Under the radiant sun, a medieval village buzzed with activity as its inhabitants went about their daily routines.
The marketplace was a hive of activity, with people from all walks of life strolling through, their faces brimming with a myriad of expressions. Curious glances were cast at the diverse stalls, and prices were haggled with enthusiasm.
The air was filled with the lively sounds of vendors promoting their wares and the delightful aroma of food wafting from the stalls. People sat down to enjoy meals and engaged in animated conversations with friends, their laughter echoing through the marketplace.
In one corner, a group of spirited children clashed in wooden sword duels, their parents watching with a mixture of amusement and concern. The young ones resumed their vigorous play with renewed determination, undeterred by the occasional scolding.
Among the villagers, a distinct contrast emerged. Well-dressed individuals equipped with bows, swords, and spears moved through the village, stopping at stalls to exchange goods.
Their wares included the remains of bizarre creatures that seemed to have materialized out of thin air, earning them reverent gazes from the onlookers.
Amidst the bustling activity, groups of toiling men, dirt-covered and carrying various farming equipment, traversed the village. Wiping sweat from their brows, they dragged crates of harvested produce to different food stalls, contributing to the vibrant scene.
The sounds of laughter coming from the midday drunkards, the heated arguments between the haggling customers and stall owners, plus the various chatter combined together to create a peaceful atmosphere in this seemingly ordinary village,
This was Nongmin Village.
While it may not be one of the more prosperous villages in this world, the locals had content looks on their faces as they went about, satisfied with their current situations. Well, most...
Resting on the sun-dappled earth, leaning against the worn embrace of a rustic wooden hut, a young boy's silhouette unfolded against the backdrop of his surroundings.
Long, ink-black strands framed his face, creating a stark contrast with the deep blue pools of his eyes, which shimmered like forgotten sapphires beneath the weight of unspoken burdens.
His posture whispered of weariness, and his shoulders slouched in defeat as he cradled a frail wooden bowl in his hands.
The bowl, a vessel of both hope and despair, clinked with the weight of copper coins bestowed upon him by villagers whose eyes carried compassion and pity.
A sigh, heavy with the ache of unspoken tales, escaped the boy's lips.
It was in this moment that he decided to break the silence, his voice carrying the weight of a world much too heavy for his youthful shoulders.
"How did this happen?"
This young boy was, naturally, Adam.
The anticipated rebirth as the son of a king or the doted-on grandson of an archmage did not unfold as expected. Instead, after some bewildering moments, he came to a stark realization—he was, without a doubt, a beggar.
He had a decent lifestyle in his previous life; adjusting to being a beggar wasn't easy, and he realized how much he had actually taken for granted.
Life at the moment—he could only describe it as rough.
With the help of the system, he learned the language of the locals as early as 4 months old. From then on, he would get his hands on anything he could find, trying to deepen his understanding of this new world.
And what he discovered ignited a fire in him.
He was currently on a planet called Lusus, nearly five times the size of the earth from his previous life. On this planet was a certain energy named "Qi."
There are two forms of Qi in the body: congenital and acquired.
The former is the energy one is born with and symbolizes our basic constitution, whereas the latter is determined by our lifestyle, the quality of resources like pills, emotional equilibrium, the type of martial art one practices, and more.
Qi circulates through the body through particular channels known as meridians, which constitute an organized system similar to an electrical circuit.
While everyone is born with congenital Qi, those who are able to acquire Qi and utilize it are called cultivators, giving them all sorts of superhuman abilities.
In Lusus, kids usually start cultivating at the age of six, while those with special backgrounds start at five. Adam turned five yesterday, and today was the day he would finally begin cultivating.
"Of all things present, these last few years have not been easy. Though I barely remember the plots, I know for a fact that this was not how it went in the novels; is this the Creator's doing?"
"With the information I have gathered on cultivation in this world, it seems resources are a necessity for those who want to cultivate to high levels.
Resources that, apart from those who had fortunate encounters early on, only nobles, merchants, and other silver spoon backgrounds would have access to.
As I am now, getting my hands on such resources will be one hell of an ordeal, though all that may change today...
the final test, I would be lying if I said I was not a bit excited. I wonder what that master of mine has in store for me."
Thinking of his 'master', his mood turned solemn. Initially, witnessing his extraordinary abilities filled him with awe and deep respect. However, after spending years observing his peculiar behavior, he began to suspect that his master might not be entirely sane.
At this moment, he turned his gaze to a commotion happening not too far away from him.
In front of a clothing stall, a large crowd of people were gathered in a circle, and in the center of this circle was an average-looking young man in elaborate orange robes with the insignia of a ferocious tiger on his shoulder.
The young man gracefully knelt on one knee, his hand rising to reveal a small box nestled in his palms, concealing what appeared to be a delicate ring inside.
"I know I am undeserving of such a wonderful woman like you, yet... Xiao Mingze, will you marry me?" His words dripped with longing, sincerity etched on his face.
Facing him was a striking young woman with auburn hair cascading down her shoulders, donned in modest robes that did little to conceal her voluptuous figure.
Blushing profusely, she eagerly extended her hands to receive the ring, joy radiating from her as she slid it onto her finger.
"Yes, I wi-AHHHHH."
Suddenly, a hunchbacked, diminutive old man, adorned in tattered and soot-covered robes, materialized behind her.
With a mischievous cackle, he smeared mud across her chest, prompting a startled scream from the young woman.
"Hohohoho, your husband is a lucky man!" The old man chimed in a humorous tone, laughter echoing through the air.
"BEGGAR!! YOU DARE!!?"
The young man roared as he stood up, clenching his fists, his face full of rage at the balatant injustice his fiance had just suffered.
Bursting with an intense orange Qi, he launched himself in the direction of the beggar, raised his arms, and opened his palms, then, as if gripping something, arranged them in a claw-like manner.
A mere meter away from the old man, he harnessed his Qi with intense concentration. The energy surged into his right hand, illuminating it with a vibrant orange glow that expanded rapidly.
In a breathtaking display, the energy took shape, morphing into a colossal creature—a monstrous black and orange-striped tiger phantom.
It loomed above him, standing at an impressive 10 feet in height and stretching 5 feet in width. The ethereal tiger emanated an aura of power, its stripes pulsating with a hypnotic intensity.
The phantom claw overlapped his right hand, swiping down with intensity in sync with the young man's movements.
"Soaring Tiger Arts: Calamity Claw"
"SEVER!"
As the tiger claw inched menacingly closer to the old man, the young man found himself coughing up blood uncontrollably, the violent repercussions of reneging on the move taking a toll. In a sudden twist, instead of the anticipated confrontation with the old man, he was faced with his fiancée!
At the last moment, the old man, with swift precision, yanked the fiancée's arm and forcefully thrust her into the path of the young man's deadly maneuver.
Luckily, right before canceling the move, he managed to redirect it towards the stall, leaving four deep fractures on the ground where the stall once stood.
"SHAMELESS BASTARD!" bellowed the young man, his face twisted in rage and veins throbbing visibly beneath his skin.
"Hohoho, what dogshit luck! I envy your husband," chuckled the old man in a mischievous tone, continuing to jest.
With clenched fists and gritted teeth, the young man, torn between protecting his fiancée and his boiling rage, contemplated a forbidden technique. The old man's voice interrupted his thoughts.
"Hmm, your wife has some talent for cultivation, and it seems she has a child, a boy. Congratulations, young man."
"Wh-what!? What bullshit are you spouting??
The old man's hands moved with fluid grace, and as if orchestrating nature itself, he gently pushed the fiancee into the protective arms of the young man.
With a sweeping motion, he conjured an arcane gesture, and in his weathered palm materialized an exotic plant.
Resembling a sunflower but infused with an otherworldly aura, it radiated a brilliant yellow Qi that cast a mesmerizing glow.
The surrounding crowd gasped in collective astonishment, their eyes widening as those more knowledgeable among them immediately recognized it.
"This is?!"
"That's a Thousand-Year Spirit, Xiàngru!"
"Heavens! The Xiangrikui is only possible to be sighted deep within the Great Forest."
"Who is this beggar?"
The old man walked up to him and placed the treasure in his hands. The young man was completely stunned by this unexpected turn of events.
He knew the immense value of the treasure, an opportunity that he could not even obtain with a hundred years of cultivation.
Others were only aware of its identity, but the young man who practiced tiger arts understood its true worth.
"Hohoho, well, well! Sacrificing yourself in a battle with this old geezer for the love of your fiancée young man! It looks like you've got a heart as sturdy as my creaky joints!"
Cupping his fists, the young man bowed slightly before speaking in a respectful tone, "Forgive my past transgression; this junior failed to recognize Mount Tai."
The old man just smiled faintly, then, with a gust of wind, vanished.
"Could that have been an immortal who just came out of seclusion?"
"It has to be. To be able to hold such a treasure requires immense strength. That old man is definitely not simple."
"Mingze, is it true?"
"Yes, I was planning to tell you," she replied, smiling bitterly.
"To be able to receive such a beautiful wife, a child, and such a treasure on top of that, this young man's luck is truly envious."
"That old man, I think Ive seen him before..."
In the midst of the chaos, there was a person on his knees, staring at the tattered textiles in his hands. It was the stall owner, his misery unnoticed by practically everyone.
Adam carried an indifferent expression as he shook his head at this sight. While others may think his master was a generous immortal, he knew that his master simply wanted to grope the man's fiance, as he had done many times in the other villages.
Suddenly, beside Adam, followed by a gust of wind, a short, skinny old man draped in torn robes covered in dirt and soot appeared.
His spindly legs seemed as though they might be carried away by the breeze, stroking his beard. He sighed deeply before speaking.
"To watch his own master, who raised him from youth to death, battle to the death and show not even an increment of care, oh heavens! What wrongdoing have I committed for me to receive such a heartless disciple?"
He said the words with a sorrowful tone, his face reflecting the anguish of one who had endured the sting of betrayal.
Gazing at the wooden bowl in his palms, Adam snorted.
A despondent expression crossed his face as he responded in that same sorrowful tone.
"To give a random stranger such a precious treasure yet watch as his own disciple slaves on the streets for meager copper coins, oh heavens! What did I do to receive such a heartless master?"
Despite thinking that his master might be a bit eccentric, Adam, having lacked parental figures in both his past and current lives, found himself growing attached to the old man, the only one who showed him care, apart from Jake.
As much as he denied it, the old man also developed a soft spot for the disciple he had raised from birth.
"Hmph! Treasure? That blade of grass? Truly an ignorant desciple... that aside."
The old man's demeanor underwent a drastic transformation. His formerly jovial countenance was replaced by an air of solemnity. "Are you ready?"