Qingyang Village lay east of the Far West Land, within the vast territory ruled by the True Martial Sacred Sect.
As the rising sun climbed and dawn barely broke, a large group of youths had already risen early in the square before Qingyang Village. Under the guidance of the village's strongest man, Coach Mo, they began their morning Body Tempering training.
Coach Mo was Qingyang Village's strongest man, as well as the village's only Meridian Practitioner at the ninth level of the Spirit Vein Realm.
He had the broad back and thick waist of a tiger, his muscles bulging high. He wore a black vest, while the hair atop his head was a wild, explosive mess, all tangled together.
At that moment, he stood before the youths and shouted, "You must understand that you are not children of great Lineages. You do not have superior cultivation methods, nor will you have all sorts of medicinal pills aiding you from the very beginning.
"The only thing you can rely on is yourselves, and the only thing you can do is work hard.
"Other than hard work, there is only hard work. A powerhouse is forged from ninety-nine percent effort and one percent talent. Do you understand?"
"We understand!" all the youths shouted in unison. They were holding horse stances, their little faces flushed red, yet their eyes were filled with hope and longing for the future and the martial path.
In the very last row stood another youth, one who looked far frailer than the others.
At that moment, the youth clenched his teeth tightly, his face deathly pale as he stubbornly held his horse stance, unwilling to give up easily.
He wore a coarse white robe patched with stitches. His features were handsome, and from the side, he had sword-like brows and star-bright eyes.
His gaze was resolute, carrying a stubbornness that did not belong to someone his age.
Beside him stood a young girl. Her long hair cascaded down her back, her skin was whiter than snow, her lips crimson and teeth pearly, her nose high and refined.
Especially those eyes of hers—they were like a pool of clear water. When they glanced about, they could make all things lose their color.
Though the young girl wore a cheap white shirt, it could not conceal her breathtaking beauty.
Though still young, she had already grown graceful and slender.
"Brother Chu Yang, are you all right?" Seeing him persist so stubbornly, the young girl could not help asking in distress.
"Xiao'er, don't worry. I'm fine," said the youth called Chu Yang, forcing out a smile and shaking his head.
Yet the moment his words fell, his body suddenly went limp and lost all strength, and he collapsed straight to the ground.
"Brother Chu Yang, rest for a while," the young girl hurriedly said, supporting Chu Yang over to sit beneath a nearby tree.
Seeing this, the youths in the field all felt a little jealous and unbalanced.
"I really don't understand how Baili Xiao, with such good qualities, could possibly fancy trash like Chu Yang."
A youth beside him muttered resentfully.
After all, Baili Xiao was the goddess in the hearts of every youth in Qingyang Village. Yet her eyes held only Chu Yang; she turned a blind eye to all the other youths and treated them with extreme coldness.
"Exactly," another youth beside him continued. "If she followed me, my family has several cows. We would never have to worry about food or drink for the rest of our lives.
"But this Chu Yang lost both parents when he was little. Even his survival depended on the charity of the villagers. Since childhood, he has been a medicine jar, weak and sickly—the very picture of useless trash."
The youths in the field immediately began chattering among themselves, while Coach Mo beside them frowned slightly at the chaotic scene.
Spiritual energy was secretly contained within his voice as he shouted, "What are you all making such a racket for? Are you finding things too easy? Later, every last one of you will run ten laps around the village."
Hearing Coach Mo's words, the youths immediately fell silent, each of them pulling a long face.
"Next, I'll demonstrate a set of Fierce Tiger Fist for you. Watch carefully, every one of you. This Fierce Tiger Fist is a Yellow Tier Meridian Technique, and I'll demonstrate it only once," Coach Mo said proudly.
He knew well that for these youths who had only just come into contact with the martial path, he needed not only to make them understand the hardships of cultivation, but also to give them some hope and temptation in due measure.
Under the astonished, curious gazes of all the youths, Coach Mo thrust out his chest and raised his head. His right hand clenched into a fist as spiritual energy surged through his body.
His entire bearing seemed to transform into that of a fierce tiger, while pale yellow light enveloped his fist.
Then, with a low shout, he soared into the air and fiercely punched a boulder beside him.
With a boom, the boulder exploded into fragments, dust flying everywhere.
Coach Mo let out a long breath, then proudly walked to the front and said, "Whichever one of you finishes Body Tempering first and advances into the Spirit Vein Realm, I'll teach him this Fierce Tiger Fist."
At these words, the youths in the field erupted with excitement. Each was filled with lofty ambition, their eyes blazing with the fiery flames of secret rivalry.
Just then, a youth pointed at the sky and looked up. "Coach Mo, someone is flying in the sky."
"Stop messing around." Coach Mo shot the youth a glare. A Meridian Practitioner capable of flying through the air was at least an Empty Meridian Realm powerhouse.
When Coach Mo was young, he had served in Xuanyuan City as a city patrolman. Back then, he had cut an imposing figure.
Wherever he went, the street vendors at their stalls would flee in all directions at the sight of him, scared out of their wits.
Well, city patrolmen also had another name: urban management officers.
He had seen the world, yet even in Xuanyuan City, the strongest person was only at the True Meridian Realm.
There was still an entire major realm separating that from the Empty Meridian Realm. An Empty Meridian Realm expert was someone he had never seen in his entire life.
The youth said aggrievedly, "Really, I'm not lying to you."
Coach Mo was just about to lecture the youth again when he suddenly felt an overwhelming pressure descend from above.
He hurriedly turned around, and his scalp instantly went numb.
A woman slowly descended from the sky. Her aura surged around her body, and to his senses, it seemed boundless and unfathomable.
"May I ask what business this honored lady has in our Qingyang Village?" Coach Mo hurriedly stepped forward and asked respectfully.
"This is Qingyang Village?" Xiao Yuexuan asked uncertainly.
"Yes, yes." Coach Mo nodded hurriedly.
"Then do you know a woman named Xiao Qingya?" Xiao Yuexuan asked in an icy voice, though there was also a trace of anticipation within it.
"Xiao Qingya... the name sounds somewhat familiar," Coach Mo said thoughtfully.
"You should remember her. She lived here decades ago," Xiao Yuexuan quickly said.
"Oh, I remember now!" Coach Mo slapped his forehead, suddenly enlightened.
"Where is she?" Xiao Yuexuan asked anxiously.
"She's dead," Coach Mo said quietly.
"Dead?" Xiao Yuexuan was momentarily dazed. Her body visibly trembled as she staggered a step back, her face turning pale. "How could she be dead?!"
"Oh, right—she left behind a daughter," Coach Mo suddenly said.
"Can't you just make things clear all at once?" Xiao Yuexuan glared at Coach Mo, her aura surging like a rainbow.
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