The Ancient Sun

A month had passed since that incident. During this time, Snow's body lay still, barely moving. Despite its flexibility, his body felt heavy and burdensome.

He spent much of his time sleeping, trying to avoid thinking about anything. He consistently brought food to the prisoner but avoided any interaction, ignoring him repeatedly.

Snow slept for dozens of hours at a time, waking up sluggishly. During his wanderings in this period, he found a small room overlooking the mountain, with a window that provided a view of the forests below. He spent all his time lost in the scenery.

His long hair hung over his body, unkempt due to his lethargy, and he let it flow with the wind. Life can be harsh, but the setbacks we face might only be escapable by stopping altogether.

Stagnant waters rise, only to return unnoticed to their natural course. Sometimes silence is the soul's cry; when no one can comprehend the depth of our feelings, silence becomes a loud message that no one hears because no one can understand us.

When meanings overflow, and words dry up, only then can silence prevail. When the sky turns a shimmering black, the moon's glory shines, but it won't last; the sun's glory will rise. In this unending cycle, Snow could only ponder and mourn alone.

These solitary moments felt like a halt to life. He had experienced surprise and now sorrow. Snow didn't know the nature of these new experiences but realized that life without feelings could be much easier than the one he was living.

He wanted to stop feeling, but it was too late to turn back after reaching this point. Allowing feelings to inhabit his heart, he knew the world within would face a transformation he couldn't predict. Although he had emotions in the past, he had never felt them as deeply as he did now.

It was as if emotions were never simple but rather had a depth that gave life many strange colors. These colors could only appear with emotions. If Snow had to describe the world before experiencing emotions, it would be a grey canvas. Now the trees were green.

Green symbolized life, while the sky was blue. In the new painting Snow imagined, there was a commotion that couldn't have existed before.

He didn't know what to do now and felt a bit sad for not having any choices before him. Choices could have allowed him to glimpse the future if he made them. Everyone, like Snow, could think about tomorrow more than their present and live in the past without finding any escape.

Snow didn't realize he was following the footsteps of many, but he was unique. He understood why choices existed in life. They weren't a curse or something imposed but rather like light in the darkness. That's why emptiness could be something many couldn't comprehend or endure.

Their thoughts would wither, and they would be overcome with boredom. That's why Snow found choices to have a noble purpose, like flags guiding travelers on an unknown path.

He wished he had choices at that moment but felt that disdain for choices made them elusive. At this stage, Snow understood that everything in life always had hidden meanings that no one could easily grasp.

Pain could be an answer to some questions, as could sorrow. Now that life was filled with puzzling mysteries, Snow felt that he must accept everything as it was, even if he didn't understand what was happening now and might never understand what would happen until his death. He decided not to stop going with the flow anymore.

A fish won't swim against the current unless it wants to die. Now, Snow decided to live again in his own way. He gained his first principle: life can't be understood and interpreted through shallow human eyes. Humans can only interpret things in ways that satisfy their desires. But Snow decided to accept things as they appeared. Avoiding them wouldn't bring any good because it had already happened. Not avoiding it wasn't the solution either; rather, trying to understand it and going with the flow while fighting obstacles was.

In easy paths, you gain nothing, but the obstacles on the difficult road are what give life meaning.

In the outside world, Snow was a hot topic for a long time. Despite the efforts to find anything about Snow, his news vanished from the world as if he had never existed.

"Is it today?" one of the young lords asked while flying on a cloud surrounded by various figures.

The old man at the head of the cloud answered his question, "Yes, we are heading to the event location."

"Wow! I'm looking forward to the competition. Phoenixes and dragons can soar alone in the sky. Are you excited about the birth of this dragon soon?" he said, his nose in the air.

The crowd ignored him and conversed among themselves. "Let's ignore this fool. Anyway, did you hear that Snow drank from the city lord's head?" said a girl.

"Incredible!" one of them responded in shock.

"Just as I told you! They say he spent many nights hunting humans and spilling their blood. He's quite the demon!"

"Little sister, stop exaggerating. Although he managed to kill them, the last technique forced him to flee. He sustained many serious internal injuries. I'm afraid his body has already decomposed," a third person interjected among the group.

The old man at the front sighed. The younger generation was still fascinated by that Snow. Despite the incident being months old, his story had reached everyone's ears.

Conversations flared up behind the old man. The younger generation was excited about the martial world. No one disliked hearing stories of the powerful, but Snow was not on the righteous side. The world had labeled him as one of the villains to be eradicated.

"I heard that in their last desperate attempt, they used the Ancient Sun technique!" said one excitedly.

"The Ancient Sun?" someone questioned.

"Of course! Let this senior give you a lesson. The Ancient Sun technique has unknown origins. It's said no one can escape its power. Even lords at the migration stage can't think of surviving it. It's said that when it's used, ordinary humans will see the sun rise and never realize the difference between the real sun and this one," he explained.

"But! Snow managed to escape it! That means his level is in the twilight if not in the dusk!" he boasted, his expression proud of someone else's achievements.

"Silence!" said the old man, then scolded, "Boy, don't forget he's from the demonic side! Stop exaggerating his praise. He's the enemy of the entire world."

Silence fell. The student felt a sense of dissatisfaction in his chest but understood the reason for the reprimand: jealousy. The old man before them hadn't reached the migration stage yet, and blind comparisons breed frustration.

The other students sensed it too. Despite the exaggeration, he deserved it. Someone who could escape such a profound technique was no simple person. The world didn't know his whereabouts or even if he was alive or dead. This feat alone indicated the strength of the person called Snow.

"We're almost there. Prepare yourselves," said the old man.

The hearts of the youths fluttered. They stood majestically on the cloud, wanting to project their grand aura.

The magnificent scenes greeted the youths' eyes. Atop the mountain was a massive sect adorned with decorations. The fragrant aroma of food left a mark of hunger on everyone, while the strange and impressive displays of the younger generation were both odd and dazzling.

Many people stood out for their uniqueness, but this uniqueness gave each person a distinctive character. The cloud landed in the sect's courtyard, where many elders welcomed the arriving group.

"Old Han! It seems your refinement has progressed. At this rate, I can only praise you. Haha."

"You are right. It won't be long before he surpasses me. I need to hurry up with my refinement soon."

"Hehe. The elders are exaggerating. I am still far behind you, sirs," replied Old Han.

"No need for modesty, old man. Come on, today you're my guest," said one of the elders.

Despite their wrinkles, the elders' conversation was lively.

Old Han waved to the youths to explore the area. "You can explore, but I'll be taking a tour with the elders. Don't cause any trouble around here."

The students understood Old Han's words and hurried off.

"Do you think the elder wants us to explore?" the girl asked casually.

He waved his hand dismissively. "No, that's unlikely to be his intention. Let's have some fun around here."

The youth's energy filled the air as they roamed, casting many scrutinizing glances at the merchandise.

"Young sir, are you interested in this old man's wares?" asked one of the vendors.

"Young sir, please look here. I have many wonderful techniques," said another.

Vendors spread out, trying to capture customers.

"Young lady, this perfume can attract any man. Are you interested?" said a merchant as the student stood before her stall.

"I'm not interested. Actually, I'm interested in this," the student said, raising a golden ornament.

"You have an excellent eye, young lady! This ornament is made from the skin of a golden snake. It has many remarkable properties," the merchant responded reluctantly.

The student wasn't truly interested in the origin of the golden ornament but found it beautiful. Women always desired everything pretty and delicate.

"Little sister, are you interested in this ornament? I can buy it for you if you like," said one of the passersby attracted to her beauty.

"Scram!" she said coldly.

"Oh, how boring, little sister. I just wanted to give you something!"

"You!" she drew the sword hanging at her waist.

"Alright, alright! Please stop! I'll leave now, tch!" he muttered at the end and left dragging his feet.

The other students gathered. "Little sister, what just happened?"

"Nothing, just an annoying young man who wanted to show off his money," she replied angrily.

"Calm down, little sister. It's alright! He's gone, as you can see. Don't let him spoil your mood. Fine, I'll buy it for you."

"Merchant, prepare the ornament for my little sister," he tossed a gold stone to the merchant. Her eyes lit up with joy; she had just received a gold stone. A gold stone was worth 1,000 silver stones, and a silver stone was worth 1,000 bronze stones. A single gold stone could allow a human family to live for centuries without fear.

He tossed it as if tossing pebbles. The merchant knew they were golden sheep, but in front of cultivators, humans were mere fodder to be harvested easily. So, she didn't dare push her luck.

"Young lady, are you interested in..." the merchant started but was cut off by the girl.

"I'm not interested." Her mood was already soured. She took the golden ornament and left.

The students sighed. "Let's follow little sister quickly before she causes trouble."

In the darkness, the shadows of several figures emerged.

"Has Snow met the prisoner?" one shadow asked.

"Yes, and it seems he found the book too. Things are getting interesting, hehe..." another shadow laughed wickedly.

"It looks like he's in shock and has found that exterior room. Everything is in place. Now, let's send him that gift. The time has come."