The Crushing Weight of Mountains

The years flowed like mountain streams, shaping Jade as surely as the currents carve stone. He grew tall and strong, his features a pleasing blend of his foster parents' common stock and something… other. Something about the set of his jaw, the way his eyes seemed to hold the vastness of the sky within them, hinted at depths yet unplumbed.

Life in the village was simple, governed by the rhythms of the seasons and the bounty of the land. Jade learned to till the fields, chop wood alongside his foster father, and navigate the treacherous mountain paths with the grace of a young stag. Yet, a restlessness stirred within him, a yearning for something beyond the familiar horizon.

He was ten years old when Master Yun arrived at the village.

Yun was an elder of the Jade Willow Sect, a minor order nestled amidst the foothills of the Cloudpiercer Mountains. He was a frail, wiry man with a wispy white beard and eyes that seemed to hold the accumulated wisdom of countless sunrises. He arrived on a spring afternoon, his arrival heralded only by the gentle tinkling of wind chimes hanging from his bamboo staff.

Jade, drawn by an unseen magnetism, found himself standing before the elder as the village gathered. Yun's gaze, sharp as a hawk's, settled on him, and a flicker of surprise crossed the old man's face.

"Ah," Yun murmured, his voice a low rasp, "I was not expecting such… potential in this humble place."

Jade's brow furrowed. "Potential, Master?"

A faint smile played on Yun's lips. "The ability to cultivate, young one. It lies dormant within you, like a seed awaiting the warmth of the sun."

Cultivation. The word was spoken with reverence in hushed tones by the village elders. It spoke of legendary warriors who could move mountains with their minds, healers who could mend broken bones with a touch, and immortals who transcended the boundaries of life and death. It was a realm reserved for those touched by destiny, a path fraught with danger and brimming with unimaginable power.

A spark ignited within Jade's chest, a flicker of yearning that resonated with a power he couldn't begin to comprehend. The mountains, which had always stood as silent sentinels bordering his world, now seemed less like barriers and more like challenges waiting to be overcome.

Seeing the hunger in the boy's eyes, Master Yun nodded slowly. "Come," he said, extending a calloused hand. "Walk with me."

That evening, as the sun dipped below the horizon, casting long shadows across the village, Jade stood before his foster parents, his meager belongings bundled in a cloth sack. Tears streamed down his mother's face, her rough hand clinging to his.

"Don't forget us, little Jade," she whispered, her voice thick with emotion.

"Never," Jade promised, his throat constricting. "I will return."

He wasn't sure if he believed his own words.

As Jade followed Master Yun into the deepening twilight, the weight of the mountains, both literal and metaphorical, pressed down upon his young shoulders. He was leaving behind everything he knew, venturing into a world of unknowns. Yet, with each step that carried him further from home, Jade felt a strange sense of rightness, as if he were walking towards a destiny long ago set in motion.

Little did he know, this was but the first step on a path that would shake the very foundations of existence.