Gravity (Rise of the cosmic emperor)

Chapter 1: Cave of Darkness

Lost in his thoughts, Yu Huan was sitting on a rock with a cool breeze hitting him against his radiant face. 

After having failed the entrance exam for apprentice blacksmith the 4th time, Yu Huan was dispirited and lost. 

Blacksmiths were very valuable to  Merchant Union. Due to the increasing demands for top quality weapons and shields, people with blacksmith skills  were very much valued in the country. Yu Huan's dream was to become a full fledged blacksmith. As a mortal living in the world of cultivators if he could become a blacksmith, it would help him living a decent living.

Yu Huan was a very brilliant boy, who was taken care by Zang Zhe who found him one day drifting on a river nearby in a basket.  When Zang Zhe found him, he was only a small baby. Zang Zhe took him in and treated him like his own son.

Despite being a bright kid, he had failed the exam for being an apprentice blacksmith four times. He had read all about blacksmiths and his knowledge and his competence in this field can even be said was more than any ordinary apprentice, but unfortunately for him, blacksmithing requires the person to have a strong body and to be a good blacksmith it requires one to be at least be at 2nd level of Body Strengthening. Yu Huan was born with a very weak body with every one of his meridians closed up from birth.

Yu Huan knew that he could never be a cultivator no matter what fortune he could get his hands on. But he still stubbornly wanted to be a blacksmith and carve his name in gold.

While sitting on that rock, he was sighing in his heart.

"Huan'er"

Zang Zhe was a man in his 30's with a handsome face and his black long hair drooped over his shoulders. 

"Foster Father"

Yu Huan moved from the rock and stood in front Zang Zhe slightly bent in a respectful way.

"Huan'er I know you are a very hard working kid and very persistent. But pursuing something in which you can neither make progress nor be recognized seems to be not a wise decision my son."

Zang Zhe loved Yu Huan the most and it always pained him whenever Yu Huan failed again and again. He felt like someone was trampling his heart whenever his son was dispirited after every trial and he wanted to make his son happy but being of a humble background he couldn't help Yu Huan very much.

"Foster father. I want to become a blacksmith so that I can bring you to live a life of riches and prosperity. But it seems that my dreams are a bit out stretched." Yu Huan said with a pale smile.

"My son. Since the day I found you, I only wanted you to be happy and live your life freely. You shouldn't burden yourself for your old man. As long as you live happily, I will be happy with it."

Zang Zhe always felt guilty for Yu Huan as he couldn't do anything for Yu Huan except for keeping a roof over his head. But he also knew that Yu Huan was very grateful of him and wanted to do anything to make him lead a comfortable life.

Sighing in his heart Zang Zhe said "Huan'er, lets go for fishing. Maybe that will cheer up your mood."

"Okay" said Yu Huan with a smile.

Later that night...

Yu Huan came back to the same place as he was sitting earlier. It was his favorite place where he could look at the open sky with twinkling stars and those stars were being reflected on the clear stream of the river which flowed near to the place where he was.

As he was still gazing at those reflection and lost in his world, he suddenly discovered that those reflections were actually moving upstream!

"Huh?"