"Zhang Ruoyuan, you're just a minor outer disciple after all. If you want to steal the spotlight from us direct descendants, you'll have to wait a few more years, hahaha..."
"Branch disciple Zhang Ruoyuan has failed to break through to the Martial Warrior realm!"
"Whoosh!"
On the bed, a young man suddenly sat up, drenched in sweat, as if he had just woken from a nightmare. His nerves were still on edge.
"Wasn't I in the middle of breaking through to the Martial Warrior realm? How did I end up in bed? What exactly happened?" Zhang Ruoyuan tried to get up but felt a wave of soreness throughout his body, as if he had been gnawed by thousands of ants.
"Bang!"
The door was kicked open, and a seventeen or eighteen-year-old youth, followed by two servants, appeared before Zhang Ruoyuan.
"With extraordinary martial talent, you entered the late stage of Body Tempering at ten, directly broke through to the Meridian Opening stage at fifteen, and were expected to become the first in the Zhang family's royal mansion in Jiang Kingdom to reach the Martial Warrior realm at fifteen. But now, you're just a waste." The youth crossed his arms, a sinister look on his face.
Zhang Ruoyuan recognized him. The youth was named Zhang Haoxuan, the son of Zhang Lei, the steward of the Zhang family's royal mansion. At eighteen, his martial cultivation had stagnated at the late stage of Meridian Opening, and he was jealous of Zhang Ruoyuan's martial talent.
Zhang Ruoyuan ignored him and turned to the two servants at the door, asking, "Hua Tao, what exactly happened during my breakthrough?"
The servant named Hua Tao stammered, too afraid to answer.
"Let me tell you. Three days ago, during your breakthrough to the Martial Warrior realm, you lost control, backfired on yourself, damaged all your meridians, shattered your Heart Sea, and lost all your vital energy. The former genius has now fallen, becoming the biggest joke in our Zhang family's royal mansion." Zhang Haoxuan sneered, clearly pleased with himself.
Hearing this, Zhang Ruoyuan's pupils contracted. The Heart Sea was where a martial warrior stored the vital energy absorbed from heaven and earth. Vital energy was used to temper the body and cultivate the meridians. A simple breakthrough had left him without vital energy and a shattered Heart Sea. How could he continue to cultivate?
"In the Tianwu Continent, where nations stand tall and martial prowess is revered, our Zhang family's royal mansion especially values martial arts. Do you know what this means for you now? You're a cripple!" Zhang Haoxuan laughed heartily, clearly venting years of resentment he had harbored under Zhang Ruoyuan's shadow.
Zhang Ruoyuan, enduring the excruciating pain in his bones, paid no heed to Zhang Haoxuan's words. He sneered and said, "At eighteen, you're still stuck in the Meridian Opening stage, Senior Brother Haoxuan. Why laugh at me when you're not much better?"
Seeing Zhang Ruoyuan's calm and composed demeanor, coupled with his biting sarcasm, Zhang Haoxuan's face turned ashen. He snarled, "At least I'm better than you! The lord has instructed me to take care of you, so I won't stoop to your level!"
"What exactly are you here for today?" Zhang Ruoyuan asked, gritting his teeth against the pain.
"You're no longer the prodigy you once were. Naturally, you don't deserve the privileges of a young master of the manor. I'm here to reclaim the valuables in this room. Someone of your status isn't worthy of them," Zhang Haoxuan declared, his arrogance fully restored.
"Get it over with and leave!" Zhang Ruoyuan had no desire to engage further with such a person.
The room soon filled with the clamor of servants moving about, but Zhang Ruoyuan paid it no mind. Though only fifteen, he had grown up in the manor and understood the rules of this world all too well. The path of martial arts was divided into stages: Warrior, Martial Master, Martial General, Martial Spirit, Martial Lord, Martial Ancestor, and Martial God, with even greater powers beyond. Yet, his own journey had been cut short at the Warrior stage.
In this world, strength was everything. When you were powerful, people would flock to you, bowing and scraping. But when you lost that power, those same people would turn on you, kicking you when you were down, and then move on to the next rising star.
"Young master, I... I'm sorry, but we have to leave too," Hua Tao said, his voice trembling with false bravado.
A cold glint flashed in Zhang Ruoyuan's deep eyes as he silently watched the two of them.
Once the servants had emptied the room, Zhang Haoxuan offered a hollow consolation, "Take care of your injuries, Ruoyuan. I believe you'll rise again."
With that, the group disappeared from the room, leaving Zhang Ruoyuan alone.
Struggling to his feet, Zhang Ruoyuan sat cross-legged, determined to check one more time. Perhaps there was still a glimmer of hope.
Clasping his hands in a seal, he endured the excruciating pain as he tried to activate his shattered heart sea.
Zhang Ruoyuan couldn't believe he had lost control during what should have been a routine breakthrough.
As he pondered countless possibilities, he suddenly felt a faint response from his heart sea.
"Wasn't it shattered? How is there still a response?!" Overwhelmed with joy, Zhang Ruoyuan saw a sliver of hope. Ignoring the pain, he channeled all his strength and energy, delving deep into his heart sea.
"Whoosh!"
Countless golden rays burst forth from Zhang Ruoyuan's spiritual core, flooding the room with a radiant glow. Beads of sweat rolled down his forehead as he gritted his teeth, enduring the intense pain. Suddenly, he was struck with astonishment.
His shattered spiritual core, under the illumination of the golden light, was rapidly healing. Zhang Ruoyuan felt waves of searing heat coursing through his core, as if it were being forged anew.
This intense process lasted for nearly two hours before the pain gradually subsided, leaving him feeling remarkably at ease.
"Phew!"
Exhaling a deep breath of relief, Zhang Ruoyuan slowly opened his eyes. As he focused his spiritual awareness, he was stunned to discover that his spiritual core was completely restored.
"Heaven has not forsaken me, Zhang Ruoyuan!"
As he channeled his spiritual energy, he suddenly sensed something new within his core. There, glowing with a golden light, was an object resembling an ancient bamboo scroll. It exuded an aura of mystery, and tiny streams of energy flowed through his meridians, gradually repairing the damage.
"Could it be this bamboo scroll within my core that has restored me?" Zhang Ruoyuan murmured in awe, sensing the enigmatic artifact.
"If the heavens have given me another chance to walk the path of martial arts, I will not waste it!" he vowed silently.
Having experienced the harsh realities of the world, Zhang Ruoyuan's resolve grew stronger. He knew that only by attaining immense power could he protect himself from such humiliation.
"My physical strength is slowly returning, but I need more Xuan Yang Stones for cultivation. I must find a way to obtain them," he pondered.
At the crack of dawn the next day, Zhang Ruoyuan struggled out of his courtyard and made his way toward the grand medicinal hall within the royal estate.