"Ling… where is your mother?"
The question from my uncle, Ryo Ling, hit me like a cold blade. His voice was calm, but the weight behind it made my chest tighten.
I lowered my head and said quietly, "She left on a journey the day before my sister's coming-of-age ceremony. I didn't know where she went, but… I'm sure she's safe."
Uncle sighed deeply, his expression unreadable. "You still don't understand, do you?"
"What do you mean?" I asked, confused.
He leaned back in his chair, the candlelight flickering across his weathered face. "Your mother's clan was prestigious — one of the greatest cultivation families in the Eastern Empire. They only allowed her to marry your father because she was considered useless among them."
My breath caught. "Useless…?"
"Yes," he said, nodding slowly. "She had no spiritual root. In their world, that's worse than being born without a name."
I clenched my fists. "Then… are there any survivors from her clan?"
Ryo's expression darkened. "Only one. A soldier, now comatose. The last one alive from your clan's fall. He's kept as a prisoner under the city guard's watch."
I stood up immediately, my chair scraping against the floor. "Uncle, tell me what happened to them! Tell me what happened to my sister!"
He closed his eyes for a moment before speaking again. "You were chased by men who flew in the sky, weren't you? Those were cultivators. The floating ones."
The memory flashed before my eyes — the dark sky, the sound of screams, my sister's hand slipping from mine. The figures in the clouds, glowing like gods, descending upon us.
"They came without warning," I said softly, my voice trembling. "We tried to run… we ran and ran, but they cut us down like nothing. Their blades didn't even touch the ground. They floated in the air like demons from the heavens…"
Uncle nodded grimly. "That's the difference, Ling. That's the power of cultivation. And your father — even as strong as he was — could never reach that height."
Jeff, half-asleep on the couch near the window, stirred and mumbled, "Man, your family sounds like a drama series…" before rolling over.
Uncle chuckled slightly. "Your friend has a point. But it's time you understand the truth of the path you're walking."
He stood and walked toward the wall, pulling down an old sword wrapped in cloth. It was worn, but the handle still glowed faintly with Qi.
"Listen carefully, Ling," Ryo said, turning to face me. "There are two great paths to power in this world — martial arts and cultivation. They are not the same, though they often meet at the edge of life and death."
I looked up, still shaken. "Then what's the difference, Uncle?"
He pointed to his chest. "Martial artists rely on their bodies. Their strength comes from training, pain, and discipline. They break bones, tear muscles, and rebuild themselves through will alone. Martial arts is the expression of the human spirit through flesh."
He then raised his finger to the air, where a faint current of energy shimmered like mist. "Cultivators, however, draw power from the heavens and the earth. Their strength comes from the flow of Qi, the life force that exists in all things. To harness it, one must be born with a spiritual root."
"Spiritual root?" I echoed.
Ryo nodded. "It is the bridge between your soul and the world's energy. Every cultivator has one — but not all are equal. Some are pure, some are broken, and some… don't exist at all."
He paused, eyes softening. "Your mother was born without one. That's why her clan rejected her. No matter how much she trained, she could never sense the Qi of the world. She could only rely on her body. She could never become a cultivator."
The words stung deeper than I expected. "So… cultivation uses the world's power, and martial arts uses our own."
"Exactly," Ryo said. "Martial arts can make a man mighty, even legendary. But it ends where the body ends. A cultivator seeks to surpass that — to live beyond the body, beyond death itself."
Jeff yawned loudly and muttered from the couch, "So basically, martial arts is gym, and cultivation is hacking reality."
I threw a pillow at him. "You're listening?"
"Hey, it's interesting, bro," Jeff laughed, rubbing his head. "Man, this world is something else."
Uncle smiled faintly at our banter, then turned serious again. "Remember this, Ling — martial arts has limits. But there are ways to surpass them."
My heart skipped. "How?"
He looked me in the eye. "Through Body Reconstruction. It's a forbidden process. Painful beyond imagination. You break your bones and flesh, destroy your meridians, and rebuild them with tempered Qi or alchemical essence. When done right, you're reborn — your strength and vitality renewed."
"Father did that?" I asked in shock.
Ryo nodded. "Twice. That's why he could fight cultivators for so long. But even he reached a wall. No matter how many times he reforged his body, he could never fly, never manipulate Qi freely. That's the curse of mortals — the body always decays."
Silence filled the hall. The candlelight flickered between us.
After a long moment, I spoke. "If there's a limit… then there must be a way to surpass it."
Uncle smiled faintly. "That's exactly what your father said before his last battle."
I clenched my fists, determination burning inside me. "Then I'll find that way too. I'll go beyond those limits — no matter what it takes."
Uncle chuckled softly. "You really are his son."
Jeff, now fully awake, stretched and grinned. "Man, all this talk about cultivation and martial arts is getting me pumped up. But, uh… is there breakfast?"
I rolled my eyes. "Jeff, you could sleep through the end of the world and wake up asking for food."
He shrugged. "What? Even heroes need to eat, bro."
Despite everything — the pain, the past, the revelations — I couldn't help but laugh. For the first time in a long while, it felt like I could breathe again.
Outside, the dawn light crept through the windows, painting the old walls in gold. But deep inside my heart, a new fire had begun to burn — the fire of purpose.
Whatever path lay ahead, I knew one thing for sure.
I would uncover the truth behind my family's fall…
And rise beyond the limits of both martial arts and cultivation.