Just as Gao Jianfei was about to proclaim Gao Han the victor, someone dared to interrupt him. All eyes turned toward the source of the voice.
It was none other than Gao Jianfeng, who sat upon the viewing platform, his features twisted with fury as he glared at Gao Han. "He is unworthy of this title. How can one so cruel and ruthless be the glory of our Gao clan?" With that, he cast a pained glance toward Gao Ping, who stood below the arena.
Gao Ping clutched his low-grade spiritual sword, his gaze vacant and unseeing as he stared blankly ahead. Unable to accept his defeat at Gao Han's hands, he had lost all confidence and spirit.
"Oh? How has Han'er been cruel? Does victory belong only to your sons, while anyone else who triumphs is deemed ruthless and unfit to be a member of the Gao clan?" Gao Jianfei remarked calmly from the platform, making no mention of Gao Jian's maimed left hand. Enraged, Gao Jianfeng had once banked his ambitions on his son's rare Metal Physique. In the small kingdom of Ling, only three individuals possessed elemental physiques—one a so-called useless cripple, another Jian Jingfeng, one of the four greatest young masters of Cangnan Region, and the last his own son. He had been certain his boy would rise to dominate the younger generation of Cangnan, only to be defeated by someone he had long dismissed as trash.
"Jian went to visit Gao Han, yet he not only insulted my son but also crippled his right hand! Tell me, is this boy not a creature of ruthless cruelty?" Gao Jianfeng twisted the truth, painting Gao Han as the aggressor.
The elders turned their gazes toward Gao Han. First Elder Gao Fenglei rose to his feet, fixing him with a furious stare. "You have insulted Gao Jian and maimed his hand. Do you plead guilty?"
"First Elder has already pronounced my guilt. Why ask for my plea?" Gao Han stood upon the arena with his hands clasped behind his back, his tone cool and composed. "It is no secret throughout the Gao clan that the First and Second Elders walk hand in hand with Gao Jianfeng—so close they might as well share the same robes."
"Insolence! You dare slander me! You wretched boy—Gao Jianfeng speaks the truth! Seize him, cripple his cultivation, deliver forty strokes of the staff, and cast him out of the clan!" The First Elder roared in a towering rage, sealing Gao Han's fate with a few harsh words.
At that moment, Gao Jianfei's imposing voice cut through the chaos. "Who dares lay a hand on him? What mighty authority you wield, Uncle. It seems you mean to exercise the clan leader's powers before you have even seized the title." As he spoke, he began to channel his energy, the formidable might of a Seventh Layer True Essence warrior radiating outward to intimidate all who stood against him. The First and Second Elders were, in fact, Gao Jianfei's own paternal uncles.
"It is our duty as elders to oversee the clan leader and ensure he does not abuse his authority. It is clear you are no longer fit to hold this position!" Second Elder Gao Fengxiang stood and shouted. He and the First Elder unleashed their own auras—both Sixth Layer True Essence warriors. Though individually weaker than Gao Jianfei, together they formed a force he could not withstand alone.
The three elders lunged at Gao Jianfei. True essence surged and clashed upon the platform, tearing the wooden structure to shreds and shattering the stone beneath it. The power of True Essence experts was indeed awe-inspiring.
Some of the Gao clan disciples below stood frozen in shock, while others wore growing smirks—these were the ones Gao Jianfeng had bribed to his side.
"Hahaha! Brother Jianshang, I had no idea your clan was in such a sorry state. A prodigy has finally emerged, yet instead of nurturing him, you plot his demise. How impressive, what boldness!" Amid the tension, Li Changtian, who had sat quietly in his seat, burst into laughter. "If your Gao clan rejects such a talent, my Misty Sect will gladly take him in. What say you? From this day forth, Gao Jianfei and his family shall have no ties to the Gao clan."
Gao Jianshang, who had remained seated this whole time, wore a sorrowful smile. "Alas, you mock me, Brother Changtian. I swore never to meddle in the clan's affairs again, but how can I stand idle when such a catastrophe unfolds?"
As the three men besieged Gao Jianfei, Gao Jianfeng turned to Li Changtian with arrogant defiance. "Elder of the Misty Sect, I know not your rank within your sect, but surely your clan would not risk offending the Qianling Sect for your sake. The Qianling Sect stands far above your Misty Sect in power!" He thought nothing of Gao Jianshang. When their father, Gao Fengyun, had passed away three years prior, Gao Jianshang had been the last to leave his chamber before vanishing from the clan. At the time, he had been no more than a Third Layer True Essence warrior; even if he had grown stronger since, he could not possibly exceed the Fifth Layer.
"Second Brother! You have deeply disappointed me!" At last, Gao Jianshang could no longer contain his rage. "Is the bond between brothers so worthless in your eyes?"
As his fury erupted, so too did his suppressed cultivation. A vast, overwhelming aura spread outward, and the true essence of the four men was instantly crushed beneath it. Spirit Fusion Realm—he was a mighty Spirit Fusion expert. To such a powerhouse, True Essence warriors were little more than clowns.
The Gao disciples below trembled violently under the immense pressure, all save Gao Han. He stood tall and unyielding, straight as a pine tree, his gaze steady and resolute as he looked upon Gao Jianshang.
Gao Jianshang nodded quietly at Gao Han's fortitude. With a son such as this, how could the Gao clan not prosper? Yet these fools cared only for immediate gain, blind to the clan's long-term future.
Li Changtian nodded in approval as well. This boy possessed not only extraordinary cultivation talent but, more importantly, an unyielding will that refused to bow even before a Spirit Fusion expert. This was the heart of a true warrior. He glanced at Gao Jianshang, thinking to himself: Heh, forgive me, old friend. A talent such as this belongs to the Misty Sect.
"What? Impossible! How can you be a Spirit Fusion warrior? It cannot be!" Gao Jianfeng shrieked in mad disbelief.
"First and Second Elders of the Gao clan, for pursuing selfish gain and plotting to murder a clan prodigy, you are stripped of your titles, your cultivation abolished, and you shall spend the rest of your days in quiet seclusion within the clan grounds." Gao Jianshang suppressed his Spirit Fusion aura and spoke in a calm, firm tone.
"On what grounds? I am your uncle, yet you dare raise your hand against a senior!" the First Elder roared in fury. To have one's cultivation abolished in a world ruled by strength was to be rendered utterly helpless. "Yes, you—" the Second Elder began to protest, but Gao Jianshang gave him no chance to speak. He flicked his finger toward their dantians, and two streaks of energy flashed by. In an instant, their cultivation was destroyed.
"Take them to the rear courtyard and see that they live out their days in peace," Gao Jianshang instructed the two elders behind him.
The elders dragged away the powerless men, their faces ashen, their earlier arrogance vanished without a trace.
"Gao Jianshang, you—" Gao Jianfeng pointed at his brother in a rage, but Gao Jianshang merely flicked his finger once more. "Take him and Gao Ping to their courtyard. He shall trouble this clan no longer."
The long-planned rebellion was crushed by sheer, overwhelming power.
"The hour is late. The physique assessment for the ten-year-old clan members shall continue tomorrow," Gao Jianshang announced, then turned to smile at his elder brother. Gao Jianfei smiled back. "Little brother, I had no idea your strength had reached such heights after all these years apart."
The two brothers shared a warm smile, until Li Changtian spoke up. "Gao Han, I wish for you to join the Misty Sect. It will greatly accelerate your growth. I promise you this: upon joining, you shall become an outer sect disciple without need for further trials, with full access to the Scripture Pavilion to select cultivation arts suited to your physique. What say you?"
Gao Han did not hesitate. He agreed at once. He knew that cultivating in isolation would only take him so far. He longed to meet other talents, to duel and grow alongside them, for only through constant challenge could one truly progress.
"Excellent, excellent, excellent!" Li Changtian was overjoyed. A prodigy such as this would soon belong to the Misty Sect. As for his Water Physique, he had long sensed that it had undergone a miraculous mutation. Gao Jianfei raised no objections. His son had come of age and possessed his own will. The path of a strong warrior needed no guide.
The tournament concluded amid a storm of shock and joy. Shock that a so-called cripple had risen as a prodigy, and joy that the Gao clan now boasted a Spirit Fusion expert.
Gao Han stood alone in his courtyard, breathing in the crisp winter chill. Yet within his heart, he felt only profound tranquility, as if only in the cold could he find such peace and clarity.
Gradually, he seemed to merge with the frigid air. The ice pearl within his dantian spun rapidly, and his body drew in the cold qi from the atmosphere. The chill flowed through his meridians and converged upon the pearl, which absorbed it endlessly. Yet the ambient cold was too weak to trigger further transformation in the pearl, though it tempered his meridians, making them tougher and more resilient. Gao Han remained unaware of this subtle change.
An hour passed, and all trace of cold qi had vanished from his courtyard. He emerged from his meditative state, a rare, faint smile gracing his usually stoic face.
The next day, the time for the clan's physique assessment arrived. A greater crowd gathered than the day before, parents eager to see if fortune would smile upon their children, hoping they might possess rare cultivation physiques and catch the eye of the Misty Sect elder, granting them a greater stage to grow strong.
Upon the tournament arena rested a crystal orb, used to test one's cultivation physique. A cultivation physique, in essence, determined how quickly one could convert ambient qi into personal energy. Ordinary physiques were ranked in three tiers. One placed a hand upon the orb, while an elder channeled a harmless wisp of qi into their body. After one breath, the qi was withdrawn. If twenty to forty percent was converted, the orb flickered dimly—a Tier One Physique. Forty to fifty percent, a soft glow—a Tier Two Physique. Fifty to sixty percent, a bright radiance—a Tier Three Physique. Above sixty percent, a blinding light signified a Superior Elemental Physique.
One by one, the children stepped forward, most leaving with heads bowed. As the orb glowed, the elder called out the results: "Tier One! Next… Tier One… Tier Two! Next!"
Suddenly, the orb blazed with intense light. The elder jolted awake from his drowsiness. "Tier Three Physique! State your name!" The boy knew full well what this meant, and he announced proudly, "Gao Wumeng!"
Li Changtian and Gao Jianfei's eyes had lit up at the appearance of a Tier Three talent, but their expressions fell at the boy's arrogant demeanor. Such pride would only hinder his future achievements.
Watching nearby, Gao Han idly twirled a testing orb of his own. These orbs were not particularly valuable, yet only clans possessed them. Gao Jianfei had given him one as a birthday gift when he was young.
On a whim, Gao Han activated the orb just as the elder had, testing his own physique. A gentle stream of energy flowed into his body—and in the next instant, the orb in his hand froze and shattered into pieces before it could even emit a glimmer of light.
Li Changtian, watching from the platform, gaped in stunned silence. He had never seen someone shatter a testing orb simply by being assessed. What sort of genius had he taken into the Misty Sect?
Before he could recover, cries of astonishment erupted from below. He turned his gaze toward the arena and froze. What he saw left him dumbfounded: a blazing crimson radiance—an Elemental Physique. What kind of clan was this? Did elemental physiques grow on trees now? His own sect did not have a single one, yet this small clan had produced three!
"Yay! Brother, look—I'm just as good as you! Father, am I not amazing?" A sweet little girl hopped about the arena, calling out to Gao Han and Gao Jianfei.
"I must go tell Mother! Come along, Uncle Gao Tai!" With that, the little girl dashed off the arena and vanished into the distance. Elder Gao Tai stood rooted to the spot, his mouth agape. The girl was none other than Gao Yang, Gao Han's younger sister.
"Uh… Brother Gao, what on earth have you been feeding your children all these years?" Li Changtian swallowed hard, staring at Gao Jianfei in disbelief. Two children, both with elemental physiques—an unheard-of streak of fortune.
Gao Jianfei could do nothing but laugh, all other expressions lost to him.
"No! I must take this girl as my disciple!" Li Changtian's eyes sparkled with greed. "Brother Gao! Brother Gao! Stop laughing!"
"Huh? What is it?" Gao Jianfei was jolted back to his senses, confused. His mind had gone blank, and he had not heard a word Li Changtian said.
"I said that little girl is your daughter, is she not? I wish to take her into the Misty Sect!" Li Changtian declared firmly.
"But my daughter is only ten and has no cultivation. If she goes to the sect, she would be nothing more than a handmaiden. How could I bear it?" Gao Jianfei mumbled dazedly.
"Fool! What are you thinking? Do you take me for a man who would relegate a Fire Physique genius to menial labor? I wish to take her as my personal disciple, granting her direct entry as an inner sect disciple. What say you?" Li Changtian was so exasperated he cursed without thinking.
Gao Jianfei only registered the last part, paying no mind to the insult. He knew exactly who Li Changtian was: an elder of the Misty Sect's Drifting Peak and a master alchemist. He had only come to the Gao clan at Gao Jianshang's invitation—such a figure would never have glanced at a small clan otherwise. At the thought of his daughter becoming an alchemist, he was overcome with joy. Yet he recalled the curse and muttered, "Who are you calling a fool?"
Bound by their shared interest in Gao Yang, the two men grew close at once. Li Changtian swallowed his pride for the sake of his future disciple. "I am, of course! Heh!" A Fire Physique was nearly perfect for alchemy and artifact forging—such a pupil was worth any humiliation. The two men laughed heartily, and Gao Jianfei readily agreed to Li Changtian's request.
Gao Han was surprised to learn his sister possessed a Fire Physique, the very opposite of his own. Yet he felt no envy. Within the clan, only his parents and his sister had stood by him. He would never forget the sight of the little girl stepping before him to shield him from insults when she was but a small child.
The clan's annual ceremony came to a close. Gao Han planned to remain home until after the new year before departing for the Misty Sect. Li Changtian, however, could wait no longer. He handed Gao Han a Misty Sect token, then took Gao Yang and soared into the sky—revealing himself to be a Spirit Fusion expert as well.
At first, little Gao Yang had wept bitterly at the thought of leaving home, resisting all of Li Changtian's temptations to join the Misty Sect. Only when Gao Han told her he would follow shortly did she agree.
"Brother, you must come!" Little Gao Yang called down from the sky, held securely in Li Changtian's arms.
Gao Han tightened his grip on the sect token. Of course he would come. Misty Sect, here I come.