In the Grand Universe of Heavenly Martial, within the free Realm of Siyou, lies Qingyang County.
"Damn it, again?" Lin Chen was terrified at the sight of his right hand.
At the moment, Lin Chen's five fingers on his right hand were slowly melting like candles under high temperature. When only the bare palm was left, a thorny vine sprouted from each finger joint at a speed visible to the naked eye... The spikes punctured the skin and grew in a bath of fresh blood, causing agonizing pain and a bloody mess.
Thorns growing on his hand?
Looking at this terrifying sight, Lin Chen did not scream or shout, but instantly squat down, lying on his back!
Sure enough, the next instant...
"Swoosh." Lin Chen felt his blood rushing towards those five thorns on his right hand massively, and the thorns grew even faster after sucking the blood.
Severely losing blood, Lin Chen's brain was instantly deprived of oxygen, his throat seemed to be blocked, causing him to suffocate and unable to breathe. He wanted to take a breath, opening his mouth wide, but he couldn't take in a single gulp of air.
His vision gradually began to spin, and Lin Chen's eyes went black as he passed out.
"Woof, woof."
Who knows how much time had passed, but Lin Chen, who was in a stupor, suddenly felt a warm dampness on his right cheek. Opening his eyes, he saw a black dog's head closing in with a long, red tongue slobbering over him. The dog's eyes were staring at him with some kind of human-like concern.
"Da Hei, did you wake me up?" Lin Chen patted the dog's head.
"Woof." Da Hei seemed very happy to see his master awake, wagging his tail cheerfully.
Lin Chen then looked down at his right hand.
The right hand is now back to normal, and the five thorns had vanished. If it were not for the blood stains on his clothes, Lin Chen would even think that what had happened was just an illusion!
"Again, could it be that I'm some kind of monster? This is too eerie!" Lin Chen was horrified.
Yes.
Too eerie.
Starting from ten days ago, his right hand began to sprout all kinds of strange things from time to time. Sometimes, his whole right hand would turn into the sharp claw of a beast, at times, minerals and flowers would grow from his fingertips, sometimes a tooth or even an eye would grow from his palm!
Whenever these bizarre things sprouted, he would faint on the spot. After waking up, he would be incredibly weak. In the days that followed, he would even experience a peculiar sensation of hunger!
This hunger could not be satisfied by consuming any amount of food. Even after eating six or seven meals a day, to the point where his stomach was about to burst, he was still hungry. Especially after the recent fainting spells, he gradually lost interest in food. However, whenever he saw people, he would salivate--as if... he wanted to eat them!
It was both fearful and disgusting!
Lin Chen once suspected that... something seemed to be parasitizing his body, using his flesh and blood as nourishment to bring forth those flowers and claws.
Fearful of being regarded as a monster, Lin Chen dared not make this public. In secret, he sought help from many physicians, but none of them could diagnose anything.
"Whatever, I can only leave it to fate. The world of Tianwu is vast and boundless. There are countless races, such as barbarians, humans, Illusionary tribes, Fog tribes, and Spirit tribes. In such a vast territory, where even mist can transform into birds, beasts, and humans, and where big trees can swallow mountains and rivers, what strange things wouldn't exist? If this isn't a great disaster, then it's a great opportunity!"
Lin Chen became more open-minded, shaking his head and not thinking too much about it.
"Fortunately, I've been sleeping less these past few days, and I finally managed to be promoted to a Tier 3 Martial Artist last night. Today is my 16th birthday and coming-of-age ceremony. I should share this good news with my grandfather and father later to cheer them up."
"If only I could receive a praise from my grandfather... Even a casual word would be nice." The young man drooped his head in sorrow, "Ah, since I lost my talent three years ago, my grandfather seldom speaks to me. But Mu Yue is my fiancée after all, how could I not save her when she was in danger?"
Lin Chen's grandfather is the patriarch of the Lin clan, a powerful "Position Warrior"!
As for Mu Yue, her full name was Gao Mu Yue, she was Lin Chen's fiancée, they have been childhood friends since their betrothal in childhood, having grown up together.
Lin Chen, at the age of thirteen, had a six-star talent rating. This rating was undoubtedly regarded as that of a genius in the Qingyang region!
At the time, Lin Chen was the focus of all eyes. He was deemed as the hope of the family, while his grandfather, Lin Tianxiang, spoiled him by giving direct guidance.
Nevertheless, during a field experience not long after, his fiancée Gao Muyue was bitten by a "Scorpion-tailed Snake". As she was on the verge of death from the venom, Lin Chen risked his life to suck the venom out of her.
After the incident, Gao Muyue was safe and sound, but Lin Chen's body was scorched by the venom due to him rescuing her too late. This caused his talent to drop from six-star to one-star, his abilities continuously declined... A genius falling from the cloud!
From genius to waste, those clan people who used to flatter him gradually changed their attitudes, everywhere he went he was met with cold eyes and mockery. Even some of the servants dared to speak evil of him.
Furthermore, Lin Chen's loving grandfather was furious. He had bestowed great hopes upon Lin Chen. He never expected that Lin Chen would forgo his talents for a woman. After many attempts by various doctors to restore Lin Chen to no avail, his grandfather gave up on Lin Chen.
Later, Lin Chen's cousin, Lin Fei, who was the son of Lin Chen's third uncle, had a talent rating of six and a half stars, higher than Lin Chen's original rating by half a star. Grandfather Lin quickly shifted his focus onto Lin Fei and cultivated Lin Fei attentively.
Lin Fei didn't disappoint. He became the number one genius in the Qingyang region today, unlimited glory!
As for Lin Chen, in the family, he was increasingly marginalized. Even the monthly quota of two Blood Refinery Pills was deducted by one...
"For Muyue, it's worth it even if I lose my abilities." An image of a young girl in a green skirt popped up in front of Lin Chen's eyes. The girl's smile was as sweet and pure as the spring breeze, making Lin Chen feel incomparably warm.
Sitting cross-legged.
Lin Chen took out another Blood Refinery Pill, put it to his mouth, hesitated, and put it back into his pocket, shaking his head, "One Blood Refinery Pill is worth ten days of hard training. My current ability is sufficient with steady cultivation, it's a waste to use it now. Better save it for Muyue."
A "buzz" suddenly came from the jade pendant on his waist.
Lin Chen pinched a red protrusion at the center of the jade pendant, connected to the communication, and an old and kind voice came out, "Master Chen, the clan meeting will begin after one joss stick incense burning."
"Understood, Grandpa Fu, I'll be there shortly." Lin Chen responded with a smile and cut off the communication.
Standing up, he slightly leaned forward, his feet grasping the ground like flippers. With a quick jerk, the tips of his shoes swept backward.
Whoosh!
He instantly flew forward.
"Huh." Lin Chen was running fast, swiftly crossing street after street.
Along the road, one could occasionally see some strong and vibrant martial artists walking on the street. The merchants and civilians who saw these warriors couldn't help but gaze at them with reverence.
"Hm?" Lin Chen suddenly halted his strides.
Not too far from him, a stout warrior was holding a dog chain, with the other end hooked around the neck of a young girl with fluffy cat ears. The cat-eared girl had fair skin and a good-looking face. However, she was crawling on the ground like a dog.
The surrounding people were pointing and chatting excitedly.
Seeing the girl's knees covered in blood, Lin Chen found it unbearable to watch, but he didn't step forward to stop it.
How was he supposed to interfere?
The cat-eared girl was a slave, considered private property, and outsiders had no right to intervene.
Cat-eared people were a low-status race. The girls from this race were gentle and beautiful, with a purity mingled with a hint of teasing charm, making them sought after for enjoyment by the pleasure-seeking human warriors.
"Rumble."
It was like an earthquake as the ground beneath their feet began to shake.
Lin Chen raised his head, seeing far away under the hundred-meter-tall city wall, a monstrous, horned black beast, resembling a rhino, approaching. The creature was as high as a small mountain, its shadow covering Lin Chen from afar.
A middle-aged warrior dressed in black was standing arrogantly on the skull of a horned monstrosity.
As the monstrosity passed by, all people on the street halted their steps, their eyes fixated with burning admiration. Some even knelt down and kowtowed to the black-clothed warrior, paying respects out of their own accord. Worshipping the strong was the norm.
This horned monstrosity was quite a sight to see throughout the city. The owners of surrounding taverns and shops eagerly rushed forward to extend their warm welcomes.
"Lady Soll, we just got a fresh batch of Arctic Cod in our shop, very fresh. When stewed with the octagonal beast's claws, the flavor is just remarkable... We sincerely hope you would honor us with your presence."
"My Lady, I've always admired your presence. If you took me as your serving maid, I'd willingly pay any price."
"My Lady..."
Each trying to outdo the other in servitude.
Status, this was status. Status was linked to one's power. As long as you were strong, there would be people willing to offer you all kinds of benefits.
"Beast!" Lin Chen stared at the horned monstrosity intensely, feeling a stirring of emotions, secretly clenched his fist, "Each savage beast possesses unmatched power, thus human warriors who can tame such beasts gain immense respect. If possible, I would like to tame one in the future. That would be incredibly prestigious!"
"This cat-eared maid of yours isn’t bad, I’ll take her." The black-clothed warrior ‘Soll’ standing on the horned beast casually said when passing by the obese warrior.
"My Lady, it is my honor!" The obese warrior’s face quivers, he had no choice but to unwillingly comply despite his resentment.
Lin Chen shook his head in regret. The obese man was merely a "martial apprentice" possessing something that did not match his status, and had it stolen by Soll, a "formal warrior". He dared not resist, otherwise, Soll would kill him. The law stipulated that a formal warrior killing a martial apprentice would merely need to provide an equivalent compensation.
Martial apprentices, formal warriors, rank warriors, celestial warriors. The higher the strength, the higher the status. This is a world with an exhaustive hierarchical system!
"Boom." The ground beneath the horned beast that Soll was riding collapsed under its massive weight, revealing a large cave. A group of ragged slaves started desperately crawling out of it. Horrific shrieks echoed from inside.
With every step the beast took, several people were trampled into a bloody pulp.
"The underground city has collapsed…" Lin Chen felt a heavy weight in his heart.
What is an underground city?
Take Qingyang County, for example.
Because the land area is too small, and there are too many people, they could only dig under their feet and build an underground city. Slaves were kept in the underground city, like rats in sewers, leading a life completely devoid of sunlight all year round.
In the country of Siyou, if a family does not produce a formal knight within two years, the entire family will be labeled a "slave status" and sent to the underground city! The people in the underground city all bear a slave mark, they are not allowed on the surface and will be directly attacked and murdered by the city guards!
In the end, it's essentially a slave pit.
"Kill!"
At this moment, a group of city guards rushed over and directly killed the slaves who crawled out of the underground city.
Lin Chen quietly sighed at the cheapness of human life. It was clearly Sol's fault, but the city guard indiscriminately killed the slaves without asking for any explanation.
"Alas, this is the world. Right or wrong? It doesn't matter! The one with the stronger fist is the one who is right."
Lin Chen kept running…
When he finally reached the family’s front door, there was an elderly man with stern facial features and white hair standing there waiting.
"Grandfather Fu." Lin Chen greeted him with a smile.
Ever since he lost his talent, the butler Chen Fu had been the few in the family who treated Lin Chen the same as always. Sometimes, he would even sneakily give Lin Chen some elixir, for which Lin Chen was very grateful.
"Young Master Chen, you're back. The family meeting will be held in the dining hall." Butler Chen Fu affectionately ruffled Lin Chen's hair, his old eyes brimming with tenderness. He seemed to want to say something, but in the end, no words came out.
"Alright, I'll go right away." Lin Chen nodded.
After Lin Chen left, Chen Fu watched his retreating figure with a sigh. "Ah, I don’t know if this child can withstand the blow this time."