Year 102 of the New Era, Lie Wu City, Daxia.
“Ethan Blackwood, with that pathetic talent of yours, you’re just embarrassing yourself. Taking the entrance exam? Waste of time.”
“Aiden’s way more gifted than you. Makes sense to have him take your place. The spot in the military? That’s all yours.”
Ethan stood in the ancestral hall, fists clenched so tight his nails dug into his palms, body trembling with rage. His eyes burned red, but not a single word came out.
From the moment he arrived in this world, these so-called elders had never truly cared for him.
A century ago, Blue Star mutated. Beasts poured in from rifts in space, and strange races invaded. Humanity was pushed back into walled cities, clinging to survival behind stone and steel.
From then on, might meant everything. Warriors rose to the top, monopolizing resources and power.
At fifteen, everyone awakened a talent — ranked F to SSS. That one moment pretty much set your life.
Ethan? Drew the short straw. F-rank. Strong Body. Worst garbage of them all.
Still, the entrance exam was a way out. Get into a warrior academy, ride family resources, and maybe scrape into the warrior path. No dreams of glory, just a shot at survival.
Especially being a Blackwood in Lie Wu City — top family in the region. That surname alone meant comfort, even for the useless.
But what Ethan didn’t expect was that when the exam came around, they handed his qualification to Aiden, his younger cousin.
Their reason? Laughable.
Aiden was an S-rank prodigy — a genius among ten thousand. The family claimed nurturing him early was crucial to pushing the Blackwoods even higher.
Problem was, the entrance exam was a one-shot deal. Miss it, and you’d never get another chance. No amount of power or coin could buy it back.
That didn’t stop them from throwing Ethan away like trash.
Worse — the family had to send one person into the army each year, like clockwork. Guess who got picked? Naturally, it was the unwanted one.
They called it a “duty.” Truth? A death sentence.
Out beyond human lands, war raged. The frontlines were a meat grinder. Of those sent, half never returned.
Why did each family only send one?
Because everyone knew — it wasn’t an honor. It was a way to get rid of dead weight.
“Ethan, that settles your exam and enlistment. Got anything to say?”Arthur Blackwood stared coldly at Ethan Blackwood, his eyes filled with unshakable authority.
"Anything to say?"
Ethan didn’t dare speak carelessly.
Every elder in the ancestral hall was a battle-hardened warrior. Their eyes bore into him like knives. If he said even one wrong word, he’d be hauled off to the army on the spot.
His heart felt hollow. He silently shook his head, then said, “No objections. Just one thing I want to say.”
What he said next left everyone stunned.
“From today on, I sever all ties with the Blackwood family. I won't set foot in the ancestral hall again. My name’s off the family records.”
An F-rank trash like him taking the initiative to cut ties with the family?
Everyone looked at him like he’d gone mad. With the Blackwood name, at least he’d survive a bit longer in the army.
But Arthur Blackwood only gave a mocking smile.
“You think cutting ties means you get out of your duty? Dream on, Ethan.”
Ethan wasn’t trying to escape. He just didn’t see the point anymore. No matter what he did, it was all arranged by someone else. Even the high school graduation exam, his one chance to prove himself, got stolen from him.
To them, he was nothing but a pawn.
He understood the need to nurture Aiden Blackwood. But why take away his last hope too?
Rather than wait for them to eventually cast him aside, he’d cut them off first.
“I’ll still go to the army. But from now on, I have nothing to do with the Blackwoods.”
Without looking back, Ethan walked straight out of the ancestral hall.
Behind him came Arthur’s chilling laugh.
“Fool. With our name, he might’ve scraped by a few more days. Now, he’s just walking into death.”
Ethan acted like he didn’t hear it and climbed into the military truck.
Unlike the others, no one came to see him off.
His parents had disappeared years ago on some “secret mission,” and never came back.
The new recruits around him sobbed in their families’ arms. Everyone knew the chances of coming back alive were slim.
“Son, don’t cry. You're fighting for the nation. It’s an honor, even if you die.”
“Take care, my child. Stay safe out there.”
The road ahead was soaked in blood. Few ever returned.
Just then, Ethan spotted a small figure pushing through the crowd.
“Brother! Come back alive for me!”
It was his sister, Lily Blackwood.
In this whole rotten family, they only had each other.
Ethan opened his mouth to reply, but the truck rumbled to life. Lily ran after it for a whole mile before giving up.
She was the only tether his heart had left to the Blackwood name.Luckily, Lily had an A-grade talent, so the Blackwood family still treated her decently.
But give Ethan half a shot, he’d take his sister and walk away from this cold-blooded family for good.
Not long after, the recruits arrived at the army camp.
Ethan sat on the hard wooden bunk, eyes dull.
Half of them would die—they said it straight. One out of every two wouldn't make it.
He wasn’t stupid enough to believe he’d be the lucky one.
Behind that harsh farewell, anxiety crept up in him. He’d cut ties with the Blackwoods, sure, but what came next? No answers.
“Ding!”
A strange mechanical ring buzzed in his ears, nothing human could’ve made that sound.
Ethan jolted upright, heart pounding.
Finally—finally! Heaven hadn’t turned its back on him after all. The system came! Late, sure, but it came!
“Great Xia Martial Soul System activating…”
Activation: 1%...
50%...
100%...
“Congratulations. Great Xia Martial Soul System activated. Bind now?”
No mistake—it was the system!
“Bind it, now!” Ethan snapped without hesitation.
“Ding! System successfully bound.”
Ethan dove straight into the details.
Turns out, the system gave points for daily check-ins, missions, slaying enemies, or rising in military rank.
Points could be used to draw from the system’s lottery pools—talents, physiques, combat skills, all included.
And those big prize pools? They held things he couldn’t have dreamed of before—SSS-grade talents.
S-grade was already one in a million. Martial universities scrambled over those folks.
SS-grade wielders became national-level priorities.
But SSS-grade?
Guys like Ethan didn’t even get to see such monsters, let alone dream of being one.
Then came another prompt.
“Ding! As this is your first activation, you’ve received three free draws!”
“You get one draw each in the talent, physique, and combat skill pools. Beginner-exclusive pools. No restrictions—from F-grade junk to top-grade SSS talents, anything’s possible!”
Each pool had different odds and point costs.
Cheapest pool cost just five points a spin, but the best you could get was B-grade gear.
The high-end pools started at 5,000 points but guaranteed S-grade and above.
The beginner gift pack was pure luck.
Ethan grinned. He went all-in, triggering all three draws at once.
Moments later, the system chimed back—three times in a row:
“Ding! Talent draw complete. Congratulations, acquired SSS-grade talent: [Ten Thousand Arms Sacred Physique].”
“Ding! Physique draw complete. Congratulations, acquired S-grade physique: [Thousand-Forged Golden Body].”
“Ding! Combat skill draw complete. Congratulations, acquired S-grade skill: [Shadow Thorn Piercing Spear].”