In the morning, as the sun rose in the east, it gradually cast beautiful orange hues across the land below, marking the beginning of a new day.
In a remote area of the Blue Sky Continent, within a mountain range belonging to the Vermilion Sect, a middle-aged man walked along a dirt road, leading a pale and thin boy.
Beside them, trees stood bathed in the light shining down from above.
Ahead of them, about a hundred meters away and facing away from the rising sun, there was a small wooden one-room structure.
Upon reaching the building, the man turned and looked at the boy. His gaze first fell upon his frail body.
Looking at the small frame that seemed like it could be blown away by the slightest breeze, the man's eyes revealed both pity and resentment.
He pitied the boy's condition, yet at the same time felt resentful.
Someone like the boy would only reduce the efficiency of his team; as a result, he and the others would receive fewer resources.
The man wanted to complain, but he lacked the courage.
The person who had brought the boy was not someone a mere supervisor could oppose.
Without hiding his displeasure, the man spoke sternly:
"Go in and choose your tool. After that, start working..." He paused before continuing in a harsher tone.
"If you can't handle the work, ask the person who brought you here to transfer you to another department."
Those last words were what he truly wished for, yet they also filled him with doubt.
Why had the elder sent someone with such a physique to chop wood?
He couldn't understand it, assuming it was merely a favor.
What happened to the boy from now on had nothing to do with the elder anymore.
…
Wu Han, seeing the man's undisguised disgust, rolled his eyes.
Tsk!
'Even if I'm skinny, I bet I can beat you.'
In his mind, he had already imagined a thousand ways to make the supervisor cough up blood.
But he did nothing.
Now that he had the chance to eat, he couldn't afford to cause trouble and get expelled, returning to life on the streets.
Lowering his head, he walked past the man and entered the wooden house.
Inside, he found a pile of old tools, most of them axes, with a few machetes and long swords mixed in.
Picking one up, Wu Han frowned.
He didn't understand much about tools, but he knew their condition was terrible.
The axe he held had a worn handle, and its blade was cracked.
'Old liar. If your sect is so powerful, why are the tools so useless?'
Wu Han spat, tossing the axe aside.
He then began searching for at least one decent tool.
The search didn't last long.
Wu Han suddenly stopped.
Noticing a completely white box in the corner, shaped like a rectangular prism, curiosity filled his eyes.
'Why is there a box here?'
With that thought in mind, Wu Han approached it.
As he got closer, he crouched down and touched its surface, feeling a chilling sensation through his palm, as if he had plunged his hand into snow.
"Mysterious…"
Wu Han was absorbed in it.
"Hurry up, kid!"
The shout from outside snapped Wu Han out of it, and he made a disgusted face.
"Annoying supervisor!"
He muttered to himself and stood up.
Even standing, his eyes remained fixed on the box.
"Is there a tool inside? Maybe it's in better condition than these."
Wu Han glanced disdainfully at the tools and, like a determined man, decided to check what was inside the box.
Crouching again, he placed his hand on the lid and, with a push, lifted it with all his strength.
The lid opened instantly.
But it was a strange opening.
There was no sound at all, as if nothing had been opened—it felt like an object suspended in the emptiness of a dream.
Wu Han was confused. If he hadn't touched the box, he would have thought it was an illusion.
The confusion didn't last long.
As soon as the box was fully opened, an emotionless voice echoed in Wu Han's mind from the void:
[Ding! You have opened a Superior Mortal Dao Box and obtained a Perfect Quality Axe]
"What?" Startled, Wu Han's heart raced as he jumped back, nearly wetting himself from fear.
He had been completely caught off guard.
He never imagined that opening a box would result in hearing voices from the underworld.
'I'm not afraid of ghosts!'
Wu Han took a deep breath and affirmed inwardly, trying to regain his composure.
With a calmer mind, he approached the box again and looked inside.
There, he saw an axe resting within. Even from a distance, he could tell the handle was new and the blade gleamed, reflecting part of his face.
"Kid!"
Once again, an angry shout echoed.
'Damn it! This supervisor is so annoying.'
With veins bulging on his forehead, Wu Han ignored everything else, grabbed the axe handle, and hurried out.
"I've already chosen."
He stepped out of the wooden house and saw the man's furious face.
"Then start working now. Look at that pile of trees. If you don't cut at least ten by noon, you won't get lunch."
The supervisor slammed the door, gave his warning angrily, and left, leaving Wu Han alone.
'Breathe!'
Wu Han, on the verge of exploding from the lecture, forced himself to take a deep breath.
'Food!'
He came here to eat; he couldn't lose everything now.
Gripping the axe handle tightly, he walked toward a nearby tree.
"Damn supervisor!"
With firm hands, Wu Han swung the axe blade against the trunk.
Thump!
As it struck the bark, a sound echoed through the mountain, accompanied by splintering wood scattering into the air.
Upon impact, Wu Han felt his hands tremble.
He was far too weak.
"Damn it! Why did I get stuck with this job?"
Wu Han had overestimated woodcutting.
He felt that if he continued for a few more strikes, he might end up breaking some bones in his hands.
"Keep going!"
Ignoring his condition, Wu Han steeled himself to meet the quota.
He wanted lunch.