On the edges of reed marshes and exhausted farmland, frequent fog, specially at dawn. Spiritual energy seep from the underground water vein.
This place is known as Grey Reed village, consists of 400 household with 6 surnames, Gu being the most common one in the village.
In this village one Gu family live which heavily favour boys over girls. They great men like pearl while girls are treated worse then cattle.
They are forced to work from the young age, other villagers disdain the family for the blant mistreatment making the family not very reputable family in the village.
The Gu family is a farmer family, owning their own land and farming for living. They live in one courtyard with five different hut for each son and his family.
This family had received many hint from village chief toward the mistreatment of girls, but they always turn blind eye to it.
The Gu family always says that they are too poor to treat everyone equally. The boys will take care of them when they are old while the girls will get married away.
The Gu family consists of Gu Laoshi, the master, weathered, taciturn, harsh but not loud, measures worth by how much grain a child can carry, don't speak to granddaughters.
Old madam Gu, sharp-eyed, sharp-tongued, enforce rules brutally, believe that kindness make girls lazy.
Gu Dahu, the eldest son, dominating, short-tempered, rules his hut like tyrant, beat his wife whenever unhappy or feel like it.
Children, Gu shun, 16 year old, eldest grandson, strong, proud and lazy. Always boss around his sister's.
Gu Lian, eldest granddaughter, 13 to year old, do all of the household work and sometime work in neighbouring field to earn some food for herself and her younger sister.
Gu Xiao, seven year old, haul water from the village well, silent as shadow, sometime forgotten by her parents to feed.
Gu Erniu, Second son, emotionless, tired and exhausted of family situation, treat hardship like fate.
Gu Qiang, son, 14 year old, spoiled despite hunger.
Gu Feng, daughter, 10 year old, sold as a live-in helper to a cloth weaver, luckily the weaver was kind old man with no relative, he's planning to give his cloth shop to her.
Gu ya, daughter 5 year old, barefooted always hungry, villagers sometime give her food.
Gu Sanhe, Third Son, physically weak, drink when he can, hit his wife under alcohol effect, always asking for money to drink.
Gu Bao, son, 9 year old sickly like his father, fiercely protected by his grandparents.
Gu Cui, daughter, 8 year old, sent daily to mountains to collect firewood and wild vegetables.
Gu Sihu, forth child, quiet, kind, powerless, against the favouritism but too weak to speak against it.
Gu Ming, son, 12 year old, thoughtful, uneasy of the favouritism, share his father view, fiercely protective of his sister's.
Gu Ruo, daughter, 9 year old, cooks, clean, tend to the pigs, sometime go to the mountains with Gu Cui to collect stuff.
Gu Niu, daughter, 6 years old, loves to sing while working althought scolded on surface by her father, he will always join her singing in secret when no one is watching.
Gu Wulang, Youngest Son, ambitious, resentful toward his poverty and poor family situation.
Gu Tie, son, 8 year old, loud, indulged by his parents, always dream of becoming immortal.
Gu Tin, daughter, 5 year old, sent to glean grain after harvest, but love to swim and catch fishes to roast, always slip away to swim in the river near the village.
Gu Yin, Youngest daughter, 4 year old, left in care of the older girls, share her brother ambition, secretly try to learn martial art.
Willow bank Town which is nearest to the grey reed village only half day walk to reach the town.
This town is situation in Qinghe domain, which is dominated by Zhao clan and Yue Clan two of the eight powerful clan present in the lower realm.
This world use a power known as spiritual energy to absorb and grow stronger enough to be called immortal.
In order for someone to walk on the path of the cultivation, one need to have spirit core which is the foundation of the cultivation.
One person body can contain few or many spirit root, the less spirit root one have, the more easily they climb on rank.
Not only spirit root but also the spirit values of the root, which divided into 1 to 9, with 1 being the lowest and 9 being the highest.
A person talent is fixed once they are born they can't change their talent and can only continue to work hard.
Everyone in this world is born with spirit root, but not everyone are lucky enough to walk on path of cultivation.
If a child talent is good enough they can catch attention of powerful sect or an clan, their they can receive resources.
In order one to cultivate they need lot of resources which is very hard for ommon people to have making the path of cultivation impossible for poor.
Only rich and powerful family can afford to raise powerful cultivator, if one want to become stronger despite their background.
They had to enter any kind of sect through a test which is conducted every year,. But passing the test require both luck and hardwork many failed to enter.
Not only that in order to reach the test location one still need money, that why those with poor background managing to join the sect are rare but not impossible.
If a person talent is slightly above average the family will pour all of their saving and effort to let the child take the rest, if paseed they will bring endless glory and fourth e to the family.
That why despite the rare chances of entry many people sent their child to join the test, all other left on luck and one hard work.
For someone like Gu Tie or Gu Yin it's practically impossible specially for Gu yin who had no family support for her dream.
That why she only dare to dream but not speak it out, she want to become stronger, not to fear anyone and had enough to eat.