Gia Hoa Village was a small settlement on the edge of the central region, not far from the sea, and under the jurisdiction of the Mingyue Sect.
The Mingyue Sect was the strongest cultivation sect within a 100km radius, a sect with many female members and few males, and males were generally not highly regarded.
Ling Xiao, a 10-year-old boy, was orphaned when his parents died during a fishing trip, encountering sea beasts. He was raised collectively by Gia Hoa Village, and because he often smiled and was rarely sad, he was called Ling Xiao.
Ling Xiao had a fair, chubby face, big eyes, and slightly upturned lips, making him look very adorable. He was preparing to go up the mountain to set traps for animals. He had done this several times and liked the feeling of self-sufficiency, of doing it himself and eating what he caught. Don't let his small size fool you; he was very good at trapping, doing it all by himself.
An old voice rang out, "Xiao, going up the mountain again? I've told you countless times that it's dangerous up there, with many fierce beasts that could kill you!"
Xiao's childish voice rang out, "It's fine, Village Chief! I'm 10 years old now, I can take care of myself. Besides, with Xiao being so handsome, who could bear to kill Xiao?"
*Thump*... "Ouch! Why did you hit Xiao?"
The Village Chief sighed, "Alright, alright, I know I can't stop you. Just remember to be careful, and if it's dangerous, you'll have to bear the consequences."
Ling Xiao laughed and said, "Who was it that shamelessly came over to eat the weasel I caught yesterday, huh? *Hehe*."
"This brat! Arguing with this old man over a tiny bit of food! You really don't care about me at all!"
*Smack*... Xiao kissed the Village Chief, then ran off, shouting loudly, "Xiao loves the Village Chief the most! *Hehe*!"
"This brat at least has some conscience."
Neither the old man nor the boy knew that this would be their last official meeting.
Speaking of Xiao, he was currently hiding in a bush not far from the trap he had just set. A rabbit was approaching the trap, a very cute rabbit that any girl would surely adore, but at this moment...
Xiao thought to himself, "This rabbit is so big and fat! I'll have to make the Village Chief drool later, and then I'll have to haggle a bit, *hehe*." Just then, an earth-shattering *Boom* exploded.
The air seemed to crush Ling Xiao. At this moment, he felt extremely uncomfortable, his body feeling like it would explode with the pressure. "Oh no, could it be that the heavens find Xiao too handsome and are trying to kill him?" Even when he was on the verge of death, he wasn't sad in the slightest, still thinking such absurd thoughts.
At that moment, a flash of light, quick as lightning, shot into his hand and helped him resist the oppressive force.
Ling Xiao broke out in a cold sweat and quickly thought, "What was that? An immortal? But I've seen a few immortals fight, and it wasn't this terrifying. Uh, what's this box? Could it be that some fairy maiden secretly fancies Xiao and bestowed a treasure to save him?"
From the sky, a majestic and domineering voice rang out, "Audacious Demon Ancestor! You thieves who stole my Immortal Realm's Space-Time Treasure Box deserve death ten thousand times over! Hand it over now and confess your crimes, and I, the Immortal Ancestor, might spare you this once!"
Another hoarse, unpleasant voice rang out, "Immortal Ancestor, let's talk slowly. The Space-Time Treasure Box was lost during our fight. Let's find it first, then we can talk."
"Nonsense! Hand it over quickly! Otherwise, one of us must die!"
"Do you think I'm afraid of you, Demon Fanfan?" Following that, whooshing sounds faded into the distance.
*Gulp*... The 10-year-old boy, terrified, looked up at the sky, where there was still a hole, then looked at the box in his hand.
Xiao quickly thought, "It's over! Is this the damn Space-Time Treasure Box? If it is, what now?"
Looking at the box that two immortal and demon lords were fighting over, Ling Xiao wanted to cry, "Damn it! If I give it to the immortal, the demon will seek revenge. If I give it to the demon, the immortal will destroy me. Sigh... It's all because Xiao is too lucky; this treasure just fell into my hands, yet I only have a low-grade spirit root."
Earlier, when the air was crushing him, a drop of blood from his hand had fallen onto the box, and suddenly the box disappeared, leaving him in a strange place.
A pitch-black void appeared before his eyes, with only one glowing object: a book.
Lăng Tiếu involuntarily walked towards the book, as it was the only source of light. He approached and tried to open it. What caught his eye was "Divine Soul Peak-Grade Art". He opened it and found an introduction to the book inside.
This is the most perfect divine soul cultivation technique. Do not learn any other miscellaneous techniques. Only those who cultivate common Qi Condensation techniques or have not cultivated at all can practice it. It is the first step to learning the spatial-temporal scripture, with no spiritual root limitations.
Woah, woah, reading this, Lăng Tiếu couldn't believe it. He had a low-grade spiritual root, destined to be a mortal or at most reach the Spirit Gathering realm his entire life. Yet, there was a cultivation technique in this world that didn't require spiritual roots! And he also had the common Qi Condensation technique, because it was the most common technique.
After a moment, he regained his composure. Then, a wave of pleasant surprise washed over him – it was too perfect! He decided to learn this technique. He sat down and began performing the movements as depicted in the book.
He didn't know how much time had passed, but he had finished comprehending the cultivation art. He opened his eyes, and in his mind, he now had the method to enter and exit the treasure box. With a thought, he found himself back in his old spot on the mountain, amidst the same ruins, as if he had never left. He knew this was the function of the treasure box: one year inside equaled one day outside. If his cultivation increased by one major realm, the time difference between the treasure box and reality would double. Comprehending cultivation techniques and secret arts would be very beneficial. Just as he was about to laugh out loud at this thought, a stream of consciousness entered his mind: "Whoever finds a treasure box, quickly come up the mountain and return it to receive a reward. I know the treasure box's location is only within this vicinity. If anyone picks it up and doesn't return it, the entire village will be annihilated. Think carefully."
Damn it! Knowing the treasure box's function, who would be willing to return it? But he also knew that cultivators had ways to search memories. What should he do?
Should he abandon this place and go somewhere else? But he couldn't bear to leave his peaceful village. As for safety, cultivators wouldn't wantonly kill mortals. Because if word got out, no matter how strong that cultivator was, they wouldn't escape the siege of the cultivation world. Killing four or five people was the limit; they couldn't massacre an entire village.
After a moment of thought, he finally made a decision. He wanted to become strong. No one knew how sad he was when his spiritual root was tested and found to be low-grade, but he endured it. Now that he had an opportunity, he had to seize it.
He turned towards the village, knelt down, and kowtowed three times. Then he resolutely ran north. If any villagers saw him at this moment, they would be wide-eyed, because he was actually crying. Since his parents died, he had at most been a little sad; he had never cried. Surely, in his heart, the villagers here were very important to him.
Heading north, he didn't know what awaited him on this extremely harsh path of cultivation. Please continue to the next chapter to find out.
Author: This is my first story. If there are any mistakes, please let me know, and I'll fix them.
Cultivation Realms in the Mortal World:
Spirit Gathering Realm: Low-grade - 1, 2, 3
Mid-grade - 4, 5, 6
High-grade - 7, 8, 9
Mortal Transcendence Realm: Low, Mid, High, Pseudo-Core
Core Formation Realm: Low, Mid, High, Peak
Nascent Soul Realm: Low, Mid, High, Dissipating Soul