There was something spoken by most Cultivators in the vast world. It was that the journey to immortality couldn't be achieved unless one severed their 'Mortal Fetters' for cultivation.
In fact, those who could take the first step to immortality were always those who had severed their bonds. Their familial ties, their honour, their traumas, their morality, everything. Only then could they reach the Zen state of Immortal emptiness.
Those who couldn't do such a simple task ended up joining the Demonic Faction. However, the Heavens willed that if there was no abstinence, if there was no severance, then there must be indulgence. Therefore entering an extremity.
"What a world we all live in, right?" Asked one of Leon's parents, who had failed his experiment.
It had been 20 years since Earth was destroyed and this pilot of the world's most incredible Mecha encountered 'Internal Qi'. He used himself as an experimental subject to reach greater heights in the 'Mortal Dao', but failed in his endeavour.
The 'Qi Tech' he created was imperfect, unable to help him achieve the results he'd strived for.
Leon couldn't help but feel pity for his 'First Father' laying weakly in his bed. He had reached his absolute limit early on in his life because he thought like a Mortal. Always rushing, leaving no room for meditation and other common Arts.
Three of his other 'parents' lay next to him. The second person was a buff man, but the injuries he sustained in his life far exceeded mere external ones. As a Grandmaster martial artist, he used up his lifespan doing what he loved the most.
Fighting, fighting, fighting, and fighting...
It was to the point that this man became revered as the first 'Martial Artist' who could beat up Cultivators, but even his path was faulty. Those he had ended up offending brought back even stronger individuals to attack the old fighter.
In the end, he became crippled after having both his legs chopped off. This taught Leon something...
"Don't make the same mistakes I did. I may have not bowed my head even in the face of death, but I don't want you to follow my example. Be 'stronger' than I was." The brawny man patted his head.
"Who did this to you?" Seeing the tears and resentment on the young man's face, the old fighter sighed. He knew keeping it a secret would only cause opposite results, so he replied firmly:
"The 'Justice Blood Sword Sect'... but don't go out picking a fight unless you can beat them. I only lost my legs because of my overconfidence... Also, be a nice kid and repay the Beggar Sect for me. It was their intervention that helped me survive."
"I'll keep that in mind." Leon nodded his head.
Next, he looked at the woman who still wouldn't remove her stage mask as a Magician. To the Cultivation World, she was only a common trickster. However, the young man knew that her biggest 'trick' was the misconception they had.
After encountering 'Internal Qi', she became a well-known Artificer who could never leave the Mortal Rank. Her nifty gadgets and stage props allowed her to do performances others thought impossible.
The 'Severed Body' trick. The 'Fake Death' trick. If she needed to escape, she would do so without leaving a trace of herself. The woman was like a masterful thief who was supposed to live longer than her two friends. However, she was still hurt...
"You... who poisoned your body?" The young man counted his grudges, causing her to smile at him.
"I'd say the Tang Sect, but the real reason I got poisoned was because I tried a technique beyond I could handle. This is only the result of that." She opened her palms, showing no forms of anger.
She wanted to help her child reach beyond the legendary 'Million Immunity Poison Body'. It was unfortunate that ended up reaching way too far ahead. Her body couldn't cope with her poisons.
"My last words are: Don't use techniques without fully understanding them first. Winging it can only get you so far." He nodded his head, then turned towards the youngest looking woman among them.
She looked just like a teenager. Even though Leon knew her actual age, he still thought she was beautiful. Like his 'First Mother' and 'Second Father'. the woman before him also met with her own misfortune. So she didn't hesitate to tell him:
"There was a rare Incubus in the 'Succubi Sect'. I was offered up to him. He's around your age, but way more immature. Be careful. Don't sleep with someone unless your the one taking the lead." Her words only caused him to feel intense outrage.
Dual Cultivation was supposed to be both a pure yet impure practice. His mother didn't enter a Sect and instead used her own knowledge, staying away from the murky waters of the Demonic Faction.
However, they still hurt her...
Leon believed that if he saw the man in person, he would make him feel a hell beyond his imagination.
"Anyway, don't live just for avenging us. Just live for yourself." His Second Father sighed once again.
It was then they exchanged glances with each other, before holding onto his hand together.
His First Father repeated: "Live for yourself."
Then, he felt his body being infused by all the life force his four 'parents' had left. He inherited their memories, techniques, everything they ever accumulated, and more, before leaving this world forever. Their bodies turned to ashes, leaving him dumbstruck as he looked at his hand. The tears on his face starting to dry after an hour of hesitation.
It was only after he made up his mind that he turned to look at the Mecha behind him.
He thought the robot was just a tool, only to be surprised by the wisdom he sensed in its automated system. Was this the 'Artificial Intelligence' he heard of from his First Father?
Using the Microchip embedded in his neck, he ordered the giant robot to stay hidden for now.
This was his first time venturing out of the forest nearby the small town his parents always visited.
He had nothing but the clothes they'd brought for him on his back, as well as an accumulated of knowledge from the Mortals who despised the Immortal Dao. Their attachments passed to him.
As the holder of the torch they passed, he promised himself one thing specifically.
"I'll never let go of their memories." Even though he knew he wasn't their 'real' son, he always loved them. Their boldness, their mischief, their cruelty, and their pervasiveness, all of it was part of him.
And so... Leon finally entered the Cultivation World.
It was a place filled with wonders and mundanity beyond compare. If something was special, it was something that would be coveted by others. Only those who were 'ordinary' were left alone.
Well, that was only when speaking in comparison.
In an Inn not far from where Leon had decided to enter small town without much of a name, the young female owner was being harassed. It would be a common tale of mistreatment if she was a beauty, but her looks weren't exactly that amazing.
Not only was she snaggletoothed, but she didn't seem that much charm when it came to attitude.
Dry, somber, bland. All these words could be used for her, and yet she was still being bullied.
It just went to show that misogynistic actions was prevalent anywhere men were miseducated.
"You really shouldn't offend me, don't you even know who I am?" The man asked the Inn owner.
Even though her looks weren't top-notch. There was a lustful look in the man's eyes as he scanned her body like a piece of meat at a butcher's. Her face couldn't hide her delicate body and skin.
Although not particularly curvy, she had a good figure from a Japanese man's standpoint. No thick chest or rear, but something that could perfectly fit into a Kimono or Chinese Dress. He also loved the way she rejected him, as a damn pervert he was.
'What do I do?' The Inn owner felt terrified. It was due to unfortunate circumstances that her only parent was bedridden with sickness. Now, she was unable to handle business purely because women were looked down on in the Cultivation World.
She was angry and distressed. After all, she too knew of her own appearance to the point of having a complex about it. When she was younger, the girl even had freckles that made her seem more ugly.
However, this kind of treatment didn't amuse her.
"You should be happy I'm even looking at an ugly woman like you. What right to you have to deny me?" There was a great entitlement in the ruffian's tone, but no one came up to help whatsoever.
It was only when Leon entered the Inn to book a room did something change. The young Child of Gaia immediately recognised the crest of the Justice Blood Sword Sect on the ruffian's shirt, but was able to control his emotions perfectly.
A great flame of hatred erupted from his eyes momentarily, before being dragged down into his sea of consciousness. Using the skills his parents had taught, he decided to put those matters to the side until he gained a firm foothold first.
And in all honesty, he found them unappealing...
Rather than recklessly engaging in battle, he opened a wine bottle on his waist and pretended to be a little drunk as he stumbled forth. His actions were noticed by the ruffians, but he didn't care at all. Instead choosing to make himself pronounced.
"What is happening here~? Am I seeing such an embarrassing scene before me?" Before they could retort, he made them focus on the seal of the Tang Sect on his shirt. The material and fibre of his clothes were definitely a genuine Sect uniform.
This was something his First Mother whipped up.
Against influence, it was better to use another influence. That way, they'd avoid a big conflict.
"Haha, I'm not sure what Sir means by that!" The ruffian laughed with his cronies, feigning a civil attitude as if he wasn't about to commit a crime previously. The Inn owner looked a bit confused.
"Could it be your failing to seduce a girl, and therefore wanted to use force? Don't you have any dignity of a man?" It was a low blow, but not completely outrageous to say. After all, this kind of rumour may turn malicious if circulated around.
Some might think he was trying to compensate for being 'small' in a certain area. All ruining his name.
"Sir seems like such a smooth talker." The ruffian didn't lose his cool, then responded calmly to him.
"What's the point in even speaking that?"
"It was only a whim. Tell me, how would you try to win the heart of such an ugly girl." He didn't stop calling her as such, which only lowered the Inn owner's confidence in herself. She felt ashamed and humiliated to be at the centre of all this.
Little did she know that the ruffian only spoke this as a trap. The moment Leon complimented her body and ignored her face, he would easily be able to turn the tables. He'd say the man was lecherous.
It was laughably ironic, but 'winning' conversations mattered more than making sense in this world.
"...You won't get a girlfriend if you talk about girls like that. Can't you show me an example first?"
Rather than playing fair, the young Child of Gaia wanted to see how the man fared in social skills.
"Why should I do that...?"
"You won't say you don't have a romantic bone in you, right? Not after everything you said..."
"Fine. Why don't you say something then? I'm already losing interest in this girl anyway."
The ruffian didn't like the young man's tone.
However, Leon chose to take him up on that offer rather than avoiding it. It would diffuse the situation if he made it as cringeworthy as possible. That way, the girl won't suffer repercussions as well.
Pretending to be drunk, he took a big sip from the bottle he opened before stumbling onto his knees before her. Everyone was expecting something amusing to come out of his mouth... He spoke:
"Your eyes are like Mountain Dew, both clear and refreshing, but that's only superficial, as within them I can see a kind and lovely heart." These words didn't sound like a joke, but more like a sincere confession straight from his heart.
The Inn owner blushed, feeling a warmth she never felt before from her heart as he gazed straight at her. Though admittedly, he wasn't thinking such pure thoughts. His eyes were scanning her face.
Body language, intuitive guesses about her background and past, her words, as well as the way she reacted acted as reference. This was part of the seduction methods his mother taught him.
Sex wasn't all physical, as the interaction between two people took up a lot of how it worked. In other words, interaction was also sex. Therefore, one mustn't make a mistake when 'pleasuring' a girl.
One wrong move and the previous progress would be gone. That's why some reference was critical.
To adjust the way he spoke and acted, it wasn't enough to not be presumptuous towards another's personality. Instead, only those who were able to stealthily appeal to another by crafting a narrative their partner liked mattered most. It was essential!
Seeing how the supposed 'Tang Sect member' even went as far as to kiss her hand, the ruffian knew that going any further would just make things nonsensical. He wasn't gonna argue with a drunk.
When the ruffians and his cronies left for better things to do after having her game ruined, the Inn owner finally spoke up. She felt gratitude towards the handsome man who had somehow helped her.
"Thank you."
"My pleasure. How much is a room?" He smiled before going straight into what he came here for.
Although disappointed, the Inn owner also knew that his words previously were likely a facade.
She went back to work and served the other customers like a waitress, all while handling multiple duties at once. Her workload was full for the day since her father couldn't come to help her.
He was getting a lot better recently and should be able to resume his duties soon. It was with this hope that she worked until midnight, feeling energised even though she worked the whole day.
It was just when the day had ended did she see a familiar face again. Leon talked to her on the stairs:
"Hard day at work?"
"It's usually busier than this. Not many have been renting a room lately due to how small this town is."
"You've worked so hard." He reached out and patted her shoulder, surprising the girl strongly.
However, she was put at ease by the way he looked directly at her with his handsome face. He was the type of guy who likely wouldn't look twice at her normally, so she capitalised on this opportunity.
Leon also knew that taking advantage of her complexes was wrong, but he did so anyway.
The first step of his plan required an Inn, so he had his own plans after thoroughly seducing this girl.
His hand lingered on her shoulder before bringing her close. Her heartbeat accelerated as he did so.
"Visit my room anytime. I like your company." The first sentence seemed audacious and somewhat degrading, but the second sentence made her heart feel warmer. He didn't seem disgusted by her smile, and his attitude didn't seem too slimy.
Leon then turned around and returned to his own room. There were many things for him to do.
One of them was making his parent's legacies his own step by step. Blending them into one whole.
He wanted to create his own 'Dao' for living.