you? Why are you in my house?" she asked, her voice trembling.

"Two men broke in and tried to harm you. I chased them away," Lin Feng said with a strained smile, though his heart ached. It was clear that his sister didn't recognize him.

But how could she? Ten years ago, she had been just a child. Now, he was a man with long hair and a demeanor completely transformed by years of cultivation.

"Injure me?" Lin Yunyao rubbed her head, trying to recall what had happened. She vaguely remembered the two men, but everything after that was a blur.

It must have been this stranger who saved her, she thought. Lowering her gaze, she muttered softly, "Thank… thank you."

Though she expressed gratitude, there was still a look of caution in her eyes, and she kept her distance from Lin Feng. After all, it was dark, and here was a strange man in her house. If he had ill intentions, there would be no escape.

Seeing his sister so wary of him made Lin Feng's heart ache even more. What had her life been like without him? What had she suffered through all these years? And where were their parents?

"Xiaoyao, don't you recognize me?" Lin Feng asked, trying to keep his voice steady.

"Who… who are you?" Lin Yunyao stared at him in confusion. His face was weathered, filled with a sorrow that wasn't there before, and though not traditionally handsome, there was something hauntingly familiar about him.

"I'm your brother," Lin Feng said, forcing a smile.

"Brother?" Lin Yunyao froze. Slowly, the face from her memories merged with the man before her. Her body trembled as tears welled up in her eyes.

"Xiaoyao!" Lin Feng's heart surged with emotion. He reached out to gently ruffle her hair, just as he used to when they were children.

But before he could touch her, she shoved his hand away, her demeanor shifting abruptly. She rubbed her tear-filled eyes, her voice cold. "You've got the wrong person. I don't have a brother."

"Xiaoyao, you—" Lin Feng was stunned, unable to comprehend her sudden change. He had thought she would leap into his arms, just like she had as a child. But instead, her expression was one of disdain.

"Don't call me that!" she snapped. "Where were you when Mom and Dad died? And now that the house is about to be demolished, you conveniently show up again? Lin Feng, I didn't want to think the worst of you, but you've let me down too many times!"

Lin Feng's heart clenched as he hurriedly asked, "What happened to Mom and Dad? They were fine when I left!"

Her voice trembled as she answered, "After you disappeared, they spent everything looking for you. But one day, while searching, they were hit by a car and… and they never came home."

Lin Yunyao's voice cracked with sorrow. "It was so long ago… the year after you left."

She glanced at him again, then sneered, "So… what happened to you? Did your precious Chen Yinuo dump you, and now that you've hit rock bottom, you've decided to come crawling back?"

"Yun Yao, you've got it all wrong," Lin Feng stammered, stepping closer and grabbing her arm. "I can explain. You won't believe it, but these past ten years, I've been… cultivating."

"Let me go!" Lin Yunyao yanked her arm away. "I don't want to hear your nonsense."

"I won't! You're my sister, I can't—"

"Don't force me, Lin Feng! Are you trying to drive me to my death, too?" Her voice grew hysterical, her emotions on the brink of collapse. "I'll never forgive you! The moment Mom and Dad died, I no longer had a family."

Her words struck him like lightning. Lin Feng stood frozen in the doorway as his sister pushed him outside and slammed the door shut.

"Xiao... Xiaoyao."

Lin Feng stared blankly at the tightly shut door, feeling sharp pangs of pain in his heart. The warm family reunion he had imagined was nowhere to be found, replaced instead by this desolate scene.

Perhaps, from the moment he was taken back to the mountain by the old master ten years ago, the ending had already been written as a tragedy.

Standing before the door, Lin Feng exhaled slowly, his breathing labored as he tried to calm himself. The old man's merciless training had indeed left its mark on him; he felt as though the blood in his veins had turned cold. No matter what happened, his emotions would swiftly adjust, falling back into balance.

With a heavy sigh, he softly explained, "Xiaoyao, I truly went to cultivate. I was imprisoned in a place for ten years, and only today could I return."

Yet from within the small house, there was no response.

"Xiaoyao, no matter what, now that I'm back, I won't leave again. I couldn't care less about the relocation compensation. You're my sister, and it's my duty to protect you!"

"From now on, it's just the two of us, depending on one another. I won't let anyone harm you again."

With a soft creak, the door opened.

Lin Yunyao looked at Lin Feng with a mixture of emotions in her eyes, though she couldn't bring herself to believe his story about being locked away for ten years.

"Does anything you've said have any meaning?"

"Xiaoyao, since our parents passed away, life must have been incredibly hard for you, hasn't it?" Lin Feng's voice brimmed with sorrow.

"It's none of your business."

With another harsh snap, the door was slammed shut once more.

Leaning against the door, Lin Yunyao clasped her hands tightly over her mouth, her delicate face already drenched in tears. She longed, desperately, to throw herself into her brother's arms and cry as she had done when they were children, seeking comfort. But each time she thought of how he had left them for ten years because of a woman, leading to their parents' deaths, she could not bring herself to forgive him.

Especially now, when he returned at such a sensitive time, right before the relocation. It was hard not to question his true intentions.

"Xiaoyao, get some rest. I'll be right outside. If you need anything, just call for me."

Lin Feng murmured softly, then found a flat spot by the door and sat down cross-legged.

His mind was in turmoil, and he needed time to clear his thoughts.

His parents had died searching for him, struck down by a car, and his sister had lived alone for all these years, enduring unimaginable hardship.

The mere thought of it filled him with anguish.

"But now that I'm back, no one will ever hurt Xiaoyao again..."