In this life, in this age of the Martial Dao’s resurgence, he was destined to struggle to rise above the crowd!
Zuo Xiaonian had been three when her Star Soul awakened. It had soared into the heavens and spread across the firmament, while Star Meridians covered her entire body from head to toe, as dense as a net spanning heaven and earth, almost merging into a single whole!
It was the exceedingly rare Nine-Nine Star Soul Body. Just one step away from a naturally complete Star Soul body.
But her son, Zuo Xiaoduo... had only awakened his Star Soul at eight. In his dantian, it was nothing more than a tiny, feeble flame, weak and listless.
It really would have been better to have none at all.
With none at all, he would have had no hope of becoming a powerhouse in this lifetime and could have lived peacefully as an ordinary person. But possessing a Star Soul meant he might become a martial artist, and becoming a martial artist meant shouldering a martial artist's responsibilities.
A martial artist's responsibilities were practically synonymous with life and death.
Above Martial Disciple was Martial Warrior, above Martial Warrior was Martial Master, and only above Martial Master came Innate; above Innate came Embryonic Breathing; above Embryonic Breathing was Core Origin...
At the Core Origin Realm, one could already be called a grandmaster.
As for the realms even higher up, there was no point mentioning them.
With her son's aptitude, he probably wouldn't climb to the Core Origin Realm that Zuo Xiaonian was now about to break through to even in three hundred years... would he?
"Following the Martial Dao... you really don't have much chance." Wu Yuting looked at her son and sighed. "Xiaoduo, actually, being an ordinary person would let you live a peaceful, stable life instead."
Zuo Xiaoduo narrowed his eyes and chuckled. "Mom, just because the proper path won't work doesn't mean I have to despair. I can always take a crooked path."
Wu Yuting snorted and glared at him. "What did you say, brat? If you dare take some crooked, wicked path, never mind the law not allowing it-you won't get past your mother! I'll beat you crippled, believe it or not!"
Zuo Xiaoduo shrank back, his face as silent as a cicada in winter, but inwardly he disagreed. In an age this dazzling, how could I muddle through my whole life in mediocrity?
"Mom, I'm just a little short of money... just one last experiment, and that'll do." Zuo Xiaoduo made one final effort.
"Get lost! There isn't any!"
Wu Yuting's anger surged.
They had just spent a million on pills. Although she didn't know where her husband had gotten the money, Wu Yuting knew that while their family was reasonably well-off, they still couldn't produce a million.
They already had such a huge additional burden, and this brat was still so thoughtless and oblivious, wanting to throw money around!
Besides, they had already spent money on him several times, and it had all gone down the drain.
Outrageous!
He was simply asking for a beating!
Never mind not having any-even if she did, she wouldn't give it to him!
She really couldn't understand it. How could this boy, so young, have been so deeply obsessed with and hungry for money since childhood?! All the pocket money and New Year's money they had given him over the years-she had never seen him spend a single cent...
He was the very picture of a money-grubbing miser, his eyes lighting up at the sight of money to an extraordinary degree...
He really was nothing like the two of them, so open-minded and generous...
Not only did his eyes light up at money, but he had no shame, either...
"Did I really give birth to him?"
Wu Yuting sighed at the thought of Zuo Xiaoduo's personality, lowering her head to look at her belly, unable to quite understand.
"You didn't inherit a single one of your dad's and my good character traits, but you accepted the whole package of flaws without letting a single one slip by..."
Wu Yuting went out as well.
Zuo Xiaoduo sighed and was just about to return to his room to think of something himself when his vision suddenly went black. He felt that familiar sensation of heaven and earth spinning. Unable to see anything, his body floated through the air at high speed...
Zuo Xiaoduo let out a piercing scream. "Zuo Xiaonian!!"
Ever since Zuo Xiaonian had broken through and gained the ability to use Void Object Seizure, she had been seizing Zuo Xiaoduo and moving him around every day. Whenever their parents weren't home, Zuo Xiaoduo was frequently seized and sent floating back and forth through the air.
His misery was beyond words.
Who else had a big sister like this?
And she still wanted him to marry her?! It was simply... heh.
Didn't people say you had to start beating your little brother early?
Zuo Xiaoduo felt that Zuo Xiaonian had absolutely no need to start early... because she could just keep beating him forever...
With a whoosh, his vision brightened.
Zuo Xiaonian's pretty, smiling face appeared before him, smug with haughty delight. "Feel good?"
"..." Zuo Xiaoduo still hadn't gotten over the dizziness. He swayed back and forth on his feet, gritting his teeth. "Just you wait. If my cultivation ever surpasses yours..."
"If you surpass me, what do you want to do?!" Zuo Xiaonian stepped forward, thrust out her chest, and demanded haughtily.
"...I, I won't do anything." Zuo Xiaoduo shamefully chickened out.
Zuo Xiaonian had already leaned close. Reaching out, she pinched Zuo Xiaoduo’s cheek and asked ferociously, "Talk. What do you want money for?"
"Ow, ow, ow..." Utterly helpless in Zuo Xiaonian's grasp, Zuo Xiaoduo sucked in a breath and raged, "Let go! The money... of course I have a use for the money!"
Zuo Xiaonian leaned in front of him and studied him closely for a long while. They were so close that Zuo Xiaoduo could even feel the warmth of her breath and smell its sweetness.
He couldn't help feeling dizzy and snapped, "You told me not to think about it, so stop provoking me."
"Hmph... as if I'd want to." Only after a long while did Zuo Xiaonian release him. She turned her hand over, and a red pill actually appeared. "Eat this, and your big sister will give you money," she huffed.
"Ah... I told you ages ago it doesn't work..." Zuo Xiaoduo took it and tossed it into his mouth without so much as a glance.
It was a low-quality Marrow-Washing Pill.
Ever since Zuo Xiaonian had begun to distinguish herself, with her beauty and excellent aptitude, her suitors could practically have circled Phoenix City three times. Obtaining all sorts of low-tier pills was even more commonplace.
But everyone knew that Zuo Xiaonian was only interested in pills that could improve Star Soul abilities. She ignored everything else.
Although they didn't understand why, her suitors catered to her tastes. These pills in particular were cheap, after all.
They didn't know that every pill Zuo Xiaonian obtained had gone into Zuo Xiaoduo's stomach.
Zuo Xiaoduo had already eaten no fewer than twenty of these Marrow-Washing Pills...