The sky had not yet broken for dawn.
Before the crisp crow of a rooster could echo through Qingcheng Mountain, the faint sounds of training could be heard from the Chen Clan's Martial Arts Arena. A boy of about fifteen was practicing his fists on the field. Though it was the dead of winter, he was already drenched in sweat, a clear sign he had been training for some time.
At this hour, most of the Clan was still fast asleep.
The young man's name was Chen Han.
His face was pale and his frame was thin, but his gaze was exceptionally resolute, glittering with an endless fighting spirit.
He had maintained this level of Cultivation training for three full years.
「Three years ago.」
He was a renowned genius of the Chen Clan's collateral family branches. At the tender age of twelve, he had already reached the strength of the Martial Disciple Realm Third Layer, making him one of the most outstanding individuals in all of Qingcheng Mountain. Back then, his Clan and his parents had placed immense hope in him. With his exceptional talent, he was seen as a prime candidate to join the Chen Family's Inner Sect.
But then, the unexpected happened.
That night, he was struck by a meteor from beyond the heavens. His Dantian shattered, and his meridians were nearly all severed, almost killing him. His parents spared no expense, exhausting their family fortune to barely save his life. Yet, Chen Han went from being at the Martial Disciple Third Layer to a good-for-nothing, a cripple without even the strength to truss a chicken.
But Chen Han never gave up on Cultivation.
For three years, he trained relentlessly, and his body grew stronger by the day, but he still couldn't step through the gates of the Martial Dao again.
Meanwhile, the disciples who were once mediocre, or even inferior to him, had now all reached the Martial Disciple Realm Third Layer, or even higher Realms. Only he remained stagnant...
"Hah!"
Chen Han took a horse stance and threw his fists with all his might, his punches whistling through the air. It was just a Basic Fist Technique, but he had practiced it tens of thousands of times.
The Martial Arts of the secular world were divided into five levels: Basic, Basic Level, Middle Level, High Level, and Top Level.
The more profound the Martial Arts, the stricter the requirements on a Cultivator's physique, and naturally, the greater the power. The Basic Level Martial Arts that Chen Han had once mastered were now impossible for him to practice. If he tried to force it, he would likely cause muscular damage.
About an hour later, the Martial Arts Arena gradually began to fill with people.
These were all disciples from the collateral branches of the Chen Family.
When these people's gazes fell upon Chen Han, their expressions turned to indifference, mockery, and even disdain.
Seeing the former genius they had now surpassed filled their hearts with an inexplicable sense of superiority.
"Hmph, a former genius, now a good-for-nothing. This kid was once hailed as the young man in Qingcheng Mountain most qualified to enter the Clan's Inner Sect. Now, he's not even worthy of carrying my shoes."
"Haha, I could beat him with one finger."
The crowd's derision drilled into Chen Han's ears.
But Chen Han didn't get angry. The experience of falling from genius to good-for-nothing over the past three years had forged in him a resilience that ordinary people could hardly possess.
He firmly believed that one day, he would reclaim everything he had ever lost.
He left the Martial Arts Arena and returned home.
Once, his family had been the wealthiest in all of Qingcheng Mountain. Three years ago, to save Chen Han's life, his parents sold off their entire fortune, leaving them with nothing but the bare walls of their home.
'It was all because of that meteor!'
Guilt welled up in Chen Han's heart. Since he had become a good-for-nothing, his parents had also endured immense pressure, aging a great deal in these three years.
"Han'Er!"
A steady, world-weary voice came from inside.
The speaker was none other than Chen Han's father, Chen Tianzheng.
On the table in their home lay an opened letter. His mother, Mrs. Wang, looked at Chen Han, seeming to want to say something but hesitating.
"What's wrong?"
Chen Han noticed his parents' strange expressions and couldn't help but ask.
Chen Tianzheng and Mrs. Wang exchanged a look, and he let out a long sigh.
Chen Tianzheng said slowly, "A letter came from the Clan's Main Lineage. It says there will be a grand selection in three months. Disciples from the collateral branches who have reached the Martial Disciple Realm Third Layer will be eligible to enter the main Clan for advanced training!"
'What?'
Chen Han was shocked.
The Chen Family was a massive Clan.
Besides the Main Lineage's Inner Sect, there were a total of one hundred and eight collateral Sub-Clans.
Every three years, the main Clan would select outstanding youths under the age of fifteen from the collateral branches to enter the Clan's Inner Sect for Cultivation. For all the disciples of the collateral branches, this was a tremendous honor and their only chance to leap the dragon gate. Entering the Inner Sect meant their futures would be boundless.
In the past, Chen Han would have undoubtedly been a top choice for the Main Lineage.
But now that he was a good-for-nothing, he wasn't even in the running.
If he couldn't meet the requirements this year, Chen Han would lose this chance forever.
"Father, Mother, don't worry. I will reach the Martial Disciple Third Layer within three months," Chen Han said, his voice trembling as he clenched his fists.
"Don't force yourself. All that matters is that you are safe and sound," Chen Tianzheng couldn't help but sigh.
They hadn't wanted to tell Chen Han about this in the first place.
It had been diagnosed long ago that with his Dantian shattered, Chen Han would never be able to cultivate again in this lifetime. But Chen Tianzheng knew his son had immense pride. He feared that hiding this from him would hurt him even more, so after some hesitation, he couldn't stop himself from revealing it.
"Han'Er, don't push yourself too hard. At worst, you can just be an ordinary person," his mother, Mrs. Wang, added.
Chen Tianzheng nodded in agreement.
As parents, even if it meant their child was mediocre, they wished for his safety above all else.
'Be an ordinary person?'
'No!'
Chen Han shook his head fiercely. "I refuse to be so mediocre. I won't be an ordinary person for the rest of my life."
BANG!
The words had barely left Chen Han's mouth when the dilapidated wooden door was suddenly kicked open.
The visitor was a powerfully built man in black clothes, his muscles bulging and knotted. He hadn't even stepped inside before his voice boomed, "Chen Tianzheng, how long are you going to drag out the five thousand taels of silver you owe me? It's time to pay up! You've put this debt off year after year. If you don't pay today, don't blame me for what happens next!"
"Father, who is this?" Chen Han asked, unable to stop himself from standing as he looked at the man in black.
The man was Wang Chong, the owner of the Qingcheng Mountain Money Shop.
Wang Chong glanced at Chen Han and sneered, "So you're Chen Han?"
"I am!"
"Back then, your father borrowed five thousand taels of silver from me to save you. I thought I was saving a genius. Who would have dreamed that while the person was saved, he turned into a good-for-nothing." Wang Chong clicked his tongue and sneered.
'Good-for-nothing?'
Chen Han clenched his fists.
For three years, that word had echoed in his ears countless times, but it had never sounded so grating.
"How can you say such things in front of the boy?" Chen Tianzheng flared up when he saw the expression on Chen Han's face.
Wang Chong let out a cold laugh, sizing up Chen Han with a contemptuous gaze. "What's the matter? Does a good-for-nothing have any pride to protect?"
Just as Chen Tianzheng was about to speak...
At that moment, Chen Han stepped forward and shouted, "Wang Chong, don't you look down on people! Even if I've become a good-for-nothing, you have no right to insult me. The river flows east for thirty years, then west for thirty years—never bully a young man for being poor! Just wait until I pass the selection and enter the Chen Family Main Lineage's Inner Sect. By then, it will be too late for you to come groveling!"
"You?" Wang Chong bared a mouthful of yellow teeth and laughed with disdain. "Three years ago, you might have had the right to say that. But now, you're just a complete and utter good-for-nothing. Want to enter the Chen Family's Inner Sect? You must be daydreaming!"
Wang Chong mocked him without reservation.
Indeed, three years ago, he had been willing to lend money to Chen Tianzheng because he saw Chen Han's potential and wanted to make an investment in him.
As long as Chen Han maintained his strength, he would be able to enter the Chen Family Main Lineage and soar like a Phoenix from the ashes. But who knew that although Chen Han was saved, he had become a complete and utter good-for-nothing.
And a good-for-nothing like that had no investment value whatsoever.
"Fine. I'll give you three months. If you can't get into the Chen Family Main Lineage, this house is mine. And you all can get the hell out of Qingcheng Mountain!" Wang Chong spat out the harsh words and slammed the door on his way out.
He watched Wang Chong's retreating back.
He looked at his parents' worried faces.
Chen Han clenched his fists.
'How can I live such a pathetic life? How can I be so mediocre forever?'
'I must become stronger!' A conviction grew ever firmer in Chen Han's heart.
"Han'Er!"
Seeing the resentful and indignant look on Chen Han's face, Chen Tianzheng was about to offer a word of caution, but Chen Han had already bolted out the door.
KABOOM!
Suddenly, a clap of thunder exploded out of a clear sky, and bean-sized raindrops began to pour down.
A bolt of violet lightning, containing the secrets of heaven and earth, suddenly struck down. In an instant, it spread across the sky, dense and intricate as a spider's web.
Ugh—
As he ran, Chen Han felt his body suddenly sink. His shattered Dantian was actually having a chain reaction with the lightning in the heavens.
'This is...'
A long-lost, fiery sensation erupted from his lower abdomen and, in an instant, spread throughout his entire body.
Inside his body.
His once-shattered Dantian, fragmented like a broken mirror, was now quietly beginning to merge back together.
Within his Dantian, a shining meteor was glowing brightly.
It was like a newborn babe, wailing for sustenance, in desperate need of external Energy...
BOOM!
The Celestial Thunder changed violently. Countless forks of lightning split apart, only to rapidly intertwine, converge, and twist into a single, massive bolt in the night sky. As if summoned by the meteor in Chen Han's Dantian, it smashed down violently!
"CRACKLE!"
The Power of the lightning poured into Chen Han's body like a surging tide.
The frenzied energy of heaven and earth slammed mercilessly into Chen Han's meridians, reaching his Dantian in an instant and striking the meteor.
ROAR!
A furious roar, like that of a dragon, suddenly erupted from within his body.
The entire world seemed to come to a complete stop at that moment.
Chen Han felt as if a burst of white light, more dazzling than the Taiyang itself, had exploded before his eyes.
"Ahhh—"
Before he could even react, it felt as though an explosion had gone off inside his tumultuous body.
Chen Han let out a bloodcurdling scream and fell completely unconscious.
In the last moment before losing consciousness, Chen Han had only one thought: 'My Dantian... it's completely shattered.'