Sweet Spring Town is located in the northern part of the Apocalypse Empire on the Purple Cloud Continent. Named for its pure and sweet spring water, its remote location does not impede its prosperity. The streets are bustling with people, and carts of fine wine can be seen departing from the town at every turn.

Thanks to the spring water, the wine produced here is highly prized by high - ranking officials and nobles. It is in high demand in the market, and the spring water sustains every inhabitant of the town.

In the courtyard of a mansion in the northeast corner of Sweet Spring Town, a boy around ten years old sits on a stone chair, holding a thick book. Gentle sunlight bathes his slender frame. The thick book obscures the boy's entire face, and his brown - black hair cascades down over his shoulders. Half an hour passes, yet the book in his hands remains unturned.

This boy is Ryan, the young master of the mansion. Sunning himself in the courtyard with a book in hand is one of his favorite pastimes over the years.

"Hey... Stop pretending. Mother told us to come for lunch," a soft voice from a girl behind him reaches Ryan's ears.

Upon hearing this, the boy releases his hold on the book, which drops onto the stone table. He slowly opens his drowsy eyes, revealing a handsome face, still largely framed by youth. His brown eyes turn towards the girl behind him as he retorts, "Don't talk nonsense. Which eye of yours saw me pretending?"

The girl responds with disdain, "Tsk... You've been poring over this book for half a month. From morning till now, not a single page has been turned. Could you at least be more convincing in your pretense? Little one..." With that, the girl turns her back on Ryan and walks away.

Ryan can't be bothered to argue further. He stretches, then slowly rises to his feet and follows the girl. He's long accustomed to this sister, Leah, who is three years his senior. Besides reading in the sun, bickering with Leah is another activity he enjoys. Since childhood, Leah has been the only one to accompany him in his amusements. In Ryan's view, his parents and servants are rather dull.

For some unknown reason, his parents rarely allow him to venture out, and they strictly forbid him from playing with children of his age. This prolonged isolation has given the boy an air of aloofness. Leah is the only one with whom he can have a good time, and their bond is strong.

The siblings enter the dining room. Servants stand respectfully by, pulling out chairs for them to be seated. The brother and sister take their seats opposite each other, ignoring one another.

At the hostess's place at the dining table, a kind - faced and beautiful woman watches them with a smile in her eyes. "Your father won't be joining us for lunch today, so no need to wait. Let's start eating."

"Yes, Mother," they both respond in unison.

Ryan gives a "humph" in Leah's direction, then seizes his cutlery and begins devouring his food.

Observing their behavior, the woman shakes her head in resignation. Just as she's about to pick up her own cutlery, as if struck by a thought, she says, "Ryan, in three days, Notting College will be recruiting new students. Your father has enrolled you. From now on, you'll be studying at the same college as your sister."

"College? There are tutors at home. Why should I go to college? I don't want to study in the same place as her!" he exclaims, making a face at Leah.

The thought of studying alongside this sister, who delights in exposing his flaws on a daily basis, fills him with dread.

Leah, upon hearing Ryan's words, explains with a touch of scorn, "What do you know? The tutor Father hired merely teaches you reading and writing. The college, however, will teach not only these but, more importantly, element cultivation. Element masters hold a pivotal position in this world."

"Element masters...?" This is the first time Ryan has heard this term.

Leah smiles faintly, flicks her right hand, and a clear water droplet hovers above her slender palm. She looks at Ryan with pride.

"See? This is an element. I cultivate the water element. The college will assess your element attribute and perception ability, then teach you how to condense and utilize elements. Do you understand?"

Leah gazes at the water droplet in her hand, beaming with satisfaction. In her eyes, no other element attribute compares to her water element.

Ryan, however, casts a dismissive glance at the water droplet in Leah's hand and remarks casually, "What can such a tiny drop of water do? Are you really that proud of it?..."

"You..." Leah is so incensed that she can barely speak, her face reddening with anger.

Seeing his sister flustered, Ryan bursts into laughter. Finally, he has his revenge for the earlier ribbing about the book. As he laughs, he raises the soup bowl to his lips, eyeing Leah provocatively.

Leah's face flushes with rage as she glares at the mischievous Ryan. With a wave of her hand, the water droplet in her hand transforms into a stream of water, hurtling towards the soup bowl in the boy's hands. In an instant, the soup bowl shatters, and the egg flowers and vegetable leaves in the soup splatter all over him, leaving him in a disheveled state.

Ryan is unaware that cultivating the water element can render the skin moist, lustrous, and elastic, a quality highly valued by girls.

Even in college, Leah is quite popular. With her charming face, jet - black hair, and a pair of deep, dark eyes, despite her still - developing figure, she attracts the attention of the opposite sex. The water element enhances her beauty significantly. No wonder the love - struck Leah is so proud.

All girls take pride in cultivating the water element. It is her crowning glory. How could she tolerate this young upstart looking down on her talent?

In a flash of inspiration, she decides to teach this young and naive boy a lesson.

Leah spots a piece of vegetable leaf hanging from Ryan's forehead and can't help but burst out laughing.

"Now you see the power of my water droplet, don't you? Let's see if you still dare to look down on my water element."

The woman, witnessing this, quickly rises to her feet. As she helps Ryan wipe his face, she chides, "You're being so reckless. What if you'd hurt your brother?"

"Don't worry, Mother. I controlled the power and temperature. He's fine. I just wanted to show him my strength and teach him not to look down on me," she says, smiling at Ryan.

The woman, satisfied that Ryan is unharmed, then orders, "Quickly take the young master to change his clothes and clean up."

The servants behind her respond in unison, "Yes," and lead Ryan out of the dining room.

At this moment, Ryan is deeply impressed by Leah's abilities as an element master, and his curiosity about elements is piqued...

Watching Ryan walk away, Leah dismisses the remaining servants.

She then asks softly, "Mother, have you and Father truly decided to send Ryan to college?" Since the first day she entered college, her parents had cautioned her against demonstrating her element - master powers in front of Ryan. Evidently, her parents had been deliberately concealing matters related to elements from Ryan, which is why she poses this question.

The woman sighs, "Alas, when Ryan was born, his body was burning hot, his breathing was weak, and he was on the verge of death. Your father and I summoned numerous renowned doctors, but they were all at a loss. They all diagnosed an issue with Ryan's bloodline, predicting he wouldn't survive past the age of three.

Despite our many attempts, all we could do was extend his life. That's why your father and I have been hesitant about introducing him to the path of cultivation, fearing his body might not be able to endure it and something untoward could occur."

Leah is already aware of what her mother is saying. Ryan is the only one in the family in the dark. He's like a fragile candle flame, carefully shielded by everyone. Leah has never dared to broach this topic with Ryan. After all, he now appears no different from an ordinary person, and she sometimes doubts the truth of her mother's words.

Thinking of this, Leah presses on, "And then?"

She knows that something must have transpired to enable her brother to survive to this day.

She had asked this question before, but each time her parents found excuses to avoid answering.

Driven by curiosity, she can't resist asking again. She's unsure if her mother will finally reveal the truth.

The woman looks at Leah, pauses to think, and then says, "You're old enough now, and some things should no longer be hidden. When Ryan was two, your father happened to save a severely injured man. He was so gravely wounded that it took him half a year to recover in our home.

As a token of gratitude for saving his life, the man presented you both with two pendants of the same design before leaving. He specifically instructed that as long as Ryan wore his pendant, it would suppress the strange illness in his body, allowing him to live a normal life."

Leah lowers her head, removes the snow - flake - shaped pendant from around her neck, and examines it closely in her palm. "This thing is cold to the touch. It doesn't seem anything special."

"At first, your father and I were skeptical too. But ever since Ryan put on the pendant, the strange illness vanished. Years of observation have proven that the man didn't deceive us. Now that Ryan is older, it's time to expose him to the outside world. We can't keep him sheltered forever."

"Is mine also for treating illness?" Leah asks, her curiosity piqued.

"Certainly not. Although the two pendants appear identical, they serve different purposes. The man merely said it would be beneficial to you.

The man was taciturn and didn't even leave his name.

Your father said that cultivating the water - element talent requires cultivation and understanding to control and alter its temperature. The fact that you've mastered both the water - element talent and temperature control might be related to the pendant in your hand. So, you mustn't remove it lightly, nor mention this to anyone. You should understand the principle that an innocent person can be targeted if they possess something of value."

Noticing her mother's serious demeanor, Leah pouts. "You're overreacting. I can control the water - element temperature because I'm smart. What does it have to do with the pendant...?"

The woman's expression grows more solemn. "Don't be silly. Although I don't understand cultivation, your father said that an item that can be blood - bonded to its owner is no ordinary treasure."

"Blood - bonded?" Leah exclaims in shock, rising to her feet.

It's common knowledge in the cultivation world that treasures capable of blood - bonding are rare and invaluable. Even the highly sought - after space ring merely uses elemental aura for bonding, falling far short of blood - bonding. This attests to the pendant's rarity.

If outsiders were to learn of such a treasure, it would surely invite endless trouble. No wonder Leah is so astounded.

"Indeed. At that time, you were young and innocent. Fearing you might blurt it out, your father secretly took a drop of your blood while you slept to bond you with the pendant," the woman explains.

"Oh... No wonder I've always felt a strange connection to it, but it's rather faint. Perhaps I'm too weak to discern its functions." Leah looks intently at the pendant in her hand, then puts it back on her chest and covers it with her clothes.

Despite her doubts, upon reflection, she realizes her mother wouldn't lie to her. Moreover, her parents have been emphasizing the importance of protecting this pendant for years.

"Then... According to Father, isn't Ryan's pendant even more powerful?" In Leah's eyes, since Ryan's pendant can suppress the strange illness, it must be more potent than hers.

"No. Ryan's pendant is solely for preserving his life. The man also said that Ryan won't achieve much in the realm of cultivation and is destined to be an ordinary person. Your father and I don't have high expectations for Ryan. As long as he can live a good life..."

Despite her young age, Leah can glean from her mother's veiled words that her younger brother may have little hope of becoming a powerful figure. She can't help but feel a twinge of pity for Ryan.