Time rewound several hours, before Chu Yang had ventured into the Demonic Beast Mountain Range, and just as the Chu Family's Deacon Hall had issued its resolution.
The Chu Family, Deacon Hall.
The atmosphere was heavy. Several family Elders were seated at the head table, their expressions solemn. Below them stood or sat several young disciples of the Chu Family, most looking arrogant or wearing expressions of mocking anticipation, their gazes occasionally flicking toward the solitary figure standing in the hall—Chu Yang.
He had just been forcibly "invited" from the wood-chopping shed, still covered in wood shavings, his face pale, but his back was held perfectly straight. He knew what was coming would eventually arrive, he just hadn't expected it to be so fast and so merciless.
Presiding over this family meeting was the Second Elder, Chu Yunhai, a middle-aged man with a gaunt face and sharp eyes, who was also Chu Xiong's grandfather. He had always advocated for resources to be tilted toward disciples with potential, and he long regarded trash like Chu Yang, who was a "waste of resources," as a thorn in his side.
"Chu Yang," Chu Yunhai said coldly, devoid of any emotion, "You have been cultivating for ten years, yet your Cultivation Level remains stagnant at Qi Refining First Layer. Do you admit this?"
Chu Yang raised his head, his gaze meeting the Second Elder's calmly: "This disciple admits it. However, it is not that I am unwilling to cultivate; it is truly that..."
"Enough!" Chu Yunhai interrupted him without courtesy, his tone carrying unquestionable authority. "The family only looks at results, not process! Ten years—even if you piled resources onto a pig, it could reach Qi Refining Third Layer! You haven't advanced an inch. If you aren't waste material, what are you?!"
"Hahaha..." Suppressed bursts of laughter immediately erupted from below the hall. Those young disciples looked at Chu Yang as if he were a clown in a circus.
Chu Yang's fists clenched silently within his sleeves, his fingernails digging into the wounds on his palms. The pain kept him clear-headed. He pressed his lips together and offered no rebuttal. Before absolute power and authority, explanations were pale and weak.
"By the resolution of the Deacon Hall," Chu Yunhai's voice rose an octave, drowning out the noise below, "Disciple Chu Yang, due to dull aptitude, is beyond saving. Furthermore, having consumed family resources for many years without progress, he is truly the shame of the Chu Family!"
Every word struck Chu Yang's heart like a whip.
"It is hereby decided: One, his status as a Chu Family disciple is hereby revoked, demoting him to Menial Laborer! Two, all Monthly Stipends and resources are immediately stopped! Three, he is to be dispatched immediately to the arduous labor at the family's Black Iron Mine; he is not permitted to return without orders!"
Boom!
Although he had prepared himself mentally, when these three resolutions were read aloud in public, Chu Yang felt the world spin, and a chill enveloped his entire body.
Stripped of status! Monthly Stipend stopped! Banished to the mine!
This was not just punishment; this was the complete severance of all his hope! What kind of place was the mine? Sunless, thin in Spiritual Qi, and heavy with labor. Anyone sent there would either die or be stripped raw. At his Cultivation Level of Qi Refining First Layer, he probably wouldn't last three months!
"No! I do not accept this!" Chu Yang suddenly looked up, humiliation burning in his eyes. "Second Elder! For ten years, I, Chu Yang, have not received a single Spirit Stone or Pill from the family! That meager Monthly Stipend each month was less than what even the lowest-ranking servants received, and it was often docked! How can you claim I wasted resources?! You are framing me!"
"Insolence!" Chu Yunhai slammed the armrest of his chair, and the Spiritual Pressure of the Foundation Establishment Stage surged toward Chu Yang like a tide!
Thud!
Chu Yang felt an immense force pressing down on him, his legs went weak, and he nearly collapsed. But he gritted his teeth fiercely, mobilizing the minuscule Spiritual Power within his body, and managed to withstand the pressure without kneeling! His knees trembled, but his spine remained perfectly straight!
This sight caused a flicker of surprise in the eyes of the Elders seated above. Chu Yunhai's gaze sharpened; he hadn't expected this waste material to be able to resist his Spiritual Pressure without kneeling.
"Sharp-tongued!" Chu Yunhai snorted, withdrawing his Spiritual Pressure, his tone growing colder. "The family provided you with food, clothing, and shelter, and taught you basic Cultivation Methods—was that not a resource? You occupy the title of a Chu Family disciple yet bring shame upon the family, causing outsiders to mock the Chu Family for having no capable members. Is that not a transgression?!"
"Exactly! Chu Yang, it's bad enough you're useless yourself, but you drag the entire Chu Family down to be pointed at!" A sharp voice rang out. It belonged to a young woman standing next to Chu Xiong named Chu Yu, who usually took pleasure in bullying Chu Yang.
"That's right, he should have been kicked out long ago!"
"A disgrace!"
The other disciples chimed in, kicking him while he was down, showing no mercy.
Chu Yang looked at those faces—some cold, some mocking, some gloating—and felt a deep sorrow in his heart. This was his family, his blood relatives. When you fall, they offer no help, only rushing to step on you to highlight their own "superiority."
He took a deep breath, suppressing the surging Qi and Blood, his gaze sweeping over the crowd before finally settling on the Second Elder, Chu Yunhai. His voice was hoarse but clear: "Fine! A baseless accusation indeed! I don't need this status as a Chu Family disciple! As for that Black Iron Mine..."
He paused, a look of fierce determination flashing in his eyes.
"...You can keep it yourselves!"
With that, he abruptly turned around, intending to walk out of the hall. Since the family rejected him, where they wouldn't keep him, he would find a place that would! Even if the path ahead was a mountain of knives and a sea of fire, it was better than staying here to endure this humiliation!
"Stop right there!" Chu Yunhai roared. "A family resolution, how dare you defy it?! Who do you think you are, coming and going as you please?!"
He subtly signaled Chu Xiong beside him.
Chu Xiong understood, a sinister grin spreading across his face. He quickly stepped forward with two accompanying House Servants, blocking Chu Yang's path.
"Chu Yang, oh no, now we should call you Menial Laborer Chu Yang," Chu Xiong said, arms crossed, speaking with arrogance. "Did you not hear the Deacon Hall's order? It said 'immediately' dispatched to the mine! Where do you think you're going? Don't tell me you're scared and trying to run away?"
"Get lost!" Chu Yang looked at him with icy eyes.
"Oh? Still feisty?" Chu Xiong sneered, reaching out to shove Chu Yang. "A waste material with no aptitude, a Menial Laborer status—who gave you the guts to speak to me like that?!"
The moment his hand touched Chu Yang's shoulder, Chu Yang suddenly shifted his body sideways, simultaneously stumbling his feet as if tripping.
"Ouch!"
Chu Xiong, caught completely off guard, was pulled forward by Chu Yang's clever maneuver, combined with his own forward momentum, causing him to pitch forward and land in a textbook face-plant! Although he wasn't injured, being publicly humiliated, especially in front of Chu Yang whom he considered trash, instantly cost him all face!
"Hahahaha..." Some disciples below couldn't help but laugh out loud, but they quickly stifled it.
Chu Xiong scrambled up, his face flushed like pig liver, his eyes practically spitting fire: "Trash! You dared to trick me?! I'll cripple you!"
Completely enraged by shame, he unleashed his Qi Refining Fifth Layer Spiritual Power without reservation, smashing a punch directly toward Chu Yang's face! The Fist Wind howled, carrying clear killing intent!
If this punch landed solidly, Chu Yang would be crippled if not dead!
The Elders seated above frowned slightly but did not intervene. A negligible piece of waste material dying was no loss; it even saved the mine a bowl of rice.
Chu Yang's pupils contracted. Feeling the fatal threat, he wanted to dodge, but his body was under the dual restraint of the lingering Foundation Establishment Stage pressure and Chu Xiong's Spiritual Pressure, making evasion impossible!
He could only watch the fist enlarge before his eyes as the shadow of death enveloped him once more.
Could it be... that he wouldn't die in the Demonic Beast Mountain Range, but rather at the hands of his own clansman?
At this critical juncture—
"Stop!"
A voice, slightly aged yet carrying authority, rang out.
Simultaneously, a gentle yet resilient wave of Spiritual Power arrived just in time, delicately blocking in front of Chu Yang and neutralizing Chu Xiong's angry strike into nothingness.
Everyone turned toward the sound and saw a lean old man dressed in gray robes who had appeared at the entrance of the Deacon Hall at some unknown time.
"Third Elder?"
The newcomer was indeed the Chu Family's Third Elder, Chu Tianyong. He was one of the few relatively impartial Elders in the family, usually engrossed in cultivation and uninvolved in daily affairs. Chu Yang's parents had died young, and he had received some insignificant care from the Third Elder in his childhood.
Upon seeing the Third Elder, Chu Xiong's momentum immediately stalled. He dared not cause further trouble and quickly retracted his punch to salute: "Third Elder."
Chu Yunhai frowned slightly, his tone displeased: "Third Elder, what is the meaning of this? Are you interfering with the Deacon Hall's resolution?"
Chu Tianyong slowly walked into the hall. He first nodded slightly to the other Elders, then his gaze fell upon Chu Yang, a flicker of complexity crossing his eyes. Finally, he looked at Chu Yunhai and said calmly, "Second Elder speaks too strongly. I naturally will not interfere with the Deacon Hall's resolution."
He shifted his tone: "However, Chu Yang is, after all, of the Chu Family bloodline. Since his disciple status has been revoked and he is being dispatched to the mine, why add further humiliation? If word gets out, won't people laugh at the Chu Family for being harsh and ungrateful, unable to tolerate even a junior who cannot cultivate?"
Chu Yunhai coldly snorted: "This brat dared to talk back to an Elder and defy the resolution, and even attacked a clansman! According to clan rules, stripping his Cultivation Level would not be an overreaction!"
"Oh?" Chu Tianyong looked at Chu Yang. "Chu Yang, do you admit your guilt?"
Chu Yang looked up at the Third Elder, his heart filled with mixed emotions. He knew the Third Elder was fighting for a sliver of survival for him. He took a deep breath, suppressing all the humiliation and unwillingness, and said in a deep voice, "This disciple... admits guilt. I accept the punishment of being dispatched to the mine."
He chose to bow his head. Not for himself, but so as not to disappoint the Third Elder's rare gesture of protection. Moreover, resisting further would only lead to death. As long as he lived, there was hope.
A hint of satisfaction flashed in Chu Tianyong's eyes. He looked at Chu Yunhai: "Second Elder, since he has confessed, let us drop the matter here. Send someone to escort him to the mine immediately. Why add to the casualties and make a spectacle of ourselves?"
Chu Yunhai's eyes flickered as he weighed the pros and cons. In front of the Third Elder, it was indeed difficult for him to strike a killing blow. Furthermore, since Chu Yang had confessed and backed down, continuing to press the issue would only make him appear petty.
"Hmph!" He finally snorted coldly, tacitly agreeing. "Since the Third Elder pleads for you, I will spare you this once! Chu Xiong!"
"Your grandson is here!" Chu Xiong quickly responded.
"You take two men and 'personally' escort Chu Yang to the Black Iron Mine and hand him over to the mine manager! If anything goes wrong, you will be held responsible!" Chu Yunhai deliberately emphasized the word "personally," a sharp glint flashing in his eyes.
Chu Xiong immediately understood, a cruel smile appearing on his face: "Your grandson obeys! I will certainly deliver him to the mine 'safe and sound'!"
He deliberately stressed the four words "safe and sound," the implication being obvious.
Chu Tianyong opened his mouth as if to say something, but it ultimately turned into a barely audible sigh. He shook his head and turned to leave the Deacon Hall. That was all he could do. Chu Yang's fate ultimately depended on himself.
Afterward, Chu Yang was escorted by Chu Xiong and two fierce-looking House Servants out of the Deacon Hall, heading toward the Chu Family gate.
Along the way, the Chu Family servants and disciples from other branches they passed all pointed and gossiped, their eyes filled with contempt, pity, and mostly schadenfreude.
"Look, that's Chu Yang, the waste material stuck at Qi Refining First Layer for ten years!"
"I heard he was stripped of his status and banished to the mine!"
"Serves him right! Wasting family resources!"
"Tsk tsk, how miserable..."
These words pierced Chu Yang's heart like countless icy needles. He remained expressionless, walking silently, burying all the pain and humiliation deep within his heart.
When they reached the imposing gate of the Chu Family residence, Chu Xiong suddenly stopped and forcefully shoved Chu Yang, causing him to stumble and nearly fall out the door.
"Get lost, waste material! You are no longer qualified to step through this Chu Family gate!" Chu Xiong stood inside the threshold, arms crossed, his face showing undisguised mockery and glee.
Chu Yang stabilized himself and slowly turned around.
He took one last look at the familiar yet strange mansion, one last look at the lofty plaque, and one last look at Chu Xiong's nauseating face.
He said nothing, but his gaze—cold, dead, yet seemingly containing something terrifying—made Chu Xiong inexplicably shiver.
The next moment, Chu Yang resolutely turned and stepped out of the Chu Family gate, walking into the cold rain outside.
This single step severed him completely from everything in the past ten years.
The road ahead was vast and unknown, his life or death uncertain.
But the flame of unwillingness in his heart, far from being extinguished by the rain, burned even more fiercely!
Chu Xiong watched Chu Yang's retreating figure disappear into the rain, spat, "Pah! What kind of look was that? A waste material dares to glare at me? Wait until we leave the city, and see how I'll deal with him!"
He called out to the two House Servants: "Follow! Don't let this waste material run off!"
The three of them followed closely, disappearing into the rain curtain.
However, none of them expected that Chu Yang had no intention of going to the mine at all.
After leaving the Chu Family's sight and rounding a street corner, Chu Yang used all his strength and bolted fiercely in the direction completely opposite to the mine—toward the Demonic Beast Mountain Range!
He knew that going to the mine meant certain death! But venturing into the Demonic Beast Mountain Range meant a slim chance of survival!
He intended to use this only "chance" to fight for a faint future!
"Damn it! This waste material is trying to run!" Chu Xiong quickly realized something was wrong, his face changing. "Hurry and chase! He's running toward the Demonic Beast Mountain Range!"
"What? Is he insane?!" The House Servants were also greatly alarmed.
The three of them quickly sped up their pace to pursue.
But Chu Yang, driven by a resolve to die, was unexpectedly fast. Coupled with the cover of the rain, they couldn't catch him immediately.
When they reached the outskirts of the Demonic Beast Mountain Range, they only saw Chu Yang's resolute back disappearing deep into the dense forest.
Chu Xiong and the two House Servants stopped at the edge of the forest, looking at the gloomy and terrifying mountains from which beast roars occasionally emanated, fear showing on their faces.
"Young... Young Master Xiong, should we still chase?" One House Servant swallowed hard and asked tremulously.
Chu Xiong stared into the pitch-black forest, feeling a bit unnerved himself. Although he was at Qi Refining Fifth Layer, entering the Demonic Beast Mountain Range was fraught with danger. Chasing after a waste material who was already doomed wasn't worth risking his own life for.
"Hmph! He got lucky!" Chu Xiong stomped his foot resentfully. "He's going in there to seek death himself, which saves me the trouble! We'll go back and report to Grandfather that Chu Yang defied orders and fled, entering the Demonic Beast Mountain Range, and must have been devoured by beasts!"
"Yes, yes! Young Master Xiong is brilliant!" The two House Servants quickly agreed.
Chu Xiong spat once more in the direction of the forest, as if to vent his frustration, before turning back toward the city with the House Servants.
Meanwhile, Chu Yang, deep within the Demonic Beast Mountain Range, had arrived at the true turning point of his destiny...
（Chapter Two End）