The world was a canvas of chaos. Multi-colored lightning, a phenomenon unknown to modern science, tore through the sky with savage grace, each bolt a primal scream.
Thunder continually boomed, an unstoppable, visceral roar that seemed intent on shaking the very foundations of the earth. Rain poured down in sheets, a deluge that felt less like a storm and more like the heavens themselves weeping, or perhaps, raging.
"Just what's with this rain?!?"
Confused shouts and panicked screams swirled across the city, blending into a cacophony of fear.
This thunderous lightning rainstorm was strange, very strange.
The weather forecast hadn't predicted a single speck of rain, let alone a cataclysmic downpour. In fact, it was supposed to be a beautiful, warm day, perfect for enjoying the outdoors. Now, that thought was blasted out of everyone's head.
At least, it should have been everyone's head.
Amidst the scrambling masses, one figure moved with an unnatural, almost serene calm. A young man whose ordinary life had long felt like a stifling cage, strode through the radiant, rain-soaked streets without a single care in the world.
Where others were scrambling to get inside, seeking shelter from the furious sky, he walked with purpose, his steps unhurried, almost deliberate. His eyes, unbothered by the relentless downpour, simply held a gaze of profound wonderment, drinking in the sight of the multi-colored thunder tearing across the sky.
"Really, just wasn't a dream…" he muttered, his voice barely audible above the storm, a faint, almost imperceptible smile curling his lips. His feet kept walking forward, unerringly.
All around him, others began to take notice of his strange, almost suicidal behavior. Nearly everyone simply chose to ignore the man, seeing no reason to bother with a fool unwilling to look after his own life.
While others, more empathetic and sympathetic, tried yelling out to him, their voices straining against the wind, wanting to steer him away from the insane weather.
"Hey! Get inside! Are you crazy?!"
"You'll be struck!"
But the man listened to no one. All other yells around him simply blended into the thunderous boom of the sky, a meaningless hum against the crescendo of his destiny.
He didn't notice, or perhaps, he simply wasn't sure how to. But he soon found himself in an open field, a bit removed from the city's edge, where the sky felt closer, the thunder more immediate.
The man took one last look at the radiant sky, still roaring with strange, multi-colored thunder.
'And it should be here by those visions…' he calmly thought to himself. Zero panic. No concern other than facing down this roaring lightning. The man was utterly content, a simple, almost beatific smile curling his average-looking face.
One would think someone from a modern city, someone who understood the finality of death, would be utterly foolish to face something so dangerous right in the face. After all, this was reality. One had to consider how their departure would affect their friends and family. Or perhaps they hadn't yet achieved what they wanted in their life.
"But that… compared to what I saw, what I know… there is, there has to be something more," he mumbled to himself, sounding a bit unsure, the words a quiet plea to the storm.
But his determination never wavered. His eyes, fixed on the descending, multi-hued light, burned with an unshakeable resolve.
And after a single blink of his eyes…
'Bang!'
The most ferocious roar of thunder blasted across the space, crackling like the awakening of a primal beast from its slumber!
The man's vision was utterly blinded by the sheer intensity of the light. Before he could react in the slightest, a multi-colored lightning bolt, thicker than any normal human had ever seen, smashed down upon his body like a God's uncontrollable fury!
The ground shattered apart, a crater forming instantly. Dust flew, debris exploded outwards, and roars boomed with the force of a thousand dynamite explosions.
'AH!'
The man wanted to scream, to roar out in utter, soul-shattering pain. This searing agony felt like it wanted to rip apart every piece of him, down to the tiniest of cells. His nerves screamed, his very essence felt like it was being incinerated.
He wanted to shriek, to writhe, to do anything to express this hellish torment. But he had no mouth, had no body to writhe, nothing but his own mind, a solitary consciousness adrift in a sea of torment.
Such a state of existence was nearly destroying the man's will to live.
Perhaps giving up would be easy?
The easy way… giving up like this… then what was the point?
The point of believing all those visions… the man knew it, ever since the very first time those visions occurred.
Many would simply call him delusional, but he never gave up hope!
The hope to persist, to get through this so that his mediocre life could change into something fantastical!
So the man persisted, stubbornly clinging to life like an utter madman. Failure wasn't an option. Success was the only path to go. He would push through, the path forward would not be stopped by mere hellish pain!
He could not speak at all, and yet, 'HAH!'
What felt like a guttural roar howled out of the depths of his very soul, a raw, defiant cry against annihilation.
In that very instant, the crushing pain stopped. It vanished. Everything ceased for a timeless second.
And the man…
"This!"
He awoke with a frightened start, his eyes snapping open.
He instantly felt the changes. Instead of being soaked in rain on a dirty, wet grassy field, he was now on a soft bed, the finest silk sheets against his skin. His eyes quickly accustomed to a luxurious room, bathed in the soft, warm glow of a dazzling sun filtering through ornate windows.
The room was littered with a sparkling glow, tiny motes of light blinking across the walls, as if the very air was alive. It honestly felt like a room for those nobles living in expansive manors, far beyond anything he'd ever experienced on Earth.
But the man didn't have time to pay attention to the opulent environment. Not when this profound, mystical, fantastical sensation instantly washed over every fiber of his being.
'This….' The man clenched his fists. His joints cracked with a more explosive pop than he'd ever felt. He never felt so energized, so powerful, as if a mere clench of his fist could easily break down a tall tree.
And this sensation didn't stop inside his body. Outside as well, this sensation, as if a sixth sense had developed, pulled at his awareness. He focused his mind, and he could feel it, taste the refreshing coolness surrounding him.
He could see it, his eyes sharper than ever before, following a faint blue stream of light, seemingly a river of pure energy flowing through the room, swirling around him. It all came naturally to the man, like a second instinct, a forgotten memory resurfacing.
He pushed this sixth sense inside himself and was instantly left with awe. Boundless energy, power beyond belief, it swirled through his mind, akin to the thunderous storm that had claimed his life.
And yet, amidst this power was a prominent sensation. A restrictive sensation that was locking down the core of his power.
The man oriented himself in that moment. The longer he stayed like this, simply breathing and getting calm, the more he was getting accustomed to everything. His eyes landed on his bedside, where there was a book laying atop a small, intricately carved table.
The book held a title written in this hypnotic blue script, shimmering faintly: 'Beloved Sky Sect's Guide, Locations, Rules.'
'Beloved Sky Sect, huh?' The man curled his brows in thought, a new set of memories, foreign yet familiar, swirling in his mind.
But before he could think or do anything else, the door to his room flung open with a cheerful bang. A melodic voice filled the room.
"Jin! Finally! I thought you were going to sleep all day, man." Her voice was sinfully sweet, yet her style of speaking didn't really match the elegance of a maiden from such a luxurious setting.
The man blinked over to see the maiden quickly rushing to his bed. A beautiful young girl who appeared to be at least eighteen stomped over. Her eyes seemingly were stuck in being narrow, fierce, and calculating since the day she was born.
The beauty on her face was evident, the charm of her lithe body was prominent, and yet the presence of this young girl was fierce, almost untamed.
She took bold, loud steps with excitement trembling through her lithe body. Simply staring into this young girl's face made the man faintly tremble, not from fear, but from the sheer force of her personality.
In a split second, information, memories that felt foreign and familiar whirled across his mind, confirming his new reality.
The main thing the man got was the fact that his name was Lei Jin, this was his sister Lei Ya, and they were currently in the Beloved Sky Sect as ordinary Inner disciples.
Although something about this situation was not right.
Before he could think further, Lei Ya grasped his shoulder, slightly shaking him as she exclaimed, her voice bubbling with eager energy, "Come on, Jin! That high-quality Soul Cleansing Pill is soon coming to the Azure Market! Early the better, as you always said. And heh."
Her expression shifted, a devious glint swirling within her aquatic pupils. "With this pill, we can cleanse our bodies and cultivate even faster. Our chances may be slim, but Long Tian and his annoying flies won't be above us for long!"
Lei Jin didn't respond at first. It was strange. His new sister was speaking a language he'd never heard before, yet he could perfectly understand her. But more than that, he used that same sixth sense on his sister. There was a swirl of energy and power, seemingly similar to him, within Lei Ya's body.
But just like with him, there was some sort of restriction, a barrier at the core part of her power. And by its location, it was in the lower part of Lei Ya's stomach.
From all that Lei Jin had read in his previous life about situations like this, this should be where her and his dantian were located, as what they called a wellspring where energy and power gathers in cultivators.
"Hm?" Lei Ya furrowed her brows even more when Lei Jin didn't respond at first, her hand still on his shoulder. "Jin? Hey, what's wrong? Going silly from these injuries?"
Worry crossed her face for a moment, a flicker of genuine concern, before determination replaced it. "Come on, don't let this minor hurdle get you down. I thought you were over this. Like we said yesterday, we'll find a way like we always do!"
The brightness of Lei Ya's face, her sweet yet determined tone, it all flowed into Lei Jin's soul, igniting a fierce, protective warmth.
This girl, his sister, he would protect her.