The Old Man

A little boy scaled a mountain, seeking to climb to the very top. Sweat beaded his face, though he was doing better than several weeks ago, when he struggled to even climb up halfway.

There were no safe paths up the mountain, yet even so, every day after he turned 5, he would climb this mountain and pay respects to his parents' graves.

His parents supposedly died soon after he was born, which is why he had no recollection of them in his memory. There had been a terrible plague that took the lives of many, and his parents were not spared.

Although he had no memory of them and thus has no lingering feelings, the boy still climbed the mountain every day. After all, he reasoned, they are the reason he is here, and were the ones who named him.

Sheng Tian was his name. It was the name found on a piece of paper after his parents died and he was found in a fruit basket flowing down a stream. Luckily, he was found and the village people were kind enough to take him in.

As for why they were buried on top of a nameless mountain, no one knows. In fact, no one knew who even erected a grave there for the 2 of them.

Finally, he reached the top, only this time he had company.

An old man sat in a chair, facing him with a slight smile. The man had a peaceful looking face, one that would make you sit down and listen to whatever he has to say.

"Who are you?" Sheng Tian asked with caution. It was not at all common for people to come up here, especially an old man.

Instead of answering, the old man asked a question of his own, "Tell me, why would a young boy like you climb this mountain in spite of the dangers accompanied by your journey?"

Sheng Tian shot back with a question, "How about you tell me how an old man like you managed to reach the top of this mountain? Last time I checked, even if you took the easier path up, it won't be any easier with your age wearing you down"

Sheng Tian was always polite with others, but this old man was suspicious. After all, a man at his age wouldn't be able to walk properly, much less climb an entire mountain without a sweat while also carrying a chair. Also, who brings a chair up a mountain? He couldn't have just flown up here as if it were nothing.

"Young ones ought to show some respect to their elders but I'll let it slide. How about we answer both our questions and introduce ourselves" The old man suggested.

Sheng Tian hesitated for a moment before nodding, "My name is Sheng Tian and I am 5 years old. My parents died when I was young and their bodies are buried here, hence, why I climb this mountain"

The old man nodded in approval, "I am Feng Wu Di, and I flew over to meet you"

Sheng Tian looked at Wu Di blankly, "And you expect me to believe that? The part where you flew over to be exact," he continued. "Only elite cultivators can fly without the assistance of a treasure so you will have to prove that your words are true"

Wu Di pondered for a moment, then pointed at the sky. Sheng Tian gazed at the sky as clouds began to form. The clouds kept gathering and condensing until it became a mass of water floating in the sky. And just as quickly as it formed, the water dispersed, scattering everywhere.

Sheng Tian, who was thoroughly awed and convinced by this spectacle, asked Wu Di, "why would someone like you want to meet me?"

Wu Di stood, and in an instant, his aura became profound, "Would you like to become my disciple and obtain greater power, child?"

Although he was shocked, an opportunity like this was hard to come by. Without much thought, Sheng Tian nodded his little head eagerly, "Yes!"

It was an understandable choice, after all, who would refuse the chance to cultivate and obtain not only power, but eternal life and reputation as well. Sheng Tian had thought that such a pursuit was out of his reach, and that only those born with great luck in a noble family would be able to walk the path of cultivation.

He smiled inwardly, 'Heh, it seems that my luck is quite good'

Feng Wu Di nodded, "from now on, address me as master, not 'old man,' I will impart knowledge of the cultivation world to you and teach you techniques, everything else must be done through your own efforts"

"Come here" he said, raising a finger.

Sheng Tian obeyed, and allowed Wu Di's finger to touch his forehead.

Weng!

Suddenly, a large amount of information flowed into Sheng Tian, causing him to foam in the mouth. A moment later, his eyes rolled back and he fainted.

About an hour later, Sheng Tian regained consciousness and sensed a change in his mind.

"What did you do?"

Suddenly, his vision shifted and he found himself looking at a separate space with gold runic carvings on its walls and at its center, lay 6 golden orbs.

A familiar voice interrupted his thoughts, "That is the sea of consciousness, a place where all your knowledge is accumulated. Normal people would have to reach the Mind Tempering Realm to form it"

Sheng Tian found that he could perfectly understand what he was talking about, despite having no prior knowledge before.

He looked around with curiosity, not realizing the profoundness of this new space, "So the gold carvings on the walls are knowledge, but what are those floating balls?"

The old man's voice sounded in his head, "Those are knowledge fragments of the higher realms, you will know their purpose once you reach that realm. Now, I shall go dormant, I am technically dead and am just a floating spirit. I will reside within your sea of consciousness and rest."

"Wha-what do you mean?! You aren't alive? How can I receive your guidance if you are sleeping?" Sheng Tian let out a flurry of questions, and Feng Wu Di answered them all.

"I was killed by my enemies long ago and am cursed to wander in this form. I will rest in your head and wake up once a week. For the meantime practice these techniques while I am gone, and don't worry if you don't understand anything. You're only 5 after all"

And then he was gone, but Sheng Tian suddenly felt something in his head, 3 books now lay in his sea of consciousness.

Controlling his form to move, Sheng Tian picked up the books and found that 1 of them was a tempering technique tailored for mortals, and the other 2 were movement techniques also made to fit those without Qi.

Qi/essence is a requirement to use a cultivation technique and those without cultivation or, in Sheng Tian's case, too young to cultivate use techniques called Martial Techniques. Of course, this does not mean that cultivators don't practice Martial Techniques.

Martial Techniques are the favorite of Body Cultivators who rely on pure physical force more than essence energy. These techniques can also come in handy in specific situations so almost no one looks down on them.

The oddity was the tempering technique. No human under the age of 16 can cultivate any of the 3 paths but flipping through the book, Sheng Tian learned otherwise.

The technique is called the Extreme Human Body and allows the practitioner to obtain strength akin to a cultivator. Albeit a weak one of course.

Still, it was a miraculous technique that others would kill for, not that he would know.

There are 9 levels to this technique and the final one gives the practitioner a body that is impervious to the strength of non-cultivators and much tougher against even a Qi Refining cultivator. It also would allow him to use a small amount of Qi! The only requirement to cultivate it is to withstand physical pressure, namely pain, or by overcoming physical limits.

Calming himself and putting down the book, he looked at the movement techniques.

The first one is a short distance movement technique called Illusory Snake Steps. It is a set of complex footwork that was meant to be unpredictable in combat. The other was a long distance movement technique called 10,000 Mile Stride. 

This would allow him to travel thousands of miles quickly if he achieves full mastery. Both techniques have 6 levels, each one giving great benefits if reached.

Smiling, Sheng Tian started his journey home, hurriedly reading and trying out the techniques along the way.