Fallen genius? No, it's furnace residue!

It was the height of summer, and the scorching sun beat down on Qingyang Town, located in the southeastern corner of the Xuanhuang Continent.

The town wasn't large, nestled by mountains and water, with a generally simple folk. But in the eastern part of town, the most expansive and grandest mansion complex – the Lin Family Estate – was currently filled with an atmosphere as stifling as the weather.

Deep within the estate, in a corner near the back mountains, stood a small courtyard that appeared particularly dilapidated and deserted. The courtyard walls were mottled, and weeds grew in abundance, making it starkly out of place with the exquisite tidiness of the other areas of the Lin Family Estate.

At this moment, beneath an old locust tree in the courtyard, a slender youth with a slightly pale complexion sat cross-legged. He looked about fifteen or sixteen years old, dressed in a faded, coarse linen tunic. Though his features were refined, his tightly furrowed brow and the undeniable gloom deep within his eyes gave him an air of melancholy that belied his age.

His name was Lin Chen.

Lin Chen's eyes were tightly shut, his hands forming a strange and ancient seal. His chest rose and fell gently with his breathing. However, unlike the usual scene of cultivators drawing upon the spiritual energy of heaven and earth, with currents of energy surging around them, the air around him was as still as a stagnant pond. Not even a gentle breeze stirred.

Time ticked by. Fine beads of sweat gradually appeared on the youth's forehead, his face growing paler, and his body began to tremble slightly.

"Huuu..."

Finally, Lin Chen let out a long breath of stale air and slowly opened his eyes. Those eyes, which should have been clear and bright, were now filled only with an overwhelming disappointment and bitterness.

"Still no..." he murmured, his voice carrying a barely perceptible tremor. "It's been a full three years. No matter how hard I try, these damned meridians remain as stubborn as rocks, blocked and impassable. I can't even draw in a wisp of spiritual energy from heaven and earth..."

On the Xuanhuang Continent, the martial path reigned supreme. To be born human but unable to cultivate meant being destined to be an ant, a blade of grass, trampled underfoot by anyone.

And Lin Chen, unfortunately, was precisely such a "chosen" failure.

He wasn't born this way. In fact, before awakening his martial meridian at the age of twelve, Lin Chen had been the genius that the entire Qingyang Town, and even the Lin Family, had placed their hopes on! At that time, he was exceptionally intelligent, his sensitivity to the spiritual energy of heaven and earth far surpassing that of his peers. Even the Lin Family Patriarch had predicted that Lin Chen would surely achieve greatness in the future and lead the Lin Family to glory.

However, fate seemed to have played a colossal joke on him.

During the family's awakening ceremony three years ago, while other youths of the same age were sensing the spiritual energy of heaven and earth, igniting their martial meridians, and embarking on the path of cultivation, an anomaly occurred within Lin Chen. An unknown force rampaged through his body, ultimately blocking and solidifying all his meridians, forming what was known as a "crippled meridian" – something unheard of!

From that moment on, the halo of genius shattered abruptly, replaced by endless mockery, disdain, and neglect.

Elders who were once amiable and approachable became cold and distant; companions who once called him brother became schadenfreude; even some servants who had once bowed to him now looked at him with contempt.

The fall of a "genius" into becoming a "waste"—such a drastic drop from the clouds into the mud was enough to destroy anyone with a weak will.

But Lin Chen did not break.

For three years, he endured pressure and humiliation unimaginable to others, yet he never gave up. He scoured every accessible text in the Lin Family's library, tried countless folk remedies for unblocking meridians, and sat in cultivation day after day, year after year. Even knowing it was futile, he never stopped.

He firmly believed that where there was a will, there was a way! One day, he would break free from these damned shackles and return to the path of cultivation!

However, reality was cruel. After three years of arduous training, his meridians remained as they were, showing no signs of loosening. On the contrary, due to forcefully impacting his meridians, his body had accumulated many hidden injuries, and his vital energy had gradually depleted, making him appear thinner than his peers.

"Seven more days..." Lin Chen clenched his fist, his knuckles turning white from the force. "In seven days, it will be the Lin Family's annual family test."

The family test was not only a measure of the younger generation's cultivation progress but also a crucial moment that determined their future status and resource allocation. According to Lin Family rules, disciples who reached sixteen years of age without reaching the Body Tempering Realm Triple Layer would be deemed "useless individuals." At best, they would be assigned to menial labor in the family's peripheral industries; at worst, they would be directly expelled from the family to fend for themselves.

Lin Chen was currently fifteen years and eleven months old, just one step away from the threshold of sixteen. And his cultivation... was still zero!

The Body Tempering Realm was the first major stage of martial cultivation, divided into nine layers. Its purpose was to temper the physical body, strengthen muscles and bones, and lay the foundation for absorbing the spiritual energy of heaven and earth in later stages. For youths with ordinary aptitude, as long as they cultivated diligently, reaching the Body Tempering Realm Triple Layer within three to five years was not difficult.

But Lin Chen couldn't even achieve the first step, "drawing qi into the body," let alone tempering his body?

Expelled from the family!

These four words pressed down on Lin Chen's heart like a heavy mountain, making it almost impossible for him to breathe.

He took a deep breath, forcing himself to calm down. He couldn't give up, he absolutely couldn't give up! As long as there was a glimmer of hope, he would fight to the very end!

Just then, a burst of arrogant laughter and undisguised mockery echoed from outside the courtyard gate.

"Yo, isn't this our Lin Family's 'great genius,' Lin Chen? Still dreaming of cultivating again?"

"Hahaha, Lin Chen, I say you should save your strength! Your 'slag meridians' can't be saved even by the gods! Just obediently wait for seven days, get kicked out of the Lin Family, and go sweep the streets!"

"Sweep the streets? That's giving him too much credit! I think going to the back mountains to clean the dung for our Crimson Flame Pigs would be a more suitable place for him!"

Amidst the piercing laughter, three youths in fine clothes swaggered into the dilapidated courtyard.

The one leading them was tall and sturdy, with an arrogant expression. He was the grandson of the Lin Family's Great Elder, Lin Bao. The two behind him were his followers, Lin Hu and Lin Lang, both disciples with considerable status and strength from the Lin Family's collateral branches.

These three, relying on their powerful backing, were usually overbearing among the younger generation of the Lin Family and had often bullied and mocked Lin Chen. Especially after Lin Chen's "fall," they had become even more aggressive, as if taking pleasure in trampling on the former genius.

Lin Chen slowly stood up. His thin frame appeared somewhat frail compared to the three robust youths, but the coldness in his eyes made Lin Bao and the others pause slightly.

"What business of yours is it?" Lin Chen's voice was calm, betraying no emotion. Three years of suppression had long taught him to hide his feelings.

"Oh? Still talking tough?" Lin Bao sneered and took a step forward, looking down at Lin Chen. "Lin Chen, don't push your luck! You're a waste now, useless slag! Everyone in the Lin Family knows you're worse than a dog!"

The term "slag" was a derogatory nickname Lin Bao and his group had given Lin Chen. It implied that Lin Chen's meridians were like the useless dregs left after a failed alchemy, not only worthless but also filthy.

Every time he heard this word, Lin Chen's heart felt as if it had been pierced by a needle. But his expression remained unchanged, and he simply looked coldly at Lin Bao. "Are you done? If you're done, get lost."

"You're asking for death!" Lin Bao roared in anger. What he hated most was Lin Chen's pretense of aloofness despite being as pathetic as a dog.

"Brother Bao, why waste words with this trash! Let's just teach him a lesson!" Lin Hu egged him on, rubbing his hands together.

"Exactly! Let him know who's in charge in the Lin Family now!" Lin Lang echoed with a sinister grin.

A cruel glint flashed in Lin Bao's eyes. He raised his hand and reached for Lin Chen's shoulder, cursing, "Useless trash, I'll teach you a lesson today!"

Lin Bao was already at the Body Tempering Realm Fourth Layer, his strength far beyond that of ordinary people. If this grab landed, Lin Chen's thin body would likely have its bones crushed.

Facing this sudden attack, Lin Chen's pupils contracted sharply!

Although he couldn't cultivate, he had never stopped exercising his body for the past three years. Chopping wood, carrying water, and tempering his muscles and bones daily had made his reaction speed and strength stronger than they appeared.

Just as Lin Bao's hand was about to touch his shoulder, Lin Chen suddenly dodged to the side, his right foot striking out like a venomous snake, accurately and swiftly kicking towards the shinbone of Lin Bao's leg!

This kick was fast and vicious, catching everyone completely off guard!

"Crack!"

A crisp sound!

"Aooo!!"

Lin Bao let out a piercing scream, clutching his calf as he leaped up, his face instantly contorted in pain and disbelief!

He never imagined that this trash, whom he considered an ant, would dare to fight back? And to strike with such ruthlessness, nearly shattering his leg bone!

Lin Hu and Lin Lang were also stunned, clearly not expecting this outcome.

"You... you dare to hit me?" Lin Bao gritted his teeth in pain, pointing at Lin Chen, a mixture of shock and anger on his face.

Lin Chen retracted his foot and looked at him coldly, "You made the first move. I was merely defending myself."

His voice remained calm, but in his dark, obsidian eyes, it seemed as if cold flames were flickering.

Even a cornered rabbit will bite! Three years of enduring this didn't mean he had no temper!

"Insubordinate! Utterly insubordinate! A piece of trash dares to lay a hand on Brother Bao!"

"Let's go together! Take him down!"

Lin Hu and Lin Lang reacted, roaring as they lunged at Lin Chen from both sides.

Lin Hu practiced the Fierce Tiger Fist, his punches whistling through the air, carrying a brute force. Lin Lang, on the other hand, was skilled in Capture Hand, his fingers like hooks, aiming for Lin Chen's vital joints.

Both were at the Body Tempering Realm Triple Layer, and their combined assault was fearsome.

Lin Chen's eyes narrowed, and instead of retreating, he advanced!

He knew that without the ability to cultivate, he had no spiritual energy to bolster him. Facing two martial artists at the Body Tempering Realm Triple Layer, a direct confrontation was suicide. His only reliance was the physical instincts honed over three years and his precise grasp of the human body's weak points!

His figure flickered like a phantom, narrowly dodging Lin Hu's powerful punch. Simultaneously, he slammed his elbow backward, striking Lin Lang squarely in the chest!

"Bang!"

A dull thud echoed as Lin Lang felt a suffocating blow, as if hit by a sledgehammer. He stumbled back several steps, his face instantly paling.

Lin Chen's move, though seemingly casual, had precisely struck near the Zhongwan acupoint on Lin Lang's chest, the force skillfully applied to disrupt his breathing, making it difficult for him to fight for a short while.

At the same time, using the recoil from his elbow strike, Lin Chen spun like a top, his right leg whipping out like a lash, smashing into Lin Hu's lower body as he struggled to regain his footing!

Lin Hu saw a blur before his eyes, felt a tightening in his lower body, and a sharp pain. He immediately lost his balance and fell face-first into the dirt with a "thump!"

In the blink of an eye, Lin Chen, on his own, had instantly taken down both Lin Hu and Lin Lang!

This display left not only Lin Bao, who was still screaming and clutching his leg, but also the Lin Family disciples and servants who had been drawn by the commotion from afar, utterly dumbfounded!

Was this... was this still the same Lin Chen, the trash who couldn't even induce qi?

When did he become so capable of fighting?

"Trash! You dare..." Lin Bao was both shocked and furious, but looking at his two fallen subordinates and Lin Chen's icy gaze, he hesitated to advance.

Lin Chen ignored him, his cold gaze sweeping over the surrounding onlookers. Their eyes were filled with shock, confusion, and even a hint of... fear?

He sneered inwardly. This was reality! When you are weak, everyone will step on you; when you show your fangs, they will feel fear!

"Scram!" Lin Chen uttered the word. His voice wasn't loud, but it carried an undeniable chill.

Lin Bao's face flickered between green and white. Finally, he gritted his teeth, helped up the groaning Lin Hu and Lin Lang, and fled the small courtyard in disgrace.

"Lin Chen! Just you wait! This isn't over! At the family test seven days from now, I'll make sure you look good!" Lin Bao's unwilling roar echoed from a distance.

Lin Chen remained unfazed, standing still until the three figures completely disappeared from his sight.

The surrounding crowd also gradually dispersed, their low murmurs about the recent events drifting on the wind.

"Tsk tsk, this Lin Chen is truly strange. He's clearly got blocked meridians, so how can he fight so fiercely?" "Who knows? Maybe he's just been holding it all in for three years? A trapped beast fighting back." "Hmph, so what if he can fight? If he can't cultivate, he's still trash! Won't he be kicked out of the Lin Family in seven days?" "Exactly. He offended Brother Bao and the others. He'll have a hard time from now on!"

The murmurs drifted to Lin Chen, but he seemed not to hear them. He slowly walked to the courtyard wall, looking at the few tenacious weeds growing in the corner, his expression complex.

The fight just now, though seemingly effortless, had been extremely perilous. His victory was entirely due to the element of surprise and his precise strikes at the human body's weak points. If the opponents had been prepared, or if a master at the Body Tempering Realm Fifth Layer or above had appeared, he would have had no chance to fight back.

Ultimately, without cultivation, everything was just talk!

Strength! He needed strength!

But where lay the path?

Was he really going to be driven out of the Lin Family like a stray dog in seven days, just as those people said?

No! Never!

Lin Chen clenched his fists fiercely, a flame of defiance reigniting in his eyes.

He returned to the old locust tree and sat down cross-legged again.

He refused to believe in fate!

Even if his meridians were blocked like stubborn rocks, he would use his flesh and blood to batter and grind against them! Even if there was only a sliver of a chance, he would fight for it!

He closed his eyes again, attempting to circulate the "Basic Qi Induction Art," which was already etched into his memory but had never succeeded.

However, just as he concentrated his spirit and qi, preparing to once again assault his meridians, which were like an impenetrable fortress, a sudden change occurred!

A seemingly unremarkable black iron piece, kept close to his chest, suddenly emitted a faint warmth without any warning!

This iron piece, about the size of a palm, was entirely black, neither gold nor iron, and its material was unknown. Its surface was covered in ancient and obscure patterns, looking like part of some broken artifact. It was the only memento his mother had left him.

For three years, this iron piece had lain quietly in his embrace, never showing any abnormality. Lin Chen had also studied it carefully, but could never figure out anything, only treating it as a common souvenir.

But just now, at the moment his spirit was stirred and his unyielding will reached its peak, this iron piece, silent for many years, had actually… heated up?

Lin Chen's heart stirred, and he subconsciously sent a faint trace of spiritual power into the iron piece.

Hummm—!

It was as if a switch, sealed for billions of years, had been triggered!

A vast, ancient, and profound torrent of information, like a river breaking its banks, surged into Lin Chen's mind!

"When chaos first opened, and primordial chaos was not yet divided, I used my body as a furnace to refine all daos…" "Heaven and earth as bronze, all things as charcoal, yin and yang as fire, creation as the craftsman…" "Melt!"

A supremely domineering ancient syllable, as if from the primordial universe, exploded in the depths of Lin Chen's soul!

At the same time, his meridians, as solid as rock and blocked for a full three years, under the impact of this mysterious power, actually began to make "crackling" sounds!

As if ice was shattering!

As if dams were collapsing!

An indescribable pain instantly spread throughout his body, but it was accompanied by an unprecedented sense of comfort!

Blocked! It was being melted!

Lin Chen was both shocked and delighted, hardly daring to believe his own senses!

The mysterious black iron piece was now suspended above his dantian's sea of qi, emitting a faint black glow. It seemed to have transformed into a bottomless black hole, a furnace capable of refining all things in the world… a furnace!

Threads of spiritual energy from heaven and earth, no longer repelled by his blocked meridians, now surged madly towards the suspended black iron piece like a hundred rivers returning to the sea!

After entering the iron piece, the spiritual energy was as if thrown into a high-temperature furnace, instantly decomposed, purified, and compressed, transforming into streams of incomparably pure energy with a trace of a strange fiery aura, and then… slowly injected into Lin Chen's long-dry meridians!

Nourishing! Repairing! Unblocking!

The meridians, originally like a dried riverbed, were regaining their vitality at a speed visible to the naked eye under the nourishment of this pure energy! Those blocked "stubborn stones" were as fragile as tofu in front of this strange energy, being easily melted and absorbed!

The "crippled meridians" problem that had plagued him for three whole years was actually solved in this moment, in such an incredible way!

"This… this is…" Lin Chen trembled all over with excitement, tears welling up in his eyes.

He could clearly feel his meridians being reshaped, becoming even tougher and wider than before! The spiritual energy of heaven and earth flowed unimpeded through his meridians, eventually converging in his dantian, forming a tiny vortex.

Qi Induction into the Body!

Body Tempering Realm Triple Layer!

He did it! He had finally embarked on the path of cultivation!

And this was just the beginning!

The mysterious black iron piece, the "Myriad Dao Furnace," continued to absorb the spiritual energy of heaven and earth from the outside, refining it into the purest energy to madly boost Lin Chen's cultivation!

Body Tempering Realm Triple Layer Mid Stage… Body Tempering Realm Triple Layer Late Stage… Body Tempering Realm Triple Layer Peak!

Boom!

As if breaking through some invisible barrier, the vortex within Lin Chen's body suddenly expanded by a circle, its circulation speed increasing, and its power becoming more condensed!

Body Tempering Realm Double Layer!

In less than the time it takes for an incense stick to burn, Lin Chen's cultivation had directly soared from zero to the Body Tempering Realm Double Layer!

Moreover, this rate of improvement showed no signs of slowing down!

"Too… too incredible!" Lin Chen felt the surging power within his body and the profound sensation brought by the mysterious furnace, his heart churning like a stormy sea!

What was the origin of this mysterious "Myriad Dao Furnace"?

Not only did it repair and reshape his meridians, but it could also actively absorb the spiritual energy of heaven and earth, refining it into the purest energy for him to cultivate! This cultivation speed was simply astonishing!

What shocked him even more was that he could feel that the furnace's abilities seemed to extend far beyond this!

"Refining all daos…" Lin Chen murmured to himself, the ancient and vast information echoing in his mind, "Could it be… it can refine not only the spiritual energy of heaven and earth, but also other things?"

For example… cultivation techniques? Pills? Magical treasures? Or even… bloodlines? Enemies?

A wild thought grew in Lin Chen's mind, causing his heart to beat uncontrollably!

If that were the case, then this "Myriad Dao Furnace" would be utterly heaven-defying!

"Hoo…" Lin Chen forcefully suppressed the excitement and shock in his heart and slowly concluded his practice.

At this moment, his cultivation had stabilized at the Body Tempering Realm Double Layer Early Stage. The furnace's speed of absorbing spiritual energy also gradually slowed down, as if reaching some kind of saturation, or rather, his current body's tolerance had reached its limit.

But this was already astonishing enough!

Three years of being a waste, reversed in one fell swoop!

Lin Chen stood up, feeling the abundant power within his body and the unimpeded comfort of his clear meridians. He felt lighter and more confident than ever before!

He clenched his fist, his knuckles cracking. He could feel that his current strength was more than ten times stronger than before! If he were to face Lin Bao and the other two again, he was confident he could crush them all with ease!

"Lin Bao…" A cold arc curved on Lin Chen's lips, "The family test in seven days? Very good, I'll be waiting! At that time, I will let everyone know who the real trash is! Who, is that useless dross!"

His gaze swept across the dilapidated small courtyard, a flicker of determination flashing in his eyes.

This place had once been a testament to his humiliation and despair.

But from today onward, this place would be the starting point of his powerful rise!

Myriad Dao Furnace, smelt all heavens!

The legend belonging to him, Lin Chen, had only just begun!

He lowered his head, looking at his still plain clothes, feeling the surging power within his body, and took a deep breath.

The immediate priority was to quickly get familiar with this surging power, and also to try and see if the "Myriad Dao Furnace" truly possessed any other heaven-defying functions!

His gaze fell upon the mountain of… discarded medicinal dregs piled up in the corner of the courtyard.

Those were useless items eliminated from the Lin Family's alchemy room.

Perhaps, he could start with them?