A New Earth (1)

Day 31 December 2043.

It was New Year's Eve.

All over the world people were getting ready to celebrate the start of a new year, at least most of them.

Suddenly, the whole Earth trembled!

Earthquakes struck countries that were not accustomed to such events, demolishing poorly constructed and unprepared homes. As a result, huge waves flipped boats in the ocean and invaded the beaches causing even more destruction.

Not to be outdone, the sky turned ominously dark. Once bright, it was now shrouded in clouds, illuminated only by the relentless flashes of thunderbolts on the horizon. In mere moments, pandemonium engulfed the world.

However, before people could imagine what was happening or even react, it was gone.

Minutes later, as swiftly as it had arrived, everything returned to normal. But as a grim reminder of the catastrophe, thousands had perished, and buildings lay in ruins. People could only carry on with their lives, albeit with confusion lingering in the air.

These unexpected phenomena would continue to puzzle scientists for years to come.

Now, everything seemed normal again, or so people thought.

Unnoticed by humans, a colorless form of energy spread through the air. Originating from the center of the Earth, it traversed any barrier, whether human-made or natural, quickly filling the entire world.

Fortunately or not, there were living beings more sensitive to this energy: the animals. They felt it! At first, they were paralyzed by the new sensation. People who witnessed their strange reaction assumed the animals were merely frightened by the unusual weather phenomenon. Minutes later, however, the animals became energetic, some even jumping up and down in excitement, like dogs reunited with a long-lost friend.

Unfortunately, no one was paying enough attention. Otherwise, they might have noticed that the plants were also growing a bit faster!

Hours passed and as the day drew to a close, another anomaly occurred: Hundreds of thousands of people reported finding a book. Yes, books with a strange language, which no one could identify the origin of. 

Strangely, there were even versions of these books available online!

But what was even more bizarre was that the language's symbols were understandable by everyone! Even an illiterate child could easily grasp the meaning behind the books.

*********

Alaska.

Between the woods, a simple timber cottage stood near the mountains. Snowflakes fell, accumulating on the roof and branches, reflecting off the white horizon.

In the snow-covered yard, a small girl was building a snowman—if a pile of snow and clay could be called that. She wasn't very skilled for a twelve-year-old, but she persisted. She wore a simple jacket and jeans that highlighted her beautiful silver hair and blue eyes.

Even though she was not appropriately dressed for the weather, she felt no cold. Because of that, her delicate figure resembled a beautiful snow princess—at least, that's what her father always said.

Suddenly, the earth shook, the sky darkened, and thunder sparks engulfed the forest.The girl panicked and fell on her butts. 

The cottage door burst open, and a man dashed toward her.

"Don't be afraid my dear. Father will protect you," he said, embracing her and looking at the sky.

The man was as big as a bear, his short black hair matched perfectly with his large black beard. He wore a classic woodcutter's attire: a red jacket and black jeans—fitting for his job.

[What the hell is happening here?] He gazed at the sky, perplexed.

What the hell is happening here?] He gazed at the sky, perplexed.

He quickly got the girl inside the house and put her under the bed for precaution.

Minutes later, the thunders stopped, and a shy ray of sunlight shone through the window. Outside, it bathed the recently fallen snow, blessing the place with its radiance.

The man watched nature outside, mesmerized. He had lived here for years but had never felt like this; something was off.

"Weird." He murmured, perplexed.

Stay here, honey. I'll look around to understand the situation. Don't open the door unless it's Aunt Andressa, okay?"

"Okay, Father!" she nodded from under the bed's protection.

After that, the man took his old axe from the wall and walked out.

The girl stayed under the bed with her eyes closed for a while.

Suddenly, she heard a "pluck" nearby.

Mustering the courage to open her eyes, the first thing she saw was an ice-blue book.

[Where did this thing come from? Is this one of my dad's books?]

Looking at the cover, she noticed strange symbols written in green. Unexpectedly, the meaning behind them came directly into her mind.

[Snow-Ice Body Cultivation Technique].

Weird, how can I understand it?" She had never seen those symbols before.

Amazed, the girl easily forgot her fears and flipped the book open. The pages were as blue as the cover, giving a majestic cold feeling to the touch. Once again, the meanings behind the strange writing came to her mind.

[A low-grade manuscript commonly seen in any cultivation family. It ensures the practitioner can reach the peak of the Body Tempering stage and maybe even break through to the Foundation Establishment stage. Those who can withstand the coldness of snow are fit to practice this technique. Gathering the natural energy through cold temperatures, the practitioner will be able to improve their yin energy to the maximum. The steps that should be taken are…]

"What?" Even though she understood what was written, some of the words had no meaning to her.

What was the 'Cultivation' the book mentioned? Was it about growing plants or something? She had no idea what yin energy was either, but she really loved playing in the snow and always enjoyed the cold temperature. So why not give it a try?

With that thought in mind, the girl came out from under the bed and went outside. Seeing that everything was normal, she sat in the newly fallen snow and closed her eyes.

Following the steps in the book, she tried to meditate for the first time in her life. Little did she know that this would be the first of many.

***************

China

In an old temple in the province of Hennan, a young man around 20 years old was running excitedly.

He wore a tattered red robe that could barely protect him, much like the old stone walls responsible to maintain the temple standing. The boy ran through huge corridors filled with cracks and dust, which were highlighted by the passing sunlight. The walls were adorned with faded murals depicting ancient battles and serene landscapes, now marred by time and neglect. Dust danced in the slivers of light, creating a somewhat mystical atmosphere that contrasted with the temple's dilapidated state.

It was still dawn and the sunlight was not enough to fully illuminate the place. Shadows clung to the corners, and the air was thick with the scent of old incense and aged wood. As he passed through the dark corridors, the young man was reminded of the shame his family was suffering, but today, his mood was not affected by it.

After some more twists and turns, passing by small alcoves where statues of old important figures of his family stood covered in cobwebs, the boy stopped in front of a wooden door and knocked twice.

"Grandfather, grandfather! I have good news!" Without waiting for an answer, he barged in.

"Why are you so euphoric, Wei Tian? Just when I was relieved that the temple did not crumble in the earthquakes, you come and almost destroy the old door!"

An elderly man stared at the boy. He was sitting at a small desk with an even older parchment in his hands. Despite his complaint, a small smile formed on his lips. He wore a shabby blue robe, and his bald head and round brown eyes made him look like an old monk.

"Earthquake? Well, never mind" the boy looked weirdly at his grandfather and shrugged, it really seemed that he didn't know what the old man was talking about. "I'm sorry to interrupt grandpa, but I have amazing news!"

The old man couldn't help but to sigh at his grandson, he was always like that: Even though he was an adult, when it came down to training the boy would forget about the world outside. Still, he waved his hand signaling him to continue.

"I was in my chamber training our family techniques as normal. But then, I suddenly felt it! The Qi in the air has increased a hundredfold and it's still growing denser!" said a euphoric Wei Tian gesticulating with his hands to mimic the intensity of the situation. "Try to feel it, grandpa!"

Knowing that his grandson wouldn't stop pestering him until he tried, the old man closed his eyes. Easily entering the meditation state, he activated the family technique passed down through generations. He took a slow breath, trying to touch upon the natural energy as he always did.

Suddenly, the man felt thousands of tiny particles enter his nostrils and reach his lungs. It was as if a thirsty man had found water for the first time; an immense amount of particles surged uncontrollably to his heart and were absorbed into his meridians! He couldn't help but absorb more and more!

Stopping abruptly, he coughed a mouthful of black blood!

He had broken through!

"Wei Tian, you were right my boy!"Cleaning his mouth, the man looked at his grandchild and laughed out loud. "Hahaha! Finally, finally my family is being blessed by the Gods once again!"

The old man raised his hands to the sky, cheering loudly. "Soon, no one will be able to look down upon us!"

Wei Tian stood there, with his mouth agape, stunned. He had never seen his grandfather act like that, so excited.

Noticing the boy's bewildered expression, the old man cleared his throat and composed himself. "Call everyone here. We'll have an emergency meeting. Don't let any of them get away. Go, boy!" He shooed Wei Tian with his hands, urging him to hurry.

Wei Tian nodded and dashed out of the room, his mind racing. He navigated through the ancient corridors, his footsteps echoing against the cracked stone walls. The significance of the moment weighed heavily on him.

After a few hours the old temple seemed to glow with a newfound energy, the ancient walls whispering of the resurgence of a long-forgotten power.