Volume One

Prologue: Winter in Wanling

The season had just entered the ninth day, and the cold wind swept in, stripping the trees of their leaves.

Outside Wanling City in Donghai Commandery, at the Shiting Pavilion ten miles out.

A fine steed snorted and trotted up, followed by a carriage. The rider was none other than the head of the Chen clan, a noble family of Wanling in Donghai Commandery, Ethan Brooks. Ethan Brooks had a ruddy face and a long beard, already past forty, his features chiseled and weathered by the years. The driver was Ethan Brooks's close friend, the renowned scholar of Xinghua in Qingzhou Commandery, Adam Carter.

Seeing the pavilion ahead, Ethan Brooks gently patted his horse’s neck, and the horse, as if sensing his intent, slowed down to match the carriage’s pace. Adam Carter and Ethan Brooks exchanged a long look, then Adam Carter sighed deeply and pulled the reins to stop the carriage.

“A thousand miles I’ve seen you off, but all journeys must end. Ethan, let’s part ways here.”

Ethan Brooks nodded, replying bitterly, “It took years for us to meet again, and now who knows when we’ll see each other next? Brian, when you see Old Man Biehe, please send word to let me know you’re safe.”

“Brian will remember. Ethan, take care.”

“You too, Brian.” Ethan Brooks turned his horse aside and called down, “Derek, aren’t you coming out to say goodbye to your godfather?”

A stubborn-looking child crawled out of the carriage and jumped down. This was Adam Carter’s only son, Caleb Carter, nicknamed Derek, thirteen years old, but due to frail health and stunted growth, he looked no older than ten. Caleb Carter fixed his gaze on Ethan Brooks and called out loudly, “Godfather, after Derek recovers, can I come back to learn the Astonishing Spear from you?” Seeing the hope in Caleb Carter’s eyes, Ethan Brooks felt a pang in his heart, but replied in a booming voice, “Of course you can. Derek is my most promising disciple—I’m counting on you to carry on the Astonishing Spear. Derek, remember: a true man should carry uprightness in his heart. Even if you never learn martial arts, you’ll still earn the world’s respect, just like your father.”

Caleb Carter was stirred, dropped to his knees and bowed, saying, “Derek will never forget your words, godfather.”

Adam Carter’s eyes brimmed with emotion, knowing this journey was out of necessity. He had come to Donghai to visit his friend Ethan Brooks, planning to stay until spring. Unexpectedly, Caleb Carter met Ethan Brooks’s young daughter Nathan Brooks, saw her with a little silver spear, dancing with such skill that silver blossoms seemed to bloom all around her—an impressive sight. With the winter chill setting in, he was filled with envy. Nathan, usually overshadowed by her many senior brothers, saw that Caleb Carter had never practiced martial arts and, eager to show off, secretly taught him the Chen clan’s Astonishing Spear.

Caleb Carter was born with blocked meridians and frail bones, unfit for martial arts. Adam Carter, a man of letters, rarely spoke of martial matters. Caleb Carter had always admired his father’s scholarly elegance and had little desire for martial arts. But, goaded by Nathan, he secretly began to learn the Astonishing Technique, more out of childish rivalry than true ambition. Nathan boasted that she could channel energy into the spear within ten days, and even those of mediocre talent would take a year or two. Caleb Carter, often sickly and withdrawn, felt inferior to other boys, but hearing Nathan’s boasts, he hoped to surpass her. After three days of practice, he could already sense energy at the base of his spine, and a faint feeling in his lower dantian. But with his blocked meridians, the energy could not circulate through his body, and after weeks, he still could not channel energy into the spear. Stubborn by nature, Caleb was undeterred by Nathan’s teasing, believing that diligence would make up for lack of talent, and practiced the Astonishing Spear in secret.

Normally, when cultivating internal energy, men—being yin in body but yang in nature—produce yang energy from the dantian, also called fire or yang breath; women—yang in body but yin in nature—produce yin energy from the danfu, also called water or yin breath. The Astonishing Technique is one of the world’s rarest and finest dantian arts, divided into yin and yang forms, and only when both are mastered is it truly complete. Due to the differences between male and female bodies, the order of practice also differs: men, being yang, must first learn the yang form, then the yin; women, the opposite. Nathan taught him the yin form, which is the foundational yin skill for women learning the Astonishing Spear. Normally, if a man with yang nature and yin body practices the yin form, the innate yin energy disperses throughout the body and cannot be gathered in the danfu, making mastery impossible. However, Caleb Carter’s blocked meridians prevented the energy from dispersing, allowing him to accumulate cold energy and master the yin form. Over time, the cold energy thickened in his lower dantian, becoming almost tangible, like a block of ice. During practice, he would shiver uncontrollably, but thought it was just part of the training and gritted his teeth in silence.

Ethan Brooks and Adam Carter had not seen each other in years and enjoyed their reunion, only instructing the disciples to avoid practicing martial arts near Caleb. Little did they know Nathan had sown the seeds of disaster. By the time they discovered it, Caleb had already made progress in the Astonishing Technique; his lower abdomen felt like ice, while the rest of his body burned, and he cried out, “Father, I’m cold.”