At the Len clan residence, a boy lay on his bed. Mold covered almost the entire wall of his room, and the dust attacked his nose. The boy's name was Len Run, and he had a frail appearance. Len Run was also a young man who hadn't developed well, mainly due to his illness. He could hear people outside his room mocking him.
Len Run was part of the Len clan, one of the five most powerful families in the city of "Dark Lake." At birth, Len Run became the heir to the Len clan. When he was three years old, his parents mysteriously disappeared, and from that day on, he was cared for by his paternal uncle, Len Cheng. At the age of seven, Len Run mysteriously contracted a severe illness that left him paralyzed. His grandfather tried everything to cure him, but nothing worked. After becoming paralyzed, his position as the future heir of the clan was taken by his uncle, Len Fang, and given to his son, Leng Tang.
Len Run was silent until he heard footsteps approaching his room. He realized that the footsteps belonged to Len Cheng. As the door opened, Len Cheng closed it and walked toward Len Run.
"Nephew, how are you?" asked Len Cheng, concerned.
"I'm fine, uncle," said Len Run with a smile on his face.
Hearing his nephew's response, Len Cheng felt a bit sad because he knew Len Run was lying.
"Have you been reading the books I gave you?" asked Len Cheng.
"Yes, I've read them all."
Since Len Run became paralyzed, he grew more sad and isolated. Seeing his nephew's state, Len Cheng began bringing him books. Ever since Len Run read the first book his uncle gave him, he became an avid reader, delving into books about medicine, politics, and many other topics.
"What kind of book would you like me to bring next?"
"I'd like one on cultivation."
Len Cheng was surprised by Len Run's request. Len Run's illness not only left him paralyzed but also destroyed his dantian.
"Wouldn't you prefer a different book?" asked Len Cheng, worried.
"No, I still want the cultivation book," Len Run said seriously.
Even though he was paralyzed and his dantian was useless, Len Run never lost hope.
Len Cheng hesitated a bit, but soon accepted his nephew's request. Len Run knew what his uncle was thinking, but he firmly believed that he could somehow be cured.
Since his father disappeared, Len Run had been raised by Len Cheng. Len Run's father, Len Can, was Len Cheng's older brother, and they were both sons of Len Ming's first wife, the patriarch of the Len clan. Being cared for by Len Cheng, the two formed a strong bond, akin to a father-son relationship. They lived in the worst mansion of the Len clan because they were disfavored by Len Ming. The servants of the mansion were all spies sent by Len Fang to monitor them. They only had each other to trust.
After Len Cheng left the room, Len Run picked up a political book from the table beside him and began reading. He was deeply engrossed in the book, but suddenly stopped when he felt a pain below his navel.
"What is this?"
Len Run noticed that the pain continued to increase. He tried to scream, but no sound came out. He started to thrash and shake, but it was useless. Cold sweat began to drip from his forehead and onto his bed. He felt as if his belly was being destroyed and rebuilt repeatedly. Unable to endure any longer, he fainted.
When he opened his eyes, the first thing Len Run saw was a tree. It was a beautiful, robust tree with various types of flowers. It was enormous, and even if Len Run stretched his neck as far as possible, he couldn't see the top of the tree.
Looking around, he could see a beautiful landscape. Several rivers with crystal-clear water crossed and cascaded into a waterfall. Mountains could be seen in the distance, but the most surprising thing was that in the entire landscape, there was only one tree—no trace of other trees existed.
"Where am I? Didn't I just faint?"
Len Run was very confused, having no idea where he was.
"Could this be a dream?"
He considered the possibility, but when he felt the grass under his feet, he realized it was too real to be a dream.
"Wait, I can feel the grass."
Realizing he could feel the ground, Len Run tried to walk but stumbled, as he wasn't used to walking.
"I can actually walk. This can't be a dream."
He was overjoyed, but to be sure it wasn't a dream, Len Run pinched himself so hard that tears began to form in his eyes.
"This really isn't a dream. But where am I?"
Len Run was deeply confused. As he looked back, he noticed a book near where he had been standing.
"What is that?"
He stood up and started walking toward the book, stumbling at first, but gradually getting used to walking again.
When Len Run reached the book and touched it, the book began to shine and flipped through several pages. Words and images from the pages were drawn out and flew toward Len Run. A vast amount of knowledge from the book was directly absorbed into Len Run's soul. After processing the information, Len Run left the place and returned to his room.
Len Run woke up lying on his bed but quickly sat up and began to examine his dantian.
"It's back."
Len Run realized that his body had been cured of the "mysterious illness" and that his dantian had finally been restored.
Tears began to stream down Len Run's cheeks, but he wasn't sad; he was happy.
"I can cultivate."