The Sword Sect resided on Floating Cloud Mountain, with Chores Peak as one of its many subsidiaries. As a renowned major sect in the Southern Realm, the Sword Sect backed against the vast Myriad Mountains Range and faced the Great Yan Empire to the south, its structures spanning over a thousand miles of Floating Cloud Mountain. Floating Cloud Mountain had seven main peaks and thirty-six smaller ones, among which Chores Peak was but one. As the name implied, it was where chore disciples lived.
Though meant for chore disciples, Chores Peak's scale rivaled that of a small city with over three hundred thousand residents in the Great Yan Empire.
At the break of dawn, as usual, Li Hao woke up. After a quick wash, he grabbed the broom behind the door and stepped out. Gazing at the faint glow on the horizon, he took a deep breath of the fresh morning air. Moments later, determination etched across his youthful face. "Persevere, never give up!" he murmured, then hurried toward Jade Wind Valley.
"Look, isn't that the former outer sect disciple?"
"So it is. But that's in the past. Now he's just a chore disciple, sweeping like us."
"What a pity! He's such a handsome lad, barely sixteen or seventeen. At that age, he should have a bright future, yet here he is, doing chores. How regrettable!"
"I heard he was accepted as an outer sect disciple by an elder in Pingnan City, but he failed to absorb any Profound Qi for a whole year. The elder demoted him in anger. They say he's the first in Sword Sect history to fall from outer sect disciple to chore disciple, earning the title 'Number One Waste of the Sword Sect'!"
"Number One Waste—what a resounding nickname!"
Hearing the chatter, Li Hao paused, tightening his grip on the broom. After a deep breath, he ignored them and quickened his pace to Jade Wind Valley.
Jade Wind Valley lay behind Chores Peak, nestled between several small hills with a sunken basin at its center. Lush grass and towering trees blanketed the area, their canopies blocking the sun. It was where chore disciples gathered herbs and wood, and also where Li Hao practiced his cultivation.
On a large rock, Li Hao tossed the broom aside and sat cross-legged. He pulled out a letter and a small clay figure from his robe—a delivery from last night he hadn't had time to read due to nearly ten hours of labor. Smiling softly at the crude but recognizable clay likeness made by his sister, he cherished it deeply. After gently stroking it, he tucked it away and blew dust off the envelope before carefully extracting the letter.
"Brother, we received the gold coins you sent last month. Since you became an outer sect disciple of the Sword Sect, neighbors who once looked down on us now visit often. Hmph! I know they're only nice to Mom and me because you've made something of yourself—such hypocrites!"
Li Hao smirked bitterly. "Outer sect disciple..." He suppressed his frustration and read on.
"Also, that Zhao Family is so annoying! They proposed marriage, wanting me to be a concubine for their three-hundred-pound son. That fatty can barely walk! Looking at him makes me lose my appetite. Thankfully, Mom refused! If I ever marry, I'd rather... marry you... Oh, how embarrassing! Don't laugh, Brother, not even in your heart!"
"Zhao Family!" Li Hao's eyes flashed coldly. The family held significant influence in Pingnan City. Years ago, the Zhao Family Head had tried to take his mother as a concubine, but she resisted fiercely. Though the Great Yan Empire's strict laws prevented outright murder, the family had harassed them relentlessly, hoping to force her submission. Life had been hard, but his mother never yielded. The persecution only eased after Li Hao became an outer sect disciple, as the Zhaos grew cautious. But now, they targeted his sister!
"Strength! I must regain my status as an outer sect disciple!" Clenching his fists, Li Hao knew if his demotion reached Pingnan City, the Zhaos would act boldly, endangering his mother and sister.
Storing the letter, he moved below the rock, brushing aside branches to reveal four black, bracelet-like iron weights. Strapping them to his wrists and ankles, he felt their familiar heaviness—a burden he'd grown accustomed to over the past year. With the weights on, he approached a large tree, leaped to grab a branch, and began pull-ups in an awkward posture that engaged his entire musculature.
This was the "Body Forging Art," a basic technique given to all outer sect disciples. Its purpose was to enhance the body; when muscles and bones reached a certain threshold, they would generate a trace of Profound Qi, turning one into a true Profound Practitioner. Li Hao had practiced it for six months without success, leading to his demotion—an unprecedented fall that made him the sect's laughingstock and a cautionary tale. Most would have left, but Li Hao stayed as a chore disciple, unwilling to shatter his family's hopes. His status had shielded them; returning home would undo everything.
Soon, heavy panting echoed through Jade Wind Valley. Sweat stung Li Hao's eyes, but he ignored it, gripping the branch tightly as his arms burned with fatigue. Most would rest, but he pushed on, gritting his teeth through each painful repetition. Eventually, dizziness overwhelmed him; his hands slipped, and he crashed to the ground.
Gasping for air, he lay exhausted, unable to move a finger. As dawn brightened, a breeze swept through. Suddenly, Li Hao bolted upright, eyes wide with disbelief. He had felt Profound Qi! A faint stream flowed along his meridians toward his Dantian—intermittent and weak, but undeniably present.
Yet, as it entered his Dantian, it vanished. Frowning, he focused inward, and shock seized him. "I... I have two Dantians!" he whispered, awe-struck. Tracing the energy, he discovered a hidden vortex deep within his Dantian, brimming with Profound Qi. He realized it had absorbed all the Qi he'd ever cultivated, explaining his past failures. Now, the vortex was full, forcing excess Qi into his main Dantian, only to be sucked back—leaving none behind.
Normal people had one Dantian; his anomaly meant he wasn't a waste—he could cultivate! A smile spread across Li Hao's face, growing into a relieved laugh that bordered on tears. For countless days and nights, he'd shouldered an invisible burden, fearing not ridicule but the collapse of his family's dreams. Now, he could prevent it. Mastering the Body Forging Art to reach Mortal Sixth Grade would restore his outer sect status, granting resources, techniques, and a path to inner disciplehood—where even the City Lord of Pingnan City would treat him with respect.
Warm sunlight filtered through the trees, glowing on his tear-streaked face. "Why did I never notice how beautiful this place is?" Chuckling, he wiped his tears, removed the weights, and grabbed his broom, dashing toward the valley exit. He had a duty: sweeping the Sword Sect's training ground.