Chapter 1

Beside a slowly flowing stream, a young man in a grayish-white robe sat cross-legged.

The youth had rather delicate features, and was about fourteen or fifteen years old. Observing the peculiar hand seal he held in his right hand, it seemed he was cultivating some kind of alchemical energy technique.

What was most surprising was that on the left side of the youth's body, there was only an empty sleeve, with no arm inside. This was a youth without a left arm.

"Ah! I knew it would be like this!"

Shen Fei opened his eyes, sighed, and his delicate eyebrows furrowed slightly. His face was full of dejection and helplessness as he murmured softly, "At this rate, perhaps in less than two months, my alchemical energy will be completely gone, right?"

With a melancholic tone, Shen Fei couldn't help but extend his only right hand to touch a peculiar pendant hanging from his chest. The pendant was grayish-white, but its shape was bizarre. If one looked closely, it would be noticed that it resembled a human arm, with a spread hand at the end, and all five fingers intact.

Shen Fei's right fingers, gripping the arm-shaped pendant, turned slightly white. The transition from genius to waste often happened in an instant. Over the past year, he had seen the coldness and warmth of human nature. Now, it seemed that only this lonely arm-shaped pendant remained by his side.

"Plop!"

Just as Shen Fei was lost in self-mockery and sorrow, a sound suddenly reached his ears, followed by a splash of water splashing towards him.

Shen Fei reacted very quickly, pushing off the ground with his feet and retreating. His right hand waved swiftly, and a faint white mist rose from it. The splashing water was blocked by this white mist and fell weakly, not a single drop landing on Shen Fei.

"Hey, I didn't expect you, a waste, to react so quickly!"

Shen Fei had just stood still when a slightly harsh voice reached his ears, making him realize that the previous incident was probably not an accident.

Furrowing his brows slightly, Shen Fei turned around and indeed saw four figures standing behind him. The leader held a fist-sized stone, and the childish prank was undoubtedly his doing.

Shen Fei was not unfamiliar with this person and had no good feelings towards him. Since the incident a year ago, Tang Ning, who had been fawning and attentive to Shen Fei, immediately changed his attitude, humiliating and suppressing Shen Fei as much as possible, seemingly trying to regain the dignity he had lost before.

"Move aside!"

Shen Fei did not respond to Tang Ning's usual mocking words but, seeing the four people blocking his path, he said with a stern face, "Move aside!"

Tang Ning, seeing this, took two steps back and exaggeratedly called out, "Look, look, Young Master Shen Fei is about to teach someone a lesson. I'm really scared!"

But despite his words, there was no trace of fear on Tang Ning's face. One of the people beside him quickly chimed in, "Brother Tang Ning, have you forgotten? He's not the Shen Fei from a year ago. Now, Shen Fei is just a cripple without a left arm!"

Hearing this, Tang Ning patted his chest, as if still shaken, and said, "Oh, you didn't remind me. I was really scared!"

Shen Fei's face grew even darker at the clownish performance of the few. He had seen such tricks countless times over the past year. Ignoring them, he walked straight ahead, taking a few steps to bypass the four.

"Hey, Shen Fei, Brother Tang Ning hasn't finished speaking, and you dare to walk away?"

Seeing Shen Fei walk away, Tang Ning gave a signal to the person who had spoken, who then shouted and lunged forward, his right hand forming a claw, aiming for Shen Fei's right shoulder.

But Shen Fei had been prepared for this. As the person's hand just touched his robe, Shen Fei moved to the left, and the person, unable to stop, was caught off guard by Shen Fei's foot, which hooked his calf, causing him to fall forward.

These moves were swift and clean. From the person's attack to his fall, it took only a few breaths. By the time Tang Ning and the others reacted, the person was already sprawled on the ground.

"Good boy, you dare to hit someone!"

Tang Ning, realizing what had happened, was instantly furious. As he shouted, he took two steps forward, ready to confront Shen Fei directly. White mist swirled around his hand, much denser than what Shen Fei had used, indicating that Tang Ning's cultivation was indeed higher.

Seeing Tang Ning take action, the remaining two people exchanged glances and blocked Shen Fei's path from both sides, joining the fight as Tang Ning gained the upper hand.

A year ago, Shen Fei wouldn't have taken such opponents seriously, but now, with his cultivation reduced to the fifth level of alchemical energy, he was no match for Tang Ning, who was at the eighth level.

Moreover, Tang Ning had two helpers who were not much weaker than him. The takedown of the person earlier was just a surprise attack. In a direct confrontation, after just a few exchanges, Shen Fei was hit in the abdomen by Tang Ning's punch, causing him to bend over in pain. Another blow to his back sent him sprawling on the ground.

"Hit him, hit him hard!"

Tang Ning's eyes gleamed with satisfaction as the other two pummeled Shen Fei. The person who had fallen earlier got up, harboring particular resentment towards Shen Fei, and struck even harder.

Shen Fei used his right hand to protect his head, enduring the blows. At one point, he suddenly felt a sharp pain in his left shoulder, where Tang Ning had stepped hard, and sneered, "Shen Fei, the Lieryun Palace has no place for you. If you know what's good for you, get lost!"

"Lieryun Palace!"

Hearing Tang Ning mention this name, Shen Fei couldn't help but laugh bitterly.

Once, he had been the top genius among the young generation of the Lieryun Palace, reaching the ninth level of alchemical energy at the age of thirteen, a talent that once overshadowed even the royal family's top genius. But all of this changed after Shen Fei lost his left arm a year ago.

"Stop! What are you doing?"

Just as Shen Fei was struggling to endure, a cold, sharp voice suddenly rang out. Shen Fei felt the attacks on him dissipate, but he had no intention of tending to his wounds. His gaze was already fixed on the source of the familiar voice.

Tang Ning quickly withdrew his foot from Shen Fei's shoulder, turned around, and saw the graceful woman in a light red dress. He changed his expression and said with a smile, "It's Sister Yu. Why are you here?"

Shangguan Yu glanced at Tang Ning with disgust, especially at his right foot, and said sternly, "Shen Fei is still our fellow disciple. Do you not fear the punishment of the Palace Master for your actions?"

Tang Ning's face stiffened, but he knew that with Shangguan Yu's intervention, today's humiliation of Shen Fei had to end. He coldly said to Shen Fei, who was slowly getting up, "Consider yourself lucky. Let's go!"

"Shen Fei, are you okay?"

Seeing Tang Ning and the others disappear into the distance, Shangguan Yu turned back and said with a complex look. Hearing this, Shen Fei felt that the humiliation he had just endured was nothing, and said softly, "Yu'er, thank you!"

Shen Fei and Shangguan Yu could be considered childhood sweethearts. Before Shen Fei lost his arm and became disabled, they were a well-known pair in the Lieryun Palace. Although they had not confessed their feelings, in Shen Fei's heart, Shangguan Yu was the most important person to him, next to his teacher, Han Chi.

But since Shen Fei lost his arm, Shangguan Yu, whether intentionally or unintentionally, met with him less and less. Although Shen Fei had noticed this, he never dared to think deeply about it. So when he saw Shangguan Yu come to his aid at this critical moment, the hope in his heart overshadowed his reason.

After a brief silence, Shangguan Yu said softly, "In the future, avoid provoking people like Tang Ning. With your current cultivation, you are no match for them."

"Yu'er, I..."

At this moment, Shen Fei's mind was filled with wild thoughts, and he didn't hear the meaning of Shangguan Yu's words. After uttering three words, he took a step forward, intending to reach out with his right hand to grab Shangguan Yu's hand.

But just as Shen Fei's right hand was about to touch Shangguan Yu's wrist, she gently moved away, and his grab missed. What he didn't see was that this action caused a subtle look of disgust to flash in Shangguan Yu's eyes.

Shen Fei's right hand hung in the air, his face full of confusion. Although they had met less often over the past year, the few times they did meet, holding hands was quite normal. But now, Shangguan Yu's action caused a sharp pain in Shen Fei's heart.

"Alright, it's getting late. Let's go back first!"

Shangguan Yu seemed unwilling to stay longer, perhaps fearing that Shen Fei would纠缠 again. She said this and turned to leave, but after taking a few steps, she paused and said, "Tomorrow morning, I'll be waiting for you at 'An Ran Pavilion'!"

"Ah? Oh, okay!"

Hearing Shangguan Yu's sudden words, Shen Fei was first surprised, then overjoyed. The "An Ran Pavilion" she mentioned was the place they visited most often, and Shen Fei had a special affection for it.

"It seems that in the Lieryun Palace, only Teacher and Yu'er remain unchanged towards me." Shangguan Yu's words made Shen Fei inexplicably happy.

Over the past year, due to the loss of his left arm, his alchemical energy could no longer circulate through the grand cycle. He had regressed from the ninth level of alchemical energy to the fifth, and this decline was still continuing.

This former top genius of the Lieryun Palace had become the top waste, and Shen Fei, without his left arm, could only watch helplessly as his hard-earned alchemical energy dissipated day by day.

However, what Shen Fei didn't notice was that a drop of blood from the corner of his mouth dripped onto the arm-shaped pendant. The grayish-white arm-shaped pendant, after absorbing the drop of blood, flashed a subtle red light and then returned to its calm state.

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