Chapter 2

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The young man blocking the way is named Zhou Kan, the same age as Zhou Heng, also seventeen years old. However, his cultivation is much higher than Zhou Heng's, already reaching the sixth layer of Body Tempering, just one step away from entering the Bone Tempering Realm!

Zhou Kan's father is named Zhou Jianming, who also has quite good potential. Unfortunately, there was also a genius like Zhou Dinghai in his generation! Under the halo of Zhou Dinghai, Zhou Jianming naturally paled in comparison, always being a tragic figure used as a foil.

Because of this, Zhou Jianming hated Zhou Dinghai to the bone, but no matter how hard he tried, he could never catch up to Zhou Dinghai's pace—even though Zhou Dinghai spent most of his time searching for spiritual medicines for Zhou Heng.

What comforted him was that his son inherited his talent, reaching the sixth layer of Body Tempering at an early age, a level that Zhou Heng could only look up to.

Under Zhou Jianming's secret instructions, Zhou Kan has always been at odds with Zhou Heng. Situations like this have happened countless times.

"Big waste, what, are your ears deaf?" Zhou Kan said with a laugh, previously because of his father's orders, now it has become a habit, as if he would feel uncomfortable all over if he didn't bully Zhou Heng every day.

Zhou Heng looked at the other party coldly. The reason this guy dared to be so arrogant was that his grandfather was also an elder of the clan!

According to the Zhou family's clan rules, as long as one's cultivation reaches the Blood Tempering Realm, they can become an elder, regardless of age or seniority. Once an elder, they enter the power center of the Zhou family, wielding far more power than the symbolic head of the family!

Zhou Kan's grandfather, Zhou Xianming, is a twelfth-layer Body Tempering existence, the first and most powerful elder of the Zhou family, with high status and great power! Plus, Zhou Dinghai is often away, searching for "treatment" spiritual medicines for Zhou Heng, which is why Zhou Jianming dared to instruct his son to bully Zhou Heng.

"Get out of the way!" Zhou Heng said coolly, intending to go around.

—The other party could only show off verbally, but wouldn't dare to really make a move, after all, Zhou Heng isn't an orphan without a father!

"Big waste, your good days are coming to an end!" Zhou Kan moved his feet and blocked Zhou Heng again, "In just over three months, it will be the year-end celebration. According to clan rules, anyone who is eighteen and hasn't entered the Flesh Tempering Realm will be removed from the clan register, forbidden to continue cultivation, and must engage in business to earn profits for the clan!"

"From now on, when you see me, remember to call me 'Sir'!"

"And this crotch, you have to crawl through it, whether you like it or not! Ha ha, ha ha ha!"

Zhou Kan laughed, full of satisfaction.

Zhou Heng frowned, indeed, the clan had such a rule.

Although the Zhou family is the only martial family in the Original Stone Town, ruling over more than two thousand people, their income is high, but so are their expenses, especially for supplying martial artists with resources for cultivation!

Martial artists extract energy from food, converting it into true essence. Therefore, martial artists have a huge appetite, eating five to six, even eight to nine meals a day is not uncommon, and each meal can be as much as a whole day's food for an ordinary family of three!

This is enough to bankrupt a well-off family!

There are nearly four hundred people in the Zhou family, and if everyone were to cultivate, even with the Zhou family's resources, it would be unsustainable. Therefore, the clan has this rule, making those with poor talent and unsuitable for martial arts turn to business, supporting the clan's martial artists in return.

This sacrifice is necessary!

Without powerful martial strength, how could the Zhou family protect their family business? Equal distribution would only lead to the decline of the Zhou family!

Although doing business is also a contribution to the clan, this world values martial strength, and once one becomes a merchant, they lose the right to be in the clan register, only slightly better than a servant.

Zhou Heng is currently at the first layer of Body Tempering, and still in the early stage. To break through to the Flesh Tempering Realm in just over three months? This is simply a delusion!

No wonder Zhou Kan was so smug. If Zhou Heng were to become a merchant, what face would Zhou Dinghai have?

Looking at the other party's despicable face, Zhou Heng couldn't help but clench his fists tightly, wishing he could punch him!

However, he held back.

The gap between the two was too great, he couldn't even hit the other party, but it would give Zhou Kan a reason to attack. In the end, he would be the one to suffer—after all, the other party's powerful grandfather isn't just for show.

Endure!

One day, he would return this humiliation with interest!

Zhou Heng went around Zhou Kan again, and this time the other party didn't block him, only giving a series of cold laughs.

Back at his residence, Zhou Heng sat down, slamming his fist on the table, his face full of anger.

After all, he is just a seventeen-year-old boy, at the most passionate and impulsive age, yet he has to endure the cold ridicule of others day after day. How could he not have a bit of anger?

"Black Sword, Black Sword, you have harmed me for so many years. I don't expect any compensation from you, I only ask that you be satisfied soon and stop tormenting me!" Zhou Heng thought, this was the obstacle on his path to cultivation, and he couldn't move forward without overcoming it.

"Continue cultivating!"

"Although the effectiveness of the Fiery Sun Technique is not as good at night as during the day, I cannot waste a single second!"

Zhou Heng went to the courtyard, sat cross-legged, and began to cultivate the Fiery Sun Technique, refining the dinner he had just eaten. When he was too exhausted to continue, he crawled into the house to sleep.

He didn't have servants, his father was always out, searching for "treatment" spiritual medicines for him, and his mother had passed away long ago. He had long been accustomed to living alone.

After a night, Zhou Heng began his plain and monotonous day, enduring the scorching sun, using the hard-earned true essence to satisfy the seemingly bottomless appetite of the black broken sword.

On the fourth morning, Zhou Heng did not go to the square.

Although sitting on that large rock absorbed the most heat, which was most beneficial for cultivating the Fiery Sun Technique, Zhou Heng had a feeling that the black broken sword was about to change!

He didn't know what strange scene might occur, perhaps the broken sword would float out of his body and fly away, or burst into blinding light. In any case, he didn't want to take such a risk.

Cultivating in his own courtyard, although the effect was slightly worse, it wasn't much different from today.

Zhou Heng suppressed his excitement, sat cross-legged on the ground, and began to cultivate under the scorching sun.

Half an hour, one hour... Time passed bit by bit, and soon four hours had passed.

Buzz!

The black broken sword in Zhou Heng's dantian began to tremble slightly, forming ripples that spread through his dantian. The trembling grew stronger, eventually becoming like a mountain collapse and a sea surge, surging and overwhelming.

Every muscle in Zhou Heng's body began to tremble, as if trying to tear him apart, causing him unbearable pain!

"Damn it! I've endured and tolerated you for so many years, and you still don't know your place, actually wanting to torment me again!" Zhou Heng thought fiercely, the ten years of hardship and resentment he had never complained to anyone, but this damned black sword was still tormenting him, making him furious!

"Suppress it!"

Zhou Heng didn't know what to do, but with a belly full of resentment, he used his will to suppress the black sword.

The trembling of the black sword weakened slightly, not very noticeable, but it did weaken!

Zhou Heng had a proud spirit, but unfortunately, he could never cultivate like a normal person, which made him endure. Some people might lose all their sharpness in such silence, but Zhou Heng became even more aloof, waiting for the day he would rise to the heavens and burst forth with a brilliant light!

Now it was a battle of will, unrelated to strength, and it finally brought out his full pride!

"This is my body, and you must listen to me while you're inside it!"

Zhou Heng roared in his mind, his will becoming increasingly strong and resilient, suppressing the black sword fiercely.

Buzz! Buzz! Buzz!

The black broken sword, unwilling to be suppressed by Zhou Heng, began to tremble violently again, sending out waves that shook Zhou Heng's entire body as if it were about to burst!

Zhou Heng snorted in his mind, retaliating without showing any weakness, determined to suppress the black broken sword.

The two were locked in a prolonged battle, a tug-of-war. The black broken sword was insensate, but Zhou Heng was made of flesh and blood, sweating profusely, his clothes quickly drenched, every muscle groaning in pain.

But for a boy who had harbored resentment for ten years, this black broken sword was the root of all evil, and he would never admit defeat in front of it!

He had endured for ten years, today, he would not endure anymore!

After ten years of cultivating the Fiery Sun Technique, Zhou Heng's will had been greatly tempered, giving him the ability to engage in such a struggle. Otherwise, he would have fainted in less than a minute.

Ten minutes, thirty minutes, one hour!

Zhou Heng's body trembled on the verge of collapse. At this moment, if anyone pushed him, he would definitely fall and faint. But a string of determination remained unbroken, and he struggled to hold on, his will tempered like steel.

It was all about a breath of pride!

Although the black broken sword was just a dead object, Zhou Heng couldn't swallow his pride, he could lose to anyone, but not to this thing that had harmed him for ten years!

Two hours, three hours!

Zhou Heng had long reached his limit, unable to feel the pain in his body. It wasn't that the pain had disappeared, but that he had become numb, and even if his hands and legs were broken, he wouldn't feel anything.

But his will became even stronger, firmly suppressing the black broken sword, without any compromise or retreat!

The trembling of the black broken sword became weaker and weaker, and finally, it completely stopped trembling.

At the moment it stopped, a dark, ink-like shadow burst from the sword, more brilliant than the stars, more dazzling than the sun!

Boom!

Nine images immediately appeared in Zhou Heng's mind, deeply etched into his memory. Each image was constantly changing, showing a sword in various movements, extremely profound and mysterious!

This is... the Nine Sword Techniques!

This mysterious black broken sword actually taught him the Nine Sword Techniques!

Zhou Heng couldn't help but stare in disbelief, finding it incomprehensible to the extreme! But if this broken sword could reside in his dantian for ten years—perhaps even longer, just that he hadn't noticed—such a strange and bizarre thing had already happened, so teaching him the Nine Sword Techniques wasn't so strange after all.

Just a moment later, all the images shattered, turning into countless black light points, dispersing in his mind, fusing into his blood and bones.

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