It was midsummer, the blazing sun like fire as it scorched Qingyang Town on the southeastern frontier of the Xuanhuang Continent.
The town was not large, nestled against mountains and beside water, and its people were fairly simple and honest. Yet in the east of town, within the Lin Family compound—the largest and most imposing cluster of residences—the atmosphere was as oppressive as the weather itself, heavy enough to suffocate.
Deep within the compound, in a corner near the back mountain, stood a particularly dilapidated and desolate little courtyard. Its walls were mottled, weeds ran rampant, and it stood starkly out of place amid the refinement and tidiness of the rest of the Lin Family grounds.
At that moment, beneath an old locust tree in the courtyard, a thin youth with a slightly pale face sat cross-legged. He was around fifteen or sixteen, dressed in a coarse short robe washed nearly white. Though his features were handsome, his tightly furrowed brows and the irrepressible gloom in his eyes gave him a melancholy far beyond his years.
His name was Lin Chen.
Lin Chen's eyes were shut tight, his hands forming an unusual, ancient seal as his chest rose and fell faintly with each breath. Yet unlike ordinary martial artists, who stirred Spiritual Qi and set the air around them flowing when they cultivated, the air around him was as still as a dead pond. Not even the faintest breeze had stirred.
Second by second, fine beads of sweat gradually seeped from the youth's forehead. His face grew paler and paler, and even his body began to tremble faintly.
"Whew..."
At last, Lin Chen let out a long breath of foul air and slowly opened his eyes. Those eyes, which ought to have been clear and bright, now held only disappointment and bitterness too deep to dissolve.
"Still no good..." he murmured softly, his voice carrying an almost imperceptible tremble. "It has been three whole years. No matter how hard I try, these damned meridians remain blocked like stubborn stones. I cannot even draw in a single thread of Spiritual Qi..."
On the Xuanhuang Continent, martial arts reigned supreme. If one was born human yet could not cultivate, one was destined to be an ant, a blade of grass, trampled beneath the feet of others.
And Lin Chen happened to be one such "heaven-chosen" piece of trash.
He had not been born this way. In fact, before awakening his martial veins at the age of twelve, Lin Chen had been a genius in whom all of Qingyang Town and even the Lin Family had placed great hopes! Back then, he had been exceptionally intelligent, and his sensitivity toward Spiritual Qi had far surpassed that of his peers. Even the Lin Family Patriarch had declared that Lin Chen would surely achieve great things in the future and lead the Lin Family toward glory.
Yet fate seemed to have played an enormous joke on him.
At the family awakening ceremony three years ago, while other boys and girls his age sensed Spiritual Qi one after another, lit their martial veins, and embarked upon the path of cultivation, a strange change occurred within Lin Chen's body. An inexplicable force rampaged through him before completely blocking and solidifying every meridian in his body, forming an unheard-of set of "waste veins"!
From that moment onward, the halo of genius shattered abruptly, replaced by endless mockery, contempt, and neglect.
The elders who had once been kind and approachable became cold and distant; the companions who had once called him brother became gleeful at his misfortune; even servants who had once treated him with utmost respect now looked at him with undisguised scorn.
When a "genius" fell and became "trash," that tremendous drop from the clouds into the mud was enough to destroy anyone whose will was not firm.
But Lin Chen had not broken.
For three years, he had endured pressures and humiliations beyond what others could imagine, yet he had never given up. He scoured every text he could access in the Lin Family library, tried countless folk remedies to clear his meridians, and sat cultivating day after day, year after year. Even knowing it was futile, he had never stopped.
He firmly believed that Heaven never barred every road to a man! One day, he would break these damned shackles and return to the path of cultivation!
But reality was cruel. After three years of bitter cultivation, his meridians remained unchanged, without the slightest sign of loosening. Worse still, his repeated forced attempts to break through them had left many hidden injuries in his body. His blood and vitality had gradually weakened, making him look even frailer than others his age.
"Seven days left..." Lin Chen clenched his fists, his knuckles whitening from the force. "In seven days, it will be the Lin Family's annual Family Test."
The Family Test was not merely an examination of the younger generation's cultivation results. It was also the critical moment that determined their future status and allocation of resources. According to Lin Family rules, any disciple who had reached sixteen without attaining the Body Tempering Realm Triple Layer would be regarded as "useless." At best, they would be assigned to hard labor in the family's fringe businesses; at worst, they would be cast out of the household and left to fend for themselves.
Lin Chen was already fifteen years and eleven months old, only one step from the threshold of sixteen. As for his cultivation... it was still zero!
The Body Tempering Realm was the first major realm of martial cultivation, divided into nine layers. Its purpose was to temper the flesh and forge the bones, laying the foundation for later absorbing Spiritual Qi. For youths of ordinary aptitude, reaching the Body Tempering Realm Triple Layer within three to five years was no difficult task as long as they cultivated step by step.
But Lin Chen could not even accomplish the first step, "drawing qi into the body," much less temper his body.
Cast out of the household!
Those four words were like a towering mountain pressing down upon Lin Chen's heart, leaving him almost unable to breathe.
He drew a deep breath and forced himself to calm down. He could not give up, absolutely could not give up! As long as there was even a shred of hope, he had to fight to the end!
Just then, a burst of arrogant laughter came from outside the courtyard gate, followed by openly mocking words.
"Well, well, 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! With those slag veins of yours, not even an immortal could save you! Just wait obediently to be kicked out of the Lin Family in seven days and go sweep the streets!"
"Sweep the streets? That gives him far too much credit! I think cleaning up the dung of the Crimson Flame Pigs we raise in the back mountain would be a fine place for him!"
Amid the piercing laughter, three youths in brocade strode brazenly into the ruined little courtyard.
The leader was tall and burly, his face full of arrogance. He was Lin Bao, the grandson of the Lin Family's Great Elder. The two behind him were his lackeys, Lin Hu and Lin Lang, both disciples of the Lin Family's collateral branches with considerable strength and standing.
With influential backers behind them, these three usually ran rampant among the Lin Family's younger generation. They had often bullied and mocked Lin Chen. Especially after Lin Chen's "fall," they had grown even worse, seeming to take pleasure in trampling the former genius beneath their feet.
Lin Chen slowly rose to his feet. His lean frame looked somewhat thin before the three sturdy youths, but the chill in his eyes made Lin Bao and the others pause slightly.
"What does my business have to do with you?" Lin Chen's voice was calm, betraying neither joy nor anger. Three years of suppression had long taught him how to conceal his emotions.
"Oh? Still talking tough?" Lin Bao sneered, stepping forward and looking down at Lin Chen. "Lin Chen, don't refuse a toast only to drink a forfeit! You're trash now, useless slag! Who in the entire Lin Family doesn't know you're not even worth as much as a dog?"
"Slag" was the insulting nickname Lin Bao and the others had given Lin Chen. It meant that his meridians were like the worthless residue left after a failed pill refinement—not only valueless, but filthy as well.
Every time he heard that word, Lin Chen felt as if his heart had been viciously pierced by a needle. Yet his expression remained unchanged as he merely looked coldly at Lin Bao. "Are you done? If you are, get lost."
"You're courting death!" Lin Bao flew into a rage. What he hated most was Lin Chen's air of pride, even after falling as low as a dog.
"Brother Leopard, why waste words on this trash? Just make a move and teach him a lesson!" Lin Hu fanned the flames from the side, cracking his knuckles.
"That's right! Let him learn who calls the shots in the Lin Family now!" Lin Lang echoed with a vicious grin.
A savage glint flashed through Lin Bao's eyes. He raised a hand and grabbed toward Lin Chen's shoulder, cursing, "You worthless piece of trash, today I'll make sure you remember this lesson!"
Lin Bao had already reached the Body Tempering Realm Fourth Layer. His strength was far beyond that of an ordinary person. If that grab landed, Lin Chen's frail body might have its bones crushed.
Faced with the sudden attack, Lin Chen's pupils contracted sharply!
Though he could not cultivate, he had never stopped training his body over the past three years. Every day, he chopped wood, carried water, and tempered his muscles and bones. His reaction speed and strength far exceeded what his appearance suggested.
At the very instant Lin Bao's claw was about to touch his shoulder, Lin Chen abruptly twisted aside. His right foot shot out like a venomous snake leaving its hole, kicking swiftly and precisely at Lin Bao's shin!
That kick was fast and vicious, catching everyone completely off guard!
Crack!
A sharp sound rang out!
"Aaargh!!"
Lin Bao let out a miserable shriek, immediately hopping up while clutching his lower leg. His face was instantly twisted with pain and disbelief!
He had never imagined that this piece of trash, whom he regarded as an ant, would dare fight back! And that he would strike so ruthlessly, nearly breaking his leg bone!
Lin Hu and Lin Lang were also stunned, clearly not expecting this outcome.
"You... you dare hit me?" Lin Bao bared his teeth in pain, pointing at Lin Chen in shock and fury.
Lin Chen withdrew his foot and looked at him coldly. "You attacked first. I was only defending myself."
His voice remained calm, but cold flames seemed to dance in those pitch-black eyes.
Even a rabbit bites when driven to desperation! Three years of endurance did not mean he had no temper!
"This is outrageous! A piece of trash dares lay a hand on Brother Leopard!"
"Get him together! Cripple him!"
Lin Hu and Lin Lang snapped out of it and charged at Lin Chen from opposite sides with furious roars.
Lin Hu practiced the Fierce Tiger Fist. His fist sliced through the air with a domineering force. Lin Lang excelled at grappling techniques, his five fingers hooked like claws as he reached for Lin Chen's joints and vital points.
Both had reached the Body Tempering Realm Triple Layer. Together, they cut an intimidating figure.
Lin Chen's eyes sharpened. Instead of retreating, he advanced!
He knew that he could not cultivate and had not a trace of spiritual power reinforcing his body. Against two Body Tempering Realm Triple Layer martial artists, he had no chance in a direct clash. His only reliance was the bodily instinct he had honed over three years and his precise understanding of the weak points of the human body!
His figure flickered like a ghost, narrowly evading Lin Hu's powerful punch. At the same time, his elbow slammed backward, striking Lin Lang squarely in the chest as he followed close behind!
Bang!
With a muffled impact, Lin Lang felt his chest seize up as though he had been struck by a heavy hammer. He staggered back several steps, his face turning pale at once.
Lin Chen's strike had appeared casual, yet it had landed precisely near the Shanzhong acupoint on Lin Lang's chest. The force was exquisitely controlled, instantly knocking the breath from him and leaving him unable to fight again for a short time.
At the same time, borrowing the rebound from his elbow strike, Lin Chen spun like a top. His right leg lashed out like a whip, sweeping viciously at the lower body of Lin Hu, who had only just regained his balance!
Lin Hu saw a blur before his eyes. His legs tightened, pain exploded through him, and he instantly lost his balance. With a thud, he fell flat on his face!
In the blink of an eye, Lin Chen had knocked down Lin Hu and Lin Lang by himself!
This left not only Lin Bao, who was clutching his leg and howling, stunned. Even several Lin Family disciples and servants drawn by the commotion from afar stared in dumbfounded shock!
This... was this still Lin Chen, the piece of trash who could not even draw in qi?
When had he become so good at fighting?
"Trash! You actually dare..." Lin Bao was shocked and furious, but seeing his two lackeys sprawled on the ground and Lin Chen's icy gaze, he did not dare step forward again.
Lin Chen ignored him. He merely swept his cold gaze over the surrounding onlookers who were pointing and whispering. Their eyes were filled with shock, confusion, and even a trace of... fear?
He sneered inwardly. This was reality! When you were weak, everyone could step on you; only when you bared your fangs would they feel afraid!
"Get lost!" Lin Chen spat out a single word. His voice was not loud, yet it carried an unquestionable chill.
Lin Bao's face shifted between green and white. In the end, he gritted his teeth, helped up the groaning Lin Hu and Lin Lang, and fled the little courtyard in disgrace.
"Lin Chen! Just you wait! This isn't over! At the Family Test in seven days, I'll make you pay!" Lin Bao's unwilling roar drifted back from afar.
Lin Chen paid him no heed. He simply stood quietly where he was until the three figures completely vanished from sight.
The crowd of spectators around him gradually dispersed as well, whispering about what had just occurred while they walked away.
"Tsk, tsk, this Lin Chen is truly strange. He clearly has waste veins, so how is he so vicious in a fight?" "Who knows? Maybe he's been holding it in for too long these past three years. A trapped beast still fights." "Hmph, so what if he can fight? If he can't cultivate, he'll always be trash! Won't he still be kicked out of the Lin Family in seven days?" "Exactly. And now that he's offended Brother Leopard and the others, he'll have plenty to suffer later!"
The murmurs drifted over on the wind, but Lin Chen seemed not to hear them. He slowly walked to the courtyard wall and looked at the few weeds stubbornly growing in the corner, his gaze complicated.
The clash just now had seemed easy, but it had actually been fraught with danger. He had won entirely through surprise and precise attacks on the human body's weak points. If his opponents had been prepared, or if an expert at the Body Tempering Realm Fifth Layer or above had come, he would have had no ability to fight back at all.
In the end, without cultivation, everything was empty talk!
Strength! He needed strength!
But where was the road forward?
Was he really going to be driven out of the Lin Family in seven days, like a homeless dog, just as those people said?
No! Absolutely not!
Lin Chen suddenly clenched his fists, and unyielding flames ignited anew in his eyes.
He returned beneath the old locust tree and sat cross-legged once more.
He did not believe in fate!
Even if his meridians were blocked like stubborn stones, he would use his flesh-and-blood body to crash against them, to grind against them! Even if there was only the slightest possibility, he would fight for it!
He closed his eyes again, attempting to circulate the Basic Qi Induction Art, which he knew by heart but had never successfully practiced.
However, just as he focused his mind and gathered his qi, preparing to strike once more against his meridians, which were like walls of bronze and iron, a sudden change occurred!
The inconspicuous black iron fragment he wore against his chest abruptly began to emit a faint warmth without any warning!
The fragment was about the size of a palm, entirely black, neither gold nor iron, and of unknown material. Its surface was covered in ancient, obscure patterns, making it seem like part of some broken artifact. It was the only keepsake his mother had left him.
For three years, the iron fragment had rested quietly against his chest without displaying any unusual behavior. Lin Chen had studied it carefully before, but he had never been able to make sense of it, and had regarded it as an ordinary memento.
But just now, at the instant his emotions surged and his unyielding will reached its peak, this iron fragment that had lain dormant for years had actually... grown hot?
Lin Chen's heart stirred. Instinctively, he sent a faint strand of Spiritual Power into the iron fragment.
Buzz—!
It was as though he had triggered some switch sealed away for hundreds of millions of years!
A vast, boundless torrent of ancient and desolate information burst into Lin Chen's mind like a river and sea breaking through a dam!
"When chaos first opened and primordial mist had yet to divide, I made my body a furnace and refined ten thousand Daos..." "Heaven and earth are copper, all things are charcoal, yin and yang are fire, creation is the craftsman..." "Refine!"
An ancient syllable, incomparably domineering and seeming to originate from the primordial wilderness of the cosmos, exploded within the depths of Lin Chen's soul!
At the same time, his meridians, hard as rock and blocked for three full years, actually began to emit a series of cracking sounds beneath the impact of this mysterious power!
As though a sheet of ice were shattering!
As though a dam were collapsing!
An indescribable agony instantly spread through his entire body, yet it was accompanied by an unprecedented feeling of relief!
The blockages! They were melting away!
Lin Chen was shocked and overjoyed, almost unable to believe what he felt!
The mysterious black iron fragment was now floating above his Dantian Sea of Qi, radiating a dim black glow. It seemed to transform into a bottomless black hole, a furnace capable of refining everything beneath heaven and earth...
Thread after thread of Spiritual Qi was no longer rejected by his blocked meridians. Instead, like a hundred rivers returning to the sea, it surged madly toward the floating black iron fragment!
Once the qi entered the fragment, it was as if it had been cast into a blazing furnace. It was instantly broken down, purified, and compressed, becoming streams of incomparably pure energy carrying a trace of an unusual fiery aura. Then... they slowly flowed into Lin Chen's meridians, which had been dry for so long!
Nourishing! Repairing! Clearing through!
His meridians, once like a dried-up riverbed, recovered vitality at a visible speed beneath the nourishment of that pure energy! The "stubborn stones" blocking them were as fragile as tofu before this strange energy, easily melted and absorbed!
The problem of his "waste veins," which had tormented him for three entire years, had actually been solved as easily as a blade slicing through bamboo at this moment, through such an unbelievable method!
"This... this is..." Lin Chen trembled all over with excitement, tears glimmering in his eyes.
He could clearly feel his meridians being reshaped, becoming tougher and broader than before! Spiritual Qi flowed unimpeded through them before finally gathering in his dantian and forming a tiny vortex of qi.
Qi had entered his body!
Body Tempering Realm First Layer!
He had succeeded! He had finally stepped onto the path of cultivation!
And this was only the beginning!
The mysterious black iron fragment—the Myriad Dao Furnace—continued to absorb Spiritual Qi from the outside world without end, refining it into the purest energy and wildly raising Lin Chen's cultivation!
Body Tempering Realm First Layer Middle Stage... Body Tempering Realm First Layer Late Stage... Body Tempering Realm First Layer Peak!
Boom!
As though breaking through some invisible barrier, the vortex of qi within Lin Chen suddenly expanded by a full circle. It spun faster, and its power became more condensed!
Body Tempering Realm Double Layer!
In less than the time it took to burn an incense stick, Lin Chen's cultivation had soared directly from zero to the Body Tempering Realm Double Layer!
And the speed of that advancement showed no sign of slowing!
"This... this is unbelievable!" Feeling the surging power in his body and the mysterious, profound sensation brought by the furnace, Lin Chen felt monstrous waves rise in his heart!
What exactly was the origin of this mysterious Myriad Dao Furnace?
Not only had it repaired and reshaped his meridians, it could actively absorb Spiritual Qi and refine it into the purest energy for his cultivation! Such cultivation speed was simply unheard of and terrifying!
What shocked him even more was that he could sense the furnace's abilities seemed to go far beyond this!
"Refining ten thousand Daos..." Lin Chen murmured, the ancient and boundless information echoing in his mind. "Could it be... that it can not only refine Spiritual Qi, but other things as well?"
For example... cultivation arts? Pills? Magical treasures? Even... bloodlines? Enemies?
A wild thought took root within Lin Chen's heart, making his heart pound violently beyond his control!
If that were true, then this Myriad Dao Furnace was simply heaven-defying!
"Whew..." Lin Chen forcibly suppressed the excitement and shock in his heart, slowly ending his cultivation.
At that moment, his cultivation had stabilized at the Body Tempering Realm Double Layer Early Stage. The speed at which the furnace absorbed qi had gradually slowed, as though it had reached some kind of saturation—or rather, his current body had temporarily reached its limit of endurance.
But this was already astonishing enough!
Three years spent as trash had been reversed in a single day!
Lin Chen rose to his feet. Feeling the abundant strength within him and the ease of his freely flowing meridians, he felt lighter and more confident than ever before!
He clenched his fist, and his knuckles crackled. He could feel that his current strength was more than ten times what it had been before! If he faced Lin Bao and the other three again now, he was confident he could crush them all with ease!
"Lin Bao..." A cold curve formed at the corner of Lin Chen's lips. "The Family Test in seven days? Good. I'll be waiting! Then, I'll let everyone know who the real trash is! Who is the worthless slag!"
His gaze swept across the dilapidated little courtyard, a flicker of resolve flashing through his eyes.
This place had once borne witness to his humiliation and despair.
But from today onward, this place would be the starting point of his powerful rise!
Myriad Dao Furnace, refine the myriad heavens!
The legend of Lin Chen had only just begun!
He lowered his head and looked at his still plain clothes, feeling the surging power within him as he drew a deep breath.
His most urgent task was to familiarize himself with this explosively increased strength as soon as possible—and to see whether this "Myriad Dao Furnace" truly possessed other heaven-defying abilities!
His gaze fell upon the mountain-like pile of... discarded medicinal dregs in the corner of the courtyard.
Those were useless scraps eliminated from the Lin Family's alchemy room.
Perhaps he could start with them?
Before you continue