The main hall of the Zhou Clan felt colder than usual.
Zhou Tianyu stood alone in the middle of the vast room. The jade stone floor beneath his feet reflected his shadow.
Around him, people stood in layers.
Some looked at him with undisguised disgust.Some whispered softly, yet loud enough to pierce the ears.And some wore faint smiles, as if they were watching a piece of entertainment.
On the highest seats, the elders sat upright. Their gazes were cold, distant, full of judgment—like they were deciding the fate of a broken object.
Zhou Tianyu drew a slow breath.
Calm… At least hear them out first.
"Zhou Tianyu."
The Grand Elder's voice echoed through the hall.
Every word landed heavy.
"From today, you are no longer recognized as a member of the Zhou Clan."
Zhou Tianyu's heart trembled violently.
Even though he had long anticipated it… hearing it spoken still hit him like a punch to the chest.
"From today onward, the Zhou Clan severs all ties with you. Your surname is stripped, and you are forbidden from returning to clan territory."
Silence fell over the hall.
Then—the crowd erupted.
"His talent was rotten from birth. I don't know why the elders didn't kick him out sooner.""With that kind of condition, cultivation is just a dream. Better to be an ordinary mortal.""And his soul is damaged— even the Heavens reject him."
Zhou Tianyu clenched his fists.
His nails dug into his palms, but the pain wasn't enough to cover the emptiness gnawing at his chest.
He slowly lifted his head.
His gaze stopped on a girl at the side of the hall.
White-blue hair fell neatly down her back. Her face was beautiful, almost unreal—like an ice flower never touched by spring.
"The engagement between Zhou Tianyu and Miss Xue is also canceled from today," another elder said flatly.
Zhou Tianyu stayed silent, waiting.
He didn't even know what he was waiting for—concern? sadness? Whatever it was, he had felt close to her, having approached her many times.
But the girl only glanced at him once.
No hatred.No pity.
Just… emptiness, as if Zhou Tianyu was a passerby she happened to see on the street.
Then she turned away.
That's when Zhou Tianyu realized something painfully clear.
From the very start… I never truly existed in her eyes.
He returned to his residence with heavy steps.
Every corner of the house held memories—failed training, lonely nights, foolish hopes that someday, things would change.
He stood in front of the door, only to find it locked tight.
Zhou Tianyu began pounding on it, shouting.
"Father…""Mother…"
His voice came out weaker than he had hoped.
Seconds passed, and he knocked harder.
BOOM!
A wave of energy slammed into him. Zhou Tianyu was thrown back, crashing into the ground, his breath knocked out.
"Leave. You are not welcome here. From now on, there is no relationship between us."
His father's voice came from behind the door—cold, firm, completely void of emotion.
Zhou Tianyu struggled to his feet.
Blood dripped from the corner of his mouth.
"Father…" his voice trembled. "I… I am your son. Are you really willing to do this?"
Silence.
"Mother… I am your child. Flesh and blood born from your womb."
The silence felt more painful than the blow just now.
Then the woman spoke.
"I have never had a child."
Zhou Tianyu's world collapsed instantly.
The words were simple—yet sharp, like a knife slowly twisted into his heart.
He laughed softly, his voice breaking.
"Right…""From the start… you were never my parents."
He turned. No one stopped him.
"From the start… I had no one in this world."
Memories of their time together flashed in his mind. Even though his parents treated him as if he didn't exist, the memories of eating together, of the day he first came to this world and they spoke to him with smiles—all of it still felt warm in his heart.
He turned away, tears slowly dripping from the corners of his eyes.
"From the start, I really was alone," he whispered. "Always alone."
Zhou Tianyu walked away from the residence.
With every step, whispers followed.
"He really was expelled…""Main bloodline, yet ends like this.""No wonder—his talent really is trash."
Soft laughter mixed with scorn stabbed at his ears, but he didn't stop. He didn't look back.
Gradually, the voices faded.
For the first time since arriving in this world—Zhou Tianyu truly had nowhere to return to.
As he approached the mountain gate, a girl with white-blue hair blocked his path.
She tossed a storage ring toward him, her expression flat.
"Take it," she said briefly.
Zhou Tianyu caught it.
"Why now?" he asked quietly."Wouldn't it have been easier to pretend you don't know me?"
"I'm just settling matters," she replied flatly."Don't misunderstand."
She looked at him for a moment, then turned and flew away.
Zhou Tianyu glanced aside briefly, then clenched the ring tightly.
Without looking back, he began descending the mountain.
Midway, unease crept over him.
Someone's following me.
Zhou Tianyu quickened his pace, then broke into a run. Even with his Qi Refining, fifth stage, he could feel them closing in fast.
Suddenly—
A stone wall rose from the ground, blocking his path.
"Ha… finally caught you."
A young man stood behind him, smiling. Slowly, two others emerged from the trees, flanking him.
Zhou Tianyu let out a breath, then threw the storage ring.
The young man caught it, glanced inside.
"Hoh, quite fast," he said lazily. "Now it's boring."
"I've given you what you want," Zhou Tianyu said."I hope you'll let me go."
"Oh, of course," the young man said with a friendly smile.
Relief washed over Zhou Tianyu. As he turned to leave—
A sense of danger flared, and he instinctively tilted his head.
Suddenly, the tree in front of him exploded, splinters shooting out.
He spun and leapt backward.
"Why attack me?""Didn't you say I could leave?"
The young man clicked his tongue. "I just remembered—you're no longer a member of the Zhou Clan. So we must punish you."
The moment the words fell—
The two figures behind him moved.
No warning. No signal.
All three charged Zhou Tianyu at once.
He immediately stepped back, thin Qi erupting from his feet. The first punch swept past his face, nearly catching his nose. The second came lower—aiming for his abdomen.
He twisted, blocking with his left arm, then countered with his elbow.
THUD!
A dull sound rang as his elbow hit the man's chest. The man's breath caught, body pushed back.
Zhou Tianyu didn't have time to follow up.
The third strike came from behind.
A palm layered with Qi slammed into his back.
BOOM!
Blood burst from his mouth.
He staggered, gritted his teeth, and turned, right fist shooting forward.
The punch hit the man's jaw.
A crack echoed.
The man flew backward, hitting the ground.
For a moment—the three froze.
Their leader stared at Zhou Tianyu with icy eyes.
"You really are stubborn."
He stepped forward.
Pressure shifted instantly.
Qi previously restrained was released without hesitation.
Zhou Tianyu felt his chest crushed by an invisible force. Attacks rained down—faster, crueler.
He blocked one punch.The second smashed into his ribs.The third struck his chest.
BAM!
He was thrown back.
His back slammed into a massive tree.
CRACK!
Bark shattered, fragments scattered across the ground.
Zhou Tianyu fell to a seated position, blood running from the corner of his mouth. His breath ragged, Qi inside in chaos.
With great effort, he lifted his head.
"Is this how the Zhou Clan does things?" he shouted hoarsely."Do you kill anyone who steps near the foot of this mountain?!"
The young man clicked his tongue, clearly annoyed.
"You're too loud."
He glanced calmly at the two behind him.
"Break both his legs."
One of them stepped forward.
Zhou Tianyu tried to stand—but his knees shook.
BAM!
A foot slammed onto his calf, pinning him to the ground.
CRACK!
His scream echoed across the mountainside.
Before the pain could fade—
CRACK!
A second fracture sounded.
Zhou Tianyu's body collapsed completely, his face pale, sweat and blood soaking into the earth.
The young man glanced at him briefly, then turned away, uninterested.
"Consider yourself lucky today."
They left, abandoning Zhou Tianyu alone with shattered legs.
Silence swallowed the forest.
Zhou Tianyu's gaze was empty.
"Hahaha…"
The laughter burst out suddenly—broken, hoarse, wrong from the very start. Not relief. Not anger. Just the laughter of someone who had completely fallen apart.
"Hahaha… hahaha…"
It stretched, echoing through the trees, growing louder, wilder—like the laughter of a madman who had lost his sanity.
Slowly, the laughter faded.
Zhou Tianyu lowered his head.
His face shadowed, jaw clenched.
"Damn it."
"Damn it!"
"DAMN IT!"
He roared, punching the ground repeatedly. Blood ran from his knuckles, mixing with dirt, his voice echoing in the silent forest.
His breath ragged.
Then—he went still.
That empty gaze changed.
Not back to life—but turned cold.
Those who broke his legs.The Zhou Clan that cast him away like trash.The parents who denied him.
One by one, their names and faces etched themselves into his mind.
No more hesitation. No more sanity.
Only hatred—thick and silent.And vengeance, slowly rooting.
Zhou Tianyu will never forget this day.
If the Heavens refuse to acknowledge him—he will walk his own path.
And when that day comes, everyone who abandoned him, everyone who humiliated him, everyone who hurt him—
will regret ever letting him live.