Because of the young Wang Xianxian, the Wang family did not make things too difficult for Mo Wange.
Mother and son thus enjoyed ten years of warmth and bonding.
Of course, these ten years were notably absent of Wang Jiannian, the father.
After Wang Jiannian's status in the Wang family shifted, many family members became busy.
Not long after Wang Xianxian's birth, Wang Jiannian chose to go to the imperial capital to manage new family businesses.
During this time, he became acquainted with Murong Wan, the daughter of the powerful Murong family.
Feelings developed between the two.
When the Murong family found out, they were not outraged by Wang Jiannian's married status.
On the contrary, they even proposed marrying Murong Wan to Wang Jiannian as a gesture of goodwill, showing their intent to repair the rift with the Tianjian Wang family.
Faced with enormous benefits and the Murong family's humble attitude, the higher-ups in the Wang family eventually agreed to this absurd proposal.
As a result, Mo Wange became a thorn in the side of both families.
Faced with humiliation and injustice, this great mother chose to endure for the sake of her child.
From that point on, Wang Jiannian settled in the imperial capital with a new family.
At that time, Wang Xianxian had just turned one.
Heartbroken, Mo Wange tried to take her son to her own family for support.
Unexpectedly, the Mo family, fearing the Wang family's power, chose to sever ties with her completely.
With all her escape routes cut off, Mo Wange had no choice but to stay.
Sadly, fate didn't spare this pitiful woman.
Through a tragic accident, she was found drowned in a pond.
At that time, Wang Xianxian was ten years old.
Coincidentally, not long after Mo Wange's death, Wang Jiannian returned to the ancestral Tianjian residence with Wang Xianxian's stepmother and his half-brother, who was only two years younger than him.
This marked the beginning of Wang Xianxian's nightmare.
On the surface, his stepmother appeared kind and friendly, but behind the scenes, she was sharp-tongued and venomous.
His younger brother, arrogant and spoiled, bullied him without restraint, relying on the doting love of their father.
As for Wang Jiannian, he showed no affection for Wang Xianxian and even displayed some disdain.
At just ten years old, Wang Xianxian lived a life of constant anxiety within his own home.
As a child, deep down, he craved his father's love.
Especially after losing his mother, Wang Xianxian desperately wanted to get closer to his father.
But each time he cautiously approached, all he received were scornful rebukes.
Wang Xianxian could only hide in a corner, watching his father and brother play joyfully together.
That kind of smile—one that his father had never shown him.
Wang Xianxian trained diligently every day, hoping to earn his father's praise and recognition. But his father never once glanced at him.
This torment lasted for five long years.
After Wang Xianxian started middle school, Wang Jiannian's attitude toward him worsened.
Much of this was because Wang Xianxian's talents were considered mediocre.
Though his aptitude was far from poor, it was utterly overshadowed by the dazzling brilliance of his half-brother, Wang Beichen.
Wang Beichen's talents were so exceptional that they could only be described as monstrous.
Whether it was comprehension or physical ability, Wang Beichen displayed abilities far beyond that of ordinary people.
There are nine stages in a martial artist's cultivation, which are:
- First Stage: Tongmai Realm (Channeling Meridians)
- Second Stage: Lianxue Realm (Refining Blood)
- Third Stage: Duangu Realm (Tempering Bones)
- Fourth Stage: Fanxing Realm (Starfield)
- Fifth Stage: Haoyue Realm (Bright Moon)
- Sixth Stage: Fenyang Realm (Blazing Sun)
- Seventh Stage: Wudao Realm (Enlightenment)
- Eighth Stage: Hedao Realm (Unity)
- Ninth Stage: Dengtian Realm (Ascension)
When a human reaches ten years of age, the spiritual veins within their body begin to absorb spiritual energy, marking the official start of cultivation.
Aside from waiting until the age of fifteen, there's one other way to awaken a heavenly vocation and occupation:
Achieving the Second Stage, Lianxue Realm!
Wang Beichen, who was two years younger than Wang Xianxian, accomplished in just three years what Wang Xianxian couldn't achieve in five.
Half a month ago, Wang Beichen successfully broke through to the Lianxue Realm, having fully opened all twelve of his spiritual meridians.
As a result, he was able to awaken his heavenly vocation early.
Those who awaken early are without exception prodigies.
Today, not only did he awaken a rare vocation, but he also awakened an X-rank talent.
The gap between them was as vast as the heavens.
In truth, Wang Xianxian tried to understand his father's favoritism, as Wang Beichen's talents certainly merited such love.
But Wang Xianxian wasn't asking for much—he just longed for a bit of care.
Even just a little.
At such a young age, apart from his mother, the only person in his heart was his father.
However, his father was incredibly stingy, so stingy that Wang Xianxian had completely lost hope in him.
Today's vocation awakening was the final straw that broke his spirit.
Despite years of diligent training and study, despite enduring the bullying led by Wang Beichen, Wang Xianxian's determination never wavered.
All of this was for today—to awaken a decent vocation and talent.
He wanted his mother, watching from the afterlife, to be proud of him, and he wanted everyone to know that Wang Xianxian was Mo Wange's son.
But now, it seemed his dreams had been utterly shattered.
Not only did he awaken a vocation from the non-combat, life-skills category, but more importantly, he failed to awaken any talent at all.
He had now become a complete laughingstock in the family.
His mother would be ashamed of him, his father would further disregard him, and the clan would feel even more free to torment him.
He couldn't imagine his future because he saw no hope.
At this moment, Wang Xianxian had completely lost the will to live.
No matter how mature his mind was, he was still only fifteen.
Trapped in this oppressive family for fifteen years, with no freedom and no control over his destiny, his life felt more like that of a slave than a family member.
The only thing keeping him going had extinguished.
Wang Xianxian stared at the glass bottle beside his bed, and slowly reached for it.
With a crisp sound, the glass shattered.
He picked up a shard from the broken glass, holding it horizontally against his neck.
The young man closed his eyes tightly, and the hand holding the shard trembled slightly as he increased the pressure.
As the force increased, blood began to seep from the skin beneath the shard.
Taking a deep breath, Wang Xianxian prepared to end his life.
"Xianxian, why do you keep hurting yourself? You can't do that, you know... Mom would be so heartbroken…"
Memories of the past swept through him like a gentle spring rain, soothing his wounded heart.
His hand began to tremble uncontrollably.
In the end, Wang Xianxian dropped the shard.
After simply bandaging his wound, he walked out of the infirmary.
The moment he stepped out, he saw Li Yue and Zhao Hu waiting anxiously in the hallway.
When they saw Wang Xianxian, they seemed unsure of how to approach him.
Wang Xianxian understood that his friends were worried about hurting his pride.
"Li Yue, Zhao Hu, congratulations on awakening your S-level talents," Wang Xianxian said.
Zhao Hu spoke hesitantly, "Xian-ge, you..."
"I say, Zhao Hu, what's wrong with you? You've awakened an S-level talent, and you're still not happy? Getting all this good luck and yet you're sulking?" Wang Xianxian teased.
"I… I'm not… Xian-ge, you've misunderstood me," Zhao Hu stammered.
Wang Xianxian interrupted him, "No need to worry about me. I'm fine. I don't want to ruin your happiness because of my situation."
"After all, awakening an S-level talent is a huge deal for both of you."
"Besides, I'm still a member of the Wang family. Even if I do nothing, I won't have to worry about food or clothing. Why are you worried about me?"
"I'm counting on you guys to take care of me in the future."
His words eased the tension in their faces.
"Xian-ge, Li Yue already met with the military academy officials. They're willing to directly recruit her," Zhao Hu said.
Wang Xianxian wasn't surprised.
Li Yue's class, Battlefield Medic, was already a rare and highly sought-after talent in the military, not to mention her ability to grant warriors immunity from death.
Her value to the military was probably on par with that of someone with an SSS-level talent.
"And you?" Wang Xianxian asked Zhao Hu.
Seeing Zhao Hu's hesitant expression, Li Yue rolled her eyes at him.
"He's only tagging along with me. He's being recruited because of me," she said.
Zhao Hu protested, "What do you mean 'because of you'? My talent is super strong too, okay?"
"Hmph." Li Yue snorted, "If it weren't for me, do you think the academy would have recruited you? They'd probably have sent you to the kitchen!"
Zhao Hu looked aggrieved. "That's discrimination against chefs! I can make spirit food. I can fight and cook. How am I any worse than you?"
Watching their playful argument, Wang Xianxian couldn't help but smile.
In truth, Li Yue wasn't wrong. Although both had S-level talents, Zhao Hu's battlefield value didn't compare to Li Yue's. If it weren't for her, Zhao Hu would likely have just gone to a regular high school.
"I'll treat you two to a meal. Let's celebrate," Wang Xianxian suggested.
Li Yue and Zhao Hu exchanged glances, suddenly looking a little awkward.
"Xian-ge, we came to say goodbye. The academy has a special training program for new recruits, so…" Zhao Hu trailed off.
Seeing him struggle, Li Yue continued, "So, we're leaving tonight. We still need to complete the paperwork this afternoon."
Upon hearing this, Wang Xianxian felt a sudden pang of sadness, but he quickly composed himself.
"That's great news. We'll catch up during the holidays, and I'll treat you both then."
"Yeah."
The three of them continued chatting as they walked, just like they did every day after school.
When they reached a crossroads, Wang Xianxian took the initiative to speak.
"I won't see you off then. We'll meet again soon."
After some heartfelt conversation, they parted ways.
Wang Xianxian stood by the side of the road, watching the two of them walk away, joking and playing as usual. An overwhelming sense of emptiness crept over him.
As he watched their figures fade into the crowd, Wang Xianxian murmured softly, "I wish you both a bright future, and may you always find victory."
With that, he turned to face the direction of his home.
No matter how much he didn't want to confront reality, there were some things that couldn't be avoided.
So far, his life had been marked by nothing but failure. But that didn't stop him from moving forward…