As dawn breaks, a faint golden ripple arises at the edge of the sky. Amidst the indistinct light, a figure can already be seen sweating profusely on the practice field...
This is Heavenly Peak City, the main residence of the Ling Clan.
A crisp cry rings out, awakening the dawn sky, and the figure of a youth gradually comes into focus.
He appears to be no more than thirteen or fourteen years old, slightly tall and somewhat emaciated, with skin that has a rather unhealthy pallor.
This is likely due to malnutrition, yet the youth bears a spirited look. While not exceptionally handsome, he certainly possesses the air that a martial artist should have.
It is just after daybreak; the yard's roosters have yet to crow, let alone anyone else. The vast practice field hosts only him, alone, pouring all his effort into his martial practice.
"Grandfather once said, 'the early bird catches the worm.' I may be inferior to others, but I should put in ten times, a hundred times the effort. I refuse to believe that I can't achieve a breakthrough to the Martial Veins Second Layer! Today those people laugh at me, but tomorrow they will surely gape in astonishment!"
The youth, named Ling Xiao, originally had little to do with the Ling Clan.
About a year ago, the Ling Family of Heavenly Peak City, aiming to strengthen its ranks, sent out invitations. Anyone with the Ling surname could participate in the clan's assessment, and those with outstanding performance could be formally integrated into the Ling Clan.
He was admitted through this assessment. At a young age, surviving on begging with his grandfather, he miraculously awakened his Martial Veins and advanced to the First Layer of Martial Veins thanks to a damaged cultivation technique he found, which was an unmistakable sign of talent.
Even the Ling Clan members who conducted the initial assessment praised him highly.
But Ling Xiao was well aware that all this happened only because of a phrase his grandfather once mentioned, "In this world, martial artists reign supreme. If you become one, we won't have to beg anymore."
From that time on, he trained night and day. Even while begging, he never forgot to practice, which led to such achievements.
Others thought he was a prodigy, but in reality, he was merely more willing to risk his life in cultivation than others.
After becoming a member of the Ling Clan, Ling Xiao and his grandfather moved into a house prepared by the Ling Family, and at that time, Ling Xiao was full of hope for the future.
There was a girl named Ling Yu.
She was not from the Ling Family of Heavenly Peak City either, but her family background was excellent.
When Ling Xiao used to beg at their doorstep, this spoiled young lady would often sneak out after her family had gone inside, smash Ling Xiao's bowl to the ground, and then stomp on it fiercely with her boots made of high-quality materials.
She would also sneer, "I wouldn't even feed this to a dog!"
However, after Ling Xiao joined the Ling Clan, Ling Yu started to see him in a new light and even took the initiative to get closer and befriend him, which filled Ling Xiao with pride. He was determined to go further in martial arts and make a name for himself within the Ling Clan.
But while ideals are beautiful, reality is cruel.
A mere practitioner at the Martial Veins First Layer is just a drop in the ocean in the vast Ling Clan.
The Ling Family of Heavenly Peak City is a clan of tens of thousands, and with the recent expansion, its population has risen to two or three times that, making it virtually the undisputed ruler of Heavenly Peak City.
How could such a clan truly value a martial artist at the Martial Veins First Layer?
Any random maid or servant from the clan is at the Martial Veins First Layer!
The boys and girls of a similar age from the Ling Clan Main Family all have superb foundations, each and every one of them is at least at the Martial Veins Second Layer, and some have even reached the Martial Veins Third Layer or the even more lofty Martial Vein Quadruple Layer—levels that Ling Xiao could only look up to.
Of course, if he could break through to the Martial Veins Second Layer within a year, Ling Xiao might also have a reason to be proud.
However, some things cannot be forced. Since the damaged cultivation technique he picked up clashed with the basic Cultivation Technique of the Ling Family, he had to start his cultivation from scratch.
Gradually, he was surpassed by many who had arrived at the same time.
And now, Ling Yu, who had changed her attitude towards him, once again became that haughty young lady, as she not only broke through to the Martial Veins Second Layer but also made friends with the talented disciples from the Ling Clan Main Family.
Recognizing the reality of his situation, Ling Xiao did not become disheartened. On the contrary, he never forgot how he had arrived at the Ling Family and so he trained even harder and with more diligence. He swore he wouldn't be driven out by the Ling Family, or else his grandfather, who depended on him, would suffer again.
The rules of the Ling Clan state that any Outer Disciple who fails to break through to the Martial Veins Second Layer within a year must be expelled, or else they could simply become a servant of the Ling Family.
And now, only one month remained before the one-year deadline since Ling Xiao joined the Ling Clan.
With his arms swinging, the youth creates a fierce wind, and his explosive shouts are filled with fighting spirit.
Ling Xiao knew what awaited him after a year, but he wouldn't give up. Having been able to start from scratch and reach the Martial Veins First Layer, he believed he could cultivate his way to the Martial Veins Second Layer.
The technique Ling Xiao was practicing now was the Ling Clan's Basic Martial Arts—"Wild Ox Power."
"Wild Ox Power" is the most common form of Basic Martial Arts. It encompasses both cultivation technique and martial skills, allowing for improvement of one's realm and combat capability. It is the favored basic martial art among low-level practitioners.
This "Wild Ox Power," due to the sheer number of times Ling Xiao had practiced it, had taken on a naturally effortless feel when executed, a sign that he was quite suited for martial training.
Although this Basic Martial Arts was very ordinary, it also had different levels – Basic, Elementary, Intermediate, Advanced, Top-Notch!
Among the five levels, "Wild Ox Power" was just the most ordinary Basic Martial Arts.
This tiered classification was not for fun; the higher the level, the better the effects of the cultivation technique, and the greater the power of the martial skills.
Ling Xiao was just an expanded Outer Disciple, without even the Ling Family bloodline, and since he exhibited no extraordinary talent, he could only practice Basic Martial Arts. Even Elementary Martial Arts were out of his reach.
"I feel like I'm about to make a breakthrough, but I'm always stuck at the most critical point. Sigh, if only I had a Breakthrough Pill."
After a long time of practice, Ling Xiao took a sip of water from his water bag, mulling over his frustration within.
After nearly a year of observation, he realized that he was no worse than anyone else; in fact, because he had been so diligent, one would expect his cultivation progress to be faster.
The problem was actually with the cultivation techniques and pills.
The Ling Clan Main Family and those wealthy Outer Disciples either had higher-level cultivation techniques or could afford Breakthrough Pills to aid their breakthroughs.
Those disciples who were at the Martial Veins Second Layer had basically all used Breakthrough Pills.
Such pills were not too expensive and had no side effects, but Ling Xiao just couldn't afford them. The Ling Family provided him with food and shelter, which was already the greatest benevolence; they would never give him any silver.
"Get lost, I told you this trash long ago, this is my exclusive training ground, you're not qualified to practice here!"
When the sun had fully risen, a shichen later, Ling Xiao gathered his belongings, ready to leave because he didn't want to conflict with the Ling Clan Main Family members.
It was still too late, though.
A furious shout erupted; it was Ling Chong, a disciple of the Ling Clan Main Family.
As he spoke, Ling Chong even leapt onto the high platform and pushed Ling Xiao, who, fortunately, had been practicing diligently. Although his realm had yet to break through, his body was strong. Despite his pale look, his thin body housed considerable strength.
Ling Chong failed to budge him; he stood firm, like an old tree rooted to the spot.
"Ling Chong, I bear no grudges against you, why do you always seek trouble with me?"
Anger rose in Ling Xiao's heart; this wasn't the first time the other party had treated him this way.
"What a joke, do you think I actually enjoy bullying a piece of trash like you? It's just that your ears don't work, I've warned you already, don't practice martial arts here, don't pass on your trashy energy to us."
Ling Chong looked at Ling Xiao with mockery and amusement in his eyes.
Right, he was doing it on purpose, but so what? Among all the expanded Outer Disciples, only Ling Xiao dared to disobey him, so why not trouble Ling Xiao?
All Ling Clan Main Family disciples had an inherent sense of pride, feeling that the expanded Outer Disciples were merely servants in the guise of disciples, to be ordered about at will.
Thus, nearly all Outer Disciples had been bullied by the Main Family disciples at some point, but while some chose silence, others groveled, and Ling Xiao merely chose to stand his ground with dignity.
Ling Xiao didn't want trouble, but if he didn't practice at the training ground, he would have to travel far to find a suitable spot for training, and he also needed to take care of his grandfather, which was impossible from a distance.
"Ling Chong, you're really useless, you can't even push this Outer Sect kid off the training platform, how do you even get by?"
"Seriously, you're at least a Martial Vein Quadruple Layer martial artist, and this kid's just at Martial Veins Single Layer, and you don't have more strength than him?"
"Hurry up, Ling Chong, drive this kid away, we still need to train."
Those with Ling Chong were either Main Family disciples or Outer Disciples who sided with these Main Family disciples; anyway, they were all the type who enjoyed a good spectacle.
After all, watching a commotion is never too troublesome.
"Damn it, you dare to look down on me, I'm going to slap this kid down right now, let him know what it means to be a martial artist!"
Stung by the provocation, Ling Chong glanced at Ling Xiao with disdain and suddenly slapped out, his palm striking Ling Xiao's chest.
Blood dripped from Ling Xiao's mouth, but he neither fell nor was thrown back.
He could have used the momentum to avoid injury, but he chose not to. Once a person backs down once, succumbs to fear once, it becomes a habit.
"This brat! Courting death!" Ling Chong raged and launched a kick at Ling Xiao.
Ling Xiao suddenly spat out blood, startling Ling Chong, who quickly dodged. The kick missed, and Ling Chong flew off the training platform.
Looking at Ling Chong who had fallen below the platform, Ling Xiao's face revealed a trace of a smile, then his body swayed, and he collapsed to the ground, passing out.