Dark clouds covered the sky, with occasional flashes of lightning accompanied by distant rumbles of thunder. A heavy rain was about to fall.
In Crouching Tiger City, Shen Xiang looked up at the sky and muttered to himself, "I can't delay any longer. I need to find a good spiritual herb soon, or I'll lose my chance to turn things around."
Shen Xiang, sixteen years old, had a body much stronger and taller than others his age. This sturdy build contrasted sharply with his still youthful and handsome face. However, his deep eyes, far more mature than his age, gave him an air of experience beyond his years.
Shen Xiang was heading out to gather medicinal herbs. Though he was the grandson of the Shen family's patriarch, he lacked a spiritual vein, making it impossible for him to become a powerful martial artist. From a young age, he had worked hard to train his body, often venturing out for secret exercises, even battling tigers. Despite his youth, he had survived several life-threatening experiences, making his heart and will far stronger than those of his peers.
"Isn't that Shen Xiang? The rain's about to start, and you're still going out to train?" An old steward walked by and spoke to him. Seeing Shen Xiang's determination, he couldn't help but admire him, though his eyes were filled with pity.
For the past six years, Shen Xiang had practiced diligently every day. Yet, he was still stuck at the third level of the Mortal Martial Stage, while most of his peers in the Shen family had already reached the fourth level, and some even the fifth. All of this was because he lacked a spiritual vein, so the family didn't see him as valuable. Now, he was just an ordinary person in the Shen family.
Though he had no spiritual vein, Shen Xiang never gave up. He kept working hard, finding fulfillment in the effort itself.
"Old Ma, I'm going to gather herbs," Shen Xiang called out with a grin, tugging playfully at the old steward's ponytail.
"It's no use. Without a spiritual vein, no matter how hard you work, it won't make a difference!" The steward shook his head and sighed.
Shen Xiang had heard such words countless times, but he still persevered. No matter what, he wouldn't give up.
"Xiang'er, the weather is like this—don't go!" A middle-aged man approached at that moment.
Shen Xiang pouted and said, "Dad, rainy days are the perfect time to gather herbs. At least I won't have to fight over them with others."
The middle-aged man, Shen Tianhu, was Shen Xiang's father, a renowned and powerful martial artist, and the most likely successor to become the next patriarch of the Shen family. Although his son lacked a spiritual vein, Shen Tianhu constantly encouraged Shen Xiang, even giving him precious elixirs, though they were ultimately ineffective.
"Take this," Shen Tianhu said with a helpless smile, tossing a small box to Shen Xiang.
Shen Xiang caught the box without even looking inside, knowing it contained elixirs. He grinned and said, "Thanks, Dad! Now I don't have to steal Old Ma's chickens to nourish myself!"
Old Ma looked bitter, realizing he had become a target.
Watching Shen Xiang's figure disappear, Shen Tianhu could only sigh. Though he held a high position in the Shen family, the elders strictly controlled rare and precious resources like elixirs. He could only save his own share for Shen Xiang, but it still didn't help, as there were too few elixirs.
What father wouldn't want their son to succeed? Yet Shen Tianhu had no choice but to do his best, striving to provide what he could for Shen Xiang.
After much effort, Shen Xiang finally harvested the spirit mushroom and placed it in his precious storage bag. Grinning broadly, he laughed, "Haha, my time to rise has finally come!"
As long as he sold this Hell Spirit Mushroom, he could buy plenty of decent elixirs and experience a rapid breakthrough!
The rain gradually lessened. Shen Xiang, being a content person, decided not to search further along the vast cliffside. Instead, he chose to climb back up, knowing he had limited stamina, and the climb itself was both strenuous and dangerous.
About half an hour into his climb, Shen Xiang suddenly felt the cliff begin to tremble slightly.
His heart sank. The excitement and joy he had been feeling quickly vanished, replaced by a sense of dread. Looking up, he saw small stones falling from the cliff, plunging into the abyss below. The slight tremor soon became a violent shaking.
"Damn it! I just got the Hell Spirit Mushroom, and now this? Are you kidding me, Heaven?" Shen Xiang cursed under his breath, frustrated by the sudden quake.
He tried to stay calm, gripping the uneven cliff tightly, knowing that if he let go, he would fall to his death.
As the tremors intensified, Shen Xiang felt a growing sense of despair. He noticed larger rocks falling from above, and to his horror, the stone he was holding onto began to crack.
"Heavens, I just found the Hell Spirit Mushroom, and you're sending me to hell? Are you playing with me?" Shen Xiang yelled in frustration. At that moment, black mist rose from below, and the rock he was clinging to split apart.
"Ah—!" Shen Xiang screamed as his body plunged into the black mist-filled abyss, his voice echoing in the depths...
He didn't know how much time had passed when he opened his eyes. To his surprise, he saw light. Even more shockingly, he was underwater—yet he could still breathe!
Shen Xiang surfaced in a pool, surrounded by sacred, glowing white mist.
But what truly left him dumbfounded was the sight nearby: two breathtakingly beautiful women, sitting cross-legged, their long hair flowing over their shoulders.
To his shock, neither of these goddess-like women was wearing any clothes! Their perfect, jade-like bodies were completely exposed!
The two women, with their flawless, snow-white skin, looked like they had been meticulously carved from pure white jade. Their ample chests and slender waists were enough to leave anyone breathless… These were the most beautiful women Shen Xiang had ever seen.
The stunning sight rendered Shen Xiang momentarily petrified, his face flushed red, heart pounding, and breath nearly stopping.
The women, sitting across from each other, seemed completely unaware of Shen Xiang's presence, making him feel strangely ignored.
After snapping out of his daze, Shen Xiang finally noticed the ravaged landscape around him at the bottom of the abyss—cracks and craters covered the ground, littered with rubble. Among the debris were fragments of white silk, hinting that a fierce battle had taken place here, likely between the two women, causing their clothes to be torn apart.
Though he didn't know why these two stunningly beautiful women had fought at the bottom of this abyss, Shen Xiang could tell they were incredibly powerful, far beyond anything he had ever encountered, with the strength to shake the earth and mountains.
"Beauty brings disaster… They almost brought me down with them! Lucky for me, I didn't die," Shen Xiang muttered, still curious about the two mysterious women.
Unable to resist, Shen Xiang stared intently at their flawless bodies, slowly moving closer.
The abyss beside Immortal Demon Cliff was known as Hell, but at this moment, Shen Xiang felt like he was in a heavenly paradise. There was a pool of glowing, sacred water, and more importantly, two breathtakingly beautiful, unclothed women.
It was only now that the two women noticed a pair of fiery eyes scanning them from a distance. Enraged, they flushed with shame.