The Beginning of Cultivation
Soren seemed to embody the peril itself, as if the child were the one fated to die. Seeing him like that, Doctor Henry gritted his teeth, voice firm yet gentle: "There is… another way to save your sister without cutting off her hand."
"There's a way?"
As soon as Soren heard this, his icy blue eyes lit up with hope, a fragile glimmer in the storm of his panic.
Doctor Henry hesitated for a moment, then reached out and took Soren's hand, saying softly, "Have a rest first. I'll help you bandage her."
Only then did the crowd notice the true extent of Soren's injuries. His clothes, already torn from the cliff and the scuffle, had been shredded into strips, revealing a young body covered in cuts and bruises. Blood still seeped from several wounds, evidence of branches that had ripped him as he leapt without hesitation to save Yara.
Even a single glance at the boy's battered form was enough to make hearts ache.
Outside the Crystal Lotus Mirror, the onlookers' gazes softened, sympathy mingled with awe.
"After all… this is the young Supreme Lotus Emperor, not the Supreme Lotus Emperor we know today. Let's just think of them as two different people for now."
"Yes… yes, that's right." Many murmured quietly, finding comfort in this thought.
…
Yet, under Doctor Henry's careful guidance, Soren remained stubborn. "I'm fine. Treat my sister first."
Doctor Henry shook his head, a bitter smile tugging at his lips. "Soren, if I say your sister will be fine, she will definitely be fine."
He retrieved a thumb-sized stone from his pocket. The stone shimmered with an inner light, soft and gentle to the touch.
"It's a spiritual stone. This Doctor Henry must be a cultivator," someone whispered outside the Mirror.
The crowd, watching for so long, had almost forgotten the world they lived in—a world of cultivators. Mighty figures capable of collapsing mountains or splitting seas could heal a child from a snake sting with ease.
"If he's a mighty cultivator, then Sister Yara can be saved," someone said, hope rekindling in their hearts.
"By the way, I want to see how powerful the Supreme Lotus Emperor was in his youth."
"Right… now that you mention it, I almost forgot. He's still a child here, not yet exposed to the full path of cultivation. I want to see how he began his journey to the realm of immortality."
…
All cultivators understood the weight of early training. From birth, they refined their bodies, polished their tendons, strengthened their veins. Only through unyielding effort and harsh trials could one achieve greatness.
Yet for a ten-year-old, even exceptional techniques offered no guarantee. The body was still forming; tendons, bones, and veins were delicate. Overzealous cultivation could stunt growth, leaving a weak foundation.
Soren, the young Supreme Lotus Emperor in the Mirror, had suffered from long-term nutritional deficiency. His physique was frail, far behind his peers, yet the future promised he would rise as the most formidable cultivator in the Seven Blue Lotus World.
"Everyone, don't be so surprised. There are always exceptions."
The voice of Fin Ravyn rang out, calm and knowing. He smiled at the attention, speaking with quiet pride: "I began cultivating at ten. Through countless fateful encounters and battles, I progressed step by step. The Supreme Lotus Emperor surely experienced similar opportunities… perhaps even greater ones than mine."
Slowly, astonishment faded from the faces of the fox tribe and other observers. Indeed, Fin Ravyn was right—exceptions always existed. He himself had consumed treasures beyond imagining: Spring Leaf, Heart of Inferno Marrow, Extreme Heat Meridian… each priceless, each granting the power to reverse natural disadvantages.
Seeing the crowd relax, Fin Ravyn continued, voice steady: "Starting cultivation at ten, the first challenge is manifesting Mana in the body. It solidifies the meridians, a process agonizing as if a thousand cuts sear through the soul. I consumed a 10,000-year-old spiritual ginseng, which widened my meridians. Without it, I might not have broken through at all."
"Then the Supreme Lotus Emperor must have eaten something similar… what a waste of treasure," a spectator murmured in admiration.
Fin Ravyn smiled and fell silent. Cultivation at ten was perilous, a truth he carried with quiet pride.
Inside the Crystal Lotus Mirror, the young Soren was poised to begin his journey into cultivation. Fin Ravyn could not help but smile, remembering the hardships of his own early years. The Supreme Lotus Emperor's struggles, now revealed, would have once been unthinkable to the world.
…
Doctor Henry rolled the spiritual stone over Yara's wound, its warmth and energy seeping deep into her arm. The swelling and darkened venom receded visibly. Yara, still in pain, relaxed slightly, a flicker of relief washing over her.
Seeing his sister recover, Soren's heart soared. Injured and bloodied himself, he humbly thanked Doctor Henry again and again.
Yara, witnessing his gentle humility, felt her ice-cold heart tremble. In her memories, the Supreme Lotus Emperor had always been prideful, cold, and ruthless. Who would have thought this prideful, mighty figure had once been so tender and humble?
"Is this really the Supreme Lotus Emperor? He had never bowed his head before, not even within the Crystal Lotus Mirror," someone whispered.
"I've never seen this side of him either," another murmured.
Indeed, in those years, Soren had starved himself, feared for their survival, yet had never begged for aid. His pride had been carved into his very bones.
But now, for Yara, he had laid it all down.