Chapter: 3; "Four Spiritual Vein only?"
In the courtyard of Shen Fan's.
"Mother-father, looked I finally broke through the blood coagulation realm by 20,000 kg of force, and finally stepped into. Although I am not talented like elder brother, but today i finally broke through the realm of spirit condensation realm!" A young child, around 11-13 year old, stood in front of his handsome and beautiful parent and told them that, be broken through the next realm.
"OK.it's good enough that you didn't shame our family reputation like this.!" his father replied.
Shen Ming, stood there with a thumping heart. Today, he wanted to show them something - a small but enormous achievement for him after years of hard work. His palms have been covered with callus from the continuous and rough practicing on the milstone, his body bruised, but after these years of neglecting him, he was finally able to break through Blood Coagulation Realm into the Spirit Condensation Realm.
Beside him, Shen Fan listened, his wife, Meng Liu'er, at his side. Beside him, Shen Jian seemed so full of assurance in each step he took. No doubt he was the pride and blessing of the Shen family, the favored son destined for greatness.
Shen Ming took an excited deep breath, his chest swelling full of hope as he looked up at his parents. "Mother, Father, look! I have finally broken through to the Spirit Condensation Realm! I know I am not anywhere near as talented as Brother Jian, but I have worked hard. I reached this stage on my own." His voice was trembling with excitement, desperately seeking a hope of approval.
Glancing up at him, Shen Fan, speaking with a face of utter indifference, crossed his arms over his chest. "Spirit Condensation Realm?" he mumbling repeated, as if speaking the words were bitter to repeat. Lifting his gaze to Shen Ming, it was cold and unconcerned. "You managed to hit this level, didn't you?"
He scoffed, had let it be the dismissive kind. "About time. Honestly, I was starting to worry you'd bring even more shame to this family.".
Meng Liu'er sighed. Her face was altogether uncharacteristic of any kind of motherly warmth. "Shen Ming, take it as a lesson, she said, shaking her head slightly. "Look at your brother. Shen Jian reached that level years ago. And more than that, he did it with ease. You've had to struggle and stumble in order to attain a level that others would attain in childhood.".
But, Ma… " Shen Ming's voice cracked. The excitement that held him moving was dissipating, being replaced by a long-familiar ache in his chest. "I tried. I.
"Ah, just the point," Meng Liu'er cut him off with finality, a sharpness. "You try, Shen Ming, but trying is not enough. Not in this family, not in this world. You must be exceptional, or you are nothing. And besides your trying, you have been nothing but ordinary."
Shen Jian couldn't help but stand up straight beside his parents, his mouth twisting with a smirk he couldn't suppress. "Father is right, little brother.
He said. "Some are born with it. Some. aren't." He shrugged so lightly that this all seemed to be just a simple fact of life.
At these words Shen Ming nodded reassuringly to Shen Jian, slapping his shoulder. "Listen to your brother, Shen Ming. Now, listen to your brother, Shen Ming; he is willing be the young master of the Shen family. You must learn from your brother instead of wasting time with dreams that don't belong to you.".
Shen Ming's face flushed red with a combination of shame and frustration. Keeping his head down as his fists clenched tightly at his side, he was standing before them pouring out his heart and soul, hoping to be able to do enough to garner some sort of recognition from under his family's scrutiny.
"But Dad, I wanna help out too," he whispered softly. "I wanna stand by you and Brother Jian…make you proud."
"Pride?" Shen Fan sneered at the word, as if it was something disgusting. "The Shen family doesn't need average. You are our burden, Shen Ming, not our pride. We don't need your contribution; we need you to know your place."
Then something snapped inside Shen Ming. He felt the finality of his father's words; each one cut at him like a blade. He had hoped to earn his way into their hearts through sheer hard work. Now he realized they had already determined what his worth was long before.
Meng Liu'er sighed, as if simply being present was enough to drain her of all strength. "Useless, Shen Ming. This is a world where it's all about force, bloodline, and promises. You have none of these attributes. The other has the power of a dragon among the masses of men, and you are barely even a shadow next to him. Learn to deal with it."
A numbing feeling crept down upon his body, so that he had barely nodded as his throat would ache, as if it was blocked by tears. He forced himself to bow, speaking in a low voice. "I understand, Father, Mother. I'm sorry for wasting your time."
Shen Fan turned away his head, his eyes already on Shen Jian with that look of fatherly pride which Shen Ming had never known. "Come, Xiao Jian, Today I shall teach you the Threefold Heaven Splitting Technique. You will need it when facing the up-and-coming cultivation test in the clan."
And finally, Meng Liu'er followed behind, her arm fastened to Shen Jian's, as if they already formed a complete family unit, whole and intact without him.
Left alone in the courtyard, Shen Ming stood upright. With his eyes squinted, he watched them walk away. A raw ache bloomed in his chest, fierce and unwavering, as he bit his lip until it bled. They had seen him only as a shadow, a burden, something not even worthy of a look.
It had been two years since that incident day in the Shen family's courtyard.
Shen Ming had grown, but looming dark over him was the shadow of his family's scorn like a constant reminder to himself of his insignificance. With all the humiliation and isolation notwithstanding, he never gave up. Daybreak and before the sun can poke up, Shen Ming was seen meditating, training, and pushing his body to its limits in the mountains.
But today, another stone came in along his way, the test of his foundation as a cultivator. In the Azure Mystic World, a person's cultivation power was determined by how many spiritual veins they can condense. Ten veins were said to be the apex: a rare and legendary foundation which only a few of the gifted cultivators could attain. The ten-vein men were deemed geniuses, destined to become the world's strongmen.
Shen Jian, his brother had condensed all ten veins when he was still 10 years of age, and now he is at the early stage of Earthly Ascendance. In the eyes of the Shen family, it proved that he is destined to be their future patriarch; it marked his inevitable greatness.
Now, in a remote corner of the family mountains, Shen Ming focused, gathering his spiritual energy as he attempted to finish up the final step of the vein-drafting process. Droplets of sweat began to appear on his forehead, and his whole body was shaking with exertion.
Unexpectedly, a sharp pain welled up inside his body. He could sense his spiritual energy straining to reach into the fifth vein, but as if something vague before him, obstructing his line of view. He drove himself hard; teeth clenched together. The energy scattered and dissipated into nothing. He gasped for breath, crashing to the ground with his body.
Four veins.!
All the effort he put in over his life, only condensed four veins.
Of course, he could already imagine the sneers, the whispers behind his back. A foundation of four veins was at best mediocre. That was a far cry from his brother's perfect ten-vein foundation. While others had reached for the stars, it seemed his own potential was locked firmly to the earth.
Clenching his fists, Shen Ming slowly sat up. The body was shaking with rage. "Is this all I'm capable of?" he whispered to himself, with the words full of bitterness.
Just then, a mocking laugh broke through the stillness of the mountains, giving a chill in his spin. Shen Jian stepped out from behind a tree, his face twisted in a smirk. He was accompanied by several of their cousins, all of them wearing expressions of amusement and disdain.
"Four veins, huh?" Shen Jian sneered, his voice dripping with mocking.
"And here I thought you'd at least manage six, afterall clan average is five. How laughable." His eyes gleamed with a cold superiority.
"Did you really think that hard work alone could bridge the gap between us, Shen Ming?"
Shen Ming pulled himself onto his feet, pale of face, but he squared himself to face his brother's colder gaze. "Talent doesn't define who I am, Shen Jian."
He replied, his voice calm despite the anger simmering beneath the surface.
"Talent may not define you, but it defines what you can achieve," Shen Jian replied back, stepping closer.
"Face it, and it your reality Shen Ming. No matter how much effort you put in, you'll never reach my level. Your four veins are a disgrace to the Shen family, especially a royal bloodline of the clan."
The cousins gang broke into laughter, mocking. "A four-veined cultivator in the Shen family… honestly, it's embarrassing that you're even allowed to train alongside us." One sneered.
Shen Jian folded his arms, smirking with self-satisfaction. "Father and Mother were right in tending to me, it seems. You waste the time and energy of my parents, Shen Ming. The sooner you understand that, the sooner you can stop embarrassing both yourself and this household."
Shen Ming locked his fists and dug his nails into his palms, forcing himself to calm down. "Perhaps I am weaker than you, but I don't have to give up yet."
Shen Jian smirked in derision. His eyes rolled up at him. "Keep telling yourself that, little brother. But remember, mediocrity is the enemy of greatness. And you… you are nothing but a shadow at my feet.".
With that, he turned and walked away, his entourage falling in behind him, their mocking laughter echoing behind them. Shen Ming watched as they disappeared into the alleyway, his heart heavy yet strangely resolute.
As their footsteps lowered into the distance, Shen Ming gazed out across the mountains.
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