Chapter 1

Donglin City, located in the westernmost part of Lánqū County.

“Donglin City, the Jǐng family, the Jǐng family's prestige shakes all directions!”

“The Jǐng family is strong, the Jǐng family is prosperous, the Jǐng family's genius is renowned far and wide!”

A year ago, these two phrases were known even to three-year-old children throughout Donglin City.

The origin of these two phrases was due to the emergence of a martial arts genius from the Jǐng family, Jǐng Yán.

Jǐng Yán entered the martial arts at the age of five, became a martial artist of the Third Heaven realm at six, a martial artist of the Sixth Heaven realm at eight, a martial artist of the Ninth Heaven realm at twelve, and broke through to the Ninth Heaven realm at fourteen, becoming a Xiantian realm powerhouse.

It must be known that in the entire Donglin City, the number of Xiantian realm powerhouses is not many. Even within the few major families of Donglin City, there are only about ten Xiantian realm powerhouses.

The appearance of a fourteen-year-old Xiantian powerhouse inevitably shook the entire Donglin City.

When Jǐng Yán was sixteen, he successfully entered the Divine Wind Academy, one of the three major academies in Lánqū County, and was the only martial artist from Donglin City to enter the three major academies in the past ten years.

At that time, Jǐng Yán's brilliance illuminated the entire Donglin City. He was the pride of the Jǐng family, and his name was on the lips of every Jǐng family member. Although he was only sixteen, Jǐng Yán was already a role model for countless young martial artists in Donglin City.

However, just a year ago, Jǐng Yán was expelled from the Divine Wind Academy and had to return to his family.

Being expelled from the Divine Wind Academy after entering it for cultivation is not a common occurrence. Therefore, when the news spread, not only was Jǐng Yán ridiculed by the martial artists of Donglin City, but the Jǐng family also became the subject of ridicule during others' tea and dinner conversations.

The reason for Jǐng Yán's expulsion was the decline in his martial arts realm.

Indeed, within less than half a year of entering the Divine Wind Academy, Jǐng Yán's martial arts realm not only failed to continue advancing but also declined, falling from the Xiantian realm directly to the Ninth Heaven realm.

This was just the beginning. In the following period, Jǐng Yán's martial arts realm would decline by one level almost every month. Now, Jǐng Yán's cultivation has fallen to the Third Heaven realm.

When he first returned to the family, the high-ranking members of the Jǐng family held multiple meetings specifically for Jǐng Yán, trying to find the reason for his decline in realm, but ultimately without success. The Jǐng family expended a large amount of resources but could not stop Jǐng Yán's decline in martial arts realm, so they had to give up.

Now, when the Jǐng family mentions Jǐng Yán, the most common sound is a heavy, helpless sigh.

Once the brightest star, he has now fallen to a point where no one cares.

In a secluded courtyard within the Jǐng family's residence, Jǐng Yán lives here.

When Jǐng Yán was in his glory, Jǐng family martial artists would visit this small courtyard every day. Now, the entire secluded courtyard is dead silent, as if not even the trace of a bird can be seen.

Inside the room, Jǐng Yán sits cross-legged on the bed.

“Huff!”

After completing one cycle of his cultivation, Jǐng Yán slowly opens his eyes, a bitter smile appearing at the corner of his mouth.

“Still the same!” Jǐng Yán gently shakes his head, “The primordial energy I just cultivated disappears without a trace. What exactly is wrong?”

Jǐng Yán is also very helpless.

Now, every time he cultivates, he produces primordial energy, but the primordial energy produced each time disappears without a trace within a few breaths after cultivation, as if it never existed.

Martial artists cultivate to produce primordial energy, which is then stored in the body. As the primordial energy accumulates, the martial arts realm gradually improves. However, Jǐng Yán's body is like a bottle with a hole at the bottom, unable to retain primordial energy. No matter how much primordial energy he cultivates, it all flows out through the hole.

Jǐng Yán himself does not know the reason.

This situation began in the third month after he entered the Divine Wind Academy. Initially, Jǐng Yán did not pay much attention, but after a few months, his realm fell from the Xiantian realm to the Ninth Heaven realm, and he knew that there was something wrong with his body.

If an ordinary person experienced such a dramatic rise and fall, they would probably have given up long ago, but Jǐng Yán did not. He never even had the thought of giving up on martial arts. Even as his realm continuously declined, Jǐng Yán still persisted in daily cultivation, even though the primordial energy he cultivated each day could only be retained for a few breaths.

“Could I really become an ordinary person?” Jǐng Yán looks at the twilight sky, “No! I don't believe it! I will definitely rise again and return to the peak.”

“Continue cultivating!” Jǐng Yán stands up, stretches a bit, and immediately sits down again to continue his cultivation.

Time flows like water, slowly passing, and the night gradually fades as the dawn's light pours down.

For the entire night, Jǐng Yán has completed six cycles of his cultivation technique, cultivating a considerable amount of primordial energy.

“Don't disappear, don't disappear!”

As he finishes his cultivation, Jǐng Yán silently prays in his heart.

“Sigh, still the same.” Feeling the primordial energy he just cultivated disappear at an astonishing speed, Jǐng Yán shakes his head again. He knows that the possibility of the primordial energy not dissipating is very low, but after each cultivation, Jǐng Yán gives himself a glimmer of hope.

Hope is repeatedly shattered and then reborn, over and over again.

“Hmm?”

Just as Jǐng Yán is about to stand up and go to the courtyard to stretch his muscles, his mind slightly moves, sensing an unusual feeling. This time, the dissipation of primordial energy seems different from before.

“What's happening?”

Jǐng Yán's gaze quickly falls on a ring he wears on his finger.

This ring is called the Qiankun Ring, which was left to him by his grandfather more than a year ago. Jǐng Yán's grandfather, Jǐng Tiān, was the head of the Jǐng family before his death a year ago. When Jǐng Tiān passed away, Jǐng Yán was by his side, and Jǐng Tiān personally handed the Qiankun Ring to Jǐng Yán, instructing him to keep it safe and never lose it. Although Jǐng Tiān did not explain the significance of the ring, Jǐng Yán knew that the Qiankun Ring was extremely important.

Therefore, after obtaining the Qiankun Ring, Jǐng Yán never took it off his finger, wearing it even while eating and sleeping.

Since the Qiankun Ring came into Jǐng Yán's possession, it has never shown any unusual changes.

At this moment, the Qiankun Ring is faintly glowing with a milky yellow light.

Because the ring has never shown such changes before, Jǐng Yán frowns slightly and stares intently at the Qiankun Ring. He can feel a faint warmth from the Qiankun Ring.

Initially, the warmth was only around his palm, but after a few breaths, it spread throughout Jǐng Yán's body. The milky yellow light emitted by the ring's surface not only shows no signs of disappearing but becomes increasingly intense.