Book 1 - Rise
The Sword Sect. Void Mountain. Labor Peak.
As a famous large sect in the southern territory, the Sword Sect had its back to the Grand Myriad Mountains and faced south towards Grand Qin Empire, and it occupied Void Mountain that extended continuously for over 500km. There were seven main peaks and 36 minor peaks on Void Mountain, and Labor Peak was one of these minor peaks. As its name implied, Labor Peak was where the Labor Disciples of the sect resided.
Even though Labor Peak was where the Labor Disciples resided, its scale could already compare to a small city in the Grand Qin Empire that was capable of accommodating a few tens of thousands of people.
The first glimmer of dawn had just arrived. As always, Yang Ye awoke at this time, and then he briefly washed his face before leaving his room with the broom behind his door.
As he gazed at the glimmer of dawn on the horizon, Yang Ye took a deep breath of the pure and fresh morning air. After a short moment, Yang Ye’s seemingly immature little face was covered in a firm expression, and he said in a low voice, “Work hard! Persist! Don’t give up!”
As soon as he finished speaking, he walked quickly towards Cool Breeze Gorge.
“Look! Isn’t that the former Outer Court Disciple?”
“So, it’s him. Even you know that’s in the past. Now, he’s only a Labor Disciple, and he sweeps the floor just like we do.”
“What a waste of such a handsome little fellow! He looks to be only around 16 or 17 years old now. At this age, his future was originally limitless. Unfortunately, he has come here to do odd jobs now. What a pity!”
“I heard that an Outer Court Elder recruited him as an Outer Court Disciple at Southpeace City, yet who would have known that he would actually be unable to absorb Profound Energy for an entire year, and in a moment of rage, that Outer Court Elder reduced him to a Labor Disciple. Supposedly, he’s the first Outer Court Disciple in the history of the Sword Sect that was reduced to a Labor Disciple, and he even obtained the title of number one piece of trash in the Sword Sect!”
“The Sword Sect’s number one piece of trash! Tsk tsk, this reputation of his is truly resounding!”
Yang Ye’s footsteps stopped upon hearing the voice of discussion in the surroundings, and his right hand held tightly onto the broom within it. After a short moment, he took a deep breath and paid no further attention to those people as he walked swiftly towards Cool Breeze Gorge.
Cool Breeze Gorge was situated at the back of Labor Peak, and it was surrounded by three small hills while a sunken gorge lay at the center. Luxuriant grass that looked like a green carpet grew within the gorge, and countless towering trees covered in leaves blotted out the sky. This was where the Labor Disciples usually gathered herbs and wood, and it was also the place Yang Ye usually trained.
On an enormous rock, Yang Ye tossed the broom casually to the side before sitting cross-legged on the enormous rock, and then he withdrew a letter and a little clay figure from his chest. He’d received this letter from his family last night, and because he’d been working for almost 16 hours yesterday, he didn’t have the time to read it at all.
As he gazed at the little clay figure in his hand, Yang Ye’s slightly immature face revealed a wisp of a gentle smile. The clay figure was extremely small, and it couldn’t be said to be exquisite, yet its features were clear. It was something his younger sister had made according to his appearance. Even though it didn’t quite look like him and was rough, it was the most precious treasure to him.
After lightly rubbing it for a while, Yang Ye placed the clay figure back beneath the clothes at his chest. He looked at the letter in his hand and lightly blew off the dust on it, and then he carefully withdrew the letter within the envelope before reading it.
“Big Brother, we’ve received the gold coins you sent back last month. Since you were taken to be an Outer Court Disciple of the Sword Sect, all of our neighbors that used to look down on us have started to frequently pay visits to our house. Hmph! Little Yao knows that they’re only being nice to me and Mother because they know that Big Brother is capable. They’re a bunch of fellows that only care about status.”
Yang Ye took a deep breath while the corners of his mouth curled up slightly before it was suffused with a wisp of self-ridicule. “Outer Court Disciple….”
After a long time, Yang Ye suppressed the helplessness and unwillingness in his heart, and then his gaze descended onto the letter.
“Besides that, those people from the Liu Clan are really annoying, they actually made a proposal for a marriage to Mother, and they want Little Yao to be a concubine for that fatty from their clan that weighs 150kgs. That fatty can’t even walk, and Little Yao doesn’t even have the appetite to eat upon looking at him, yet they want Little Yao to be his concubine. Luckily, Mother didn’t agree to it! Even if I’m going to marry someone, Little Yao wants to marry… marry Big Brother…. Oh, how embarrassing! Big Brother, you’re not allowed to laugh at me, and that includes laughing in your heart!”
“The Liu Clan!” A wisp of a cold glow flashed in Yang Ye’s eyes. The Liu Clan had quite a huge amount of power in Southpeace City. In the past, the Liu Clan’s Patriarch intended to take his mother as a concubine, yet his mother would rather die than agree. Moreover, the Liu Clan didn’t dare to cause a life to be lost. After all, the laws in Grand Qin Empire were extremely strict, and even the Liu Clan would face trouble if they caused someone to lose their life.
However, the Liu Clan didn’t give up, and it constantly caused trouble for Yang Ye’s family in Southpeace City. They wanted to force his mother to willingly marry into the Liu Clan. However, even though their life was tough, his mother still didn’t compromise with the Liu Clan. This sort of situation had continued until he was taken as an Outer Court Disciple by an Outer Court Elder of the Sword Sect. After he became an Outer Court Disciple, the Liu Clan was slightly fearful because of this and didn’t dare go too far.
However, he’d never expected that the Liu Clan had actually set their sights on his younger sister now!
“Strength! Strength!! I must become an Outer Court Disciple.” Yang Ye clenched his fists tightly. He knew that if news of him being reduced to a Labor Disciple reached Southpeace City, then the Liu Clan would definitely act brazenly, and the situation his mother and younger sister were in would definitely become fairly dangerous.
When he thought up to here, Yang Ye put the letter away before he walked off the enormous rock, and he pulled out a tree branch at the bottom of the enormous rock. Beneath the branch was four black pieces of iron that seemed like bracelets.
Yang Ye wore these dark pieces of iron on his arms and ankles. After he wore the pieces of iron, Yang Ye immediately felt a feeling of heaviness. Fortunately, after experiencing this year of tempering himself, he’d already become accustomed to the weight of these pieces of iron.
After that, he walked over to a large tree. He stomped forcefully with both legs, causing his figure to soar up before his hands grabbed firmly onto a branch, and then he relied on the strength of his arms to pull himself up and down. As he moved up and down, his figure took a strange posture. This sort of posture caused the muscles in his entire body to be exercised at once.
This was the Body Refinement Technique that he’d obtained upon becoming an Outer Court Disciple that day, and it wasn’t anything good. Every single Outer Court Disciple had one. The effect of this cultivation technique was the strengthening of the body, and when the tendons and bones within the body were trained to a certain level, a trace of Profound Energy would be absorbed. With this Profound Energy, one would be a true Profounder.
At that time, he’d utilized this Body Refinement Technique and cultivated for half a year, yet he wasn’t able to form a single trace of Profound Energy, and it was exactly because of this that he was reduced to a Labor Disciple that had the lowest status in the Sword Sect.
In the history of the Sword Sect, an Outer Court Disciple being reduced to a Labor Disciple was unprecedented. So, he’d even obtained an extremely resounding nickname — the number one piece of trash in history! It wasn’t just that, he’d even become the negative example the Outer Court Elders of the Sword Sect used to teach the Outer Court Disciples with.
Once any Outer Court Disciple was being lazy or not taking things seriously, the Outer Court Elders would say. “Do you want to be the second Yang Ye?”
Under normal circumstances, such a person would leave the Sword Sect and return to the mortal world. However, Yang Ye didn’t. Not only did he not return to the mortal world, but he’d even willingly become a Labor Disciple!
All of this was because he didn’t want to disappoint his mother and younger sister! He was his mother and younger sister’s hope. No one dared to bully his mother and younger sister because he’d become an Outer Court Disciple of the Sword Sect, and it was because he’d become an Outer Court Disciple that his mother and younger sister were finally able to live a slightly happier life!
If he returned, then all of this would be changed!
Huff~ Huff~
After a short moment, extremely dense sounds of someone gasping for breath suddenly resounded amidst the silent atmosphere of Cool Breeze Gorge. Sweat dripped into his eyes, and the irritation from this caused Yang Ye to shut his eyes tightly, and he allowed the sweat on his forehead to rain down towards his face.
At this moment, Yang Ye felt numbness and exhaustion throughout his body. Especially his arms, they even felt like lead and were extremely heavy. A normal person would choose to rest at this moment, yet he didn’t. He gritted his teeth and grabbed the branch tightly before rising up and down without end.
After a long time, Yang Ye’s face had flushed red while sweat rained down from his forehead. The green colored clothes of a Labor Disciple he wore were already drenched with sweat, and the feeling of reaching his limit caused him to feel dizzy. In the end, his grip loosened, and his entire body fell heavily to the ground.
Huff~ Huff~
As he lay on the ground, Yang Ye gasped for breath. At this moment, he didn’t even have the strength to move a finger.
A wisp of light arose from the horizon, and the scene in the distance gradually became clearer. A cool breeze blew by, and Yang Ye took a deep breath greedily. Suddenly, Yang Ye’s figure sat up abruptly while his eyes opened wide, and his face was covered in disbelief!
He’d actually sensed Profound Energy!
Yes, he’d sensed Profound Energy! That trace of Profound Energy flowed intermittently along the meridians in his body and flowed gradually into his Dantian. Even though this trace of energy still didn’t flow continuously and was weak, he’d really sensed it.
Hmm? What’s going on? Yang Ye felt that the trace of Profound Energy had suddenly vanished after it entered his Dantian. Yes, it had directly vanished as if it had never existed!
Yang Ye’s brows knit together tightly as he searched for that trace of Profound Energy in his body. After a short moment, Yang Ye’s eyes opened wide while his face was covered in shock.
I, I, I actually, actually have two Dantians…. Yang Ye gulped with an expression of disbelief. He’d found that trace of Profound Energy, or precisely speaking, it wasn’t a trace but a strand. There was a tiny vortex in the deepest depths of his Dantian, and that tiny vortex was filled with Profound Energy!
Now, Yang Ye understood why he wasn’t able to absorb Profound Energy in the past. It wasn’t that he wasn’t able to absorb it, but it had been immediately absorbed by the tiny vortex as soon as he absorbed it into his body. On the other hand, the reason he hadn’t noticed that tiny vortex was because that tiny vortex was hidden extremely deep within his Dantian. If he didn’t follow that trace of Profound Energy from before and searched, he would have probably been forever unable to notice that tiny vortex!
The only reason he was able to sense Profound Energy now was that tiny vortex was full. Yes, that tiny vortex was filled with Profound Energy, so this trace of Profound Energy had been pushed into his normal Dantian. However, for some unknown reason, that tiny vortex forcefully absorbed that trace of Profound Energy right after that, and it didn’t even leave a trace behind in his normal Dantian.
According to his knowledge, ordinary people possessed a single Dantian, and he didn’t know if others had two Dantians like him. However, he knew a single thing, he wasn’t a piece of trash, and he could cultivate!
When he thought up to here, a wisp of a faint smile appeared on the corners of Yang Ye’s mouth. After a short moment, this arc gradually grew, and then light laughter left his throat. After another short while, this light laughter had finally transformed into utterly roaring and wild laughter.
“I, Yang Ye, can become a Profounder. I, Yang Ye, can become a Profounder. Haha!!” At this moment, Yang Ye laughed to the point of crying, and he cried like a child. For countless days and nights, even though he hadn’t given up, an invisible mountain had always been pressing down on his shoulders. He wasn’t afraid of the ridicule of others and being called a piece of trash, nor was he afraid of being looked down upon by others.
However, he was afraid that the hopes of his mother and younger sister would be destroyed!
He was afraid that his mother and younger sister would be humiliated by their neighbors like they had in the past!
He was afraid his mother and younger sister would have to go through days of hunger like they had in the past!
He was truly afraid, extremely afraid….
Yet now, he had the ability to stop all of this from happening. So long as he cultivated the Body Refinement Technique to the highest level and attained the sixth rank of the Mortal Realm, then he would be able to become an Outer Court Disciple. So long as he became an Outer Court Disciple, he would have cultivation resources, cultivation techniques, and sword skills. At that time, he would have the opportunity to become an Inner Court Disciple.
So long as he was able to become an Inner Court Disciple, then even the Governor of Southpeace City would have to treat him with respect!
Warn sunlight passed through the forest and illuminated Yang Ye’s face that was still covered in sweat, and it cast a red glow on Yang Ye’s face.
“Why did I never notice in the past that the scenery in the surroundings was so beautiful?” Yang Ye smiled and suppressed the excitement in his heart before wiping the sweat on his face, and then he removed the pieces of iron on his body and placed them back at the bottom of the enormous rock. After that, he walked over to pick up the broom before swiftly running towards the entrance of the gorge.
He still remembered that his assignment today was to sweep the Sword Sect’s training grounds!