Ni Ming knew the journey forward would be anything but easy, but no matter how difficult it became, he would still push forward and strive towards supremacy. 'If the price was death, then he'd still advance resolutely.' His fists clenched at his sides, hot blood coursing through his veins.
Just then, the faint sound of footsteps drifted into his ears, drawing closer with each passing moment.
Though blind, life in the desolate wilderness had honed his remaining senses to an astonishing degree. He had learned to listen to the whispers of the wind, discern the faintest of sounds, and even sense the intentions hidden behind another's movements.
Those abilities had not come easily.
Only months into his training, with winter fast approaching, he has broken down like any ordinary child. He had cried out to the heavens, railing against the cruel fate that had condemned him to mediocrity.
Without his eyes, no matter how astonishing he was, it was difficult to prevail over other geniuses. And even more so, keep his life in the desolate wilderness teeming with desolate and ancient beasts.
And the worst part of it all was… he wasn't even astonishing to begin with.
He was born without his pupils, Grandpa Teng had told him. He had viewed that with skepticism—surely, his luck couldn't be that abysmal… could it?—but since Grandpa Teng had refused to touch on the topic, he'd eventually given up on pursuing it any further. After all, knowing the truth wouldn't give him back his eyes.
As if his blindness wasn't enough, he suffered from a mysterious affliction. Every night beneath the brightest stars and every day beneath the blazing midday sun, he was required to immense himself in a body-tempering bath. Yet despite undergoing the grueling ritual time and time again, his body remained frail and sickly, his life force little more than a flickering flame.
He didn't know much, but from the little he knew, the Xiao clan didn't have the ability to sustain continuous tempering baths, only doing so during the clan's youths' baptism. Perhaps only ancient families could meet up with his living expenditure, and even for them, it would be anything but easy. A grueling task, even.
He knew they were secrets Grandpa Teng refused to reveal. The resources used to sustain him were far too precious for a clan like theirs. If the elders had truly risked their lives to obtain them, then every medicinal bath, every pill, and every drop of blood they had spent weighed heavily on his heart. He owed Grandpa Teng—and the entire Xiao Clan—more than he could ever repay.
Tears poured out of his eyes as Ni Ming whispered softly: "Is that you, Grandpa Teng?"
Grandpa Teng stepped forward, sitting down beside Ni Ming. They both sat in silence for a few seconds, Grandpa Teng gazing at the distant waterfall. The old patriarch turned to face the blind kid. "What was it, child, that led to such tears?"
"I'm sorry Grandpa Teng," Ni Ming replied amidst sobs, "For being so useless."
He balled his small fists, tears pouring down his eyes.
"And what makes you believe that?"
Not waiting for Ming'er to reply to his words, Grandpa Teng stared at the distant waterfall and said. "Life will always place obstacles in your path. Don't let them stop you from moving forward. Remember this well, child, there's an old adage in the cultivation world: 'One suffers no defeat until the spirit is broken.' The body may fall, but only when one's will shatters does one truly lose."
He glanced at little Ming'er, a light smile crossing his lips. "Do you understand, Ming'er?"
"I understand grandpa," Ni Ming replied with a nod.
The both of them, grandpa and grandson, sat in silence for a while, calmly observing the distant waterfall in their own ways. Eventually, Grandpa Teng rose to his feet.
"It's time for your tempering bath, Ming'er."
"Yes, Grandpa," Ni Ming replied, getting onto his feet. He walked forward, moving ahead of Grandpa Teng, as he found his way down the steep slope.
Xiao Teng sighed. He knew Ming'er had walked ahead of him so he wouldn't help him out.
"Truly stubborn and determined," he muttered under his breath, stepping forward to catch up to Ming'er.
They soon stepped onto the training ground, and the children were all still there, all awaiting little Ming'er's return.
For the past few months or so, Ni Ming had mostly secluded himself beyond the clan, at the distant waterfall, and since Grandpa Teng had requested for him not to be disturbed, they communicated less and less frequently. Although they still talked and discussed, it became more and more apparent that Ming'er was growing more distant with the clan with the passage of time.
"Little Ming'er," Xiao Min, one of the younger kids aged six, called out to him. Ni Ming stopped, a smile crossing his lips as he walked towards the source of the voice.
"When you're done with grandpa, sneak out and meet us at the waterfall. Everyone is planning to check out the distant forest," the young kid said in a hushed tone.
Ni Ming frowned. He knew just how dangerous the Skywalk Forest was. Even seasoned adults often returned from their hunts gravely injured, while others never returned at all.
Let alone children like them.
Wasn't entering the forest no different from courting death?
However, logical he might be at times, the thrill of seeking danger and braving the unknown still thrilled him and made his heart race.
Seeing the frown on Ni Ming's facial features, Xiao Ge stepped forward.
"We aren't going to head that deep into the forest," he solemnly added. "They're quite a few weaker desolate beasts at the outskirts of the skywalk forest."
Ni Ming nodded.
"Ming'er!" Grandpa Teng called for him, urging him to get moving. "You've to have your tempering bath before the sun dims."
"Coming Grandpa!" Ni Ming replied. "I'll be back. Don't you guys dare leave without me."
He laughed vigorously, dashing towards Grandpa Teng. Following the subtle footsteps, he and Xiao Teng headed for the patriarchal residence.
Stepping into the residence, it was as though they'd entered a separate plane. An astonishing amount of worldly essence pervaded the atmosphere, starfall essence gushing down from the stars in the distant starry sky, and strands of immortal energy weaving through the air.
Ni Ming took in a deep breath, exhaling deeply, his flesh and bones absorbing the numerous essence. However, because he'd lost his true blood, the astonishing essence that would have caused a sensation in the outside world had no effect on him. It did help in grinding away the deathly energy around him though. 'Perhaps that was also something…' he laughed wryly.
Xiao Teng exhaled lightly, staring into the sky with hands placed behind his back. "It has been over a year, where are you?" He muttered under his breath. Was the unmatched expert dead, or did he succeed in his endeavors? He had no way of knowing.
He could only keep on with what he'd been told to do. And even if he hadn't been told to, he saw Ming'er as his own grandson and would've done his very best to keep him alive.
Stepping into the room, he walked towards a hollow part of the chamber. His hands shone with numerous symbols before he placed it on the wall, and as though some sort of mechanism was being activated, an astonishing amount of energy concentrated around his body, rushing into the wall before a slight creak resounded through the room.
He walked inside afterwards, taking in the numerous world shaking essences that'd kept Ni Ming away from the clutches of death. Every single one of them were astonishing and would've caused a bloodbath in the outside world, some only recorded in ancient legends, and some he had no knowledge of. Luckily, Ming'er's grandpa already took that into consideration, leaving behind a manual that discussed how to make use of the various essences and herbs to create a unique tempering bath.
Ni Ming stepped into the hidden room, and sat crossed-legged on the ground. Although he couldn't see, he could always sense the exuberant flow of vitality and essence whenever he stepped into this room. It didn't take a genius to know there were numerous special herbs and essences here that would've placed the Xiao clan in a precarious situation if learnt by the outside world.
He took in a deep breath and exhaled. "Grandpa Teng, when can I start cultivating?"
The thought had been plaguing his mind for quite some time now.
Although logic said that once one lost their true blood, they shouldn't be able to cultivate again. Grandpa Teng had said he would be able to. He had no idea how, but he trusted Grandpa Teng. He had to.
Xiao Teng sighed. Glancing into the sky, as though to peer through the heavens, he replied. "Soon… very soon."