Eastern Wasteland, Great Xia Kingdom.
It was noon, and the sun blazed fiercely.
Within the Mixed Heaven Dao Academy, Chen Feng held an octagonal black sandalwood box as he sprinted along the path toward Mirror Lake.
"This birthday gift will definitely surprise Xue Ning. She'll never expect it to contain a Foundation Establishment Pill."
In the distance, a young girl in a white dress stood outside the woods by the lake. Her sweet and gentle appearance made Chen Feng quicken his pace.
"Xue Ning, today is your birthday. I've prepared something for you…"
Chen Feng wore a set of faded gray cloth clothes, his short hair slightly messy, reaching just past his ears. His handsome face bore traces of bruises, and he was drenched in sweat, looking somewhat disheveled. Yet, his expression was filled with genuine joy as he handed over the octagonal black sandalwood box.
"Chen Feng!" The girl interrupted him without even glancing at the box. Her cold and unfamiliar tone left Chen Feng stunned.
"Six years have passed, and you're only at the third level of Body Refinement. Meanwhile, I've reached the peak of the sixth level and am about to break through to the seventh. In a month, I'll definitely pass the examination and become a disciple of the Mixed Heaven Sect. From then on, I'll soar to great heights, while you're just a worm crawling on the ground. Do you think you're worthy of me?"
"And this trash jade pendant? Who knows where you picked it up, yet you claim it's a family heirloom. Here, take it back. From now on, we have no relationship. You and I are destined to live in different worlds—I'll be in the heavens, while you'll remain in the dirt."
The more she spoke, the more disgusted she became. She pulled out a black crescent-shaped jade pendant and hurled it at Chen Feng. Her once sweet and pure face now twisted into an expression of cold indifference.
The pendant struck Chen Feng's face before bouncing off and landing in the fallen leaves beneath the tree.
The pain on his face snapped Chen Feng out of his daze.
He stared at the girl's still beautiful but now icy and heartless face, feeling an unprecedented sense of unfamiliarity. For six years, he had given her all his Body Refinement Pills to help her cultivate better, only for it to become the reason she looked down on him.
A wave of dizziness hit him, and Chen Feng stumbled backward, his back hitting the tree trunk. The octagonal sandalwood box he had been clutching tightly fell from his hand and rolled into the pile of leaves.
After staring at Yang Xue Ning for a few moments, Chen Feng regained his composure.
"Why? You've always aimed to join the Mixed Heaven Sect. I gave you all my Body Refinement Pills. I spent a month as your sparring partner, taking hits just to earn enough silver to buy you a Foundation Establishment Pill to help you break through to the seventh level of Body Refinement. You said you liked the pendant my mother left me, so I gave it to you without hesitation. I've willingly given you everything. Tell me… what more could I have done?" Chen Feng stepped forward, his voice low and压抑.
His eyes were filled with grief and anger, emotions Yang Xue Ning had never seen before. She felt a pang of guilt and instinctively averted her gaze, offering no response.
"Because you're a waste. Since you're a waste, how could you possibly deserve a beautiful woman like Xue Ning?"
A mocking voice suddenly rang out. A young man in dark green martial attire, with a sword strapped to his back, emerged from behind the tree next to Yang Xue Ning. He casually draped his arm around her waist, his hand roaming freely as he looked at Chen Feng with a mix of arrogance and disdain.
"Who are you?"
Seeing such blatant behavior, even Chen Feng, as naive as he was, understood what was happening. He demanded an answer, his voice sharp.
"Chen Feng, listen well. This is Ye Yunqi, one of the top ten strongest Body Refinement cultivators in the academy, ranked fourth," Yang Xue Ning said, leaning into the young man in dark green. Her eyes sparkled with pride, as if this glory belonged to her.
"Yunqi is only eighteen, but he's already at the peak of the eighth level of Body Refinement. He's also the young master of the Ye family, the foremost family in Great Xia." Yang Xue Ning raised her chin haughtily, her gaze toward Chen Feng growing even more contemptuous. "In terms of family background, talent, and wealth, what do you have to compare with Yunqi? Your mother, who ran off with someone else? You're nothing but a complete waste, a motherless bastard."
"You bitch!"
The last shred of Chen Feng's rationality shattered. He lunged forward, his palm striking out in a furious slap aimed at Yang Xue Ning.
"Scram!"
Ye Yunqi kicked out, and Chen Feng was sent flying backward several meters, crashing into the base of a tree. He glared at Yang Xue Ning and Ye Yunqi, his eyes filled with rage.
"Fine… fine. Thirty years east of the river, thirty years west. The humiliation I suffer today, I will repay tenfold in the future."
Chen Feng struggled to his feet, his voice harsh as he shouted at the two.
"How laughable!" Yang Xue Ning sneered, her face full of disdain. "Chen Feng, stop daydreaming. Someone like you will never amount to anything. Accept your fate. Out of consideration for our shared origins in Lingshan City, kneel and kowtow three times, and I'll ask Yunqi to spare you…"
"Kowtow to your mother, you bitch… you dog…" Chen Feng cursed furiously.
"You're asking for death!"
A cold shout accompanied the sound of rushing wind. Chen Feng caught a glimpse of a dark green figure charging toward him. He tried to dodge and block, but he was too slow. A powerful force struck his forehead, making him feel as if his head had exploded. His eardrums ruptured, and one of his eyes seemed to burst. His body was sent flying, crashing into the tree. Intense pain wracked his entire body, and he couldn't hold back a mouthful of blood that sprayed onto his hand.
Lying at the base of the tree, half of Chen Feng's head went numb, and his consciousness began to fade.
"A waste who overestimates himself!" Ye Yunqi's voice, filled with utter contempt, seemed to drift in from a distant horizon.
"Yunqi, if this waste dies, will the academy punish you?" Yang Xue Ning's voice, tinged with unease, followed.
"No matter. He's just an ant. If he dies, he dies. I'm sure the academy knows what's important." Ye Yunqi sneered, his cold words sending a chill through Chen Feng's body. "Let's go. Today is your eighteenth birthday. I've prepared a Grand Foundation Establishment Pill, unique to my Ye family. It will allow you to break through to the seventh level of Body Refinement in a short time and solidify your foundation. Then, you can join me in taking the Mixed Heaven Sect's examination."
"Yunqi, you're so good to me." Yang Xue Ning's voice was filled with delight.
"Then how will you repay me?" Ye Yunqi raised an eyebrow, his tone suggestive.
"You're so bad." Yang Xue Ning's face flushed red, her eyes brimming with affection.
"There's more where that came from… hahaha…" Ye Yunqi immediately scooped Yang Xue Ning into his arms, his laughter echoing as it drifted into Chen Feng's ears, growing fainter as they walked away.
Chen Feng's blurred vision fixed on the two figures rapidly disappearing into the distance. Struggling, he reached out with his blood-stained hand and grabbed the black crescent-shaped jade pendant lying in the fallen leaves.
Suddenly, an unexpected change occurred. The pendant, like a dry sponge, absorbed all the blood on his hand and emitted a dense black light. In an instant, it shot toward Chen Feng's forehead. Ye Yunqi and Yang Xue Ning, already far away, noticed nothing.
Chen Feng felt as if his head had been struck by lightning. His vision went dark, and his consciousness seemed to be dragged into an endless abyss.
[--------------------------------------------]
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