Chapter 256
Chapter 256
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Translator: Ace
Chapter: 1
Chapter Title: Awakening the Fate Star
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Frontier City, Luo Family Village.
This village, like a paradise secluded from the world, nestled against Heavenly Pillar Mountain. The villagers spent their days hunting in the mountains, gathering herbs, chopping firewood, then selling it all in the city.
On an open patch of ground in the village, a gaunt-faced boy no older than eleven or twelve practiced his fists. Though malnutrition had left his cheeks hollow, he threw every punch with utmost focus, grunting and ha-ing now and then.
"Harder! Don't slack off!"
Beside him stood a burly, bare-chested man.
"Practicing fists is like rowing against the current—one day without practice dulls your skill a layer, ten days without, and even great talent wastes away. How then can you sense your fate star?"
The man held a bamboo stick in hand. He scolded as he struck the boy's body, correcting flaws in his form. His voice and actions were stern, but when the boy gritted his teeth and persisted, a rare warmth flickered in the man's eyes.
Thus half an hour passed.
"That's enough. Stop and rest."
The man's words fell, but he didn't relax his gaze, staring fixedly at the boy. The boy didn't collapse on the spot. Instead, he slowly withdrew his stance.
"Huuu."
He exhaled a long breath that hung solid in the air, like a white arrow landing firm. Only then did the boy stand steadily in place.
"Good!" The man nodded in satisfaction. "You remembered what I taught you yesterday. In fist practice, the greatest taboo is leaking qi. Even at utter exhaustion, when you can't go on, don't slack in rest—or this half-day's work is wasted."
"Heh heh."
The boy scratched his head, showing a mix of simple honesty and quiet pride. He glanced up at the sky.
Stars glittered across the vault.
Day or night, countless stars twinkled overhead—some brilliant, some dim, some yet unlit.
Lessons from childhood told him the stars mirrored mortals below, symbols of the myriad fates. A spark of anticipation lit the boy's eyes. He turned to the man. "Master, when will I light my fate star?"
"Today."
The man replied casually, stunning the boy in place. It took a moment to recover. "Today!? Why didn't you tell me sooner, Master!"
"Told you sooner, it wouldn't work."
A smile tugged the man's lips. He spoke softly. "You just finished a set of [Responding Fate Fist]. Now look up, and slowly close your eyes."
The boy obeyed at once.
Strangely, this mundane act sparked an indescribable sensation in him.
"My fate star..."
In a daze, the boy's mind linked to the firmament. He watched a dim star brighten under his gaze.
The next instant, a thought descended along the starlight—
[Villager]
Two simple words left the boy stunned for a long while. He opened his eyes to find the man watching tensely. "What fate star?"
"[Villager]." The boy answered truthfully.
The man's face stayed neutral, though disappointment shadowed his eyes. "[Villager], huh. Still, a steady life isn't bad."
The boy looked puzzled. "Can't [Villagers] practice martial arts?"
"Of course they can."
The man ruffled the boy's hair, then sighed. "But a [Villager]'s wonder only lets you eat anything when starving."
"For martial practice, without being a [Martial Pawn], you lack the matching boon. It's twice the effort for half the gain. Better to farm properly as a [Villager] than chase change and end up worse off."
He sighed again.
This came from his own life. Unlike the boy, he was a [Martial Pawn]. But he refused to stay a mere foot soldier, dreaming of command.
Fate had other plans.
His star unlit, nothing went right. Straying from destiny brought calamity—a grave wound in battle.
Else he'd not retired to this remote village.
"But Master..." The boy bowed his head after the tale, hope lingering. "If my fate star is [Villager], am I doomed to be one forever?"
"Not necessarily."
The boy was young; the man didn't want to crush his spirit. He shifted tone.
"Though fate stars are fixed, surprises happen—like when [Heavenly Demon Enters the World], birthing endless variables."
"Then even a [Villager] might become [Son of Heaven]."
"I know, I know!" The boy raised a hand. "Daytime Son of Heaven and Nighttime Son of Heaven—their stars are the sun and moon!"
"Right." The man smiled faintly. "Holder of the sun is Daytime Son of Heaven. Holder of the moon is Nighttime Son of Heaven. Both supreme sovereigns of heaven and earth."
"When [Heavenly Demon Enters the World] comes, warriors sense it, forging the two supreme Sons of Heaven to slay the outer-realm demons together."
"Then the Son of Heaven unites the realm, ushering long-lost great peace."
Longing gleamed in the man's eyes. "Ancient texts say the last came a thousand years ago."
"Under demon threat, the sixteen Central Plains kingdoms' lords allied atop Heavenly Pillar Mountain behind us. They swore blood oaths, founding the Achieved Martial Era to fight demons. Generals and strategists poured forth, all giving their lives. Thus the dynasty endures."
The man spoke well.
His tale unfolded stirring history. The boy listened entranced, yearning to live in that age of strife.
But then—
"General Chen! Bad news, bad news!"
From the village edge, young men dashed up, bows and short blades in hand, faces pale with terror. "The mountain's in uproar—beasts stampeding!"
"What?"
Shock crossed the man's face.
Heavenly Pillar Mountain spanned a thousand li, teeming with venomous bugs and fierce beasts—kings among them aplenty. What could stir such tumult?
"Beast tide?"
"No—impossible. The city lord long ago pacted with the mountain's beast lord. No crossings. Why break it now?"
Even so, the man dared not delay.
Luo Family Village clung to the mountain's fringe. Against a tide, it'd shatter like sand in the sea.
Only nearby Frontier City might stand as a reef.
He decided swiftly. "Rally the villagers—evacuate to Frontier City. This is beyond us. Report to the city lord first."
Rumble!
His words cut short by thunderous roar—from the mountain, like its collapse!
Villagers blanched in fear.
Even worldly General Chen gaped, stunned at the long rift tearing open above Heavenly Pillar Mountain!
"The sky... split!?"
Ancient descriptions flashed in his mind. Tales from storybooks now real left him frozen.
Heavenly Demon Enters the World?
Heavenly Demon Enters the World!
In an instant, myriad stars blazed overhead, sun and moon flaring brightest, beaming on the rift.
Simultaneously, every star-lit warrior saw the rift, fate's old bonds shattered. No more bound by stellar roles. One irresistible urge surged:
"Kill!"
Slay those emerging from the rift!
The first to claim a head—for him, kingship of the world!