Eastern Continent, outer sect of the Cloud Sky Sect. The autumn night was bone-chilling, with withered yellow leaves swirling in the air. As darkness settled, the entire mountain gate appeared desolate and eerily quiet. A thin figure sat cross-legged, his brow etched with both restraint and determination.
Wang Quan, the most inconspicuous outer disciple of Yunxiao Sect, had once been the young master of the Wang family. But ever since his family's downfall, his status plummeted to the lowest in the sect. Though he carried the bloodline of the Wang family, it had always remained dormant within him, showing no sign of strength. The other outer disciples regarded him as nothing but trash, and even those who had joined the sect two years ago freely bullied him.
Wang Quan opened his eyes, his gaze sharp and cold. Day after day of cultivation had not made him waver; instead, it only strengthened his resolve. A single thought burned in his mind: I must become stronger and break free from this pitiful fate!
"Hey! Wang Quan!" A familiar voice, full of disdain and mockery, shattered the stillness of the night.
It was Li Daoguang.
Without expression, Wang Quan looked at the approaching figure, suppressing the rage burning inside him. Li Daoguang, a second-stage Qi Refining cultivator and leader of the outer disciples, had always found chances to torment him since entering the sect.
"This piece of trash is still cultivating? What a joke. Even a lifetime of cultivation wouldn't make you anything but garbage!" Li Daoguang sneered as he walked closer, casually pulling out a purple pill from his robe and dangling it in front of Wang Quan.
"Qi Spirit Pill?"
Wang Quan's gaze shifted slightly. The Qi Spirit Pill was a rare resource for disciples in the Qi Refining stage, capable of helping them break through cultivation bottlenecks.
Seeing the flicker of desire in Wang Quan's eyes, Li Daoguang's smirk widened. "Hmph, you want this Qi Spirit Pill? Trash like you doesn't deserve it. But, if you kneel down and beg me, maybe I'll reward you with one."
As soon as Li Daoguang finished speaking, the surrounding outer disciples erupted in laughter, their eyes filled with ridicule and contempt. Wang Quan had never resisted in front of others, making them even more brazen in their mockery.
Wang Quan's fists clenched tightly, the veins on the back of his hands bulging, his eyes blazing with fury. But he knew all too well that, with his current lack of power, fighting back would only lead to greater humiliation.
Li Daoguang glanced at Wang Quan's tense fists and sneered, "What's this? Feeling rebellious? You're just a useless young master from a fallen family. Even your family couldn't survive, so what makes you think you can? I'll give you one last chance—kneel, apologize, and I might let you off easy."
Wang Quan remained silent, the hatred boiling inside him almost impossible to suppress. The destruction of his family, the humiliation he suffered at the hands of others—he felt like a volcano on the verge of eruption, but still, he did nothing.
Li Daoguang's sneer deepened as he delivered a harsh kick to Wang Quan's shoulder, knocking him to the ground. The surrounding disciples burst into raucous laughter, as though they were watching an amusing spectacle. Wang Quan hit the ground hard, blood seeping from the corner of his mouth, yet he still remained silent.
"When will I become strong enough to no longer endure such humiliation..." Wang Quan screamed inwardly, his burning desire to grow stronger raging like wildfire.
Just as he was about to stand again, a dark-gold token hidden in his robes began to tremble. Wang Quan's expression changed. This token was the only relic left to him by his parents, a keepsake he had carried with him since childhood, and it had never reacted in any way before.
"This…"
Suddenly, a cold and immense power surged out from the token, flooding into Wang Quan's body. His eyes sharpened instantly, as if some long-sealed force had been unlocked, and the spiritual energy within him began to whirl furiously.
"The Defiant Bloodline!"
Wang Quan's heart raced in shock. He had always believed that he was of average talent, unable to awaken his family's ancestral bloodline. But to his surprise, in this moment of humiliation, the Defiant Bloodline had silently awakened.
"This power…" Wang Quan's gaze grew colder.
The spiritual energy in his body rapidly gathered, healing the injuries he had just sustained in an instant, leaving him even stronger than before. Slowly, he rose to his feet, feeling the boundless force of his bloodline coursing through him.
Boom!
A clap of thunder echoed across the sky, tearing through the darkness as fierce winds howled.
The sneer on Li Daoguang's face froze in an instant. He could feel an overwhelming pressure emanating from Wang Quan, a pressure that was impossible to ignore. It was as if the person standing before him was no longer the laughingstock he had once mocked.
"You... what's happening to you?" Li Daoguang's voice trembled. He couldn't comprehend how Wang Quan, who had been utterly defenseless just moments ago, now exuded such terrifying power!
Wang Quan lifted his head, his eyes sharp as a blade. "Li Daoguang, didn't you want to see me kneel? Let me tell you this—you're not worthy!"
Before Li Daoguang could react, Wang Quan kicked off the ground, launching himself forward like an arrow. In an instant, he was before Li Daoguang, his fist charged with violent spiritual energy, crashing into Li Daoguang's chest.
Bang!
Li Daoguang's body was sent flying, slamming into a stone pillar with a sickening thud. Blood spurted from his mouth as he collapsed to the ground, unconscious.
The crowd of disciples fell into stunned silence, their gazes filled with terror as they stared at Wang Quan. This man, whom they had always considered to be worthless, had now revealed an overwhelming power.
Wang Quan slowly lowered his fist, his eyes sweeping coldly across the silent crowd. Without a word, he turned and walked away, his figure growing more distant and unyielding in the night, as if heralding the rise of a true powerhouse.
From that moment, the nights at Yunxiao Sect would never be peaceful again.