I Rival The Gods

The village of Qinghe nestled quietly at the foot of the Misty Mountains, its serene beauty a stark contrast to the turmoil brewing in the heavens. Liu Xhikang, a young man of twenty summers, stood at the edge of the village, gazing at the distant peaks shrouded in mist. His heart pounded with a mixture of excitement and trepidation, for today was the day he would leave his home in search of answers.

Liu had always felt different. While other children played and laughed, he was drawn to the ancient texts and legends that spoke of gods and heroes. His grandfather, the village elder, often told him stories of a time when mortals and gods walked the earth together. But those were just tales, or so he thought, until the night of the great storm.

It was a night like no other. The sky had turned an ominous shade of purple, and lightning danced across the heavens. Liu had been restless, unable to sleep, when a blinding flash of light illuminated his room. In that moment, he felt a surge of energy course through his veins, awakening something deep within him. The next morning, he found a strange mark on his forearm, a symbol he had seen only in the oldest of the village scrolls.

"What's this?" Liu said as he stared at his forearm. It was a marknhe had seen before but he didn't know what it meant.

"Grandfather. Grandfather must know what it means." Liu said as he stood up and ran towards his Grandfather's quarters. Determined to uncover the truth, Liu sought the counsel of his grandfather. The old man's eyes widened in shock when he saw the mark.

"There are some things you need to know." Han Xhikang, Liu's grandfather said. Liu became anxious upon hearing his grandfather's words.

"What does it mean? I've seen it before in the scrolls but I didn't pay any attention to it." Liu said to his grandfather who stroked his chin.

"It has something to do with our ancestry." Liu's grandfather began which shocked the young man even more.

"Ancestry? What do you mean by that? Do you mean that I've been given this mark by our ancestors?" Liu asked a flurry of questions, not even allowing the old man any chance to speak.

"Let me speak Liu." Han said, he continued stroking his chin and then he began. "We come from a long line of warriors who are born to go against the system and you are the next one who was chosen."

"Chosen for what?" Liu asked, his voice was ridden with anxiety and his forehead was perspiring.

"It happens once every 1000 years. A mortal is chosen to go against the gods and will take their place at the top. The others before you have failed as no one knows how to defeat the gods." Han said to Liu who listened attentively to his grandfather's explanation.

"So I've been chosen to go against the gods." Liu said to his grandfather. "As you've said, the others before me have failed. So what's the guarantee that if I embark on this journey, I would be able to succeed?" Liu asked his grandfather. Han smiled and brought out a scroll he had been reading before Liu barged into his room.

"Why does it say here?" Han said as he pointed to the spot he wanted Liu to read.

"It says 'A mortal shall be chosen after numerous failures of those before him. He shall be the one to succeed in this endeavor and bring honour back to his lineage' ." Akira read. According to what had been said, it might be talking him. He had been chosen after a long line of failures and now he might be the one to finally succeed.

"As you've read, you're the one who shall finally carry out the mission successfully." Han said to Liu who nodded his head in affirmation.

"It doesn't mean that I would succeed. The gods are above us mortals and it has been that way since the creation of the world." Liu said to his grandfather. "The only one who rivaled the gods was The Great Sage, Equal Of Heaven." Liu continued.

"I know what you mean. But The Great Sage wasn't a human. He was born from a rock that contained the energies of both heaven and earth which made him unimaginably strong." Han said to his grandson.

Liu had heard the story of the Great Sage before and didn't want his grandfather to elaborate on the legend any further. What concerned him now was his own fate.

"Now, I have been chosen to rival the gods and I might become a big target as the gods do not want to lose their place in heaven." Liu said to his grandfather.

"That's true. But some of those who were chosen have been able to get to heaven but they weren't able to surpass the level of the gods. You have been chosen at the time that when a mortal is said too succeed against the gods." Han said to Liu.

"If what the scroll says it's true, then I shall have to go on my journey. If I stay here, this place will be in jeopardy." Liu said to his grandfather and walked out of his quarters.

Liu had to prepare for the journey ahead and had to prepare his mind for the future and for life outside his family's protection. He would be alone from now on and would face the gods on his own. The scroll said he would succeed but his mind told him otherwise. He decided that he would let things play out according to how fate wanted it.

With a heavy heart, Liu bid farewell to his family and friends. Armed with only a few provisions and his grandfather's parting words, he set out on his journey. The path ahead was uncertain, but Liu knew he had to find the answers that lay beyond the Misty Mountains.