Chapter 1: Hai Tian

"Brother Tian! Brother Tian! Are you up yet? Uncle is calling us to gather quickly!" A young, noisy voice came from outside the door, preventing the youth inside the room from continuing his sleep.

Opening his eyes to gaze at the not-so-high ceiling, the youth slowly sat up. His face did not show the innocent smile of a young boy but rather a hint of bitterness.

"Xiao Yu, I know, wait a moment." The youth responded indifferently.

The youth outside the door replied with an "Oh" and then fell silent, waiting quietly for the youth inside to come out.

The youth inside the room looked up at the sunlight streaming through the window, closed his eyes, and after a moment, opened them again, sighing softly, "Still no, must it really disappear completely?"

Sighing, the youth quickly got dressed and walked out the door.

Standing at the door was a slightly younger youth who, upon seeing the youth from inside the room, immediately complained, "Brother Tian, you really are something. Today is the day we choose our cultivation techniques, how can you be so nonchalant?"

"Cultivation techniques?" A look of worry flashed across the face of the youth from inside the room. "Xiao Yu, let's go." He then stepped out.

The younger youth behind him stared with wide eyes, muttering to himself, "Strange, why isn't Brother Tian excited at all? Today is the important day when we can choose our cultivation techniques."

Shaking his head, the younger youth immediately followed, "Brother Tian! Wait for me!"

The youth called Brother Tian by the younger youth was named Hai Tian, the second son of the head of the Hai family, one of the three major families in Blackstone City. What no one knew was that Hai Tian had another identity.

He was once the Invincible Sword God who roamed the Soul Sword Continent!

However, due to some special reasons, he fell from the continent and unexpectedly entered the body of this youth.

The younger youth was named Hai Yu, the son of Hai Tian's third uncle and his cousin. In this complex and large family, he was the one who got along best with Hai Tian.

Today was the day when the Hai family's young disciples, who had just turned ten, would enter the Treasure Sea Pavilion to choose their cultivation techniques. Although the Hai family was not among the top families on the entire Soul Sword Continent, they still had considerable power in Blackstone City.

Their collection was also very rich, and the Treasure Sea Pavilion was where they stored their cultivation techniques.

Soon, Hai Tian and Xiao Yu arrived at the hall.

At this moment, there were already seven or eight youths standing in the hall, all about the same age as Hai Tian and Xiao Yu. However, Hai Tian knew that these youths were his distant relatives, belonging to the collateral branches of the Hai family.

Seeing Hai Tian and Xiao Yu arrive, the head of the Hai family, Hai Wuya, who was sitting at the head of the table, his eyes lit up, and he laughed loudly, "Good, Tian and Xiao Yu have arrived, now all ten of you are here."

Pausing for a moment, Hai Wuya continued, "I'm sure you all know that today is the day you choose your cultivation techniques. However, there are a few things I need to clarify in advance. First, when you enter the Treasure Sea Pavilion, you are only allowed to enter the first floor, and you must not approach the second floor. If anyone violates this, they will be immediately expelled and their chosen technique confiscated."

Upon hearing this, the collateral branch youths all shrank back in fear. Their parents were not part of the core of the Hai family but mainly handled business outside.

To enter the core of the Hai family, one must show a certain level of strength and potential. Therefore, these collateral branch youths were all very serious, and none dared to violate Hai Wuya's words.

Satisfied, Hai Wuya glanced around the hall, pausing for a moment on Hai Tian and Xiao Yu. He knew the collateral branch youths would never dare to, but he was afraid that Hai Tian and Xiao Yu might be mischievous and try to force their way in, so he gave them a heads-up.

"Secondly, each of you can only choose one cultivation technique. After choosing, you cannot take it away; you can only copy it on the spot and take the copy back. Lastly, I want to mention that your elder brother, Hai Yun, has cultivated to the Sixth Rank of Sword Power in just three years. I believe he will become a formal swordsman within two years. You should all learn from him."

Before Hai Wuya finished speaking, everyone in the hall, including Xiao Yu, turned their gaze to a young man in white sitting to the right of Hai Wuya.

He was Hai Tian's elder brother, Hai Yun. In just three years of cultivation, he had reached the Sixth Rank of Sword Power, the fastest among the young generation of the Hai family.

Feeling the envious and jealous gazes of everyone, Hai Yun raised his eyebrows in satisfaction, enjoying the feeling.

However, when he looked up, he noticed that only one person in the hall was not looking at him, but was instead looking down. This made him very unhappy, and he said, "Second Brother, what are you thinking about? Why aren't you listening to Father?"

The one who had been looking down, not giving Hai Yun an envious or jealous look, was Hai Tian.

Hearing Hai Yun's question, everyone in the hall turned their gaze back to Hai Tian, but he seemed not to have heard and continued to look down without a word.

This made Hai Yun lose his composure and raised his voice, "Second Brother! Didn't you hear me?"

Seeing that Hai Tian was still looking down, Xiao Yu quietly pulled on Hai Tian's sleeve, which finally brought him back to his senses.

"Xiao Yu, why are you pulling me?" Hai Tian asked in confusion.

Hearing this, Hai Yun's face darkened even more. It seemed that all his previous words had gone unheard by Hai Tian. How could he, as the elder brother, maintain his dignity?

Before he could speak, Hai Wuya asked, "Tian, you look unwell. Are you sick? Do you need to rest?"

"No, Father, I'm fine." Hai Tian smiled faintly, indicating that he was not seriously ill.

Even so, Hai Wuya still shook his head in concern, "Why don't you rest today and choose your cultivation technique tomorrow?"

"That wouldn't be good. I'll go with everyone." Hai Tian did not want to be treated specially and refused.

However, these words stung Hai Yun's ears, making him feel that Hai Wuya was clearly more concerned about Hai Tian than him. His gaze towards Hai Tian gradually turned to one of hatred.

"Since everyone is ready, let's go to the Treasure Sea Pavilion." With that, Hai Wuya stood up and walked out of the hall.

Xiao Yu and the collateral branch youths followed excitedly.

Only Hai Tian stood there, looking down, seemingly indifferent.

Xiao Yu noticed Hai Tian's abnormal behavior and hurriedly walked back, pulling on Hai Tian's arm, "Brother Tian, why are you still standing here? Hurry up, or you won't get a good cultivation technique!"

Hai Tian did not resist but allowed Xiao Yu to pull him along with the group.

Soon, they arrived at a large building in the back courtyard of the Hai family. The building was about three stories high, and above the main entrance hung a sign that read "Treasure Sea Pavilion."

"This is where we store our treasures." Hai Wuya pointed to the Treasure Sea Pavilion and explained to everyone. This place was a forbidden area of the Hai family, and no one was allowed to enter under normal circumstances.

Even Hai Tian and Xiao Yu, who lived in the main residence of the Hai family, had never been here before, let alone the collateral branch youths.

Everyone curiously examined the building, their eyes shining, knowing that the cultivation techniques they would choose were on the first floor.

Seeing their eager expressions, Hai Wuya did not waste any more words and walked directly to the door.

Placing his right hand on the door, a red light suddenly illuminated the entire door, causing the young disciples to exclaim in surprise. Hai Tian also raised his head, looking at the red light with a hint of surprise on his calm face, muttering to himself, "This is a restriction! How can a small family like the Hai family have such a restriction?"

The red light on the door of the Treasure Sea Pavilion gradually disappeared, and Hai Wuya quickly withdrew his right hand and turned to the crowd, "The red light you just saw is a technique set up by our ancestors. If you try to enter without the correct method, you will be seriously injured or even die. Remember this."

Upon hearing this, everyone was frightened, breaking out in cold sweat. Especially Xiao Yu, who had originally planned to come here to play, now did not want to risk his life.

"Brother Tian, that technique is terrifying, with such power. No wonder Uncle doesn't let us come here, and there are no guards. It's a great anti-theft method," Xiao Yu looked at the door with lingering fear.

"Brother Tian, Brother Tian, what's wrong?" Xiao Yu called out again when Hai Tian did not respond.

At this moment, Hai Tian came back to his senses, shook his head, and smiled, "Xiao Yu, I'm fine. The door is open, let's go in."

Xiao Yu turned to see that Hai Wuya had already pushed open the door, and the collateral branch youths were queuing up to enter. He immediately pulled Hai Tian over, afraid of being left behind.

However, as they passed through the door, Hai Tian's gaze was fixed on it, his mind deep in thought. Even the super-rich families on the entire Soul Sword Continent might not have such a restriction, but the Hai family did!

"It seems the Hai family is not just a small family after all." Hai Tian's calm face suddenly broke into a smile, and he walked in with large strides.

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