On a quiet lake surrounded by towering mountains, a cool breeze blew, causing the water to gently ripple.
On the shore, a young man lay sprawled, covered in cuts and bruises.
The young man looked up at the sky with an expression filled with regret and anger.
"Damn it, why was I born like this? Why... Why...???"
The young man screamed, looking up at the sky as if venting his anger. Why was he born like this?
I'm already eighteen, but I still haven't awakened my golden core. Why is this happening to me? Why can't anyone else experience this? Why does it have to be me?
The young man continued to curse his situation as he endured the pain that coursed through his body.
The young man's name was Ye Xiao. For young men his age, they had long since awakened their golden cores. Most had even reached the fifth stage of Qi Refining. But Ye Xiao, he still hadn't awakened his golden core.
Because of his condition, Ye Xiao was constantly humiliated by the villagers, and even his family considered him a disgrace who should be banished.
In the Ye family, Ye Xiao had a younger half-brother named Ye Fan. He was a highly talented young genius, even the highest in his generation.
As for Ye Xiao's mother, she had died when Ye Xiao was born. Ye Xiao's father had always considered Ye Xiao the cause of his mother's death. Therefore, since Ye Xiao was born, his father had never cared for him, leaving only a nanny to care for him.
The suffering Ye Xiao endured was unimaginable.
...
A few moments before Ye Xiao arrived at the lakeside...
"Haha... Ye Xiao, hurry up and kneel down and clean my shoes with your mouth."
"No... I don't want to..."
Bam...
Pfffttt...
"Hurry up and do it, or I'll keep hitting you."
Bam...
"Fan'er, stop it! I'm your older brother, ahhh..."
Bam
Pfffftt
"Haha, you're a disgrace to my family. Don't even call yourself from the Ye family, otherwise, I'll kill you the next time we meet."
Bam
Ahhh....
In the middle of a crowded village street, several young men were being watched by many people. One of them lay in a pool of blood, his body covered in cuts and bruises.
Yes, the injured and beaten young man was Ye Xiao, the same young man from the lakeside at the beginning of the story.
Furthermore, the men who were beating Ye Xiao were several young men led by Ye Xiao's younger brother, Ye Fan.
At this moment, Ye Xiao felt excruciating pain throughout his body. Furthermore, he felt utterly humiliated, not by anyone else, but by his own younger brother. One can only imagine how angry Ye Xiao was right now.
The final blow Ye Xiao received nearly knocked him unconscious. Fortunately, he didn't receive another blow after that, and then Ye Fan and the young men left, leaving him lying weak and wounded in the middle of the road.
Although the people around him saw Ye Xiao's condition, none of them bothered to help him. In fact, they laughed at him, believing he deserved such treatment.
Indeed, in the cultivation world, someone who can't awaken their golden core, preventing them from cultivating, is considered a living corpse, unable to do anything in this world.
And this was exactly what Ye Xiao experienced. His family, relatives, and the people around him ignored him.
Ye Xiao felt the world was unfair. Why was this happening to him, and why couldn't it be someone else?
In despair, Ye Xiao struggled to get up and walked step by step without stopping until he reached the edge of the lake.
This was how things went before Ye Xiao reached the edge of the lake, and finally, he shouted at the top of his voice to vent his anger.
Slowly, standing by the lake, Ye Xiao began to calm down. He tore off his clothes and used them to wrap the large wounds that were still bleeding continuously.
"What should I do? Should I return to the Ye family estate?" Ye Xiao's thoughts were filled with confusion. He had often considered whether or not to leave the Ye family. Everyone in the Ye family had always insulted and ignored him, but he had always given up on his plans and chosen to stay. Now, his mind was filled with doubt, especially considering this incident, which was the most painful yet.
"No, no, I won't go back for now. I must find a great opportunity... ahhhhh... Ye Fan, when the time comes, I will definitely return and avenge all my insults."
"This is it," Ye Xiao said determinedly, his eyes burning. In his current condition, it was safe to say he wouldn't be able to grow or become stronger, let alone increase his strength, he couldn't even form a golden core within his body.
For a cultivator, awakening a golden core is the initial stage. Without a golden core, no matter how hard he cultivates, he will still be in vain. Therefore, Ye Xiao was determined to find an opportunity that would allow him to condense and form a golden core.
After Ye Xiao finished dressing his wounds, he slowly began to try to get up and walk. But just then, a strange incident occurred. The wind around him grew stronger, causing him to fall back down, and then black clouds appeared, filling the sky.
This strange occurrence wasn't limited to Ye Xiao's location; it was happening throughout the entire city where Ye Xiao was.
"What's going on? It was so sunny before, why is it suddenly so cloudy now?" Everyone looked shocked and horrified.
In front of a magnificent palace, a cultivator with an elderly appearance and dressed in luxurious attire stood. Looking up at the world's ceiling,
"What's going on?" The figure muttered softly. He looked up at the sky, unable to find any reason for this.
He sensed a tremendous amount of energy continuously gathering from the black clouds covering the sky.
Just as he was about to head toward the direction where the energy in the sky was converging, the earth suddenly shook violently, making it difficult for everyone to stabilize their bodies. Even the powerful figure immediately gathered energy in the soles of his feet to stand upright.