Death

Stars so bright, so beautiful in the night sky. Who tells them to start shining so bright? Who tells them to disappear when the sun starts to shine? Maybe one day someone will find out the mysteries in the endless night sky.

A light cluster was falling to the ground at a rapid speed. All over the land, people started to look and point up at the light. People started to panic thinking that the light was going to hit their town while the more adventure's people started to get excited thinking of what treasure could be inside the light and greed started to flash in their eyes.

In a large hall, a young man burst through the doors without bothering to knock first. "Great elder, I have important news," he exclaimed. The young man froze as he saw the cold eyes staring at him. He started to sweat, feeling uneasy under the elder's gaze. "I'm sorry, I should have waited to be invited in," he said, looking at the ground with a regretful expression.

"Get him!" a group of people shouted at a teenage boy running into the pitch-black forest what do you want from me the teenager said over his shoulder at the group chasing him.

We want the body-refining grass that you have. why do you want it? you all have already passed the Body refining stage. so this would be useless to all of you.

That is none of your business! Now hand over the body refining grass and we will let you leave this forest in peace.

Then you will have to take it from me because I am not going to give it to you. I need this body-refining grass to boost my strength. I cannot simply give it away, he thought to himself.

Don't say I didn't give you a chance to hand it over willingly. But since you do not want to hand it over, I will take it from you.

Without another word, he threw a punch at the teenager's back. Have fun in hell, EZRA!

Ezra knew he couldn't dodge this attack or stop it from hitting his body. Without any other options, he turned around and met the attack with his fist.

The sounds of bones breaking could be heard as Ezra was thrown back. As he landed on the ground, he could hear his ribs breaking.

Ezra coughed up a mouth full of blood before slowly standing up. As he looked around trying to find an escape route, he realized he landed inches away from a cliff.

 You survived that attack I am impressed. Ezra could hear the sounds of slow clapping coming from behind him.

Ezra turned around only to see the group of people all looking at him with disdain.

Fine, you win. Do you want the body refining grass Braidan? come get it Ezra held the grass in the palm of his hand.

Braidan was just a few feet away from Ezra. When with the last bit of strength, he had left in him Ezra threw himself off the cliff.

NO! Braidan rushed over to the cliff only in time to see Ezra's body disappear into the darkness.

So, this is how I die. This is how I chose to leave this world. Thinking about his past a small smile grew on his face. before everything turned black. As Ezra's body lay lifeless on the cold rock a streak of purple light shot into his body.

A soft ethereal glow radiated from the lifeless form, casting a faint purple hue around the surroundings. Tiny purple stars flickered into existence, swirling around Ezra's body before finding their way into every cut and bruise, as if drawn by some unseen power seeking to heal his wounds.

A slow breeze could be heard as Ezra slowly opened his eyes, "Am I dead? he thought to himself as he slowly sat up. As he regained his eyesight, he noticed the rock walls surrounding him were so tall that he couldn't even see where they ended. So, it wasn't a dream I threw myself off the cliff.

Looking at the cliff, a shiver went down Ezra's spine realizing the situation he was in. How am I going to get out of this place? The thought of climbing up the cliff was laughable. He was only at the early 9th level of the body refining stage.

"Given the extensive damage his body sustained from Braidan's attack, not to mention the fall from an unknown distance, it was clear that his body was in no condition to attempt the climb. If he had been in peak condition, the task of climbing back up would have been a challenge but not impossible."

Ezra let out a heavy sigh as he came to the realization that there was no use in contemplating the task of scaling back up the cliff. Instead, he knew that his immediate priority was to concentrate on regaining his strength.

Ezra took another long, deep breath, feeling the weight of the day slowly lift from his shoulders. As he looked around, he spotted a large rock not far from where he stood. Making his way to it, he carefully settled himself down, crossing his legs before closing his eyes.

As he closed his eyes, the ground beneath him trembled violently, disorienting him before he found himself suddenly engulfed in an eerie darkness. Caught completely off guard, Ezra lost his balance and tumbled off the rock, his heart pounding in his chest as he struggled to make sense of what was happening.

Opening his eyes, he found himself engulfed in complete darkness. The absence of any sound made the space feel eerie and unsettling. Even the faintest sound of his footsteps seemed to be swallowed by the void.

As he stood in the unsettling silence, the hairs on the back of his neck began to stand on end, and a cold shiver ran down his spine. A creeping sense of unease slowly took hold, causing his heart to race with apprehension. Without warning, the stillness was shattered by two deafeningly loud bangs, each one reverberating through the space and causing the very air to quiver. In an instant, a radiant, shimmering purple light burst forth, emanating a mesmerizing brilliance that seemed to dance and sway, casting intricate patterns across every surface it touched.

Ezra's heart raced as he instinctively covered his eyes with his hands, desperately trying to shield them from the overwhelming brilliance of the purple light. As the light gradually faded away, Ezra cautiously removed his hands, half-expecting to see nothing but darkness ahead. To his astonishment, he found himself gazing at a mesmerizing display of myriad shapes and sizes of light clusters, each one pulsating with a captivating and dazzling purple hue that filled the space with an enchanting radiance.

Ezra stood in awe, captivated by the stunning view before him. "So beautiful," he muttered. The scene seemed straight out of a fairytale, and he half expected to be jolted awake at any moment. Determined to savor the moment, he cautiously moved closer to one of the enchanting purple lights.

Slowly, with a sense of wonder and trepidation, Ezra extended his hand towards one of the mesmerizing balls of light. As his fingers made contact, he felt a gentle warmth emanating from the orb, a sensation that was not too hot, but rather pleasantly soothing. As he delicately rolled the light-filled ball in his palm, the radiant glow that surrounded it began to diminish, until all that remained was a mysterious bottle filled with what seemed to be blood, now nestled in the palm of his hand.

Ezra stood in awe as he held the bottle in his hand, marveling at the intricate patterns that seemed to materialize and fade on the smooth glass surface. It was as if the bottle contained the enigmatic secrets of the entire galaxy, each fleeting design hinting at the vast mysteries of the cosmos.

Ezra found himself captivated by the intricate patterns on the surface of the bottle. However, as his gaze shifted, he became fixated on the mesmerizing sight of the blood contained within. The longer he stared at it, the more he felt an inexplicable connection to the red liquid, almost as if it was compelling him to open the bottle and let it reveal itself.

As if in a trance, Ezra slowly removed the cork from the bottle, quickly turning it over and letting the blood flow onto his hand. The blood seemed to sense that it was free and took the opportunity to rush into Ezra's body, shocking him and causing him to freeze.

As the blood entered his body, a sharp pain coursed through him, causing him to double over, screaming in pain. Ezra gritted his teeth, trying to resist the urge to pass out.

He couldn't tell how much time had passed, but the relentless agony finally began to subside, allowing him to draw in deep, soothing breaths and regain control of himself. As the pain gradually ebbed away, he felt a sense of relief washing over him, and he savored the feeling of being able to breathe without the sharp stabs of agony. "That was truly unpleasant," he thought to himself, taking a moment to gather his strength before slowly standing up, his muscles still aching from the ordeal.

As he stretched, a sensation of incredible lightness washed over him, making him feel as if he could float away. Simultaneously, he experienced a surge of strength, as though he had the power to effortlessly break through solid boulders with a single punch. While reveling in this newfound vitality, he was startled by the sudden appearance of another brilliant purple light hurtling towards him.

He swiftly reached out and intercepted the purple orb just before it collided with him. Examining the sphere, he couldn't help but notice its increased size compared to the previous one. Ezra's eyes were filled with eager anticipation as he wondered what could possibly be concealed within this enigmatic light. Gradually, as the brilliance dissipated, a book manifested and began to hover in the air. With a sense of wonder, Ezra reached out, grasped the book, and carefully examined its title.

Rock Shattering Palm!

"Rock-Shattering Palm," Ezra read the name out loud. As he looked closer, he realized that this was a medium-rank human skill. Skill books were ranked from low to high tier. Even among the clans, having such a skill would be very valuable. Even some of the smaller clans lacked many such skills.

By mastering this skill, users gain the remarkable ability to shatter enormous boulders without sustaining any damage. Notably, one can acquire this skill even before reaching the spirit-gathering realm.

"That's fantastic! Now I can finally compete with individuals at my level or even higher." The thought of being able to test his abilities against others filled him with excitement. One of the primary reasons he had always found himself falling behind others was the fact that he hadn't reached the spirit-gathering realm, and he didn't possess the necessary skills to match most peers at his level. It wasn't due to his lack of strength; in fact, he was considered a genius. However, a confrontation with an inner core disciple from one of the top clans had turned his life into a nightmare, depriving him of resources and the opportunity to acquire skills to enhance his own strength. Despite these obstacles, he had managed to advance to the early 9th-level body refining stage.

Ezra's joy was abruptly interrupted when he was unexpectedly struck by a third light cluster, knocking him to the ground.

Ezra shook his head a few times to regain his focus before looking at another book floating next to him. He grabbed the book and looked at the name: "Star Flowing Steps." Rank: unknown. Ezra was confused; he had never heard of a skill not having a rank before. Then again, he didn't know much when it came to skills.

As he looked at the two books, a sense of determination crept onto his face. "I can do this. I can learn these skills and prove to the people who thought I couldn't make it that I'm just as strong as they are." With a determined look, he grabbed his new skill books when a thought came to his mind.

Wait, how do I get out of this place?