30 miles away from Yunzhong City there is a small town which is passed by many people because of its strategic location. It has stores that many respected Clans set up, including the Xing tavern of Xing Clan. Behind the tavern there is a hill, and above the hill a youth is lying down in a thick patch of grass. His eyes are closed. He is enjoying the wind that blows lazily with a piece of grass in his mouth.
“Xing Jue, I’m done tidying up the mountain hut,” an old man says to the youth.
“I know, Old Zhang. I just want some peace and quiet, will you please leave me alone?” replies the youth while slowly opening his eyes. He smiles. The old man sighs, turns around and walks away.
Xing Jue left Yunzhong City not long ago. He is now staring at the red clouds, with unspoken bitterness in his heart.
“Do I really want to live like this?” Looking at the sun sets, Xing Jue mutters to himself. Once he had a dream that he would become one of the powerhouse. Once he had suffered bullying on the street. After entering Xing Clan, he understood that only those with power will be respected.
He used to have self-confidence about his dream. Relying on his superior talent, he became Preliminary Rank Martial Artist at the age of 10. He was very proud. He was one dazzling diamond in one widely respected Clan.
Sadly, no matter how high his talent is, Advanced Rank Martial Artist is his limit. If he wishes to become even stronger he must become Martial Master. But to reach the position of a Martial Master a person must have Martial Power within his body, and to form Martial Power a person must have Qi Sea. Xing Jue is 15 years old now, at his limit, yet he has not known what Qi Sea looks like.
For this very reason he could not make any progress. The main attention of the Clan, the proud diamond, is now reduced to a trash blood.
“Ah, God! Why are you such a jerk?” he curses, staring at the blood red sky.
“Ah, which clan is this child? Why is he such a jerk?” a mocking voice suddenly sounds behind Xing Jue.
“Who are you?” When Xing Jue turns around, he finds a white-haired old man behind him. The old man is wearing white Taoist robe and is smiling at him. He seems just like an ordinary elderly man, except for the fact that Xing Jue didn’t have the slightest feel of his presence before. This old man is anything but ordinary.
“Who I am is not important. The important thing is that I can help you,” says the elderly man, sitting next to Xing Jue.
“Help me? What a joke!” he sneers. He does feel curious about the old man. If Xing Jue did not feel his coming presence, the old man must at least be an Advanced Rank Martial Artist. The offer for help also bewilders him. They are strangers, after all. There is no reason why a stranger would want to help him. Xing Jue doesn’t even need any help, unless.. No, no, that’s not possible, he quickly dismisses the thought. With that, Xing Jue shakes his head, closes his eyes, and decides to ignore the weird old man.
Since Xing Jue pays him no regard, the old man goes silent for a moment, then with a smile suddenly exclaims, “What if I can help you form Qi Sea?”
“What? Qi Sea?” Right upon hearing the old person's words, Xing Jue’s heart feels as if it is struck by lightning. He abruptly turns around, looking at the mysterious old person.
“Yes, Qi Sea,” the old man affirms with a smile.
“Forget it. That sort of thing, it’s not possible, unless…” Xing Jue mumbles. Just having a strange old man who unexpectedly knows about his problem is shocking enough. Wait a minute, he pauses. If the old man comes from Xing tavern, he may somehow find out about Xing Jue’s condition. But helping him to condensate Qi Sea? That’s utterly insane! Though, when he thinks about it, he did listen to some people mentioning special Demon Beasts, possessing Beast Souls in their bodies. The Beast Soul is said to enable human to condense Qi Sea. That thing aside, Demon Beasts are extremely rare and are terribly powerful. Ordinary Martial Masters will find it difficult just to go near them, let alone kill them.
“Unless you directly take Beast Soul, then have Qi medicinal pills as supplements?” The old man finishes Xing Jue’s doubtful sentence with a smile.
“Don’t tell me you have it?” Xing Jue knows Beast Soul can help condense Qi Sea, but he has no idea that he also needs medicinal pills as supplements. However, it makes quite a sense. Xing Jue’s heart leaps up at the notion, although there is still a doubt lingering. It is a very precious item. It is already hard to believe that the old man really has a Beast Soul. And if he does have one, why for no reason offering to help him with it?
“This Beast Soul comes from a hundred years python, and the pill is a Black Rank high-grade Treasure Pill. I wonder if these suit your taste?” says the old man. Meanwhile, he turns his palm around and there they are: a Beast Soul sparkling with brilliant light, and a pill that emits strong fragrance, sitting snuggly in his hand.
Looking at the items in the old man’s hand, Xing Jue has almost spewed up a mouthful of blood. This event is too shocking for him. How can an old man, coming out of nowhere, having in possession of such great treasures? Xing Jue’s both eyes stare longingly and excitedly at the items.
“What's wrong? Tempted? If you want it, you can have it,” says the old man, smiling at Xing Jue.
“But, why do you want to help me?” At this point, Xing Jue is completely convinced that the old man is not a commoner. Xing Jue doesn’t know how much a Beast Soul costs, but the price of a Black Rank high-grade Treasure Pill must be unfathomable. A Yellow Rank high-grade Treasure Pill is already a priceless treasure in Yunzhong City.
In Sky Martial Continent Treasure Pills are categorized into Heaven, Earth, Black, and Yellow. Each of them consists of three grades. Since it’s quite difficult to produce Treasure Pills, it is considered more precious than Martial Skill.
“Because I don’t want to harm you,” answers the old man with a faint smile on his face. Immediately after saying that the Beast Soul and the Treasure Pill are thrown into Xing Jue’s hands.
Xing Jue hurriedly catches the Beast Soul and Treasure Pill then carefully holding them in his hands. Looking at such treasures in his own hands, Xing Jue’s heart quickly leaps. This is the most exciting moment in his whole 15 years of life.
“Many thanks, Senior!” After being drown for some moment in his excitement, Xing Jue lifts his head wanting to look toward the old man, but he is shocked. The old man who previously sits next to him has vanished. Although Xing Jue looks everywhere on the breezy mountain top, he can’t find the old man. Right away he realizes how much power the old man must have.
“The Beast Soul effect is very strong. Even when you take Treasure Pill as supplement, the danger still exists, and at worst case you might die. Although you have those treasures, the ability to form Qi Sea will still depend on your luck. I give you also the Cultivation Technique and Martial Skill. I hope that you will become a powerhouse in the future, helping the people of Yunfeng Empire.”
Xing Jue is astonished. The voice of the old man can be heard in his mind, but he is unable to see the person who speaks. To be able to send message through space one must at least be a “Martial Sovereign”.
“Cultivation Technique and Martial Skill? Where are they?” In the midst of his shock, he still manages to remember what the old man said. He looks around himself and surely there, at the place where the old man sat, are two books lying neatly on the grass.