The Tianwu Continent—might makes right.
The Xilan Kingdom sat in a corner of the continent, but its proximity to the Demon Beast Mountains kept it well-supplied.
Demon beast cores and hides alike sold for a premium across the continent, making this corner far from poor.
Yulan City was a middling city within Xilan, situated right at the foot of the mountains.
For that reason, it had endured no small number of beast sieges over the years.
Just outside Yulan City, on a small hill.
Feng Hao stood beneath a red-leafed tree on the hillside, glancing left and right as if waiting for someone.
Perhaps he was thinking of the person who was coming, because a hint of tenderness flickered in his eyes.
The blazing sun sank westward.
Still no one came.
Feng Hao paced restlessly beneath the tree, the tenderness in his gaze giving way to unease.
Not until the sky blazed with red clouds did a figure finally emerge from the gates of Yulan City, moving as lightly as a butterfly.
“Brother Hao!”
Her voice was crisp and clear, like a mountain spring flowing over stones.
It calmed Feng Hao’s restless heart in an instant, and the corners of his mouth lifted into a smile.
The girl before him was the one he had been waiting for—Wan Xin.
She was eleven, a year younger than him, dressed in a floral dress.
Young as she was, her delicate features were already quite refined, and with her large, limpid eyes, she was utterly adorable.
Her background was no simple matter, either.
She was the youngest daughter of the head of the Wan family, one of Yulan City’s four great clans.
In status, she was the Wan family’s little princess.
“I’m late, hehe.”
Wan Xin trotted up, reached out her small hand, and naturally looped it through Feng Hao’s arm.
She shook it gently, her watery eyes fixed on him as if begging for forgiveness.
“You…”
Feng Hao reached out and tapped the tip of her nose.
There was no reproach in his gesture.
The reason Wan Xin was so close to Feng Hao traced back to an incident four years earlier.
She had sneaked out to play one day and encountered a venomous snake by this very red-leafed tree.
Feng Hao had happened upon her just in time to save her.
Ever since, every time he came to this spot, she would come running too.
Over four years, the bond between the two children had grown very deep.
“It’s all because a strange woman came to our house.
She insisted on taking me as her disciple, so I couldn’t get away.”
Wan Xin pouted, her voice carrying a hint of indignation.
“Taking you as a disciple?”
Feng Hao was taken aback.
“Your father agreed to that?”
The Wan family was one of the four great clans of Yulan City.
Anyone who could come to their door seeking an apprentice had to be no ordinary person.
“My father?
He couldn’t be happier about it.”
She looked even more aggrieved at the mention of it, her face falling.
“I see…”
Feng Hao murmured, falling into brief thought.
He was a member of the Feng family, another of the four great clans.
From what the girl said, he understood—some expert must have recognized Wan Xin’s talent and taken a liking to her.
“Xin’er, accept her offer.”
This was an incredible opportunity for her.
It should have been a happy thing, but somehow it left a bitter taste in Feng Hao’s mouth.
Before the two could talk any longer, two figures shot out from the city gate, heading straight for them.
Whoosh!
Whoosh!
The soft sound of tearing air faded, and a man and a woman appeared before the two children.
Feng Hao instinctively shielded Wan Xin behind him, eyeing the newcomers warily.
“Father, why are you here?”
Wan Xin peeked out from behind Feng Hao, her voice small.
It was Wan Shuo, the head of the Wan family.
“You dare to ask?
Get over here this instant!”
Wan Shuo glared, his voice harsh and commanding.
“Oh.”
Wan Xin shuffled forward reluctantly, and Wan Shuo pulled her to his side.
“Father, you’re hurting me!”
Wan Xin looked up at him with wounded eyes, not understanding why her usually doting father was being so rough.
“Hmph.”
Wan Shuo snorted, ignoring her.
His eyes locked onto Feng Hao.
Feng Hao stood frozen under their scrutiny, unsure what to say.
What’s more, he could feel an overwhelming pressure radiating from Wan Shuo—so intense he barely dared to breathe.
When his gaze shifted to the second person, his very heart seemed to freeze.
She was an icily beautiful woman, dressed in a tight white dress.
Her cold, proud face made him feel as if he were standing in the depths of winter.
“Terrifying.”
He didn’t know who she was, but he was certain her cultivation far surpassed Wan Shuo’s.
“Who is this person?”
He didn’t recall Yulan City having anyone so formidable.
The woman in white scrutinized him briefly, then Wan Shuo spoke slowly.
“You’re Feng Hao of the Feng family?”
Feng Hao was the direct son of Feng Chen, the head of the Feng family, one of Yulan City’s four great clans.
He was known around the city—but not for any good reason.
In two words: a mediocre talent.
Wan Shuo hadn’t wanted to interfere in Wan Xin’s friendship with Feng Hao before.
But now, with this sudden turn of fortune, he had no choice but to shut it down.
“Yes.”
Feng Hao answered honestly.
“Don’t come near my daughter again.”
Wan Shuo’s tone was cold, brooking no refusal.
“What?”
Both children stared at him in shock.
“Let’s go.”
Without explaining further, Wan Shuo grabbed Wan Xin and headed back toward Yulan City.
The icy woman said nothing.
She cast one cold glance at Feng Hao, then floated away, leaving him standing alone, stunned.
The night wind rustled through the red-leafed tree, the sound bleak and lonely.
Thump!
His fist slammed into the trunk.
“Again—it’s always about strength.”
Feng Hao bit his lower lip, letting the salty taste spread through his mouth.
On the Tianwu Continent, strength was everything.
Without it, you were doomed to be bullied, humiliated, and scorned.
“Why is it like this?”
As the direct son of the Feng family, the heir to the clan leadership, he was the only one of his generation who received herbal baths and nourishment.
Yet his results were disappointing.
Herbal medicines were precious resources.
Only a family like the Fengs could afford them for their children—and even then, only for him, since he was to be the next family head.
At twelve years old, he had already reached the mid-stage of the third-rank Martial Apprentice.
That wasn’t terrible on its own.
But considering he had been receiving herbal treatments, reaching only the third rank was frankly unacceptable.
Compared to the direct heirs of the other three families, he was a full rank behind—and this didn’t just embarrass him.
It dragged down the entire Feng family’s standing in Yulan City.
Because of this, Feng Chen’s position as family head had become unstable.
The clan elders were pushing hard for a replacement and demanding an end to Feng Hao’s herbal supply.
But no one knew the truth—that Feng Hao had never actually benefited from those medicines.
His body was like a bottomless pit, ceaselessly devouring the herbal essence, leaving him with nothing but this bitter fruit.