《Reaching The Stars》 Prologue + Chapter 1 Prologue - To live without a goal is to live without meaning Whao¡­ Atop a mountain covered in green, an old man dressed in the attire of an ancient scholar sat with legs crossed and eyes that stared out into the endless horizon. With each breath, a perfect rhythm of air circulated around the old man¡¯s body while gentle winds blew past his cheeks, lifting every strand of white hair into the drifting clouds. ¡°I¡¯ve lived my whole life searching the skies, yet my mortality forsakens me¡­¡± a soft voice escaped the old man''s mouth. Taking a deep breath in, the old man shut his eyes. Then after opening, a chilling aura permeated from his body. Within his eyes, there appeared the scene of falling skies and trembling grounds, roaring thunders and crashing strikes of lightning, and in all of this, a single man stood straight up with a bloodied body that seemed that it could flattened any minute. But against all odds, the figure of this man did not waver. It simply stood straight like a spear that pierced through the heavens. Under the falling sky the man was not flattened. He pierced it. By the strikes of lightning, he was not crushed. He bathed in it. ¡°I am but a man reaching for the stars; a mere mortal seeking the Celestials. My goal seems impossible and forever unreachable, but a life without a goal is a life not worth living!¡± Throughout his life, this old man pursued only one goal: to reach for the stars. He did not want riches, nor did he want women. To reach the stars, this was his only goal, the thing he always wanted, but the heavens loved playing tricks. What he wanted, he could not have, yet what he did not need, he was given. A goal of reaching the stars. To others, anyone bearing this goal would seem insane, but to the old man, such a goal was not impossible. In fact, to the old man, it was a goal worth dying for. Letting out a cool breath, the man relaxed himself to the wind. ¡°The heavens defy me and now the shadow of death dawns upon me, but shall my next life come, the stars will enter my grasp! In front of the stars, I am just an ant. But do I give up? No. I become Divine!¡± Like the wind blowing past him, his life drifted away and his consciousness faded to a total blackness as he resigned himself to the course of nature... *** Chapter 1 - Reborn Whoosh! Fires swept up high, engulfing the sky around it. The sound of crumbling wood and falling metal crashing to the ground bounced off the burning walls of the once grand mansion. Cracks climbed up the walls like snakes slithering up a tree until eventually-- Boom! Whether it be the stone blocks that lined the room or the hanging lights on the ceiling, nothing could withstand the spell of destruction brought about by the roaring flames that swallowed the building. Nothing¡­ except the body of a young boy the age of ten that laid on the ground. The clothes on his body had turned into ashes long ago, leaving only bare skin exposed to the heat. Everything that fell from the collapsing mansion seemed to avoid this young boy. It was as if the space around this boy curved. A miracle. Every stone block that that fell pierced the ground like butter while the ashes spread across the room like birds blotting the sky. Yet none of these, not even a speck, landed upon the small body of this young boy. Cough! Cough! Amidst the ring of ashes that encircled the young boy, jets of black air violently shot out of the young boy''s mouth. Following this, the young boy¡¯s eyes opened to reveal eyes as dark as the night sky and as deep as the ocean floor. ¡°Where am I?¡± the young boy asked himself as a bewildered expression soon covered his face. Forcing himself to sit upright, a burning sensation suddenly stormed all over his body. ¡°Argh!¡± a low shout escaped the young boy''s lips. Looking at his skin the entire surface was covered with lines that looked like lightning piercing through the sky. Each line carried within it extreme pain that could bring adults to the ground, yet to this young boy this pain only forced out a scream. Gritting his teeth tightly, the young boy twisted his head and looked at the area. ¡°What¡¯s happening here? Did I not die? How did I end up here?¡± Questions popped up within the young boy''s head, but no matter how much he thought, answers never came to him. ¡°Could this be some sort of illusion that comes after death? Has my soul transferred to the netherworld?¡± The young boy began considering his situation. If this really is the netherworlds, does this mean he had been sent down into the legendary hell? ¡°Kyril¡­¡± However, just as he was thinking, the young boy heard a voice calling beside him. ¡°Kyril?¡± If you discover this tale on Amazon, be aware that it has been unlawfully taken from Royal Road. Please report it. Turning his head to the left, a bloody sight unfolded. Embraced by the arms of a middle aged man, a similarly middle aged woman with an appearance akin to a rotting corpse that was wrapped in brown robes was currently looking straight at the young boy. ¡°Kyril, my son¡­ quickly... go¡­¡± Blood poured down the middle aged woman''s mouth with each word uttered. ¡°Kyril? Son?¡± The young boy looked at the woman perplexed. ¡°...What is happening here? Have my eyes been connected to someone else¡¯s brain? How could I arrive from atop a mountain to here?¡± The young boy became truly confused, but before he could think any longer, the middle aged woman muttered once again, ¡°Hurry¡­ go...or else he¡¯ll find you¡­!¡± ¡°Find me?¡± The young boy thought. ¡°...Who will find me?¡± the young boy asked the woman. The middle aged woman¡¯s face scrunched as she lifted up a crooked finger and pointed in front of her. Following the direction of the finger, the young body looked into the distance and although the flames covered most of his view, the figure of the back of a man cloaked in red carrying a wide bladed sword came into view. ¡°Who...?¡± The young boy searched through his memories, but not a single image of the man came forth. ¡°Why does he want to find me?¡± the young boy asked. No answer. Shifting his head back to the woman, the young boy opened his mouth to ask again, but was interrupted by the expression plastered on the face of the woman. Wide eyed and pale. This was a face of fear. When the middle aged woman noticed the young boy¡¯s gaze, she quickly tugged the young boy''s arm. ¡°Kill¡­ Go¡­ you must leave¡­!¡± The middle aged woman''s voice trembled and blood started to pour down like the waterfall. ¡°Kill? Am I not already dead?¡± The young boy grew even more confused. How could he be killed if he had already died? Unless¡­ ¡°Have I been reborn!?¡± the young boy inwardly screamed. At this moment the young boy finally understood why everything seemed so unfamiliar. This is not an illusion or the netherworld, this is all real! He was actually reborn! ¡°So I¡¯ve been reborn into this child¡¯s body¡­¡± the young boy repeatedly said in his mind. A feeling of excitement and motivation welled up inside him. ¡°Now that I''ve been reborn, I have another chance at achieving my goals!¡± Once again turning his head to look at the now disappearing figure, the young boy clenched his fists. If what the middle aged woman said was true then if he was found, he would lose the second chance at achieving his goals! ¡°I need to get out of here, now that I''ve been reborn, I can''t waste it!¡± With this in mind, the young boy pushed himself up as his teeth grinded together and blood seeped through the cracks of his skin. Seeing the young boy¡¯s actions, the middle aged woman displayed a faint, yet relieved smile. ¡°Go¡­ quickly¡­ Leyra Bloodline¡­ now upon¡­ shoulders¡­¡± Hearing the middle aged woman''s voice which was continuously interrupted by the coughing up of blood, the young boy''s heart pained. ¡°This middle aged woman must be Kyril¡¯s mother¡­¡± Since he had been reborn into Kyril¡¯s body, this middle aged woman could also be considered his mother! He could not leave her to die while he escaped! But just as the young boy approached his mother, the young boy noticed a large piece of rock had embedded itself into the man who embraced his mother. ¡°This¡­ this man is probably Kyril¡¯s father¡­¡± Kyril stared at the man and then shifted his eyes to his back, ¡°it''s quite likely that the rock has also pierced through my father into my mother¡­¡± The young boy¡¯s face grimaced. Resolving himself, the young boy removed the robes of his mother and turned his back to the man and woman who were once his parents. And as he walked, the young boy¡¯s breathing calmed, while on his face, the sharp eyes of an experienced hunter replaced the naive look on the immature face of the young boy. His face showed neither sadness or anger, but a calmness rarely seen of his age. Anticipation of the life that awaited him welled up inside of him, yet there was also a burning desire to find out the killer of Kyril¡¯s parents. To the young boy right now, this could be considered the payment for taking over Kyril¡¯s body. ¡°I¡¯ve reborn into a new world with a completely different history. I no longer go by the same name and I am not the person I was before¡­ From now on I live as Kyril!¡± Chapter 2 - A New World Under the watchful gaze of dozens of gathering onlookers, the hooded figure of Kyril watched as the burning mansion came crashing down. ¡°Hey, look Kyril survived¡­¡± ¡°Yeah¡­ but do you think he¡¯d survive for long? He¡¯s got no parents or home left¡­ Ay! Such a pitiful state for a child¡­¡± Whispers among the onlookers travelled like the wind as each of them discussed the future of Kyril. How could a mere ten year old boy face the challenged life had to bring? However, while to others Kyril may seem like an inexperienced child being released from home, a sheep thrown into a den of tigers, this was just what they thought. With Kyril retaining his past life¡¯s memories, it did not matter if he was ten years old or a thousand, he was sure to survive! ¡°Haa...¡± letting out a deep breath, Kyril walked away with his disappearing back to the onlookers¡­ This world contained many mysteries as numerous as the clouds in the sky. In fact, for each cloud, there are at least ten more treasures to find, ten more ancient techniques to discover, and ten more secrets to unravel. Such was the size of the Hundred Sky World. And within the Hundred Sky World, hundreds, perhaps even thousands of different continents containing countries existed either as a large body of land held up by the sea or on some floating island which drifted throughout the sky. On each continent, Practitioners who trained in the Magical Arts capable of defying the natural laws of the world covered the lands. Right now, in a building infested with books located in the High Moon City, Kyril sat with several open books around him. Having just been reborn into a world Kyril knew nothing about, Kyril needed to find out more about it, exploring the world was secondary. After all, to live in ignorance would simply be walking towards one''s death! Kyril succumbed himself into deep thought with his eyes glued onto the book. ¡°It seems like this Hundred Sky World is far more advanced than the world of my previous life. Moreover, from all the books I''ve read, it looks like everyone in the world can cultivate! ...Ay! Truly lucky. If only that were the case in my previous life¡­¡± In Kyril''s previous life, only a handful of mortals had bodies that were blessed with the ability to cultivate. Even after reading book after book, learning technique after technique, no matter how much Kyril tried to cultivate, he could not do so. But now he was reborn into a world where cultivation had no restrictions. In this world, his mortality no longer tied him down. With time, his dream would no longer just be a dream, but a reality! ¡°But this Magical Arts¡­ it requires the use of Magical Devices and its foundations are quite lacking. The books here say that Magical Arts is a way of training the mind and body, however that is not all. Cultivation is the way of strengthening the mind, body, and spirit! A Practitioner can still be formidable without a strong mind or body, but without a strong spirit, one''s path of cultivation will be affected!¡± Strengthening the mind meant superior essence attacks while, strengthening the body meant superior physical attacks. However, strengthening the spirit meant superior will. Without the will to practice Martial Arts, you would always be at the bottom stuck at a bottleneck. With the memories of his previous life, even though Kyril could not cultivate, just from the knowledge he had gained from reading, Kyril could see the flaws in Magical Arts. ¡°The form of cultivation in this world may be through the Magical Arts, but it is no good. If I want to reach my goal, I first need a good foundation.¡± Grumble... As the sun set and the sky turned shades of red, Kyril was awoken from many hours of reading by hunger. ¡°I should go look for food¡­¡± Closing up the books and returning them to the shelves, Kyril walked back into the streets of High Moon City. Buildings built upon wood and stone lined the streets which extended into the horizon, while beasts reaching as tall as an adult ridden by men and women trotted along. Aside from beasts, there were carriages that moved without anything pulling it, and by the side, street vendors who, with the simple flick of their hand, sent various goods flying into the air, as if it grew invisible wings. Kyril watched in admiration at the new scenes in front of him as he neared the southern gates of High Moon City. These gates stood at the height of a two story house and were mounted by walls equally tall which surrounded High Moon City. ¡°Hold!¡± A guard at the side of the gate held their palm out at Kyril. ¡°State your purpose!¡± ¡°I am going to the Grassy Mountains,¡± Kyril replied. ¡°Grassy Mountains?¡± The guard frowned. A ten year old kid wants to go into the Grassy Mountains? ¡°Kid, the Grassy Mountains isn''t a place for children to play in. Go back home and play there!¡± Home¡­ Kyril¡¯s face twitched. ¡°I thank you for the warning, but I am not going to play.¡± Not going to play? The guard paused for a while and stared at Kyril before letting out a sigh. ¡°Kid, you should be ten right? Although you can start cultivating now, you shouldn''t be too reckless. If you want to go into the Grassy Mountains, fine, but if your life is in danger you must immediately come back!¡± ¡°I know, thank you for for the guidance!¡± With a light bow, Kyril walked through the gates. Upon entering the Grassy Mountains, Kyril recalled pieces of information he read from the library. The Grassy Mountains is a large plain that separated the High Moon City from other neighbouring cities and is covered in trees reaching tens of metres tall, and wide stretches of green grass filled with herbs, rocks, and other forms of features belonging to nature. Within the Grassy Mountains, countless Magical Beasts roamed the forests in search for prey. But, although some of these Magical Beasts were dangerous, they existed in the deeper areas. Within the outskirts, the Grassy Mountains were relatively safe. ¡°Only beasts as high as the late stage of the Body Refining Realm should be here. Beasts of that strength are capable of uprooting trees, but they can¡¯t use any Magical Techniques so defeating them shouldn''t be too hard¡­ But even though I''m at the early stage of the Body Refining Realm, since I haven''t familiarised myself with this body I shouldn''t yet fight head on¡­¡± Ever since coming into this world, Kyril did not have time to look at his body. If he were to fight against a Magical Beast in such a state, it would be like asking to have his bones broken. Understanding this, Kyril headed straight for the forests with his eyes sweeping around as if scanning every single leaf on the tree. At every tenth breath, Kyril etched a mark on the tree trunk with a sharp stone. Ensure your favorite authors get the support they deserve. Read this novel on the original website. Under the shadows of the trees and around the dimly lit shrubbery, Kyril watched his every step. Rustle... Kyril heard the sound of a nearby bush moving. ¡°Guaa¡­¡± At the sound of light growling a four legged animal emerged from the bush. Kyril froze as his eyes locked onto the four legged animal that was half the height of an adult. ¡°...It¡¯s a Spike Tailed Wolf.¡± Fur as black as the night and eyes as red as blood. The Spike Tailed Wolf could incite fear into any Magical Beast that looked at it. Remembering back to a book of Magical Beasts he read in the library, the Spike Tailed Wolf was a Magical Beast of the early stages of the Body Refining Realm. It had spikes as long as fingers and as sharp as needles covering it''s tail which gave it the ability crush trees. Gripping the stone in his hand, Kyril''s mind raced. Blood pumped through his veins causing small worm like veins crawling under his skin. ¡°Hou!¡± The Spike Tailed Wolf roared and sent leaves twirling into the air as its red eyes directed endless amounts of bloodlust at Kyril. ¡°Hm!¡± Kyril jumped back and a space of fifteen metres separated the two. One one side, an aura filled with instinctive killing intent surged forth while on the other side, a calmness like still water. ¡°The weak points of Spike Tailed Wolves are at the eyes and neck. If I can strike those two areas I''ve won. But if I''m hit even once by that tail, then I''ll be ripped into shreds¡­¡± In a flash, several plans to fight the Spike Tailed Wolf went through Kyril''s mind. Picking up a small stone from the ground, Kyril threw it at the Spike Tailed Wolf''s head and turned around running. ¡°Let''s try this,¡± Kyril grinned. Pack! The stone lodged itself into the centre of the Spike Tailed Wolf''s head. ¡°Hou!¡± The Spike Tailed Wolf roared in pain. This human thinks it can throw a stone at me and then run away! Bending its legs, the Spike Tailed Wolf bore fangs as sharp as knives. Pa! With a snap the Spike Tailed Wolf straightened it''s legs, shooting its body out like an arrow. Each spike on its tail sent screeching whistles as it sliced through the air. Ten¡­ five¡­ four¡­ three¡­ Pa! This time the Spike Tailed Wolf jumped into the air. ¡°Hou!¡± Widening it''s mouth, globules of saliva spued out of its mouth while greediness and hunger filled it''s eyes. Die human! ¡°Heh, gotcha~¡± A grin surfaced on Kyril''s mouth as he too jumped with his hands grabbing a branch as thick as three fingers. Whish! Letting go, the branch came swinging from the side right into the Spike Tailed Wolf¡¯s head. Peng! ¡°Hauu!¡± A shrill cry escaped the Spike Tailed Wolf''s mouth as it flew through the air and smashed its side onto another tree followed by the sound of its neck breaking. ¡°Did that do it?¡± Kyril watched as the Spike Tailed Wolf fell down to the ground with his hands tightening around the stone. Seconds passed and then minutes, yet the Spike Tailed Wolf no longer moved. Seeing this, Kyril sighed. Even if the trap did not manage to kill the Spike Tailed Wolf, it would still have been injured so finishing it off would not prove to be difficult. But if the branch had missed it, then his body would have already been riddled with holes. ¡°I should hurry up and take this Spike Tailed Wolf away from here otherwise the scent of blood or the sound of the fight may attract other Magical Beasts.¡± Using the sharp stone, Kyril drained the blood of the Spike Tailed Wolf and tied it up to a stick with some vines before carrying it away on his back. * * * Venturing a little deeper into the Grassy Mountains, Kyril searched for a place to start a fire. He needed a place that was not easy to get in, but easy to get out. After around an hour of going through the forests and plains, he found a place. A cave big enough to fit the height of two adults located three or four metres above ground. ¡°This should work,¡± Kyril said and gathered some sticks and stones. ¡°Only about a third of it would be enough for me. I''ll sell the rest tomorrow at the market,¡± Kyril planned his future actions as he started the fire. Aside from food, he needed money. Of course, with his past experiences, surviving in the wild without money would be no problem, but if he wanted to achieve his goal, to reach for the stars, then money was necessary to obtain resources. ¡°Guwaaa!¡± A sudden roar pierced the sky. Above the trees, a fiery glow lit up the darkening sky while slowly approaching him¡­ Website