Chapter 4

－－－－－－－－－－－－－－－－

Ye Bai was born in Jiangzhou City of the Song Kingdom, into a wealthy family. As the eldest son, he was particularly favored, and in his youth, he developed a dissolute lifestyle, often calling on friends and engaging in various leisure activities, making him a well-known young rogue in Jiangzhou.

Ye Bai's father grew up poor and remained a bachelor well into his thirties. Later, he met a benefactor and got involved in the illegal salt trade, gradually building his fortune. He eventually married the benefactor's daughter, and their wealth continued to grow. His ambitions grew as well, and he took on more concubines, resulting in Ye Bai having two younger brothers and five younger sisters.

With the family growing, conflicts inevitably arose. Ye Bai's mother, who had always been frail, was constantly preoccupied with these trivial matters. She eventually fell ill and passed away in the spring of Ye Bai's fifteenth year.

From that day on, Ye Bai suddenly felt the fragility and unpredictability of life. The sun and moon rise and set, the seasons come and go, but once a life is gone, it never returns. He began to wonder about the meaning of life.

Ye Bai then focused on his studies, hoping to find an answer in books. Unfortunately, the Song Kingdom was not known for its literary achievements. After half a year of study, he did not find the answer he sought but became interested in the recorded teachings of immortals.

He began to frequent various rural temples, seeking the path to immortality. However, in the secular world, there were no true cultivators. After half a year of wandering, he not only failed to cultivate but also lost a significant amount of money to scams.

The Ye family's misfortune did not end there. The illegal salt trade was a dangerous business, and Ye Bai's father was betrayed by his competitors and offended officials. He was arrested by the authorities, his assets were seized, and he was executed. His family was exiled to the frontier, where they suffered and were displaced.

The sudden change in fortune made Ye Bai's former friends avoid him like the plague, turning him from an outgoing youth into a gloomy and silent young man, displaying a maturity beyond his years.

During the exile, he witnessed the sorrow of death and the helplessness of parting. His stepmothers and younger siblings, unable to endure the hardships, died one after another on the journey. To survive, Ye Bai had to fight other prisoners for the meager food and clothing, hardening his once carefree heart into one of toughness, cruelty, and indifference.

The world showed its ugly and cruel face to this young man, and Ye Bai had to face it with an even uglier and crueler heart.

In such circumstances, the flame of his desire for the Dao burned fiercely.

Ye Bai was exiled to Sanhe Town, a remote town in the northern part of the Song Kingdom, which lay along the Lianyun Mountains. The convoy only traveled along the outskirts of the mountains, but the terrain was already treacherous enough.

On a stormy night, Ye Bai used an iron spike from a candle stand to kill the drunk old guard and fled into the vast Lianyun Mountains, beginning his first mad dash.

In the Lianyun Mountains, there were no clear paths. Ye Bai wandered aimlessly, drinking from mountain springs when thirsty and eating wild fruits when hungry. It was fortunate that he was not taken by wild beasts. Most incredibly, he unknowingly ended up on the path to the Lianyun Dao Sect's mountain gate, seeking immortality.

It seemed that fate had a hand in it.

The mountain gate of the Lianyun Dao Sect was not easily accessible. Ye Bai tried again and again but was always sent back to the end of the path. He realized he must have encountered the immortal array mentioned in the books. However, with the opportunity for enlightenment right before him, he was unwilling to give up.

Ye Bai used the most straightforward method, kneeling on the stone slab at the beginning of the path. He believed that someone on the other side of the mountain gate must be watching him.

He knelt for nine days and ten nights, an unimaginable feat for a young man, but he endured it with an iron will until he lost consciousness.

When he awoke, he found himself on Old Tree Peak, having become a disciple of Bu Yuan, one of the Lianyun Seven, known as "Swordmaster." The strangeness of his fate was beyond comprehension.

Thinking about this, a self-deprecating smile crossed Ye Bai's face. He muttered to himself, "This is my way of existence. I must be ruthless to myself and to the world, because I want to live, and live well."

Life on Old Tree Peak was not always joyful. After being assessed as having poor aptitude and a low sensitivity to the elemental energies, with a bleak future in cultivation, Ye Bai fell into a slump. Fortunately, his fellow disciples were relatively friendly, except for the spoiled one, and they encouraged him, helping him gradually emerge from the shadows. After all, being able to enter the immortal sect was already a stroke of good fortune, and being greedy would invite punishment.

With a positive mindset, along with his teacher's careful guidance and his own diligence, Ye Bai finally made steady progress in his cultivation. In three years, he advanced to the fifth level of the Qi Condensation stage, mastering the sect's unique Thunder Essence Technique.

Compared to the prodigies in the sect, his progress was slow, but it was still passable. As Bu Yuan put it, "I can finally go down the mountain without being laughed at!"

Ye Bai's efforts were not in vain. His cultivation at the fifth level of Qi Condensation allowed him to join the last group of disciples heading to the trial grounds. This trial, held every ten years, was highly anticipated by the lower-ranking disciples of the Lianyun Dao Sect. Everyone knew that in this isolated space, there were countless treasures. Obtaining even one or two could greatly benefit future cultivation, and even if they were not used, they could be submitted to the sect for a substantial reward. At the very least, the abundant elemental energies in this space would greatly enhance cultivation.

If not for the countless demonic beasts in this strange space, the sect's leaders would have sent all the disciples in for training. However, based on the experiences of previous generations, at least the fifth level of Qi Condensation was required to survive and seek opportunities.

After much deliberation, Ye Bai finally decided to join the trial. Since entering the Lianyun Dao Sect, he had seen countless prodigies and was no longer content to be a mere underling. His desire for strength had become almost fanatical, and such an opportunity could not be missed.

When the gate to the Thunderfall Abyss opened and the disciples entered, Ye Bai realized his mistake. The dazzling spiritual stones and herbs were quickly divided among the prodigies with magical artifacts. Disciples like Ye Bai were merely cannon fodder to attract the attention of the demonic beasts. Ye Bai witnessed several outer sect disciples being forced to explore unknown areas, only to be devoured by the beasts. If not for his status as a direct disciple of "Swordmaster" Bu Yuan and the protection of his senior disciples, he would have met the same fate.

Every day, Ye Bai's anger grew. Apart from a few low-grade herbs given to him by his senior disciples, he gained nothing. It was not until the incident in the Great Marsh that his fate began to change.

Recalling the past, Ye Bai was almost certain that the great upheaval was caused by the Thunder Essence Qi cultivated by his six fellow disciples. Perhaps among the white bones around him were the remains of the predecessors from Old Tree Peak, but no one had ever reported this. The reason for the great upheaval remained a mystery.

Now, Ye Bai had only one thought: to survive and find a way out.

If you enjoyed this, please add it to your collection and support a new author and a new book!

Flip to the next page for ads

Flip to the next page for ads