At dusk, the scorching heat gradually faded, and the afterglow of the setting sun cast down through the clouds, making the Liuyun Mountain Range appear exceptionally beautiful.
As night gradually fell, a young man sat atop the mountain, eyes closed, hands placed on his chest, slowly absorbing something from the starry night sky.
If you had keen eyesight, you might notice that there was a faint trace of starlight on his body, flickering as he absorbed, and then dimming.
"Why! Why is it like this!" The young man muttered to himself with a gloomy face, his voice filled with grief and anger, echoing at the top of Liuyun Mountain.
"Two years' time, and I still can't absorb the Star Power. Is this how a waste is made?" The young man's face was full of frustration, and the thought of it cut his heart like a knife.
He raised his fist and struck a nearby large tree fiercely, causing a series of tremors to the tree, shedding several pieces of bark.
Yet, his fist was already bloody and mutilated, with fresh blood dripping constantly, as if only the pain in his hand could alleviate the pain in his heart...
The young man's name was Chu Linfeng, the most outstanding genius of the Chu Family, one of the Five Great Families of Liuyun City. At the age of fourteen, he broke through to the Spirit Martial Realm, reaching the Black Tortoise Realm.
After reaching the Black Tortoise Realm, he could absorb Star Power, achieving a qualitative leap in both strength and Body Cultivation.
However, since he reached the Black Tortoise Realm, he found that no matter how he practiced, he couldn't absorb Star Power. This situation had persisted for two years, to the point where even his family peers, who were once behind him, had surpassed him.
Chu Linfeng knew that since he could reach the Black Tortoise Realm before his peers in the family, it proved that he was not a waste.
The reason for the situation over the last two years ultimately traced back to that bizarre phenomenon when he was absorbing Star Power that night.
He remembered that he was practicing his family's Yellow Rank Technique, Purple Nether Star Technique, on the top of Liuyun Mountain, and could already absorb a small amount of Star Power into his body.
But just as he was about to refine his body with the scattered Star Power, a dazzling starlight came directly from the night sky into his body, followed by an unprecedented pain in his mind, and then he fainted.
When he woke up, it was already noon the next day. His whole body felt as if it had fallen apart, powerless, and that pain in his mind remained, though it had lessened significantly.
Chu Linfeng remembered that the starlight seemed like a sword at the time because it was too fast and too sudden for him to see clearly, but it felt like a sword. As for why he thought so, he didn't know himself...
Chu Linfeng didn't care about the injury on his fist, he looked up at the starry sky and smiled bitterly: "Even if I'm a waste, I have my dignity. I will never marry the third young lady of the Lin Family, even if I die.
She's known as an ugly freak, a dinosaur girl. Why should I marry her? The original marriage contract was with the second young lady of the Lin Family, but just because I've become a waste?"
Full of thoughts, Chu Linfeng returned home. "Second Young Master, you went to absorb Star Power again?" Lin Yanran, Chu Linfeng's personal maid, saw the blood on his hand and asked.
Because every time Chu Linfeng returned, he would be injured, with the injuries always on his hand. His fists were full of countless scars, and Lin Yanran was used to it.
Chu Linfeng smiled slightly at Lin Yanran: "Go prepare some food for me, I'm feeling really hungry now."
Chu Linfeng treated Lin Yanran like a younger sister and never regarded her as a mere maid.
Because she never laughed at him, she comforted him when he was most down, and spoke up for him when others mocked and ridiculed him, often receiving various punishments as a result.
The next day, Chu Linfeng got up early, not because he wanted to sleep longer; usually, three to four hours of sleep were enough for him.
If he continued to sleep, his head felt dizzy, and his body was weak. He tried several times and found the same result each time, but he couldn't figure out why.
The Chu Family was one of the Five Great Families in Liuyun City, with many family members, and many children chose to practice early in the morning.
Chu Linfeng used to be the first to arrive at the family's Martial Arts Training Ground, but it had been a long time since he'd been there.
"Let's go to the Martial Arts Training Ground and have a look!" Chu Linfeng decided and left his room. He was already accustomed to the discussions and ridicule from the young practitioners at the Training Ground.
The Chu Family's Martial Arts Training Ground was about tens of thousands of square meters, one of the larger training grounds, and by this time, quite a few family children were already practicing their morning exercises there.
Seeing Chu Linfeng arrive, everyone cast disdainful glances at him, and the murmurs began to rise.
"That loser is here again, shameless as ever. He's been stuck at the Xuanwu Realm First Layer for two years now. If it were me, I would have hidden away long ago, not showing my face. Yet, he still has the audacity to come here and embarrass himself."
"I heard that in a few days, he's set to be engaged to the third miss of the Lin Family. Just thinking about that third miss makes me want to vomit. There's no one uglier than her in the entire world. Perhaps only she is a worthy match for this loser!"
"That's true, but the third miss of the Lin Family is still a true maiden, quite acceptable. I heard this loser was originally engaged to someone else, not the third miss."
"That's the second miss of the Lin Family, Lin Ziping. Rumor has it she's already reached the Fourth Level of the Black Tortoise Realm now. With such high talent, she naturally wouldn't marry this loser, so her unmarriageable sister had to take her place."
......
Chu Linfeng could clearly hear these rumors, and despite his usual composure, he couldn't tolerate them. He slowly walked up to one of the young men and said, "Say what you just did one more time if you dare."
Even though Chu Linfeng couldn't break through to the Second Level of the Black Tortoise Realm, he did have strength at the First Layer, making him a significant threat, as many young men from noble families were still in the Spirit Martial Realm.
Seeing Chu Linfeng suddenly confront him with such intensity, when he'd usually endure silently, the young man's face paled, "Second Young Master, I was wrong. I won't dare anymore!"
Chu Linfeng's sharp gaze flashed briefly, "Better not let me hear it again, or you'll find out a 'loser' can kill you."
The young man didn't dare breathe a word, quickly nodding, "Got it, thank you for your mercy, Second Young Master!"
"Hmph!" Chu Linfeng snorted and walked past the frightened eyes of the crowd to stop in front of a giant training stake at the martial arts training ground.
This stake was his frequent practice target, made of the renowned White Shimmer Stone of the Celestial Profound continent, incredibly hard. Martial Artists below the Earth Martial Realm couldn't break it.
"Second Brother, feeling motivated to come to the training ground today, huh? I heard you just taught a foul-mouthed young man a lesson. Too bad I didn't see it, or I would've helped you vent your anger!" came a voice Chu Linfeng knew well.
Chu Linfeng turned to look and smiled, "Chu Linhai, I know what you're really after, so stop pretending to me. I'm not falling for it."
"Haha, Second Brother has quite a temper, taking it out on me, huh? I'm just concerned about you, but you don't appreciate it!" Chu Linhai showed no hint of displeasure but rather seemed pleased to see Chu Linfeng like this.
Chu Linfeng found himself at a loss with Chu Linhai. He used to be the first in the younger generation to break through the Black Tortoise Realm and showed great respect, like a tag-along, always agreeing with him.
Now that Chu Linhai had also broken through to the Black Tortoise Realm and reached the Second Level, his attitude shifted dramatically, constantly mocking Chu Linfeng and occasionally challenging him under pretense. Today's humiliation would be no exception.
"I understand your good intentions. I'm going to train now, so if you're idle, go somewhere else and don't bother me!" Chu Linfeng said after looking at Chu Linhai.
Chu Linhai approached the White Shimmer Stone and swung a powerful punch. A huge gust of wind passed by Chu Linfeng, and although the White Shimmer Stone remained unharmed, the strong recoil made Chu Linfeng tense.
"Haha, the strength of the Black Tortoise Realm Second Level is this much, huh? I wonder what Second Brother's Xuanwu Realm First Layer looks like. Can you show it to me?" Chu Linhai withdrew his fist and said.
"Don't think I don't know what you're up to. I'm not falling for it, so leave. I have no time for your games."
Chu Linhai's face showed a hint of displeasure, "Then take your time practicing. Who knows when a loser like you will break through to the Black Tortoise Realm Second Level.
Poor guy, soon I'll be marrying such a a fine, as beautiful as a flower second sister-in-law. Can't wait! Hahahaha! As beautiful as a flower, hahahaha!"
Chu Linhai deliberately said "as beautiful as a flower" loudly as he left, making his intentions clear to everyone.
Chu Linfeng shook his head and smiled bitterly, "Even my former tag-alongs can mock me now. When will I ever break through? Am I truly a loser?"
His Spiritual Power flowing smoothly through his body, with no blocked meridians. Chu Linfeng just couldn't fathom why he couldn't absorb the Star Power. Every attempt seemed successful, yet the Star Power vanished without a trace inside him.
Thinking about marrying that ugly woman made him suffocate. The Lin Family and Chu Family had been allies for generations, and the engagement was set from childhood. Due to his lack of strength, the engagement had to change, and he couldn't deny it was a painful event.
PS: Some words are censored with commas, such as "young man," for understanding.