Chapter 1

In the Fengyue Kingdom, in the city of Ziyun County, a group of young boys stood in the vast training ground of the Xiao family, listening intently to a middle-aged man on a platform in front of them, who was explaining the various mysteries of martial arts. Their young faces were filled with hope.

This middle-aged man was named Xiao Hu, a martial arts instructor of the Xiao family.

"Uncle Hu, what is a genius?" A boy with lively eyes looked up and asked.

"In our Fengyue Kingdom, anyone who awakens a martial soul is considered a genius and can receive the favor of major sects," Uncle Hu retracted his gaze, staring at the boys below the platform with a solemn expression. "These people have limitless potential, they are the dragons among men, and will surely soar through the nine heavens and enter the vast world of martial artists, becoming true powerhouses."

"Unfortunately, we haven't awakened our martial souls," the boys all shook their heads.

"Don't be discouraged. Awakening a martial soul is a one-in-a-million occurrence. As long as you work hard, you can still achieve something in martial arts," Uncle Hu said. "Alright, now start practicing boxing with me. This is a low-rank yellow-level boxing technique called the Fierce Tiger Fist."

After saying this, Uncle Hu began teaching the group how to box.

On the other side of the training ground, a boy in white clothing was sitting cross-legged under a large tree, eyes closed in deep concentration.

If one looked closely, one could see threads of light from the heavens converging on him.

This boy was named Xiao Yun, with sharp eyebrows and star-like eyes, his appearance was exceptionally handsome.

Xiao Yun was a direct descendant of the Xiao family, and he was just a few months away from turning sixteen. He practiced alone, appearing out of place among the others. This was not because of his aloof personality, but because he had encountered a problem in his cultivation.

Xiao Yun had awakened his martial soul at the age of five and reached the sixth level of Body Tempering at the age of eight, condensing mystic energy within his body.

Such talent was a rarity in the entire Ziyun County.

At the time, Xiao Yun was hailed as a prodigy with boundless potential, expected to rival his father and step out of the Fengyue Kingdom to enter the vast world of martial artists, just like his father, becoming a son of heaven.

Therefore, the Xiao family had great hopes for Xiao Yun, believing he could revitalize the family and bring glory to the clan.

Unfortunately, after the age of eight, Xiao Yun's cultivation stagnated. He watched as those with inferior talent one by one surpassed him, reaching the sixth, seventh, and higher levels of Body Tempering, while he remained stuck at the sixth level.

With this change, the attitudes of those around him also began to shift. He went from being a prodigy to being called a mediocrity and a waste by others, and those who once flattered him began to mock him.

The Xiao family still held some hope for Xiao Yun, after all, he was the only one among the younger generation to have awakened a martial soul.

However, when they learned that Xiao Yun's martial soul was not a combat-type but a healing-type, the elders of the Xiao family lost all hope. In a world where martial arts were supreme, what use was a healing-type martial soul?

Even if this martial soul grew, the boy would at most become an excellent physician.

Thus, the boy's once glorious title of genius was completely stripped away, transforming him from a prodigy admired by all to a mediocrity and a waste in the eyes of the world. This transformation left Xiao Yun feeling depressed and disheartened.

However, this depression did not last long. Xiao Yun soon began to pull himself together, training even harder than before and ignoring the ridicule of others. He believed that as long as he worked hard, he would eventually shine.

Of course, this confidence was not baseless. Xiao Yun was not unable to cultivate; there was a special reason.

Threads of elemental energy were being absorbed into Xiao Yun's dantian at a speed far exceeding that of boys at the same level. Logically, he should have already made a breakthrough, reaching the Innate Realm or the True Martial Realm.

But...

After cultivating for half a day and absorbing the elemental energy into his dantian, a green branch with a faint glow appeared in Xiao Yun's mind, extending into his dantian and absorbing all the elemental energy he had painstakingly condensed, turning it into its own nourishment.

"Damn, don't absorb it all, leave me some elemental energy!" Seeing the green branch, Xiao Yun was speechless, fearing that he might be the only one in the entire Fengyue Kingdom to have awakened such a rogue martial soul.

The branch ignored Xiao Yun's complaints and, after absorbing all the elemental energy, emitted a buzzing sound in his dantian, making the already frustrated boy even more agitated.

"You're screwing me over!" Xiao Yun couldn't help but roar in his mind.

Seemingly sensing Xiao Yun's mood, the branch flashed with a green light and disappeared into his mind.

This green branch was clearly a part of Xiao Yun's martial soul.

"I wonder if my martial soul has improved." Xiao Yun's mind focused, and his consciousness sank into his sea of consciousness.

In Xiao Yun's sea of consciousness, everything was chaotic and misty, like the primordial chaos before the creation of the world.

In the low-rank cultivators, only those who had awakened a martial soul had such a sea of consciousness.

In this chaotic sea of consciousness, a plant about a foot tall was rooted in the center, emitting a faint green glow.

This was Xiao Yun's martial soul, resembling a green orchid branch.

At this moment, the green orchid branch was glowing, and the emerald leaves were slowly growing larger.

"The leaves seem to have grown a lot. It looks like you're about to advance!" Seeing the leaves of his martial soul grow, Xiao Yun finally breathed a sigh of relief. Each time his martial soul's leaves grew, it would enhance the healing effect and increase the speed at which he absorbed elemental energy.

"As long as my martial soul gets stronger, I can absorb more cold energy for my sister to alleviate her attacks." Thinking of this, a faint smile appeared on the boy's lips, and his furrowed brows relaxed.

Just as Xiao Yun's lips curved into a smile, a group of boys who had finished their cultivation passed by him.

"Hehe, Brother Cheng, look at this waste smiling." A thin boy suddenly stopped and mocked, "Do you think he's gone crazy, laughing while he hasn't advanced in eight years?"

"Maybe he has already broken through," a few boys nearby also shot mocking smiles at Xiao Yun.

The sudden ridicule made the boy, who had just been immersed in the advancement of his martial soul, frown slightly.

Xiao Yun opened his eyes, glanced indifferently at the five boys beside him, and then retracted his gaze.

He was already used to the ridicule of these boys.

"Xiao Yun, have you broken through?" One of the older boys, frowning, then smirked and said in a mocking tone, "If you have, you should tell Brother Cheng, so we can celebrate for you. I'm sure Grandfather would be very happy to hear it."

This boy was named Xiao Cheng, Xiao Yun's cousin.

"Right, Xiao Yun, if you have broken through, you should tell us!" The other boys also chimed in with mocking smiles, their light and dismissive expressions clearly showing they were mocking Xiao Yun.

"I haven't broken through yet, so there's no need for you to worry," Xiao Yun's gaze flickered, and he glanced at the boys with a calm expression, making it impossible to read his emotions, which only made Xiao Cheng and the others more angry.

This boy was clearly ignoring them!

"Goodbye." Xiao Yun ignored them, stood up, and left.

The ups and downs of the past few years had made Xiao Yun's character more mature than his peers.

Xiao Yun knew that even if he was unhappy with these people, without sufficient strength, it was futile.

Would you bite back if a dog bit you?

Of course not. Only with enough strength could he deliver a powerful counterattack.

So Xiao Yun was not in a hurry. He believed he would eventually rise again.

"Hmph, a waste dares to be so arrogant?" Seeing Xiao Yun turn and leave, the boys couldn't help but feel angry. They were now the geniuses and hopes of the family, and this Xiao Yun, a mere waste, dared to be so arrogant?

In their eyes, Xiao Yun's actions were clearly disrespectful to them.

"I think he must be deluding himself, still living in the world of a genius because he has no hope of breaking through."

"Genius?"

"He has wasted so many resources from the family over the years. If I had those resources, I could have reached the Innate Realm." The boys grumbled with resentment. "Fortunately, Grandfather is in seclusion, otherwise, our Xiao family would have been drained by him."

Although Xiao Yun had walked away, he could still faintly hear these voices.

"Do they all fear that I will drag down the family?" Xiao Yun stopped, turned to look at the group, his eyes twitching slightly, his emotions fluctuating. However, he quickly regained his composure, and as he looked up, his brows furrowed, seemingly remembering something.

"Today is the full moon, the yin energy is strong, and my sister's cold energy will attack again." Xiao Yun's brows furrowed, and the thought of his sister's suffering made his heart ache. He quickened his pace.