At ten, I was taken to Goddess Peak, where I chopped wood, hauled water, cultivated qi, and practiced martial arts. My master said I had heaven-defying talent and was a cultivation genius the likes of which appeared only once in a thousand years.
Ten years later, she chased me down the mountain. “Get lost. Stop being a nuisance to your master.
When I returned to the village, my family was dirt poor. The local bully was tormenting my parents, and my little sister had almost been driven to take refuge at the neighbors’ house.
With one kick, I sent the bully flying. With one hand, I healed my mother. With a single thought, I made the withered melon vines sprout again.
But beneath the village’s peaceful surface, dark currents were swirling.
