Chapter 1

In the training ground of the Ye family in Shiyan City, dozens of children around 14 years old stood in the scorching sun, their faces filled with excitement. Some middle-aged men and women surrounded the square, watching their children with various expressions.

Today was the tri-monthly玄关 (Xuanguan) test for the Ye family, and all family members under 15 years old were eligible to participate. The test was personally overseen by the head of the Ye family's martial hall, Ye Zhantian.

Regardless of your usual performance, today's test results would determine your or your parents' future status in the Ye family. As long as you had the strength, you would be valued by the family—this was an unchanging rule in any family.

"Ye Mei!" An old man in gray leather armor stood in the center of the square, holding a list and calling out a name. His face was etched with deep wrinkles, but his eyes were sharp and clear.

All the young participants looked at a black-haired girl with fiery eyes. The girl was not exceptionally beautiful, but her figure was enough to make some of the underage boys fantasize. At 14, Ye Mei already had a well-developed figure, and the pair of peaks on her chest were almost bursting out, even making some adult women envious. If she grew up, who knew what would happen?

When Ye Mei heard her name, she took a few light steps and slowly walked to the center of the training ground, then swung her fist at an ironwood tree stump.

"Bang!"

A dull sound echoed, and a relatively clear fist imprint appeared on the extremely hard ironwood tree stump.

"Fist imprint one inch, right fist successfully opened the Xuanguan."

Ye Mei's face lit up with a proud smile when she heard the result.

"Tsk tsk, this Ye Mei is indeed a genius. Half a year ago, her right hand hadn't even opened the Xuanguan."

"Such talent can probably rival the young master Ye Changsheng!"

The crowd burst into exclamations of amazement, and Ye Mei's smile grew even wider.

In the Spirit Martial Continent, martial artists must use the primordial energy refined in their dantian to open the Xuanguan. Each person has five Xuanguan: two in each hand, two in each leg, and one in the brain.

After opening the Xuanguan, the primordial energy refined in the dantian can surge into the Xuanguan, greatly increasing the limbs' attack power and speeding up the nervous system's reaction time.

When a martial artist opens all five Xuanguan, they enter the true path of cultivation, reaching the Qi Creation Realm.

An ordinary man's punch can generate a force of half a stone, or 60 pounds. If the Xuanguan is opened and primordial energy is used, the force can reach one stone.

When all five Xuanguan are opened, reaching the first level of the Qi Creation Realm, the martial artist's attack can reach two stones of force.

"Very good, strive to open the last Xuanguan and break through to the Qi Creation Realm in the next test!" Ye Zhantian praised Ye Mei without reservation.

Currently, Ye Mei only lacked the brain Xuanguan. If she opened it, she could reach the Qi Creation Realm before the age of 14. There were not many martial artists in the Ye family or Shiyan City who could achieve this.

"Thank you, Uncle Ye. Little Mei will work hard." Ye Mei, moved by Ye Zhantian's praise, walked out of the square, her chest heaving attractively.

Ye Zhantian held the list in his hand and slightly frowned when he saw the name of the next test participant.

"Next, Ye Mo!"

As soon as he spoke, everyone around looked around, searching for Ye Mo.

"Next, Ye Mo!" Ye Zhantian emphasized, but Ye Mo was still nowhere to be seen.

"This collateral descendant, lacking talent, didn't even bother to show up for the test."

"He knows his limits. In five years of Xuanguan tests, he hasn't opened a single Xuanguan. Coming today would only lose face."

"Like father, like son. The son of a waste is indeed a waste!"

Ye Zhantian, hearing the murmurs in the crowd, coldly snorted and angrily said, "Who said the son of a waste is a waste? Ye Mo may lack talent in cultivation, but don't call them both wastes. If it weren't for Ye Qing's outstanding performance in the Wasteland Sect, would our Ye family have the current status?"

Ye Zhantian, the head of the Ye family's martial hall, was second only to the family head Ye Kuang in strength. His position in the Ye family was crucial, and few dared to speak when he was around.

The Wasteland Region has countless countries, and Tianwu Country is just one of them. The Wasteland Sect is the most powerful sect in the Wasteland Region, an existence that any family in Tianwu Country can only aspire to.

All families in Tianwu Country, including the royal family, want to send their disciples to the Wasteland Sect. As the saying goes, "One person achieves enlightenment, and all the chickens and dogs ascend to heaven." Ye Qing, Ye Mo's father, successfully obtained the qualification to enter the Wasteland Sect as the top genius of Tianwu Country, thus becoming famous.

The Wasteland Sect recruits disciples every year with a fixed quota. To become a formal disciple of the Wasteland Sect, one must pass the entrance test, which is the First Path Battle.

Unfortunately, Ye Qing's dantian was destroyed in the First Path Battle, leaving him permanently disabled.

A genius of a generation, thus fell. In the following ten years, the Ye family did not produce anyone as outstanding as Ye Qing.

Ten years passed, and this former hero of the Ye family became a waste in the eyes of the new generation.

Outside a simple and comfortable room, a black-haired boy was about to push open the door but retracted his hands, wiping the blood from the corner of his mouth.

"Spit, you hit me, but you won't have it easy either!" The boy recalled the previous scene and spat out a mouthful of blood. Only then did he push open the door and enter the room.

The boy had a head of sparse black short hair, a delicate and slightly childish face, and a hint of determination. The blood at the corner of his mouth had been wiped away, but his right cheek was swollen. On a wooden bed in the room, a middle-aged man with a strong and resolute face lay, his complexion pale. His hair was long but neatly combed.

Ye Mo looked at the pale and increasingly emaciated face and, holding his right cheek, said, "Dad, I'm here."

Ye Qing looked at his son's delicate face, and a hint of redness appeared on his pale face. However, when he saw Ye Mo holding his cheek, he couldn't help but ask, "Were you hit again today?"

"I fell!"

"Swollen? Let me see." Ye Qing said.

Ye Mo let go of his face, and his right cheek was red and swollen.

"Ye Qing's son, even falling is so cool." Ye Qing's smile carried a hint of bitterness.

"Dad, I'm fine. Although I didn't open the Xuanguan, I gave that guy a good beating too." Ye Mo smiled, clearly not having lost much in the fight.

"Ah, Mo, with your talent and the things in your body, your achievements might not be less than mine. How could those people dare to bully you?" Ye Qing sighed, knowing that Ye Mo's initial dream was to surpass him.

But ideals are full, and reality is harsh. He fell.

When Ye Mo was five, he heard that primordial energy might help Ye Qing recover, but it was only a possibility. No one would willingly destroy their cultivation to try.

At ten, Ye Mo's dantian finally began to absorb the primordial energy of heaven and earth. This marked the beginning of a martial artist's cultivation.

That day, Ye Mo was very happy, not because he could officially start cultivating, but because he could finally use the primordial energy in his dantian to nourish his father's body.

For five whole years, Ye Mo secretly came to his father's room every day to use the primordial energy absorbed in his dantian to nourish his father's body. Ye Qing initially disagreed, but he was eventually moved by Ye Mo's determined gaze.

With his dantian destroyed and his limbs numb, Ye Qing's limbs miraculously regained some sensation after five years of Ye Mo's persistence. This made Ye Mo very happy, and he believed that one day, he could make his father stand again.

Ye Mo used all the primordial energy he absorbed from heaven and earth to nourish his father's body, leaving no time for his own cultivation. If Ye Mo had used the primordial energy to open the Xuanguan, he would have long broken through to the Qi Creation Realm in five years.

"Dad, you said strength is used to protect oneself, but I think strength is used to protect loved ones. No matter what, I will make you stand again." Ye Mo said, his face showing unprecedented determination.

Hearing his son's words, Ye Qing was not unmoved. He lived in the warmth of his son's dedication every day. For five years, Ye Mo tirelessly used the primordial energy absorbed in his dantian to nourish his body. How much willpower did this require? Could a child really persist like this?

Because he did not cultivate, Ye Mo not only bore the name of a waste but also frequently suffered beatings from direct descendants. Ye Mo's life for the past five years was not something a child should endure.

Ye Qing asked, "Mo, if I'm not mistaken, today is the Xuanguan test day."

"I went, but I failed."

"You're lying again!"

"Even if I went, I would fail. I might as well take this time to nourish you." Ye Mo said, slowly walking to Ye Qing's side and supporting his chest with one hand. The primordial energy in Ye Mo's dantian flowed through his arm into Ye Qing's chest, then began to circulate in Ye Qing's body.

Ye Qing looked at Ye Mo's serious eyes and closed his eyes, his dantian absorbing the primordial energy from Ye Mo. Ye Qing's complexion became slightly rosy.

Feeling the primordial energy in his dantian gradually depleting, Ye Mo sighed, "It's strange, the primordial energy I absorbed today is gone, and it's getting faster and faster!"

Ye Mo recently noticed that the speed at which his father's body absorbed the primordial energy was increasing.

"Crack!" Just as Ye Mo was puzzled, the wooden bed Ye Qing was lying on suddenly broke, and Ye Qing sank to the ground. Ye Mo was startled, and Ye Qing was now lying on the floor.

"Dad, are you okay?" Ye Mo asked worriedly.

"I'm fine, don't come near me!" Ye Qing kept his eyes closed, his tone heavy. The floorboards in the room continued to vibrate violently.

"Dad, how are you?" Ye Mo asked, worried, as Ye Qing's body trembled.

Ye Qing's expression, distorted by pain, carried a hint of an imperceptible smile. After five years of daily nourishment by Ye Mo, his dantian was finally repaired.

But just as Ye Qing was about to activate his dantian and absorb the primordial energy of heaven and earth, his face suddenly changed.

"Bang!" A loud explosion, and Ye Qing's dantian burst, even tearing open his abdomen, blood splattering onto Ye Mo's face. This sudden scene left Ye Mo stunned, and he touched his face, feeling the cold and coolness, before finally reacting.

"Dad!" Ye Mo shouted, his eyes red, and rushed over.

"Roar!" A terrifying roar echoed, and a huge black primordial energy beast emerged from Ye Qing's dantian. The beast resembled a tiger but was not a tiger, a leopard but not a leopard, with two large fangs exposed, its appearance extremely fierce.