Chapter 1 Tadas

*Clang* *Clang*

Under the bright moonlight, the sound of swords clashing could be heard as two figures, big and small, fought intensely on the small hill filled with flowers and trees. Each swing of the sword would shake the trees, and make flower petals fly high into the air, which made this hill look like a battlefield of gods.

"You're too ruthless with your swings father!" complained a smaller figure.

*Hmph* The bigger figure let out a snort in response. "You must hold your sword firmly! Never let your opponent pressure you in a fight, if you soften even for a moment, your opponent will not hesitate to take your life!" His cold and experienced eyes looked coldly at his son with disapproval and disappointment. His tall and muscular figure looked to be middle-aged, and his short white hair and snow-pale skin paired with his sky-blue eyes gave him a devilish look.

His son however looked innocent and cute. His long white hair and sky-blue eyes could even make girls jealous of his looks. But with a sword in hand, he looked more like a soldier than a cute doll.

Both father and son wore white linen shirts without sleeves. Making their naked arms stand out more, but also making them look poor from all the dirt covering them.

"You better watch yourself dad!" son shouted excitedly. He secretly practiced a new move to beat his father. As he took a deep breath in and focused all his strength on his arms, he gripped his sword tightly and swung it at the calmy standing figure. As sparks flew, the little boy could feel intense pressure in his hands. He could barely hold on to the sword, as his father counter attacked with even greater force. The attack was too powerful for him to take as he flew two meters away in shock and hit the flower field.

After such a powerful hit, the little boy could feel his head spinning, and his arms ached from intense pain. His snow white hair quickly became covered in dirt and flower petals, which made him look like a child of nature.

Seeing this, father was unhappy and irritated. "How many times have I told you not to lose your footing?!"

Being shouted at, the son shivered but quickly regained his composure. "I'm sorry, father, I will not let that happen again!" he said with a determined face.

Looking into his son's blazing eyes, father felt warmth rising deep within his chest. He knew that one day, this boy would become a great warrior, better than himself. "Good, good." He said with a beaming face. "Come and let me wipe the dirt from your face; you look like a boar that was digging the ground for potatoes. Hahaha"

Feeling his face burning from embarrassment, the little boy quickly ran to his father and hugged him. Feeling his father's warm body, he could not help but be extremely happy and giggle. Wiping his face into his father's clothes, he looked very devilish as he smiled at his father mockingly.

"You little bastard!" looking at his clothes being used as a napkin, father got angry and started tickling his son. "Now you've done it. I will not let you off so easily this time!"

"Hahaha! Stop father! I'm sorry! hahaha!" Training with his father was the most exciting part of the boy's lifestyle. They were for the most part always together. In the morning, they would go hunting, as his father taught him how to find and track after wild animals, setting up traps and making bivouacs for the night. And in the evening, they would train in sword and martial arts.

After a short while, they sat on the ground and looked at the starry sky. "Tadas, you will be nine tomorrow" The father had a tiny tear in his eye as if he was reminiscing about the past. "Time flies by so fast. I remember when you were born, the night sky became filled with snowflakes... Can you believe it was the summer season, yet it was snowing? The entire village went crazy that night! As such a miracle had never happened before." The smile on his face could not hide his happiness at this moment. "You have to train hard in your martial arts. One day, you will have to leave this village in search of adventure and train yourself to be the strongest warrior!" he said with hidden reluctance in his tone.

"But father, I don't want to leave! "the boy shook his head. "I want to stay with you and mother in this village forever! Even if I don't go on an adventure, I will become the strongest martial artist if you train me! Father is the strongest in the world!" Tadas could not help but be reluctant to leave... More than anything, he loved hunting and training with his father. Even if he was beaten black and blue, he would still refuse to go

Hearing this the father was happy but also concerned that his son is too attached to him. "Silly child, every chick has to leave its nest one day! But don't worry" He smiled warmly at the boy. "You do not have to leave right now. I have much more to teach you before I can let you go alone to the bigger world."

Hearing his father's words, Tadas felt relieved, but also sad deep in his heart for some reason. Choosing not to care too much about it, he continued to gaze at the stars.

"Father, is it true that most powerful martial artists can fly in the sky?" he could not help but be curious about the story he once heard in the village while helping his mother shop.

"Yes indeed, there are people in this world powerful enough to pluck the stars from the sky! Not to mention flying. Each martial artist has this power inside them called spiritual energy, which awakens at the age of nine. You can train your spiritual energy once you awaken your unique spirit flower in your dantian. Dantian is a spiritual container in your body that can hold spiritual energy. The stronger you grow, the more energy you can store inside of it." He gave a brief explanation to Tadas.

"Then, father, can you also fly? Will I be able to awaken my spirit flower tomorrow? How can I grow stronger? How strong are you, father? What can we do with spiritual energy...?" The little boy could not help but drown his father in questions, which gave the latter a headache.

"Hehe, are you not a curious one? How about I give you a ride home, and your mother can explain everything to you? She's a better teacher than me" Father laughed and picked his son up from the ground and placed him on his back.

Feeling his father's warm back, Tadas could tell his eyes were becoming heavy. Just as he was about to fall asleep, he felt that something did not feel right, as he could see the ground becoming more and more distant. Looking around, he could see that both of his father's legs had left the ground. They were levitating in the air!

Feeling extremely dazed, Tadas almost loosened his grip on his father's neck.

"Hold tight, son! We will be home in a second!" The father laughed happily.

But Tadas could not hear his father's voice as he observed the whole village from the sky. Feeling the wind gently brushing against his face, he could see everyone become smaller. Tadas felt amazed and unbound as if he was no longer shackled to the ground and could become a god at any moment.

A few minutes later, both father and son landed next to the wooden hut which looked shabby and old, but the smoke rising from the chimney betrayed that someone lived there. Opening an old wooden door that looked like it could fall from the gentlest push, both men walked in.

"Sandra! We're home!" shouted the father. After a quick moment rushed steps sounded from the back of the hut as an elegant and beautiful woman, that looked in her late twenties, quickly appeared in front of a father and son pair. Her long black hair looked silky and shiny, her body was skinny but curvy in the right places, and her emerald-red eyes made her look like a beautiful devil. Dropping the broom from her hands, she hugged the little boy and carried him away in her embrace.

"Where have you been for so long? I was worried sick! And did I feel you carry him in the sky just now? Do you know how dangerous that is for a little child?!" The woman angrily glared at her husband, who did not dare look her straight in the eyes.

"Are you alright, my little snowflake?" The woman gently kissed Tadas's forehead. She was naturally his mother.

"Mommy, don't be angry at daddy! It was so amazing! I flew! I truly flew! I'm so happy! And father told me that I can awaken my spirit flower tomorrow and become a true martial artist!" The excitement and joy on his face showed how much he waited for the next day to come as soon as possible.

"Mommy, please teach me all you know about spiritual energy, daddy said you are the best teacher around!" Hearing that, Sandra glared at her husband again as if telling him he would not escape the punishment later.

Getting glared at by a tigress, the father could only laugh dryly to himself and give her an apologetic look.

"How about you take a bath first, and then we can talk about spiritual energy? Look at your hair all brown from mud, ruining your beautiful angelic hair!" said the woman with an affectionate expression. "And you too! Go and bathe together with little Tadas! You smell like rotten socks." Said Sandra as she glared at her husband.

Looking into her red eyes, the father could only comply and take Tadas's hand as he dragged the latter to bathe.

"Oh, and one last thing HONEY! You better give me a good explanation about those flying lessons later." Turning around to see his wife smiling at him devilishly, the man's whole body shivered as he ran away with Tadas.

After a quick back, Sandra took Tadas to his room and tucked him in. "Tell me, my little snowflake, what do you wish to learn first?" Asked Sandra as she stroked Tadas's forehead.

"Mommy, what exactly is spiritual energy?" He could not hide his curiosity as he looked deep into his mother's eyes with anticipation and excitement.

Seeing her son so enthusiastic, a warm smile rose on her red lips. "Each person has the ability to sense and attract spiritual energy. Spiritual energy can be used to manifest powerful skills. Once you can feel the air getting heavier around you, you can awaken your spirit flower. Each person is born with one, but for some reason, it only awakens at the age of nine." Hearing his mother's explanation, Tadas's nodded his tiny head and continued listening.

"Spirit flower is responsible for absorbing spiritual energy into your dantian, but that's not the only use of it. You can also use it to manipulate the spiritual energy you collect in your dantian and use it outside your body to create powerful magical skills. Like this!" Stretching her palm out, Sandra took a deep breath in. Suddenly little red dots could be seen dancing around her palm and with a bright flash, a crimson flame blazed brightly on top of her palm.

The sudden flash of light startled Tadas which made him jump in place. As a crimson flame danced in his eyes, a new world suddenly opened in his view. It felt as if a big hammer struck his head from the very heavens with a piece of new knowledge and understanding. He had never seen anybody create a flame out of thin air. His eyes scanned his mother with awe and worship. "Mommy! Does it not burn you?! How did you do that? Can you teach me? Pleaseeee!

Dispersing the flame in her palm, Sandra gently stroke her son's hair with deep love and care. "Do not worry, my angel. Your spirit power will not hurt you, but you can attack your enemies with it. As for teaching you, you will need first to awaken your spirit flower and reach the fifth stage of spirit gathering stage. Each time you gather spiritual power inside your body, you expand your dantian. There are seven stages in total in each realm that you can achieve. The first realm is called spirit gathering, in which young spirit masters learn how to gather spirit essence from the air using their spirit flowers.

I will teach you more about that once you go through the awakening ceremony tomorrow." Thinking to herself that her child would become a martial artist tomorrow, Sandra could not help but look worried. Every mother wants her child to stay safe, but she knows that her Tadas must leave her one day to walk his own path.

Hearing his mother's explanation, Tadas could not calm his little heart. He wanted to know what kind of flower will he possess. Will he be able to fly like his Father and control flames like his mother? So much turmoil made him want to skip a day and go straight to the ceremony hall in the village.

"You should sleep now, my little angel. Tomorrow is going to be a grand day for you! Your father and I will go together with you, so you do not have to be worried."

Kissing her son goodnight and tucking him in one last time. Sandra left the room with a tear slowly running down her cheek. She was both excited and unwilling to let her son experience the life of martial arts!

As for Tadas he fell asleep after a few hours of restless thinking. That night he dreamed of ruling the world while he created big fire balls with his hands!