Legend of the Last Cultivator

The world was burning.

Towering machines marched across a ruined city, their crimson eyes glowing like stars of destruction. Above them, countless warships filled the heavens while a lone figure stood atop a shattered skyscraper.

His robes fluttered in the violent wind. Golden Qi erupted from his body like a raging storm. The armies below trembled.

A woman’s voice suddenly echoed through the battlefield. “Kai… run!” she screamed. The young man slowly turned around, there was blood on his hands, tears in his eyes, then everything exploded in blinding light.

Kai Ashford suddenly opened his eyes from his sleep. He sat upright on his bed, breathing heavily, and sweat drenched his clothes. The room was dark, only the pale moonlight entered through the curtains.

He stared at his trembling hands again, the same dream, the same burning city, the same voice and the same strange feeling of unbearable loneliness. He lowered his head and rubbed his face.

“What was that?” he muttered quietly. No matter how many times he had this dream, he never remembered the ending. The only thing he knew was that every time he woke up, his heart hurt as though he had truly lost something or someone.

He looked toward the old wooden chest beside his bed. Inside it lay the only things his deceased master had left him, an old black book, a jade ring, and countless unanswered questions.

A bitter smile appeared on his face. “You really loved leaving mysteries behind, didn’t you, old man?” he muttered. His eyes slowly softened. He still remembered that rainy night.

Ten years ago…

A young Kai knelt beside an old man whose body was covered in blood. Around him were several machines reduced to scraps, destroyed and demolished. Rain poured from the heavens on them. Thunder roared.

The old man smiled weakly to Kai. “Kai,” he said softly. The little boy’s eyes were filled with tears. “Master, please stop talking,” the boy said through sobs. “You’ll get better.”

The old man chuckled. “You always were a terrible liar.” He slowly took out an ancient black book. “Listen carefully,” the old man said. The child nodded at him, “You mist become strong, Kai. There are ten realms of cultivation.”

His voice became serious.

“Spirit Awakening Realm. Meridian Opening Realm. Spirit Core Realm. Golden Sea Realm. Soul Manifestation Realm. Heavenly Transformation Realm. Void Walker Realm. Star Sovereign Realm. Immortal Ascension Realm.”

The old man's eyes seemed to shine. “And finally… Eternal Origin Realm.”

The little boy blinked. “What happens if someone reaches the last realm?” he asked. The old man smiled and answered him, “They become legends.”

The child looked amazed. “Can I become one too?” he asked. For some reason, the old man’s expression changed. There was sadness in his eyes. “You can become anything you want, Kai,” he said softly. Then he handed the black book to the child. “But if this book ever opens… run, keep on running.” The child frowned. “Run from what?” The old man looked toward the dark sky, “The world.”

Kai slowly returned to reality. He stared at the ceiling. “The world…” he whispered. Even after ten years, he still didn’t understand those words. Why would he need to run from the world? His master had never explained that, neither is he alive now to give him an answer.

A loud alarm suddenly rang.

Beep! Beep!

Kai groaned. “Morning already?” He reluctantly climbed out of bed. It is another day, which means another shift at work and another attempt to survive adulthood.

He sighed, thinking at his future, “If I become rich one day, the first thing I’m buying is more sleep.”

An hour later.

The office of Blue Lantern Investigations was unusually noisy. Papers were scattered everywhere. Someone was arguing over a missing cat, someone else was complaining about unpaid bills. This black shop specialize in running investigation and solving problems beyond the city laws. It is a legal term business.

Kai walked inside and immediately heard a familiar voice. “Good morning, sleepyhead,” Sophia Hart smiled at him. Kai felt his heartbeat skip for a minute. She was beautiful, her brown hair swayed slightly as she walked toward him and for a moment, he forgot about the strange dream.

“Morning,” he said awkwardly. She tilted her head. “You look terrible,” she said. “Thank you. You’re too kind,” he replied. Sophia laughed, “No, seriously,” she said. “Did you sleep at all?”

Kai smiled weakly, sitting straight at her. “I had that dream again.” Her expression softened, “The one about the burning city?” He nodded. “You should stop thinking about it,” she said gently.

“If only it were that easy,” Kai chuckled. She looked at him for several seconds. “You miss him, don’t you?” she asked quietly. Kai’s smile disappeared, “Every day.” Sophia’s eyes became gentle. “I’m sorry.” He shook his head instantly, “It’s okay.”

No.

It wasn’t okay. There wasn’t a single day when he didn’t think about his master. There wasn’t a single day when he didn’t wonder who he really was. Why had his master found him? Why had he been left alone? Why did he keep having those strange dreams? Questions, always questions, but there were never answers.

“Kai!”

The manager’s voice interrupted his thoughts. “Get in here.” Kai sighed. “I think that’s my cue to suffer.”

Sophia giggled at him, “Good luck.”

The manager placed a photograph on the table. Kai blinked at the picture. It was a dog. He looked up, then back at the picture, then at the manager again.

“A dog?” he asked. “A missing dog,” the manager corrected. Kai stared at him. “You woke me up this early… for a dog?” The manager laughs at him, “It pays this days, Kai. There are not many complaint today.”

Kai instantly sat down. “Then, Tell me everything.” The manager sighed. “You really are shameless.”

“I prefer financially motivated,” he corrected the manager. The manager couldn’t help laughing. “The owner said the dog disappeared near the abandoned district,” the manager said. Kai frowned at the task. “The abandoned district?”

“Yes,” the manager answered. “No one goes there.” Kai looked at the photograph for a while. An uncomfortable feeling suddenly appeared in his chest, something about that place bothered him, as though he had been there before, as though something was waiting for him.

“You don’t look excited anymore,” the manager said trying to taunt him. Kai forced a smile this time, “I’m fine.”

But he truly wasn’t, not at all.

The sun was beginning to set when Kai finally arrived at the abandoned district. The place looked like a ghost town. There were broken buildings, and empty streets. Everywhere was silent.

Too much silence.

He swallowed. “Okay,” he muttered. “This is definitely where horror movies begin.” A cold wind blew past him. His body shivered, as he slowly walked forward. Suddenly, he met his challenge.

Growl.

He froze in fear and slowly turned around. Three large stray dogs emerged from the shadows. Their eyes never left him. One moved toward him from the left, another moved to the right while the largest remained in front.

Kai’s face became pale. “They’re… surrounding me?” The realization made his heart pound. The leader suddenly stepped forward. The others copied it. They were hunting him strategically, slowly cutting off every path of escape.

“That’s not terrifying at all,” he muttered nervously. The leader suddenly attacked. Kai jumped backward. The second dog lunged from the side. He barely dodged this one, so he grabbed a broken metal pipe.

Think.

Think.

The leader is controlling them, take down the leader and the pack will retreat. The first dog attacked again. This time, Kai moved first, he sidestepped and struck the ground with the pipe.

Bang!

The loud noise startled the dog. The leader stumbled. Kai immediately swung again. The pipe hit the ground inches from its face. The animal retreated in fear all of a sudden.

The other two hesitated. Then all three slowly backed away in fear. A long silence followed. Kai’s legs gave out, so he sat on the ground. His hands trembled. “I almost died looking for a dog,” he said.

A small bark suddenly echoed. He looked up and saw it. A golden puppy stood near an old building, the missing dog. Kai laughed despite himself. “You little troublemaker.”

The puppy barked again. Then it ran inside the building. “Hey! Wait!” he screamed. Kai chased after it. But as soon as he entered, he stopped. A hidden staircase descended beneath the building.

Cold air drifted upward, and darkness waited below. The puppy stood on the stairs, looking at him. For some reason… His heart suddenly began beating faster with the same feeling. That same strange feeling he had on the night his master died. It felt as though something down there… was calling him.

Kai swallowed hard. Then, without understanding why, he took the first step into the darkness. The cold air grew heavier with every step. The hidden staircase seemed endless. Each footstep echoed through the darkness, making Kai increasingly uneasy.

“What kind of place is this?” he muttered under his breath. The little golden dog barked once before running farther ahead. “Hey! Slow down!” Kai whispered as he hurried after it.

At last, the staircase ended. Kai stepped into a vast underground chamber. The moment his eyes adjusted to the darkness, he froze at what he saw.

The room was ancient. Massive stone pillars stretched toward the ceiling, each covered in strange symbols and faded carvings. Dust blanketed the ground, making it clear that no one had entered this place for years.

At the center of the chamber stood a broken stone altar and on that altar… was a jade ring. Kai’s breathing stopped. It looked exactly like the ring his master had left him.

“No…” he whispered. His hands trembled. This couldn’t be a coincidence. He slowly walked toward the altar. The closer he got, the faster his heart beat, then he noticed something else. Lying beside the ring was an old black book.

Its cover was worn and cracked with age. A strange symbol was engraved on its surface. Kai’s eyes widened because he knew that symbol, he had seen it countless times. It was the symbol on his master’s book.

“Why is this here?” he whispered. Questions flooded his mind. Had his master been here before? Who built this place? And why did it feel so familiar?

The little dog sat quietly beside the altar as though it had brought him here on purpose. Kai slowly reached out his hand.

The instant his fingers touched the black book—

BOOM!

A blinding golden light erupted from the altar. The entire chamber trembled violently. Ancient symbols lit up one after another and a warm energy surged into his body.

Kai staggered backward. “What… what is happening?” he shouted. The jade ring suddenly floated into the air. The old book opened by itself, its pages turned rapidly. Then a deep, ancient voice echoed throughout the chamber.

“Successor identified…”

Kai’s face turned pale. The voice continued.

“Beginning Spiritual Inheritance…”

The golden light became even brighter. Pain exploded throughout his body. He fell to his knees. “Aaaaah!” he screamed.

At that exact moment; thousands of kilometers away, inside the Human Defense Agency’s headquarters, countless screens suddenly turned red. Alarms blared across multiple laboratory facilities.

Scientists jumped to their feet. A woman’s cold voice echoed through the command center. “What happened?” she demanded. An officer stared at his monitor in disbelief.

“Director…” He swallowed hard. Then he slowly turned toward her. “We’ve detected Qi.” The entire room fell silent. The woman narrowed her “Impossible,” she said.

The officer’s hands trembled. “It’s real, ma’am.” A satellite image appeared on the giant screen. A single red dot blinked in the middle of an abandoned district.

The officer took a deep breath. Then he uttered the words that would change the world.

“After two hundred years… a cultivator has appeared.”

The woman’s expression darkened. “Activate Protocol Zero,” she ordered coldly. “Find him.” The red dot continued blinking on the screen.

Far beneath the abandoned district, Kai screamed as golden light engulfed him. Unaware that at this very moment… The entire world had begun hunting him.

As the alarms continued ringing, another monitor suddenly came online. A hidden terminal somewhere in the city had also detected the awakening.

A pair of emerald eyes stared at the screen. A young woman sitting in a dark room widened her eyes. Her fingers flew across her keyboard. Then she whispered in disbelief, “No freaking way…”

A new message appeared on her monitor.

CULTIVATOR DETECTED.

The girl immediately grabbed her phone. She began typing.

Unknown Number: “If you want to live… don’t move.” And then in the far underground, Kai’s phone suddenly vibrated.