The scorching sun was like a flame. Burning sunlight poured down from the sky, causing the land to seem as though it were transpiring. Drooping willows and withered leaves gave the surroundings a sickly appearance.
Within a clearing where sunlight filtered through the branches and leaves—
"Flash!"
A young juvenile reacted on instinct. He threw off his warm covers, leapt from his bed, and dressed in a single breath.
At this time, most of the family sect's disciples—and even the servants—were still asleep.
The youth was around eleven or twelve years old, with a slim body and a childish face. Despite his age, he possessed a handsome appearance and a certain quiet bearing.
His name was Rayen Vales.
Rayen was once a peerless genius. At the age of four, he had already sensed and absorbed the spiritual energy of heaven and earth, stepping into the Martial Master Realm.
But shortly after, his meridians were crippled by an unknown illness.
From that day onward, he was deemed unable to cultivate. His constitution weakened year by year, and the genius of the City Lord Manor gradually faded into ridicule and mockery.
His elder sister, Aria—the current City Lord of Sunfire City and his only known living family—had tried everything. She spent vast sums hiring renowned physicians in a futile attempt to heal him.
Though she acted cold before others, she pampered her younger brother deeply, loving him even more than her own life.
Before dawn, Rayen quietly slipped out of the City Lord Manor. Without looking back, he headed toward the city gates and left Sunfire City behind, running straight into the forest that surrounded it.
He walked through the forest familiarly before arriving at an opening beside a gushing river. There, a tent, a campfire, a training automaton, and a weapon stand—lined with a spread of different training weapons—had been set up.
This was the training ground Rayen had built for himself after asking the servants to purchase the materials.
Rayen grabbed a wooden staff, activated the automaton, and set it to Level 1—these automatons were commonly used by martial artists to train their bodies and weapon skills, with each level corresponding to a martial artist's realm, ranging from Levels 1 through 9. Rayen's automaton could only reach Level 4, which was more than enough, as he could barely last a few minutes even against Level 1.
An hour passed as Rayen trained with the automaton, his skills slowly improving—he managed to last a second or so longer each time.
Just as Rayen was about to parry one of the automaton's blows, an incoming punch sent him crashing into a nearby tree.
Rayen felt as though he had been hit by a truck. A mocking voice followed as footsteps approached.
"So, this is where the proclaimed 'genius' of Sunfire City has been hiding," an immensely arrogant voice sounded out.
Another voice followed immediately after. "What genius? I only see a failure who hides behind his sister and only has his status because of her accomplishments."
Rayen tightened his grip around the wooden staff as he wiped the trace of blood from the corner of his lips. He looked at the boy leading the trio. "Constantine… why are you here?"
"Isn't it obvious? It's to kill you—when you're not hiding behind that sister of yours."
Rayen grimaced as he forced himself upright. "What use do you have killing me? I'm not even a Level 1 martial artist."
"You might be a cripple with a constitution so weak it's pitiful," Constantine replied as killing intent flashed in his eyes, "but my elders said a threat is still a threat—and the only safe one is a dead one."
Rayen froze. "The elders of the Brown Family put you up to this?"
Constantine didn't bother replying. He simply uttered two words:
"Kill him."
The two Level 1 martial artists behind him rushed forward, sending a flurry of punches and kicks toward Rayen, who couldn't even retreat in time.
Bam. Bam. Bam.
Blood splattered through the air as Rayen was pinned against a tree, blows raining down on him nonstop.
'Is this really how I, Rayen Vales, am going to die?' he thought as intense unwillingness surged through him. 'Even though I got the system, it didn't change anything…'
His life flashed before his eyes—every single person he had ever known—before finally landing on one graceful figure.
'Aria…' he called out in his mind, thinking of his sister.
As the thought formed, his unwillingness turned into resolve.
"Even if I'm going to die," Rayen growled, "I'll take at least one of you with me!"
His blood churned violently as he unleashed a punch toward the martial artist closest to him.
The man merely glanced at the attack before casually swatting it aside.
Rayen felt the last of his hope shatter as the punch containing his full strength was parried with what seemed like no effort at all.
Another punch landed squarely against his face.
That blow was the last one he could endure.
Just before consciousness faded, Rayen's eyes turned a deep, dark crimson. A few strands of his black hair began to shift into the same dark hue.
No one noticed.
"It took you that long to knock out a cripple?" Constantine sneered at the two martial artists.
"Pick him up and toss him into the river."
One of the Brown Family's martial artists lifted Rayen and, without hesitation, threw him into the rushing river. His body floated away, carried by the current, until it disappeared from sight.