Chapter 1: Luo Feng
The sky was a deep, crystalline blue, like a vast slab of polished jade. The midsummer sun hung high, a blazing orb in that celestial expanse, its position suggesting it was only around 3 PM.
Yian District No. 3 High School.
As the final bell rang, the campus erupted in chaos. Students poured out of classroom buildings in droves, chatting and laughing as they made their way toward the school gates.
"Senior Luo Feng! Senior Luo Feng!" a booming voice called out.
"Feng, someone's yelling for you," remarked a classmate beside him.
The young man in the crowd, dressed in a plain blue tracksuit and standing about 5'9", lean but athletic, turned with a puzzled frown. The caller was a burly student, easily 6'3", built like a bear, with arms thick as tree trunks.
"Can I help you?" Luo Feng asked, not recognizing the guy.
The contrast was striking: one stocky and imposing, the other average-looking. Yet the burly student seemed almost nervous, eyeing his "senior" with obvious admiration. Rumors are true, he thought. Luo Feng really is approachable.
"Um... I need your help with something," the student stammered. "When I practice boxing, my power delivery feels off. My martial instructor says with my strength, I should hit 50% harder, but I can't get the technique right. Could you... maybe coach me?" He looked up hopefully.
Luo Feng paused, then nodded. "Meet me at the martial hall this Sunday afternoon. I'll show you then."
"Thank you, Senior! Thanks a lot!" the student gushed, pumping his fist in triumph as Luo Feng walked away with his friend.
"Woo! He said yes!" the burly student exclaimed to his buddy, a skinny kid in a school uniform.
"Seriously? But the other two Advanced Martial Students, Zhang Haobai and Liu Ting, are total snobs. Why's Luo Feng so chill?" the uniformed kid wondered.
In this world, nearly every high schooler balanced academics with martial training at local academies, honing their physical potential. At No. 3 High, with its 5,000 students, most were Junior Martial Students. Only a handful were Intermediate. And just three held the prestigious Advanced rank—Luo Feng, Zhang Haobai, and Liu Ting.
"Rich kids like Zhang and Liu had private tutors and fancy gear since childhood," the burly student scoffed. "Luo Feng? He grew up in government housing, same as us. He earned his rank through sheer grind. That's why I look up to him. I'm gonna get my Advanced rank before college, just like him!"
Meanwhile, the subject of their conversation was walking toward the school gates with his best friend, Wei Wen, a lanky guy in a gray tracksuit.
"Yo, Feng," Wei Wen snickered, "that beefcake you helped just called you a saint to his buddy. Said you're 'nice' and 'approachable.'"
Luo Feng smirked. "Jealous, Wen?"
"Me? Please." Wei Wen snorted. "But seriously, that guy has no idea what a beast you are. Remember when you wrecked three Advanced Students in the martial hall? Including Zhang Haobai? Dude still has a fake tooth from that beating."
Luo Feng shrugged. That fight had made his name, but he didn't dwell on it.
As they neared the gate, Wei Wen elbowed him. "Look, it's your crush."
Luo Feng's heart skipped a beat. Across the crowd, a girl with a ponytail, wearing a white polo and jeans, walked toward the street. Xu Xin.
He'd liked her since freshman year, when they shared a class. He'd spent hours staring at the back of her head during lectures, too shy to speak. Now, with just a month till the college entrance exams, he knew pursuing her was pointless. Focus on the exams. Focus on becoming a Warrior.
"Stop teasing, Wen," Luo Feng said. "No dating till I get my Warrior certification. You know that."
"Wei, you're nuts," Wei Wen groaned. "Only one kid in our school has ever become a Warrior. You think you'll be next?"
Before Luo Feng could reply, his gaze shifted to five figures near the gate. The tallest, a muscular guy in white, locked eyes with him—Zhang Haobai. The two had a history: Luo Feng had humiliated Zhang in a martial hall brawl, knocking out his tooth. Zhang's family was loaded, but academically and martially, he'd always played second fiddle to Luo Feng. The rivalry was bitter.
Zhang Haobai spat on the ground, shooting a venomous glare at Luo Feng before storming off with his goons.
"Guy's been quiet since you wrecked him," Wei Wen noted. "Smart move, honestly."
Luo Feng ignored it. "Let's go. I need to hit the books tonight. Exam prep starts now."
※※※※※※
As they walked home, electric cars hummed past, their silent engines a stark contrast to the old gasoline days.
"One month left, Wen," Luo Feng said. "We gotta grind. Martial training can take a backseat—just maintenance drills. Finals are everything."
"Tell me about it," Wei Wen sighed. "Twelve years of this crap, all riding on one test. No pressure, right?"
Unbeknownst to them, a shadow loomed above. At 1,000 meters, a giant black-crowned golden eagle soared over Yian District. Its 70-foot body glimmered like metal, its crown of obsidian feathers gleaming, golden talons sharp enough to crush steel. Its icy blue eyes scanned the city below, 杀意 (killing intent) flickering.
Suddenly, it surged forward, breaking the sound barrier with a thunderous crack. A piercing shriek erupted from its beak, sending shockwaves rippling through the air.
※※※※※※
At a crossroads on Baitian Road, Luo Feng and Wei Wen waited for the light to change. Then—
"SKREEAAH—!"
A deafening screech split the air, higher-pitched than thunder, piercing enough to make eardrums throb. Pedestrians winced, clamping their hands over their ears.
Luo Feng looked up just in time to see glass panels on a nearby skyscraper shudder, then shatter. Dozens of shards rained down, crashing onto the pavement. One shard hurtled toward Luo Feng like a razor.
Without flinching, he snapped out his hand, catching it mid-air. The fragment glinted in his palm as he casually tossed it into a trash can across the street, clinking perfectly inside.
"What the hell was that?!" Wei Wen yelped, dodging debris.
"Some kind of beast," Luo Feng muttered, staring at the sky. "A bird, from the sound."
Wei Wen's eyes lit up. "That scream? The altitude? Has to be a Black-Crowned Golden Eagle! One of the deadliest avian monsters!"
Luo Feng tensed. He'd heard of these creatures.
"Adult males are 21 meters long, 36-meter wingspan," Wei Wen rattled off, excited. "Top speed? 3.9 Mach. That's 4,774 kph! Their feathers are harder than diamond—like grade-3,Kro-alloy. There's footage of one surviving a 20mm Vulcan cannon barrage! Took a Warrior legend with a Kro-alloy blade to chop it in half!"
Luo Feng's pulse raced. He'd seen that video—the warrior's blur of motion, the eagle splitting in two. Someday, he thought, I'll be like that.
"Wei Wen, let's go," he said, tearing his gaze from the sky. Ahead lay South Shore Estate, a sprawling complex of concrete tenements—government housing, where Luo Feng had grown up.
As they entered the gritty neighborhood, Luo Feng glanced back at the empty sky, fists clenched. One month till the exams. Then... it's time to chase that dream.
Note for International Readers:
Warrior Certification: The highest rank in human martial training, granting elite status and the right to combat monsters.
Kro-Alloy: A fictional super-metal, harder than diamond, used in high-tier weaponry.
Martial Academies: Universal in this world, integrating physical training with academics for teens. Ranks: Junior → Intermediate → Advanced → Warrior.