Chapter 2 – Yin Jin's Training
The beast tide had finally been repelled, and peace returned to the city. The air still carried the lingering scent of smoke and blood — a reminder of the chaos that had nearly devoured their walls.
In one of the city's quieter districts, a young boy was once again being bullied by his classmates.
> "Look at him—can't even circulate his qi properly!" one sneered.
"Broken meridians, shattered soul veins… pathetic!" another laughed.
The boy, Yin Jin, clenched his fists. The humiliation burned deeper than any wound. No matter how hard he tried, his meridians refused to respond. His awakening soul pearl—the key to cultivation—remained dim and lifeless.
After the beating, Yin Jin limped home to the blacksmith shop, where his uncle Xu Liang, a burly man with calloused hands, was busy hammering a blade glowing faintly with spiritual fire.
"Yin Jin," Xu Liang said, glancing up. "Bullied again?"
Yin Jin nodded silently.
His uncle sighed. "Don't let their words cut too deep. You've got the heart of a cultivator, boy. That's worth more than any glowing pearl."
"But Uncle Xu," Yin Jin said bitterly, "without functioning meridians, I can't cultivate. What good is heart alone?"
Xu Liang paused his hammering. "There is… one way."
Yin Jin looked up sharply. "You mean—?"
"The Soul Reconstruction Formation," Xu Liang said gravely. "A forbidden technique. It can mend broken meridians, but at a terrible cost. It burns away two levels of cultivation from the caster and may even cripple them permanently."
Yin Jin's eyes widened. "Uncle, no! That's too dangerous! I won't let you—"
Xu Liang cut him off with a wave of his hand. "This old body has seen enough battles. I don't need my strength anymore. You… you still have a future."
He handed Yin Jin a small jade bottle filled with shimmering golden liquid. "This is the Rejuvenation Pill. It will repair your meridians during the formation. But listen well—use it only after the ritual begins. Too soon, and it will destroy you."
"Uncle Xu…" Yin Jin's throat tightened.
"Enough talk." Xu Liang grinned faintly. "A cultivator's path is paved with sacrifice. Now, sit in the circle."
As Yin Jin sat cross-legged within the formation etched into the floor, Xu Liang pressed his blood onto the sigil lines. Ancient runes flared to life, bathing the room in a blinding silver light.
"Hold on, Yin Jin!" Xu Liang shouted as spiritual fire erupted around them.
Yin Jin screamed as lightning coursed through his veins, burning away impurities and mending broken pathways. Pain tore through his body like blades of ice and fire intertwined.
Minutes felt like eternity.
Then—silence.
The light faded. Yin Jin gasped, his body trembling. Xu Liang slumped to the floor, pale but smiling.
"Uncle!" Yin Jin crawled to him. "Are you—"
Xu Liang waved weakly. "Still breathing. You'll be fine now. Remember, Yin Jin… find your path, and never bow to fate."
That night, Yin Jin slept with a strange warmth pulsing in his dantian. When dawn came, he felt… different. His body was lighter, his senses sharper.
"Have I… awakened?" he whispered.
As he focused inward, a faint black flame flickered within his soul pearl—the mark of his hidden bloodline: the Dark Dawn Fire of the Nebula Realm.
For the first time, Yin Jin smiled.
The path of cultivation, once closed, had opened again.
His journey had only just begun.
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Author's Note
🔥 Yin Jin's meridians are finally repaired, but what price did his uncle truly pay?
In the next chapter — A New
Power Awakens — the Dark Dawn Fire reveals its first terrifying ability!