Chapter 1

In the town of Yuanshi, at the Zhou family residence.

Under the scorching sun, dozens of young men and women were practicing martial arts on a square, each sweating profusely and suffering greatly. A middle-aged man with his hands behind his back was moving through the crowd, occasionally snorting coldly and scolding the lazy youths.

On a large rock at the edge of the square, a young man with a sword-like brow and star-like eyes was sitting cross-legged. He was only about seventeen or eighteen years old, with a slender and very handsome figure.

It was already mid-September, the time when the "autumn tiger" was at its most intense. Under the blazing sun, the rock was so hot it could cook an egg. However, despite his furrowed brows, the handsome young man did not stand up. Sweat rolled down, wetting his temples.

His name was Zhou Heng, and he was practicing the Zhou family's secret technique, the Fiery Sun Technique.

Martial artists cultivate by refining the food they eat, extracting the energy that can be absorbed, and converting it into true essence energy, which is stored in the cells of their bodies. The Fiery Sun Technique can harness the power of sunlight to accelerate the absorption of food and improve the efficiency of conversion.

The stronger the sunlight, the higher the efficiency of conversion, but how many people can withstand the scorching sun? Most can only practice for ten to fifteen minutes, or half an hour, before seeking shade to cool off.

However, Zhou Heng had been practicing since sunrise, and it had already been three hours!

Not just for a day or two, but for several years!

Unfortunately, Zhou Heng's body was too weak. Despite such hard training, he was still at the initial stage of the first level of the Body Refinement stage, almost indistinguishable from someone who had never practiced.

Martial artists are divided into twelve levels based on their cultivation, known as the twelve levels of Body Refinement. After reaching the twelfth level of Body Refinement, one can attempt to advance to a higher level. It is said that once successful, one can ascend to the heavens! However, in over a hundred years, the Zhou family had never produced anyone who could step onto the path to the heavens.

The twelve levels of Body Refinement can be further divided into four realms: the first three levels are the Skin Refinement realm, the fourth to sixth levels are the Flesh Refinement realm, the seventh to ninth levels are the Bone Refinement realm, and the tenth to twelfth levels are the Blood Refinement realm.

The true essence energy cultivated by martial artists is stored in the cells of their bodies, a process that progresses gradually, starting with the skin, then the muscles, followed by the bones, and finally the blood.

This is why the four realms are divided as such.

The power difference between each realm is significant. A martial artist in the Flesh Refinement realm facing a martial artist in the Bone Refinement realm would be almost instantly defeated! Within the same realm, for example, a martial artist at the fourth level of Body Refinement versus one at the sixth level, the sixth level would have an advantage, but it would not be overwhelming.

The path of martial arts is difficult, and the higher one goes, the more challenging it becomes. After entering the Blood Refinement realm, it might take decades to advance a single level!

However, breaking through the Skin Refinement realm is relatively easy. Generally, with sufficient food and diligent practice, one can reach the peak of the first level of Body Refinement in half a year and complete the entire Skin Refinement realm in just three years.

Zhou Heng started practicing the Fiery Sun Technique at the age of eight and has been doing so for nearly ten years, yet his cultivation is still at the initial stage of the first level of Body Refinement. This is truly a baffling situation. The family has consulted countless physicians, but none have found any results, leading to the conclusion that Zhou Heng's innate talent is too poor, making him unsuitable for cultivation!

He is like a piece of worthless stone!

What is even more perplexing is that Zhou Heng's father, Zhou Dinghai, is a genius, a true genius. He completed the Skin Refinement in half a year, the Flesh Refinement in two years, and the Bone Refinement in five years. At the age of forty-one, he has already reached the tenth level of Body Refinement, the Blood Refinement realm!

Before this, the fastest Zhou family member to enter the Blood Refinement realm was sixty-three years old, highlighting how terrifying Zhou Dinghai's talent is!

Such a genius absolutely has the qualifications to challenge the path to the heavens!

A tiger father, a dog son!

This is the Zhou family's evaluation of Zhou Heng, and this is still being polite. Many people call him a waste behind his back, and if it weren't for Zhou Dinghai being one of the six elders of the family, the insults would be thrown in his face.

"Is that waste still unwilling to give up?"

"Hmph, what can he do by not giving up? So many physicians have examined him, and none have found any illness. His inability to cultivate is due to his poor innate talent!"

"Fortunately, we still have the family. Otherwise, if the demonic beasts attack, everyone would be doomed!"

"Clearly a waste, but he eats more than anyone, truly a glutton!"

"I think he's just pretending, sitting there for show, not really cultivating at all!"

The young men and women on the square stopped to rest for a moment, whispering to each other. Their voices were not low, and Zhou Heng could hear them clearly.

"Shut up!" The middle-aged man in charge immediately shouted. His name was Zhou Yuanyang, and by blood relation, he could be considered Zhou Heng's cousin. He scowled and said, "Pretending? You try it! Who can sit on that rock for an hour, and I'll exempt them from the rest of today's training!"

Upon hearing this, the young men and women were immediately speechless.

Are you kidding? That rock is so hot it can cook an egg. Who can sit on it for an hour? Not to mention an hour, even ten minutes would be tough! Only those practicing the Fiery Sun Technique can convert the heat— but not everyone in the Zhou family practices the Fiery Sun Technique!

Zhou Yuanyang walked to Zhou Heng's side, sighing inwardly. He saw the young man's efforts, but alas, heaven was blind, making him unable to cultivate from birth.

"Don't take it to heart!" He could only console Zhou Heng.

"Thank you, Uncle!" Zhou Heng smiled genuinely, his smile as bright as the sun.

"You shouldn't overwork yourself; take care of your body!" Zhou Yuanyang advised.

Sitting on that rock to cultivate, even he couldn't endure it for long, let alone Zhou Heng, who hadn't even reached the initial stage of the first level of Body Refinement.

"I understand!" Zhou Heng nodded but had no intention of standing up.

Zhou Yuanyang sighed again, feeling even more regretful. He thought, if this young man had the same talent as his father, combined with such effort, his future would be even brighter!

He turned to look at the young men and women resting under the trees, and a surge of anger rose in him. He shouted, "Rest is over, continue training!"

"Not really, we've only rested for less than five minutes!"

"Exactly, such a short time, we haven't even caught our breath!"

"All because of that waste, he's dragging us down!"

The young men and women returned to the square, all of them glaring at Zhou Heng with hostile eyes, blaming everything on him.

Zhou Heng saw these gazes but paid no attention to them, still focusing on the Fiery Sun Technique, using the power of sunlight to continuously refine the food in his body, converting it into true essence energy.

In his body, the food was continuously refined under the influence of sunlight and the technique, forming countless strands of free-floating energy, which were then converted into true essence energy by the Fiery Sun Technique, flowing through his body.

Everything was normal until the true essence energy reached his lower abdomen, where it suddenly turned and plunged into the dantian, never to emerge again!

True essence energy can only be released when needed if it is stored in the cells, which cover the entire body. But what is the dantian? Although there are rumors that the dantian is very important and related to the mysterious path to the heavens, Zhou Heng hasn't even laid a solid foundation yet, let alone think about the path to the heavens.

Only Zhou Heng himself knew the reason he couldn't cultivate: it was because of the dantian!

To be more specific, a broken sword in the dantian!

Zhou Heng had a secret that no one knew: when he started practicing at the age of eight, his consciousness could take form and move freely within his body, allowing him to see every detail of his body.

It was then that he saw a broken sword floating in his dantian.

Over a foot long, completely black, even the hilt was pitch black. Although it was a broken sword, it exuded a grand and overwhelming aura, as if it had existed since the beginning of time, traversing countless ages, eternal and unchanging!

If another child saw this, they would likely be terrified!

But Zhou Heng was a very independent person from a young age, and he kept this secret to himself.

He didn't want to be seen as a monster!

When the first physician examined him, Zhou Heng was anxious, but the physician did not detect the presence of the broken sword. Not just this physician, but all the physicians Zhou Dinghai invited did not find the black broken sword, as if it only existed in Zhou Heng's mind!

Since no one knew about the black broken sword, how could they remove it?

Over time, he did not become a monster but was recognized as a waste. However, no one knew that it wasn't that he couldn't cultivate, but that the true essence energy he painstakingly cultivated was being "eaten" by the black broken sword!

This bandit, hiding in his body, not only made a den but also drained his true essence energy completely!

But knowing that the black sword was a bandit, why did Zhou Heng continue to practice?

Because he still had a glimmer of hope: that there would be a time when the black broken sword would be satisfied!

Then, the true essence energy he cultivated could be used by himself!

His talent was not poor, which could be seen from his appetite. For martial artists, food is equivalent to true essence energy. He ate more food every day than any of his peers, meaning he cultivated more true essence energy every day than anyone else!

Because of this glimmer of hope, he faced the disdainful gazes and contemptuous faces with composure. He believed that as long as the black broken sword no longer held him back, he would surely stand out!

This day was getting closer and closer!

He could feel that the black broken sword was continuously changing, but the process was extremely slow. However, even water can wear through stone. After ten years, it was finally time for a qualitative change!

It would be in the next few days!

This hope sustained him through the scorching sun, the intense heat that could burn his buttocks, the monotonous meditation, and the endless cultivation, all to feed the enormous appetite of the black broken sword in his dantian.

Except for eating, Zhou Heng spent all his time sitting on the rock to cultivate. If it weren't for the Fiery Sun Technique, which could convert the heat, he would have been baked to a crisp long ago!

After a few more hours, the sun set, and Zhou Heng wobbled to his feet, heading towards his residence.

"Want to leave? Crawl past me!" A young man suddenly blocked Zhou Heng's path, arms crossed, a proud smile on his face, with four other young men watching from the side.