Chapter One: The Stubborn Youth

“It wasn’t me!”

Staring into the face of the Hall of Law’s master, whose anger had turned his visage a dark, liverish hue, the young man’s eyes were wide with indignation. His fists clenched so tightly that his knuckles turned pale, his nails driven into his palms, but he felt no pain at all. His fair and delicate face flushed red with humiliation.

“Hmph! Caught stealing while on guard duty, and still you refuse to kneel!” The cold, furious reproach from the gray-robed elder sent a chill through those present, their hearts beating faster with apprehension.

The youth stubbornly lifted his head, refusing to bend his knees, his posture rigid as stone.

“Insolent brat! Someone, administer the punishment!”

As the elder’s command rang out, one of the four burly men standing behind the youth stepped forward. He had a bushy beard and moved swiftly, snapping his steel-whip with a crack that filled the air with a burst of sparks.

The crowd shuddered. That was a steel-link whip—its slender rings forged of fine steel could shatter stone, let alone human flesh. The boy would surely bleed within five steps; many of the girls turned away, unable to bear the sight.

The elder’s eyes gleamed with malice. His grim expression was that of a man risen from a heap of corpses. He seized the boy by the throat, his rage at its zenith.

“This is your final chance. Speak! Where is the Azure Lotus?”

The clever ones among the crowd understood without words: if the stolen Azure Lotus wasn’t found, the Hall of Law’s master himself would not escape punishment. In the Hundred Flowers Sect, theft was strictly regulated, and failure to extract a confession meant the enforcer would share in the penalty.

“I didn’t steal it!” Three words roared from the boy’s unbound throat, brimming with humiliation.

The master of the Hall of Law laughed in fury. “You alone guard the West Phoenix Garden. If not you, who—a spirit from heaven?”

“It wasn’t me! Beat me to death if you like, it won’t change anything!” The youth’s eyes blazed defiantly at the vicious old man before him.

“Beat him!” The order came, and the bearded man’s eyes flashed. He swung his arm in a wide arc, cracking the steel whip with all his might.

A sharp crack split the air as metal struck flesh; blood and tattered cloth burst from the boy’s back. A girl in the crowd screamed, while many others looked on, cold and expressionless.

The boy gritted his teeth, his fists trembling, but not a single cry of pain escaped him.

After one blow, his back was a ruined mess of flesh and blood, the bronze of his muscles barely visible amidst the carnage.

The Hall of Law’s master sneered savagely and waved his hand, sending the burly guard respectfully back to his post.

“Lin Feng! If not for Hall Master Huo, you’d have been thrown out of Mount Qiyun long ago, you worthless wretch! Hear me—if you don’t hand over the Azure Lotus today, you’ll die here!”

The elder’s words sparked a wave of mockery from the crowd, drowning out the last vestiges of pity:

“That’s right! If I were him, I’d have packed my bags and left long ago...”

“Ten years and still stuck at the initial stage of Qi Refining—some genius, bringing glory to the Hundred Flowers Sect!”

“Hall Master Huo must have misjudged him. If his spirit watches from above, he’d be coughing up blood in regret!”

These jeers were like dry logs thrown on the flames of Lin Feng’s heart. His eyes reddened with fury, but he endured it. The pain in his back was nothing compared to what he felt inside.

“Hit him again! You two, go search his quarters!”

The pain of torn flesh and the sting of insults could be endured, but if they searched his hut, that thing would surely be seized by their greedy hands. At this, Lin Feng’s face showed his distress and anxiety.

At the Hall of Law’s command, the crowd’s chatter died down, all eyes watching the man with the steel whip.

Crack! Crack! Two more lashes exploded on the boy’s back, leaving it a bloody field, as if trampled by oxen and horses.

He bit his lip so hard that blood welled from the corner of his mouth; his legs shook uncontrollably as he endured the agony.

Two disciples of the Hall of Law saluted the gray-robed elder, preparing to search Lin Feng’s hut.

The burly guard spat and swung his arm again. With such a stubborn victim, he could only curse his luck.

“Enough!”

From atop the surrounding peaks, a clear, cool voice pierced the tranquility of Mount Qiyun, echoing over the mountains and startling countless birds into flight.

Though calm, the voice stabbed into the soul like ten thousand icy needles, or thunder from the heavens blasting through the minds of all present. The faint-hearted paled, trembling as though stricken by illness.

“Who dares offend the Hundred Flowers Sect?” The Hall of Law’s master stood tall, shouting defiantly at the sky.

Lin Feng, pale as death, looked up as well.

Across the blue sky, a dazzling light streaked forth, and for a moment, the world seemed to hold its breath. Every pair of eyes forgot to blink, their faces alight with shock and envy.

The radiant brilliance resolved into a golden feather, magnified dozens of times, its intricate patterns gleaming with a mysterious splendor.

But what truly astonished the crowd was the figure standing atop the feather: a delicate maiden in robes whiter than snow, her eyes bright, her features exquisitely beautiful, ethereal as a fairy descending from the clouds.

All were struck dumb. Lin Feng stared, entranced, his pain forgotten.

The white-robed girl turned her head, casting Lin Feng a cold, disdainful glance.

He started, quickly lowering his head, his face flushing as his heart pounded wildly.

The Hall of Law’s elder was about to speak when the maiden’s cool, clear voice reached everyone’s ears: “The Azure Lotus was not taken by him.”

A hush fell over the assembly. The Hall of Law’s master, after a moment’s thought, saluted respectfully. “Senior, might you tell us who—?”

“It’s not your concern who took it. I have said what needs to be said. Matters of the Inner Sect are not for the likes of you to inquire into.” Her delicate brows furrowed as she gazed down imperiously at those halfway up the mountain.

The Hall of Law’s master was aghast. Among cultivation sects, there was always a division between Inner and Outer Sects. The Outer Sect was numerous but generally weak, and even its leader would be a minor figure within the Inner Sect, which housed the true strength of the order—those who could move heaven and earth.

The Hundred Flowers Sect was no exception. The Outer Sect handled mundane matters like herb cultivation and disciple selection. Even the Hall of Law’s master knew little of the Inner Sect, and for a disciple to enter it was harder than ascending to heaven.

“That is all. My message is delivered; I’m leaving now.” As the elder stood dazed, the white-robed maiden glanced once more at Lin Feng before soaring away.

He quickly looked up, watching the iridescent light vanish into the horizon, his eyes flashing with uncertainty.

“What are you staring at? You got lucky today! If you haven’t made progress in two years, get out! Hmph, let’s go!” The Hall of Law’s master shot Lin Feng a venomous glare, spat at his feet, and swept away in a fury.

The crowd gradually dispersed, many still lost in thoughts of the exquisite maiden, but not one spared Lin Feng a second glance.

The mountain wind blew cold. Lin Feng shivered uncontrollably as pain surged through his back, dragging a groan from his lips. When he tried to walk, he found his legs numb.

He slowly crouched down, bitterness twisting his mouth. Was the world truly so heartless?

Dragging his heavy body, he stumbled down the slope. After crossing several ridges, he reached a row of low, dilapidated wooden huts. He fished out a key, unlocked one door, and went inside.

The room was bare, furnished with nothing but a wooden pallet and a few neatly arranged small tables and chairs. On the table lay a bundle; from it, he took a small porcelain bottle, poured out some white powder, thought for a moment, then put half back and applied the rest to his wounds.

The burning pain was like liquor poured on raw flesh. He clenched his fists, hissing through his teeth until, at last, the pain began to fade, replaced by a cool relief.

He exhaled deeply, wiped the cold sweat from his face, and lowered his head, his eyes lost in thought.

“Ten years already...” he murmured.

Time had flown by like a fleeting horse. Lin Feng still remembered the day, at age six, when Old Huo brought him to the sect—so momentous that even the Outer Sect’s leader, Zhuo Ran, had come to see.

“This child’s bone structure is outstanding. He’ll reach the late stage of Qi Refining within three years, without a doubt. Hall Master Huo, you must cultivate him well!”

Back then, Lin Feng was a prodigy, his cultivation soaring by the day. In half a year, he had reached the third level of the Longevity Art; after one year, the seventh—becoming a living legend of the sect, the very definition of genius.

The Inner Sect had once declared that if he reached the late stage of Qi Refining before his eighteenth birthday, the three Grand Elders would instruct him personally—a glory that stirred envy in countless Outer Sect disciples.

But fate was jealous of talent. Just as he was about to break through to the ninth level and enter the mid-stage, disaster struck: within an hour, all his spiritual energy was gone. The culprit? A seemingly insignificant firebee, which, while he meditated, stung him right in the dantian!

Mount Qiyun lay at the wilderness’s edge, home to many monsters and spirits. The firebee was barely a finger long, its venomous sting dangerous, but not even rated a first-tier beast. Yet it was this tiny creature that ruined a prodigy’s future—who would ever believe such a tale?

No one in the Outer Sect believed him, nor did the Sect Leader. They thought he’d overreached and suffered a backlash, shattering his dantian and losing all his cultivation. Only Old Huo believed him, and two years later, he passed away filled with regret.

“Little Lin, are you in there?” A shout came from the door, followed by a loud knock, pulling him back to reality.

“Come in,” Lin Feng called, wincing as the words tugged at his injuries.

A shaggy head poked through the door, grinning. Lin Feng blinked and smiled back.

“Little Pine, you’re not here to mock me, are you?” he teased, seeing his friend hesitate at the door.

“Heh, how could I dare? I just got back from Dragon Head Peak and, well... I heard what happened. Look what I brought you!” Du Songsong slipped through the door, waving something in his hand.

“You’ve got a conscience after all! Ah—‘The Compendium of Beasts and Spirits’! Where did you find this? I’ve been searching for years!” Lin Feng exclaimed in delight, taking the scroll from his friend.

Du Songsong beamed with pride, but after glancing at the wounds on Lin Feng’s back, he sighed. “Boss, I won’t be able to hang around with you much these days. In two months, the Hidden Pavilion will open. This time, I have to at least get a new manual.”

Lin Feng’s heart skipped a beat. Yes, the Hidden Pavilion only opened every three years, drawing countless Outer Sect disciples. Mount Qiyun would be lively indeed.

ps: Please add this to your collection, and let it grow before you devour it.