In the Purple Cloud Empire, within Cyan Mountain City, a group of youths surrounded Shen Wenbo on the Shen Family's vast training grounds. They listened intently as he explained the various profound mysteries of Martial Arts, their young faces filled with hope.
"As you all know, on our Starfall Continent, the Human Race, the Demon Race, and another Demon Race form a tripartite balance. The first Demon Race is born with natural Spirit Bodies and has a great affinity for nature, so their cultivation speed is also extremely fast—that is their strength. The other Demon Race has powerful bodies and extremely long lifespans—that is their strength. As for our Human Race, we have neither natural Spirit Bodies nor long lives, so how do we stand on equal footing with these two Demon Races? We rely on our unique wisdom!"
"Back in ancient times, people discovered they could use the Heaven and Earth Spiritual Qi to assault their own acupoints and strengthen their bodies. It was from that moment that the Human Race began to grow powerful, and millennia of inheritance gave rise to the path of Martial Arts! To set foot on this path, you must take the first step: the Spirit Tempering Stage. Only after completing the ten tiers of Spirit Tempering can you condense a Spirit Pill in your Dantian and become a Spiritualist—a true Martial Artist! You must all cultivate diligently now, one step at a time. Only with a solid foundation can you go further in the future! Understand?"
"We understand!" the youths answered in unison.
Looking at the vibrant youths before him, Shen Wenbo was filled with gratification. These were the future successors of the Shen Family, the family's hope!
However, Shen Wenbo spotted an outlier in the crowd.
"Shen Haoran! Get up! You sleep through every one of my lessons! Don't you know the family assessment is in half a month? You know full well what the consequences will be if you fail!" Shen Wenbo roared, glaring at a sleeping youth in the crowd.
Hearing Shen Wenbo, the crowd snickered. "Uncle Bo, why are you even bothering with him? He was Spirit Tempering Tier Three five years ago, and he's still Spirit Tempering Tier Three now. What's the point of talking to such a waste!"
"Exactly. It's like the family assessment has nothing to do with him. I refuse to believe he can reach Spirit Tempering Tier Five in just half a month. If he succeeds, I'll run three laps around the city butt-naked!" said a handsome youth. This youth was Shen Cheng, a direct descendant of the Shen Family and the only son of Second Master Shen.
"Haha, Brother Cheng, what's the fun in that bet? That waste can't cultivate at all, and you expect him to break through to Spirit Tempering Tier Five? If he really manages to break through, forget three laps—I'd run ten naked!" The crowd stared at Shen Haoran, their mocking tones completely undisguised.
Shen Haoran was long accustomed to their cold taunts and sneers. Five years ago, he would have charged in and fought them to the death. But five years had made him much more mature than his peers. Shen Haoran simply stood up and left in silence. 'I'll make these people who look down on me pay the price! Never underestimate a poor youth!'
Watching Shen Haoran's retreating figure, Shen Wenbo sighed under his breath. "Sigh... the First Master was a genius of the clan. How could he have such a useless son?"
Shen Haoran left the training grounds and went straight to the Sacrificial Hall. The family assessment was in half a month. If he couldn't reach Spirit Tempering Tier Six, his Cultivation Materials would be completely cut off, and he would be exiled to one of the city's market districts. After all, failing to reach Spirit Tempering Tier Six by the age of fourteen meant one's cultivation Talent was exceptionally mediocre, and the family saw no need to waste any more resources on them. And Shen Haoran was currently only at Spirit Tempering Tier Three; his chances were incredibly slim.
But even with only a sliver of hope, Shen Haoran wouldn't give up. That was why he had come to collect his Cultivation Materials one last time.
The moment Shen Haoran entered the Sacrificial Hall, all eyes immediately focused on him, and everyone began to whisper.
"Hey, look, isn't that Shen Haoran? What's he doing here?"
"Isn't it obvious? He must be here to collect his Cultivation Materials. Just a waste. He hasn't improved one bit in five years, yet he's squandered so many resources. If those materials had been given to me, I might have already broken through to become a Spiritualist by now!"
Shen Haoran heard the gossip but remained expressionless. He walked straight to the counter and said, "I'm here to collect my Cultivation Materials."
The attendant handing out the materials looked at Shen Haoran with an expression of pure disgust. He carelessly tossed a Jade Bottle from the table toward Shen Haoran and said, "Here, these are your Cultivation Materials. Take them and get lost. Don't be an eyesore."
Shen Haoran caught the Jade Bottle and frowned slightly. Opening it, he saw two Elixirs filled with Spiritual Qi lying inside.
"Why am I one Spirit Gathering Pill short?" Shen Haoran asked in a low voice.
"You're lucky to get any. Take them or leave them. If you don't want them, give them back," the attendant retorted.
"You…" Shen Haoran's fists clenched as he stared at the arrogant attendant. 'Is this the consequence of having no strength? Even a servant can humiliate me! I need power. Only by gaining power, by having strength, will I earn the respect of others!' Shen Haoran swore to himself.
Back in his room, Shen Haoran sat cross-legged on his bed, took out the Spirit Gathering Pills, and began his Cultivation. The moment a Spirit Gathering Pill entered his mouth, it transformed into a stream of pure Energy that rushed into his body. At once, the surrounding Spiritual Qi began to gather toward him, and his body absorbed the abundant Spiritual Qi as if it were starving. After a long while, the Medicinal Power of the Spirit Gathering Pill was exhausted. Shen Haoran opened his eyes, his brow deeply furrowed.
He had clearly felt the potent Medicinal Power of the Spirit Gathering Pill, yet the Spiritual Qi within his body hadn't increased in the slightest.
'This is happening again!' Shen Haoran's young face was etched with worry. Five years ago, he had discovered that no matter how he cultivated, his Cultivation level wouldn't advance at all. And yet, he could clearly feel his body's desperate craving for Spiritual Qi. 'What in the world is happening?'
"Father, Mother, what am I supposed to do?" Shen Haoran murmured. It was also five years ago that his parents had suddenly vanished overnight, without a single trace. Some people even began to doubt if they had ever existed. And it was after that point that Shen Haoran's Cultivation had come to a complete standstill.
Shen Haoran walked out into the courtyard. The sky was already dark. Gazing up at the star-dusted night sky, he roared in defiance, "Heavens, why are you doing this to me! Since you dare to block my path, then I will shatter these heavens! I will trample this earth! I will let everyone know that my destiny is mine and mine alone to control!"
"Haha, good lad. You've got spirit, just like I did in my younger days!" Suddenly, an ancient voice rang out.
"Who—who's there?" Shen Haoran asked warily. The sudden voice had given him a huge shock.
But his surroundings were deathly silent and remained pitch-black. There wasn't even a shadow in sight.
'Was it a hallucination?' Shen Haoran wondered. Just as he let his guard down, a blurry shadow suddenly appeared before him. When Shen Haoran got a clear look at its face, a scream like a pig being slaughtered tore through the air.
"A gho—a ghost!"
(Author's Note: The cultivation levels in this story progress as follows: Ten Tiers of Spirit Tempering, Spiritualist, Spirit Pupil, Spirit General, Spirit Marquis, Spirit Aspect, Spirit King, Spirit Emperor, Spirit Emperor, Spirit Venerable, Spirit Saint, and Spirit God!)