In a remote corner of the Phoenix Continent, on a vast plain covered in lush green scenery, the day had just begun. The sun was rising on the horizon, bathing the world in its golden rays.
On the ground, trees swayed their leaves gently in the morning breeze.
To the north, a small village stood in a cleared patch of land, filled with houses made of wood and clay.
At the entrance of the village, a group of twenty teenagers trained enthusiastically.
Thud!
Thud!
They punched the air, generating gusts of wind that ruffled their hair and whistled past their ears.
From a distance, an old man watched with satisfaction, stroking his beard with one hand.
"Good... good... keep it up. Let the essence of the sun bathe your bodies and use the Art of Dawn to absorb it within you."
The old man shouted to the group, and they responded energetically:
"Yes!"
A little farther away, behind a tree, a boy of about ten peeked through the bushes with curious eyes, watching the training.
He didn't understand what they were doing—only that they seemed to grow stronger with each move, which made him even more eager to learn.
"But Grandpa said I'm too young to learn cultivation, something about my age and blah blah blah..."
He forgot the rest since he hadn't really paid attention.
But he clearly remembered that Fang Yue had already started cultivating.
And she was the same age as him.
Why could she, and not him?
The boy refused to accept that and began trying to learn on his own, memorizing every movement the others made.
The old man teaching the children glanced toward the bushes, noticing the small figure spying, but chose to ignore it, allowing the boy to keep watching.
"Poor little thing... even if he practiced this for twenty years, he wouldn't be able to draw out a single trace of essence. What a pitiful child."
The old man sighed in pity, turning his gaze back to his disciples.
Ye Han, realizing the elder had looked his way, hid deeper among the bushes, afraid of being caught.
But when he saw that the old man had looked away, he sighed in relief and resumed watching.
After observing long enough, he felt confident he could copy the movements.
But before he could try, he needed to leave.
Placing his hands on the ground, he began crawling carefully out of the bush.
Once out of sight, he sprang up like a cat and darted through the trees, his feet hitting the earth as fast as he could move.
He passed several brown blurs of tree trunks as he headed for his secret place—one no one else knew existed.
After running for several minutes without stopping, Ye Han's body was drenched in sweat.
Wiping his forehead, he arrived before a waterfall that cascaded endlessly, producing a soothing sound.
He sat down, waiting for his racing heartbeat to calm as he caught his breath.
Once recovered, Ye Han stood and stepped into the water, which instantly chilled his skin.
The water wasn't deep, only reaching halfway up his body.
"My secret place is close."
Ye Han smiled innocently.
Ignoring the cold creeping up his legs, he kept walking. With each step, the water rippled around his feet.
That continued until he crossed the entire waterfall and reached the point where the water shattered against the rocks.
Rushing forward, Ye Han endured the pressure of the falling water pounding against him like a heavy shroud, forcing his knees to bend and bruising his body as if trying to crush him into paste.
The sensation lasted only three seconds—just enough for him to slip into a narrow crack between the rocks. It was a tight gap, one only a child could fit through.
Inside, darkness swallowed everything. His only sense was touch, his arms brushing against damp, rough walls.
After crawling about twenty meters, the darkness began to tint blue, growing brighter as Ye Han advanced.
Soon, before his eyes, the blue light filled the space.
It came from luminous stones embedded in the walls.
Stepping out of the crevice, a dazzling sight unfolded — a hidden sanctuary lit by the glowing blue stones.
Little Ye Han had discovered this place while chasing a fish underwater, and since then, he had claimed it as his secret paradise.
His own little starry sky.
"Hehehe! I've got a base! If the others knew, they'd be jealous, right? I mean, this place is beautiful."
He boasted, patting his chest and straightening his back proudly.
"Time to train!"
Remembering his main goal, the boy's expression turned serious.
He stretched his arms downward and exhaled deeply through his mouth.
Then, planting his feet firmly, he took a horse stance, relaxing his shoulders.
Ye Han didn't know if he was doing it right—he was just following what he remembered.
"Now punch! Then kick! Then punch again! And use some kind of energy above you to get stronger!"
That was his logic.
And the energy he would use came from the cave itself.
Why not use it?
Ye Han was determined to prove to his grandfather that age didn't matter.
Eyes gleaming with excitement, he clenched his fists and began striking the air, producing small snapping sounds.
After five minutes, nothing happened.
"Why isn't the light going into my body? Maybe it's different for each type? Maybe I need to touch it for it to work?"
An idea struck him like lightning.
Without hesitation, he punched, kicked, and spun, pressing his palm against one of the stones. Its surface was rough and cold to the touch.
As he dug his fingers into it, a warmth spread through his body.
Looking ahead, eyes wide, he saw the blue energy actually leaving the stone and flowing into his skin.
"I'm a genius!"
Ye Han shouted, his voice echoing across the cave walls.
"Genius! Genius! I solved the puzzle all by myself!"
He was overjoyed—for the first time, he had drawn energy on his own, without anyone's help.
"Time to get stronger!"
Ye Han didn't hesitate.
Relishing the feeling of power growing within him each second, he was ecstatic.
He trained non-stop until something inside him suddenly broke.
It felt like a barrier—and the instant it shattered, his five senses sharpened. His vision became clearer, his hearing picked up distant sounds.
Overcome with joy, Ye Han felt pure bliss flooding through him.
But it all ended when hunger struck.
His stomach growled loudly, forcing him to leave the cave and run to the waterfall to catch some fish.