Heaven's Only Men Cultivator

"Get him! Don't let that filth reach the tree line!"

The shout tore through the humid air of the White Jade Valley, followed closely by the rhythmic thrum of boots hitting the forest floor. Li Feng didn't look back. He couldn't. Every time he drew a breath, it felt like he was inhaling molten lead. His chest wasn't just burning; it was vibrating with a violent, rhythmic pulse that threatened to crack his ribs from the inside out.

'Move, move, move,' he hissed to himself. 'If they catch you, the whip will be the kindest thing you feel today.'

"He's heading for the ravine!" a high-pitched voice screamed from his left. "Sister Chen, cut him off from the ridge! The rest of you, stay on his heels!"

Li Feng dove through a thicket of thorn-bushes, the sharp branches clawing at his thin slave tunic and tearing into his skin. He didn't feel the pain. The heat radiating from the center of his chest was so intense it numbed everything else.

"How is he this fast?" one of the disciples yelled, her voice sounding closer than before. "He's a man! He has no Qi! He should have collapsed miles ago!"

"Shut up and run, Mira!" another barked back. "He stole the Forbidden Core. If we lose him, Elder Mei will skin us alive before the sun sets!"

Li Feng’s vision blurred. A strange, golden hue started to bleed into the edges of his sight. 'I didn't steal it,' he thought, his teeth gritted so hard they felt like they might shatter. 'It came to me. It wanted me.'

He burst into a small clearing, his heart hammering against his sternum like a trapped bird. Suddenly, three women in the flowing white-and-blue silks of the Silk Cloud Sect drifted down from the canopy above, landing gracefully in front of him. Their jade swords were drawn, glowing with a cold, pale moonlight energy.

"End of the line, rat," the leader, a woman with a sharp face and cold eyes, said. She leveled her blade at his throat. "Drop to your knees. Now."

Li Feng skidded to a halt, his chest heaving. The golden heat inside him peaked, becoming an agonizing roar. "I... I can't," he gasped out.

"I said on your knees!" the woman screamed, her Qi flaring. "You are a slave! How dare you look a disciple of the Silk Cloud Sect in the eye? Do you have any idea what you've done? You've touched something holy. You've defiled the laws of the Heavens!"

"It hurts," Li Feng groaned, clutching his chest. His skin was beginning to glow with a faint, amber light. "Please... it's too much."

"Look at him," another disciple mocked, stepping forward. "He’s melting from the inside. A man’s body can’t hold power, you idiot. You're a cup trying to hold an ocean. You’re going to explode, and I'm going to enjoy watching the mess."

"Enough talk," the leader said, her eyes narrowing. "Sister Hua, bind his hands. We’ll take him back to the Elder. She’ll find a way to extract the Core, even if she has to mince his meat to do it."

The disciple named Hua stepped forward, a shimmering silk rope appearing in her hand. "Come here, little dog. Let's see if you can still bark when I—"

"Get back!" Li Feng roared.

It wasn't a choice. It wasn't a technique. It was a dam breaking.

A massive wave of golden energy erupted from Li Feng’s chest. It wasn't the cold, graceful Qi of the women; it was hot, primal, and blinding like the midday sun. The shockwave hit the disciples with the force of a falling mountain.

"What—?"

"My eyes! I can't see!"

"My Qi! It’s... it’s freezing!"

The women were thrown backward, their elegant forms crashing into the ancient trees. The leader hit a trunk with a sickening thud, her jade sword snapping in half as the golden wave washed over her. She tried to stand, her face pale with terror, but her legs buckled.

"What did you do?" she hissed, her voice trembling. "What is this... this cursed light?"

Li Feng stood in the center of the clearing, his breath coming in jagged gasps. He looked down at his hands. They weren't shaking anymore. For the first time in nineteen years, the heavy, oppressive weight of his slave status felt... gone. The golden light was receding, pulling back into his skin, but the strength remained.

'I'm not the same,' he realized. The thought was terrifying. 'I'm something else.'

"Monster!" Hua screamed, clutching her chest as she crawled away. "He's a monster! A man with power? The Gods will strike you down! The Heavens will never allow this!"

"Then let them come," Li Feng whispered, though he wasn't sure where the courage came from.

He didn't wait for them to recover. He could hear more whistles in the distance—more disciples, more Elders, an entire sect coming to erase him from existence. He turned and sprinted toward the sound of rushing water.

"After him!" the leader screamed, her voice cracking with desperation. "He's weak now! He used everything in that blast! Don't let him escape!"

Li Feng tore through the underbrush, his new strength fueling his legs. He could feel them behind him, their anger radiating like a cold wind. He reached the edge of a high cliff, the ground vanishing into a misty abyss. Far below, a white-water river roared, smashing against jagged rocks.

"Stop right there!"

He turned. Ten disciples had gathered at the edge of the clearing, their faces masks of fury and fear. In the center stood a woman in more ornate robes—an Elder. Her aura was suffocating, a heavy pressure that made the air feel thick.

"Li Feng," the Elder said, her voice like grinding stone. "You are a slave of the Silk Cloud Sect. Your life, your soul, and that light you carry belong to us. Step away from the edge."

"I was a slave," Li Feng said, his voice surprisingly steady. "But this light... it doesn't feel like it belongs to you. It feels like it belongs to the world."

"You arrogant worm!" the Elder spat. "You think because you survived a few minutes with that energy that you are a master? You are a vessel that is about to shatter. Step forward and I might make your death quick."

"I've spent my whole life being told what I am," Li Feng said, looking back at the churning water. "The 'lowly male.' The 'broken creature.' If I'm going to die, I'm going to do it as a man who chose his own path."

"Don't you dare!" the Elder shouted, her hand erupting in a swirl of blue energy. "Seize him!"

The disciples lunged, their movements like streaks of white lightning.

Li Feng didn't hesitate. He didn't look back at the life of chains he was leaving behind. He closed his eyes, felt the warm, golden pulse in his heart one last time, and threw himself into the void.

"No!" the Elder’s scream echoed through the valley, but it was drowned out by the roar of the wind.

Li Feng fell. The air whipped past him, cold and sharp, but his chest remained warm. Just before he hit the freezing water, a single thought echoed in his mind, clearer than anything he had ever known.

'Today, the sun rises for me.'

The river swallowed him whole, the icy current dragging him down into the dark, churning depths.

***