Chapter 1

Jiangning City!

Before dawn, the branches and leaves were covered in frost.

Lu Guan woke up on time, washed up briefly, and went out.

He came to the courtyard and glanced at his father's room. The coughing that lasted until the early hours of the morning still echoed in his ears.

A look of guilt appeared on his face. He took a deep breath and strode into the training ground.

"Ha!"

Lu Guan lifted the stone block and began his daily physical training.

The stone block, used for years, had a patina on its handle, and its edges were worn down.

It weighed over a hundred pounds, but in Lu Guan's hands, it moved with a certain agility.

Soon, steam rose from his head, and his thin shirt was soaked with sweat, revealing a well-defined, muscular body.

Two hours later, Lu Guan put down the stone block and panted heavily.

His arms and legs trembled, and his sore muscles quivered like worms.

But there was still silence in his chest and abdomen.

Lu Guan straightened his body with effort. The pale, reddish light of the early sun fell on him, adding a touch of loneliness and unwillingness to his figure.

People start their cultivation by training their bodies. By the age of sixteen, when their bodies are fully grown and their qi and blood are abundant, they can attempt to form a Heavenly Bone.

If successful, they can enter the path of cultivation!

In this world, there are seven realms of martial arts.

Ten Strengths, Hundred Men, Thousand Mountains, Ten Thousand Weights, Soaring to the Heavens, Reaching the Clouds, and Stepping on the Sky.

After that, there are ten stages of the Immortal Path.

Qi Refinement, Foundation Establishment, Golden Core, Nascent Soul, Divine Soul, Reunion of Origin, Boundless Great Tribulation, Heaven-Bearing Thought, Eternal Immortality, and Feathered Ascension to Immortality.

Lu Guan started training his body at the age of six and has been doing it for twelve years without interruption.

He failed to form a Heavenly Bone at the age of sixteen.

He failed again at seventeen.

Half a month ago, he tried for the third time, but it was in vain!

After the age of eighteen, the innate qi in the body gradually dissipates, making it impossible to form a Heavenly Bone, condemning one to a life of ordinariness.

Although only one in a hundred can enter the path of cultivation, he is the only son of the third elder of the Luo family. Although his father was injured and could no longer cultivate, he was once a Thousand Mountains realm expert.

Since childhood, he has been supplemented with various medicinal herbs, and his physical training has been guided by his father. The "Bone Formation Opportunity," which others could not obtain even by exhausting their family's wealth, he has had three times.

But he still failed…

A bitter smile appeared on the young man's resolute lips.

Talent can sometimes be truly despairing!

He once firmly believed that man could overcome fate, but the result taught him how to accept reality.

The old servant, looking at Lu Guan in the training ground, felt a pang of sympathy and bowed, saying, "Young Master, your father has called you for breakfast."

Lu Guan took a deep breath, "Alright."

After he left, a nearby servant muttered, "Why does the young master still get up early when he's like this…"

The old servant scolded, "The young master's affairs are not for you to comment on!"

The servant shrank back, "The young master has failed three times in Bone Formation, costing the family a fortune. Many people are talking behind his back. I just don't want the young master to be mocked again."

The old servant sighed, "What others say is their business, but we have seen the young master's efforts! When he was a little boy, he was pulled out by the old master before dawn to stand in the cold wind."

"I still remember how the young master cried in pain as a child, calling for his mother in his dreams… The lady loved him the most. If she knew how much he has suffered and the result, she would be heartbroken. This damned heaven is truly blind. Why can't my young master cultivate…"

The servant widened his eyes, "Uncle Ku, the old master ordered the family not to mention the lady. Have you forgotten?"

"Scram, I didn't say anything!"

Uncle Ku walked away, waving his sleeves.

After changing his clothes, Lu Guan entered the dining room, his expression calm.

"Father."

Luo Zhenyang nodded, "Eat, and then come with me to the ancestral hall."

"Yes."

They ate breakfast in silence. Luo Zhenyang walked ahead, coughing occasionally in the cold wind, his back bent. Lu Guan, following behind, looked at his father's thin back, thinking of how he had repeatedly disappointed his father, and clenched his fists tightly.

They arrived at the ancestral hall, where many people were gathered.

Lu Guan was surprised. There had been no major events in the clan recently, so why were they all here?

"Wait outside."

Luo Zhenyang straightened his back and stepped into the ancestral hall.

The door creaked shut slowly.

Lu Guan was about to ask when his cousin, Luo Yong, walked up with a cold face.

"Three days ago, my elder brother was injured during a transport mission and is now crippled for life."

"I am very sad, but I am also proud. My elder brother fought alone against three bandits, preserving the reputation of the Luo Family Escort Agency!"

"But do you know, last year he was just a step away from forming his bone. If he had a third chance…"

Luo Yong's eyes reddened, "You have a good father. The third elder paid double the price to give you three Bone Formation opportunities."

"But, Lu Guan, you must understand that what you have wasted is someone else's chance to change their fate!"

Lu Guan could not argue.

Cold words continued to come from all sides.

"Is the clan leader convening the elders and venerables today still about Lu Guan?"

"Three failures in Bone Formation, the Luo family has done enough. What more does the third branch want? If they keep causing trouble, my family will not agree!"

"The clan leader and the third elder are siblings, so some favoritism is understandable, but everything has its limits! Lu Guan is the mainline of the Luo family, but we can't all be illegitimate just for him to have a chance!"

The crowd's eyes were cold.

Among the envy and pity, there was mostly disdain.

The third elder was once a great hero, and even after his injury, he remained a towering figure. But for his only son, he had used up so many favors and depleted the third branch's wealth.

His son is truly unworthy!

In the ancestral hall,

Luo Zhenyang, with his graying hair and aged face, sat down and met everyone's gaze calmly.

The clan leader, Luo Zhen Shan, said solemnly, "Today's clan meeting was proposed by the third elder. Everyone knows the reason, so let's discuss it."

Silence.

In this world, becoming a cultivator is the only way to be a person above others!

They all knew the third elder's favoritism towards Lu Guan. Although there were some minor conflicts among the branches, today, concerning Lu Guan's future, no one wanted to speak first.

The hot-tempered fifth elder could not hold back and shouted, "What is there to discuss? Third brother, I'm not afraid to offend you, but your son Lu Guan is not cut out for cultivation. Don't waste your efforts! My fifth branch has two children of Bone Formation age this year, and other branches and venerables have people who need to form bones. You must give other juniors a chance to rise!"

With someone leading the charge, others began to chime in.

"Lu Guan has failed three times in Bone Formation. There is no need to try again."

"I also disagree with this."

"The Luo family has some wealth, but with so many clan members, everything must be fair."

Luo Zhen Shan's sharp gaze silenced the crowd, "Third elder, you have heard everyone's opinions. Do you have anything to say?"

Luo Zhenyang said calmly, "The Heavenly Fire Abyss is opening, and I believe everyone has heard the news. This is my son Lu Guan's last chance."

"But this time, I only need the clan to add Lu Guan to the list. All other expenses will be borne by the third branch."

The fifth elder's expression eased. Just a spot in the Heavenly Fire Abyss was negotiable, but he soon frowned, "Third brother, let's be frank. The third branch has sold most of its private assets to give Lu Guan Bone Formation opportunities. Where will you get the money to send him in?"

Luo Zhenyang looked around and said calmly, "I have my ways."

The clan leader's eyes narrowed, "Are you going to sell your Heavenly Bone?"

Luo Zhenyang nodded, "Yes."

A chorus of gasps!

A Heavenly Bone is a crucial material for the Bone Formation ceremony and can be used for alchemy and artifact creation, making it extremely valuable. However, extracting a Heavenly Bone is excruciating and has severe consequences!

The side door of the ancestral hall opened, and the old servant with a limp, who had been guarding it for years, walked up to Lu Guan and gave him a meaningful look.

"Master Lu Guan, please be quiet and follow the old servant to the side hall."

Confused, Lu Guan followed him to the depths of the side hall. Although he could not see anything, he could hear clearly.

It was the fifth elder's loud voice.

"Third brother, are you crazy!" He seemed very angry, "Do you know what you're saying? A Heavenly Bone is the foundation of cultivation. Once extracted, all cultivation is lost, and you lose ten years of life!"

Selling a Heavenly Bone?!

Lu Guan's eyes widened. What is Father going to do? No, I must stop him!

The old servant raised his hand, and Lu Guan was suddenly immobilized, unable to move or make a sound.

Father's calm voice echoed.

"For my son, even death is worth it. What's more, just losing ten years of life."

A single sentence made Lu Guan's tears flow like rain, and countless memories flashed through his mind.

In the deep autumn of his sixth year, he had a high fever, gritted his teeth, and stood in the rain, tears mixing with the raindrops.

Father was by his side.

On a snowy day at nine, the water froze, and his hands and feet were covered in frostbite, losing all sensation.

Father was by his side.

At twelve, after breaking his arm in an accident and still having to continue standing, he refused to get up.

Father hit him for the first time.

Then, he continued to stand by his side.

It turned out that all these years, despite his struggles, Father had always been there!

In the ancestral hall, Luo Zhenyang stood up, "I am already in my twilight years, barely clinging to life. How can I watch my son's twelve years of effort since the age of six go to waste? The only thing I can do now is to fight for one last chance for him, so I can be a worthy father!"

He knelt on the ground, his face calm, "Brother, please grant me this wish."

Luo Zhen Shan's eyes were red, "I agree!"

In the side hall, the old servant had left, and Lu Guan lay on the ground, staring blankly at the ceiling.

Luo Zhen Shan walked up to him, "I had the old servant bring you here." He squatted down and pulled Lu Guan to his face, "He is your father, but he is also my brother. I respect his choice, but you must remember, this is an opportunity your father is risking his life to give you."

"Lu Guan, don't let him down again!"