He and his mother, Tang Ruoyu, had lived in a small run-down house. Despite their poverty, Tang Lin lived happily with his mother. They lived in a small village that was under the Xu family's control within the Dongshan Yu province.
After his father left him at a young age, his mother as a single parent had to take care of Tang Lin all by herself. At a young age, Tang Lin learned how harsh reality was as he was forced to constantly improve himself. Unfortunately, he was born with a rare condition that stripped a lot of his muscle content, which caused his physical strength to be greatly restricted. So, Tang Lin had to become smarter than his peers and was able to have somewhat of a deep comprehension in cultivation, qi and the world at a young age.
Regrettably, the Dongshan Yu was controlled by four family clans and no sects. So, they only taught people within the family or serving under them. This was why it was hard for Tang Lin to take advantage of his wisdom, despite his talent, but that didn't stop the Xu family. They were fearful of his potential; if he was somehow able to sense heaven and earth qi, their position would be threatened. Thus, they crippled his meridians, which severed his only path left to grow stronger. He couldn't cultivate his qi or his body.
He was a waste.
***
After Tang Lin had been dragged through heaven and hell, the Xu family's mansion finally came into view growing nearer and nearer. Coming to the front gates of the house, the two guards with a fearsome disposition blocked the entrance.
"They must be at least 4th Qi Condensation cultivators", thought Tang Lin.
"Welcome home, Master Xu Ming", greeted the guards, clasping their hands forward respectfully.
Now inside the courtyard of the Xu family's house, Tang Lin was slung to the floor by Xu Ming before attempting to slowly stand up with a bit of trouble.
"Kneel", commanded someone who had just walked into the courtyard.
Just as Tang Lin got up, a massive force of pressure sent him kneeling on his knees as if he was carrying a divine mountain on his back. Looking up, Tang Lin instantly recognized the man as the perpetrator behind his mother's death.
"Xu Yang!" Tang Lin growled furiously.
With a frown, Xu Yang walked up to Tang Lin who was still fighting against the pressure and smacked his face to the ground.
"Don't taint my name with your disgusting voice, you waste", reproached Xu Yang.
Xu Ming, who had been silent after bringing him here, finally talked.
"You are the Xu family's property now, so you have been assigned to serve under big brother Xu Yang as one of his personal servants when he requires it", said Xu Ming.
"And don't even think of escaping or harming big brother Xu Yang. I'll let you know he is the genius of our Xu family and has reached the 8th stage of Qi Condensation at the age of 16", said Xu Ming pridefully.
In severe pain, Tang Lin considered his words as he recognized that his current strength is too insignificant to change anything right now.
"It looks like I have no choice, I need to work smarter right now to live longer and find more opportunities to strike back", thought Tang Lin, swallowing back his hatred.
"Fine", he replied.
"Hmph, it's not like you had a choice anyway", said Xu Ming.
"Come with me, I'll show you your room and uniform. You'll be living within the Servant District with all the other lackeys. Don't forget that you're just a loser, so count yourself lucky to even have the chance of staying with and listening to big brother Xu Yang", advised Xu Ming cold-heartedly.
As they arrived to his room, Tang Lin saw the state of the room and was shocked.
"What room? The whole place was destroyed and filled with dust and debris with only a toilet and a pillow for me to use to sleep on the cold, hard floor", thought Tang Lin.
Scowling, Xu Ming ignored his glare, mocking his dreary situation. Despite this, Tang Lin couldn't find the energy to quarrel with him. All his injuries and fatigue had finally caught up to him leaving him exhausted. Giving one last cold glance at Xu Ming; Tang Lin entered the room and closed the door. Finally able to rest, he laid down on the floor with his pillow pondering.
"Sigh, how am I meant to get stronger?" Tang Lin contemplated.
"For now, I need to focus on increasing my physical strength to at least 100 jin and reach the Strength Training stage", resolved Tang Lin
Now looking around the room filled with rubble, a medium-sized rock the size of his head caught his attention.
"I'll start with you", he thought, walking to the stone.
Even though he was 12 years old, his weak physique left him gasping for air in an attempt to lift the rock. Even with Tang Lin's immense willpower, the rock served as a wake-up call to him about the harsh truth of the world. Only those with strength were respected and the powerless oppressed. Panting, melancholic tears dripped down Tang Lin's face as he stood before the seemingly immovable stone. His hands were filled with calluses as his mind was on the verge of collapsing.
"Mother, I miss you", whispered Tang Lin as he fell to the floor, submerged within his tears as the darkness of the night engulfed his consciousness.