Sundown.
Shishui City, the Hong Family Martial Arts Hall.
A burly, middle-aged man swept his gaze over the young men and women in the Martial Arts Hall, his expression naturally imposing.
He was Hu Tianwei, the Instructor in charge of supervising the cultivation of the Hong Family's younger disciples. Due to his fiery temper, he was known as the "Tiger Instructor"!
The Tiger Instructor bellowed, "On the path of a Martial Artist, talent is certainly important, but relentless effort is the true foundation for reaching the Peak. All you lot know how to do is slack off! You disappoint me! Why can't you all learn from Hong Yu?"
He raised a hand and pointed to a corner of the Martial Arts Hall.
In that seemingly secluded spot, a figure in brown robes sat quietly in a cross-legged position. His hands were pressed together, his eyes shut tight, as if he had entered some profound state.
The figure was that of a young man with dark hair and a handsome face, framed by sword-like brows and Star Eyes. His refined features held a trace of youthful innocence.
At this moment, a current of air tinged with a faint red halo enveloped the young man. The halo swirled around him, circle after circle, giving him a rather sacred and solemn appearance.
Within that red light, it seemed as if an energy containing Profound Mysteries was entering the young man's body, lending his entire being a more heroic and martial bearing.
Hong Yu came from a side branch of the Hong Family. He was one of the most ordinary branch disciples, with no background to speak of.
According to the Hong Family's rules, side branch disciples were not permitted to study and cultivate in the Martial Arts Hall, but Hong Yu was an exception. A year ago, the Tiger Instructor had made a special exception and recruited him into the Martial Arts Hall for systematic cultivation guidance, citing his hard work, diligence, and ambition.
After entering the Martial Arts Hall, Hong Yu continued to cultivate as diligently as ever, which greatly pleased the Tiger Instructor.
In contrast, the other young masters and ladies of the Martial Arts Hall were arrogant about their own talent and lazy in their cultivation, much to the Tiger Instructor's displeasure. He often compared them to Hong Yu, which made them particularly resentful—to the point that they had even come to hate him.
Seeing the Tiger Instructor bring up Hong Yu to lecture them again, the eyes of the various young masters of the Hong Family revealed their impatience and disgust. 'That damn guy! Why does he have to train so desperately for no reason? Now we're getting chewed out by the Tiger Instructor again because of him.'
But Hong Yu was completely unaware of all this...
He remained immersed in his diligent cultivation!
"PHEW!"
After a long while, he finally stopped cultivating, wiped the hot sweat from his forehead, and let out a long breath.
"Hong Yu, come here!" the Tiger Instructor said.
Under the hostile gazes of the young masters and ladies, Hong Yu walked up to the Tiger Instructor with a slight smile on his face.
He was not the simple fourteen- or fifteen-year-old boy he appeared to be. In reality, the Soul residing in this body came from Earth, where he had once been a "tech otaku"!
His greatest talents had been researching Japanese "art films" and the philosophy of human existence.
Five years ago, he had heroically sacrificed himself to save a drowning child. When he woke up, he found he had transmigrated into this strange new world. After several years of adjustment, Hong Yu had accepted his new identity—the unwelcome side branch disciple of the Hong Family, Hong Yu!
"Instructor!"
Hong Yu said respectfully.
'Having lived two lives, he was a little suspicious of the Tiger Instructor's reasons for favoring him simply due to his diligent cultivation. But he had to admit that the Tiger Instructor had given him a great deal of help over the years, and Hong Yu still respected him quite a bit!'
The Tiger Instructor patted Hong Yu's shoulder in satisfaction, an inscrutable look in his eyes. He took out an azure Pill from his robes and handed it to Hong Yu. "This is a reward for your diligent cultivation!"
"A Nourishing Essence Pill?" Hong Yu was stunned.
The human body contains Primordial Veins, and Martial Artists specialize in cultivating them. One could say that the Primordial Vein is the very foundation of a Martial Artist!
The Nourishing Essence Pill was a precious Pill used to nurture the Primordial Vein. Even for the high-status disciples in the Martial Arts Hall, it was a reward they could only receive from the family upon breaking through to a new realm.
Yet the Tiger Instructor had given such a precious Pill to Hong Yu without a second thought. This caused the eyes of many onlookers to burn with envy.
"Keep up the good work. I look forward to you making even more progress!" the Tiger Instructor said with a smile.
"Thank you, Instructor!"
Hong Yu nodded, feeling a little emotional inside. 'Back on Earth, I'd get scolded for not being good enough even if I scored a ninety on a test. Now, all I have to do is show my Fourth Layer of the Essence Realm cultivation to get such an amazing reward. These two worlds really are completely different!'
"Alright, that's enough cultivation for today. Everyone, dismiss!" The Tiger Instructor waved his hand, and the crowd immediately scattered. Although many coveted the Nourishing Essence Pill, it had been bestowed by the Tiger Instructor himself; snatching it was absolutely out of the question!
'Time to go home!'
Hong Yu put away the Nourishing Essence Pill and turned to leave.
Just then, an arrogant voice suddenly called out from behind him, "Hong Yu, you stop right there!"
"Hongyan?"
Hong Yu frowned. "What do you want?"
This guy named Hongyan was also a side branch disciple, but his status was much more distinguished than Hong Yu's. He was the Study Companion for Hong Lin, the grandson of the Hong Family's Seventh Elder.
On a normal day, relying on Hong Lin's Shelter, the other clan members would give him some face, and Hongyan was no stranger to throwing his weight around and bullying people. For example, bullying Hong Yu!
Hongyan smiled arrogantly. "Of course I have business with you..." He paused, then continued, "We just saw that you received a reward from the Tiger Instructor, so a few of us brothers came over to congratulate you!"
"Thanks. Can I go now?"
Hong Yu asked.
There were two other people behind Hongyan. They exchanged a look and spread out, surrounding Hong Yu.
Hong Yu's frown deepened, but he concealed the cold glint in the depths of his eyes. "What do you people really want?"