On the Thánh Vũ Continent, becoming a powerful martial artist was everyone's dream. Every year, countless individuals worried their hearts out and invested all their resources for this aspiration.
However, becoming a martial artist was a privilege reserved for the few. Although legends circulated across the continent of commoners who defied all odds, endured immense suffering, and rose to become legendary peerless powerhouses, these were but a minority.
More commonly, it was the talented individuals with powerful backgrounds who, with abundant resources at their disposal, saw their cultivation levels soar like mushrooms after rain, forging one legend after another.
What made ordinary people even more envious was that beyond just resource support, major powers also had Hua Gang realm martial artists. Reaching this realm, they could use their own primal energy to perform the Awakening for others, unleashing their potential and making the path to becoming a martial artist much smoother – far superior to self-discovery.
The Awakening ceremony signified the emergence of new talent for a faction, always drawing immense attention and discussion from beginning to end.
The Chu family of Lierock City in Tianluo Kingdom was no exception. Only this time, the Awakening ritual seemed to have encountered a slight mishap.
A crowd had gathered at the Awakening plaza, but the ceremony hadn't officially begun. Their attention was drawn by a minor incident unfolding.
Under everyone's focused gaze, a defeated youth lay on the ground. He had delicate features and a well-proportioned physique. A pair of deep silver eyes, paired with long silver hair, further enhanced his ethereal charm.
Normally, he might have drawn a word of praise, causing young maidens his age to secretly swoon. But at this moment, fresh blood streamed from the corner of his mouth, and his once clean green robe was now marred with several footprints. These humiliating marks were a stark contrast to his handsome and dashing appearance.
"Do you finally know your place, Chu Tian?"
In front of him, a burly youth with bronze-colored skin, thick eyebrows, and large eyes, spoke.
"Your mother was a demon to begin with, and you won't let anyone say it. You're a demon-spawn, no, a half-demon, haha."
This person was Chu He. He had passed the Awakening and become a martial artist years ago, and was already at the third stage of Body Tempering.
His actions caused the youths nearby to subtly frown. For Chu He, a martial artist, to bully a mere youth was one thing, but to even unleash primal energy and employ martial arts, that was truly excessive. But since it didn't concern them, they merely stood by and watched.
"Chu He, you're going too far!" Chu Tian fiercely wiped away the blood from the corner of his mouth with his hand. This blood seemed to possess an unnaturally vivid crimson hue, giving it an eerie appearance.
His mother had been absent since he was young. Every time he asked his father about his mother's whereabouts, his father, who normally doted on him immensely, would fall silent, only sighing deeply.
Although he had never seen his mother, and because of her absence, he had endured endless ridicule from his peers, he never complained about anything. Instead, countless nights, he dreamt of a family reunion, and his yearning for his mother only intensified.
Perhaps, what one doesn't have is what one cherishes most.
It wasn't that he was unaware of Chu He's third-stage Body Tempering cultivation. He had endured all sorts of taunts and insults at first. But when his mother was also insulted, he felt the blood rush to his head, his entire body threatening to explode. His reason was instantly consumed by fury.
Seeing Suo Tian's displeased expression, and recalling his usual untainted, ethereal demeanor, now with several footprints on his blue robe, Suo He's smile at the corner of his mouth grew wider and wider.
This demon, relying on his handsome looks, drew attention from girls everywhere. This annoyed him greatly, so today, with nothing better to do, he stirred up trouble, fiercely teaching Suo Tian a lesson and further displaying his own strength.
"Look, there's a girl over there looking at me. She definitely likes me."
Glancing around once, Suo He once again turned his gaze towards his opponent. "Ah, this kid is still biting his lip, blood spilling from his mouth. He must be unyielding, right? Today, you have no choice but to submit."
“Demon, if you don't want to be beaten, then say your mother is trash.” Suo He once again made things difficult.
“Your mother is trash!” Suo Tian retorted fiercely.
Laughter erupted all around. Suo He glared at his surroundings, and the laughter slowly died down.
“Audacious!” He hadn't expected his opponent, despite being in such a miserable state, to still remember to get a jab in, unexpectedly making him a laughingstock. He was truly detestable.
Suo He was so angry he cried out loudly, bellowing like a male duck. Not a few people who preferred quiet quickly covered their ears with their fingertips.
“Rushing Thunder Kick!”
A powerful aura erupted from Suo He's body. Nearby clansmen quickly retreated. "Sizzle, sizzle," eye-catching lightning flashed from his two legs.
The crowd retreated, and just then, a beautiful figure stepped forward.
Suo He was about to unleash his technique and teach that pretty boy in front of him a lesson. Suddenly, he realized his hand had been grabbed by someone.
"Who is it, who dares to interfere with this old man's business? Don't they know this old man is in a really bad mood?"
Suo He turned his head and met a pair of beautiful eyes looking at him. With a delicate, jade-like nose and small cherry lips, it was none other than the clan sister who had been watching him earlier.
The little loli's eyes were sweet and adorable. Stared at by such a pair of eyes, Suo He felt his bones turn to jelly, and all his anger had long since flown up to the ninth heaven.
His originally glaring eyes instantly transformed into a face full of tenderness. Suo He busily tidied his hair and deliberately flexed his sturdy muscles, striking what he thought was his most handsome pose for the little loli. Unfortunately, that fierce face of his and a handsome, dashing demeanor didn't go together at all. Instead, the more one looked, the more he resembled a burly pig butcher.
“Sister Suo Suo, is something wrong? Brother He is a bit busy right now. I'll come find you to chat after I'm done, okay?” Suo He reined in his boorishness, speaking in a slightly softer voice.
Seeing the scene before her, Suo Suo felt even more disgusted in her heart. She suppressed the urge to vomit and forced a stiff smile onto her face, telling herself inwardly, for the sake of Brother Tian, she could only endure.
Suo Suo was currently around thirteen years old, precisely at the age of a young girl harboring budding romance. Girls at this age were just discovering love, fond of fantasies, and especially liked to find their ideal Prince Charming.
Although Suo Tian was a little younger than her, his appearance, in Suo Suo's experience, was outstanding. His pair of deep silver eyes seemed to hold an unresolvable melancholy, and this melancholy often made Suo Suo a little infatuated.
Because he was her clan younger brother, Suo Suo was afraid others would discover her unusual feelings, so she usually even tried her best to keep her distance. But at this moment, seeing the person she secretly loved being beaten, she finally couldn't help but step forward to intervene.
Sở Sở tried her best to make her smile look natural. "Brother Sở Hách, you're already a third-stage Body Tempering master. Why bother with Little Brother Thiên? He's only thirteen, much younger than you."
But in her heart, she thought, *If I wasn't only at the second stage of Body Tempering right now, with you bullying Little Brother Thiên like this, I'd knock out all your front teeth. If only I'd known, I shouldn't have wasted time playing.*
"What? She's looking this way, but not at me, but for *that* pretty boy?" Sở Hách was extremely annoyed. Hearing the beauty plead, his heart wavered incessantly. If he let Sở Thiên go, how would he vent his anger? But if he didn't, he would offend the little girl. How then could he spend romantic evenings with her, discussing life's ideals?
While he was hesitating, a change occurred in the arena.
The Awakening Ceremony was considered a grand family event. Family elders, younger generations, external forces, and various other characters had surrounded the entire square like an iron barrel, making it extremely difficult for outsiders to enter. At this moment, however, the crowd automatically parted, creating a path. Clearly, the newcomer was no ordinary person.
"Brother Phi Dương!" "Brother Phi Dương!"
The onlookers immediately grew excited. Some young people even roared themselves hoarse, as if they had seen an idol. Many young girls had stars in their eyes, and blushes rose to their faces.
At the end of the path, a handsome and dashing young man appeared in everyone's sight. He had sword-like eyebrows extending to his temples, eyes like divine stars, and an ethereal, otherworldly aura about him.
Of course, this person garnered such attention not only because of his appearance, but also because he was the one and only Sở Phi Dương, the Sở family's foremost young master.
Sở Phi Dương slowly walked forward, a smile on his face, bathed in the warm morning sun. He approached the beaten youth lying on the ground, his eyebrows subtly furrowing.
As someone in a high position, he clearly understood the importance of harmony for the family. This Sở Hách, relying on his cultivation to bully a younger clan member, and still acting smugly, filled him with disdain.
Seeing that the other party had injured someone and still wouldn't let up, Sở Phi Dương spoke up righteously: "Stop! If you have the skill, go challenge Lưu Phong and Tống Ngọc. If you can defeat them, then you'll bring some glory to the family. What talent is there in bullying a fellow clan member?"
These words were inherently reasonable, and coming from Sở Phi Dương's mouth, everyone around was filled with admiration. The arena immediately erupted in praise. Even Sở Sở felt that the more she looked at this person, the more pleasing he became to her eyes.
Lưu Phong and Tống Ngọc were the top geniuses of two other families, on par with Sở Phi Dương, and together they were the three peak young martial artists of Liệt Nham City. Sở Hách was merely a third-stage Body Tempering practitioner, just a bit tyrannical. How could he possibly have the guts to challenge those two?
However, being mocked in front of everyone, Sở Hách's face alternated between red and white. He had an arrogant and unruly temper; if it had been anyone else speaking, he would have long since kicked them away. But since it was Sở Phi Dương intervening, he had no choice but to swallow even the greatest resentment.
Sở Hách took a deep breath, forcibly suppressed his malicious thoughts, and reluctantly forced a smile. "Brother Dương, I was in the wrong regarding this matter."
His gaze shifted to Sở Thiên, and he said perfunctorily: "I'm just a straightforward person, I hope my clan brother will forgive me."
Sở Thiên's face was grim, his appearance dishevelled, yet he said not a word, cold as ice, his silver-white eyes radiating a chilling aura.
"That's enough, disperse. A family squabbling like this will only invite ridicule from outsiders." Sở Phi Dương resolved the dispute, then smiled at Sở Thiên before walking towards the plaza. After finding a convenient spot, a follower immediately brought him a chair; these were all Sở Phi Dương's admirers, voluntarily serving him.
Given Sở Phi Dương's status, if he were to smile at anyone under normal circumstances, that person would surely be overwhelmed by the favor, joy clearly showing on their face. It would be enough to become bragging rights for years to come.
But at this moment, Sở Thiên was preoccupied with his own thoughts, unable to respond.
*I* didn't offend Sở Hách, so why was I arbitrarily bullied by him? This matter originally had nothing to do with Sở Phi Dương, so why did he intervene midway, and why did Sở Hách have to be so utterly deferential to him?
Power!
This was the first reason Sở Thiên could think of. If your power is inferior to others, you are powerless to resist when bullied. If your power is superior, you can humiliate others, and they will still have to smile obsequiously at you. Only with immense power can one avoid being bullied in this place, the Sacred Martial Continent, and truly have a voice. The law of the jungle is the iron rule here – the Sacred Martial Continent.
Today's humiliation, I will repay several times over another day! Not only do I want revenge, but I also want to become someone admired just like Sở Phi Dương. I, Sở Thiên, swear here and now: in this life, I will become a peerless expert, existing for ten thousand generations. Until I achieve my goal, I will never give up.
At this moment, under everyone's eager anticipation, the crowd in the plaza gradually swelled. Finally, the Third Elder, who was presiding over the Spirit Awakening, slowly made his way forward.
The Third Elder had a white beard and hair, his body like a withered tree. But if anyone were to despise him because of this, they would surely experience the formidable primal energy erupting from that aged body.
As a Hóa Cương Realm martial artist, he held great power and authority, being one of the long-standing powerful figures in Liệt Nham City. His appearance naturally drew a round of cheers and flattery.
The Third Elder smiled, walking and observing the familiar guests, greeting each one. Then he lightly coughed, and the originally noisy plaza instantly fell silent.
"This Spirit Awakening of my Sở family has attracted the attention of so many experts, and I feel deeply honored. You are all acquaintances, so I won't say too many polite words. This Spirit Awakening officially begins!"
Following the Third Elder's inspiring words, the dozens of youths participating in this Spirit Awakening suddenly erupted in excitement. Sở Thiên was no exception.
Even with the assistance of a Hóa Cương Realm elder, becoming a martial artist was still for the extreme minority. If the Spirit Awakening succeeded, he would take the first step on the path of martial arts. Conversely, if he unfortunately failed, even if he harbored great ambitions, it would ultimately only turn into empty talk. In the future, if someone like "Sở Hách" came to his door to humiliate him, he would only be able to endure it.
"Do I truly have the aptitude to become a martial artist?"
Thinking thus, Sở Thiên's gaze became focused, the blood throughout his body began to accelerate, and his heart was filled with anticipation.