"Ugh..."
When Daniel Dewdney finally forced his heavy eyelids open, a plain but tidy room came into view. He blinked, dazed for a moment, then turned his head quickly—and sure enough, there they were. A man and a woman sat at the table nearby.
"Father, Mother..." His voice was hoarse, but he tried to sit up, forcing energy into his words.
"You’re awake, Daniel?"
The woman was the first to turn. When she saw his eyes open, a flash of joy broke across her face.
Clad in simple clothes, she looked to be in her thirties. Her features were gentle and warm. That was Claire Yates, Daniel’s mother.
"Picked a fight without knowing enough, ended up eating dirt."
The man beside her, lean and around his late thirties or early forties, spoke with a cold edge. Despite the pale face and the hint of pain around his eyes, his presence still carried a sharpness. That was Michael Dewdney, Daniel’s father.
Daniel shrank back slightly—he’d always been a bit scared of his father’s strict ways—but the next second, defiance rose in his chest.
"If they hadn’t called you a cripple to my face, I wouldn’t’ve fought."
He rubbed at his aching chest, teeth gritting. Today was just a family training assessment. He didn’t do too badly, given he'd only been training for half a year. He knew he wasn’t weak—he just hadn’t had the same resources or time.
But just as he was about to head home after the test, he’d run into a few punks he never got along with. He hadn’t wanted trouble, but they baited him until he snapped. Being young and hot-headed, Daniel had swung first. And lost badly. They’d knocked him out cold.
"Duncan Dewdney... I swear, next time I’ll smash your damn face in."
Daniel clenched his jaw. Duncan was the one who’d started it all—his top enemy now. Their fathers hated each other, and Duncan used every excuse to make trouble. This time was no different.
But just as the anger flared, it sank again. Duncan had already reached the fourth stage of Body Tempering—that was no joke. In the Dewdney household, that ranked him pretty high. Daniel was still stuck at stage two. The gap wasn’t small.
In this path of cultivation, it started with the body. The human form—it was the base of everything. A mystery crafted by the heavens.
Body Tempering was about hardening flesh and bone. Slowly strengthening oneself until, at a certain point, a trace of Yuan Power would bloom within the body. That was the true beginning—for only those who birthed that seed of power could call themselves real cultivators.Body Refinement had nine stages. The first three weren’t much to talk about—just made a person a bit stronger and tougher. But once you hit the fourth stage, Skin Tempering, the real benefits kicked in. Skin turned hard like bark and rock, and both strength and speed went up a notch.
Duncan Dewdney had already reached that fourth stage. Meanwhile, Daniel Dewdney was still stuck at the second. No contest there.
But the gap between them wasn’t about talent. In Body Refinement, talent didn’t mean much. This level was more about who had the resources. Anyone could train, sure, but how far they got depended on how much they had to back them up.
Getting through Body Refinement wasn’t easy. It was all about pushing your body to the edge, again and again, tearing it down so it could grow stronger. But without proper recovery and nourishment, all that pain added up. If your body couldn’t bounce back, you’d wreck yourself—get injured or worse, ruin any progress.
That’s where the medicine came in. Big-name healing herbs, the kind of things only well-off families could afford. Without them, Body Refinement became a slow grind, if not impossible.
Duncan was two stages ahead mainly because he’d started six months earlier—and more importantly, because his father controlled the family’s finances. Compared to that, Daniel had nothing. No special herbs, no resources. Naturally, he couldn’t keep up.
Inside the room, Daniel mumbled under his breath. Michael Dewdney, sitting at the table, clenched his hand quietly, eyes darkening. Claire Yates caught on fast, giving Daniel a sharp look. He shut up immediately.
“No point arguing with others,” Michael said, waving his hand. “Focus on training. Once you’re strong, their mouths will shut on their own.”
He turned to Claire. “Go get the red ginseng. It'll help him train faster. The clan trial’s just six months off. If he doesn’t buckle down now, he’s just going to make a fool of himself.”
“That’s the ginseng you keep for your healing…” Claire hesitated, clearly startled.
Michael shook his head, a bitter smile on his face. “I’m done for. That ginseng won’t change anything. I’ll go deeper into the mountains later, see if I can find more herbs for him.”
“You're not done for, Dad!” Daniel's face flushed red as he blurted out. In his heart, his father was still the strongest man after Grandpa.
“The strongest…” Michael’s fist tightened. Pain streaked across his face, deep and raw. After a moment, he stood up and walked out, shoulders heavy with defeat.
“Claire, cook the herbs for the kid. Don’t worry about me. That ginseng wouldn’t have fixed me anyway.”
As his worn-down figure faded beyond the door, Claire’s eyes watered. Who would’ve thought that the proudest man in Qingyang Town would end up like this?
“Don’t cry, Mother,” Daniel muttered, tugging her sleeve. “I’ll train harder. I’ll find a way to heal Father.”"Daniel, don’t blame your father for being harsh on you. He’s pinned all his hopes on you. You know... that’s all he’s got left," Claire Yates said softly, wiping her eyes. She bent down, gave Daniel a gentle pat on the head, and murmured.
"Mom, I heard the top three in this clan meet can win a third-grade spiritual medicine called Blood Clot Fruit. Uncle once said…it’s great for healing. If I can get it, maybe we could treat Dad’s injuries," Daniel looked up suddenly, his eyes shining.
"Blood Clot Fruit…" Claire froze for a second, then shook her head with a sigh. "Getting into the top three won’t be easy. But it’s good that you’ve got the heart. I’ll go boil the Red Ginseng for you."
With that, she walked out of the room. Among the younger generation in the Lin Family, there were some quite talented ones. Getting into the top three wasn’t something she believed Daniel could manage, so she didn’t take his words too seriously.
Watching her leave, Daniel pressed his lips tight. His small fists clenched.
"Don’t worry, Mom. I’ll get that Blood Clot Fruit. I will. Then we can fix Dad’s injuries."
Thinking of Michael Dewdney’s wounds, fury flared in Daniel’s eyes. The reason people mocked his father in the Lin Family—was because of that man.
The Lin Family here in Qingyang Town wasn’t much. Not even counted among the top clans locally. But behind this seemingly insignificant branch was a name that could shake people—the Lin Clan.
One of the Four Great Clans in the Great Yan Empire.
To outsiders, the branch in Qingyang might seem like a different beast, but they were once part of the Inner Clan. Daniel only learned from bits his father let slip—his grandfather had failed in a mission, causing great damage to the clan. As punishment, he’d been cast out, sent to this distant frontier, founding today’s small family.
He’d used up decades chasing one thing—getting back into the Inner Clan.
But no matter how hard he worked, to the massive Lin Clan, his efforts were barely a ripple. So he placed his hopes elsewhere—in the Lin Clan’s Decadal Meet.
Every ten years, clans from across the empire gathered for it. It was the ultimate stage for young talents, a path to fame and glory. Its rewards were tempting, but what mattered most to Daniel’s grandfather was that any outsider placing in the top ten… would be accepted back into the Inner Clan—no strings attached.So the clan gathering—that was the last glimmer of hope for Daniel’s grandfather. But he was too old to join the fight himself. All his hopes were placed on his five sons. And among them, Michael Dewdney stood out the most, becoming the pride of the family.
Michael lived up to that trust. Among the five brothers, he was the first to break through Body Tempering Level Nine and step into the Earth Origin Stage. In just four short years, he went even further—reaching the Heaven Origin Stage. Back then, other than the old man Jonathan Dewdney, Michael was the only other Heaven Origin powerhouse in the clan.
His rise was so swift that even the normally stern Jonathan couldn’t help but smile whenever he saw him. People said those were the years Grandfather smiled the most, after decades of silence.
Then came the clan gathering—a day everyone looked forward to. But the result?
A disaster.
One move. Just a single move, and the man they all pinned their hopes on—Michael—fell in complete defeat.
It wasn’t even halfway through the gathering. It was the very first match.
Years of effort, hope, and trust crumbled in mere seconds. The fallout was brutal. People looked at him with cold stares and hidden contempt. When they returned to Qingyang Town, it was like watching a beaten pack of mongrels slinking home.
That very night, Michael moved out of the main estate into a remote hill behind the clan lands. He refused to touch a single thing from the clan again. “I don’t deserve it,” he had said.
And that wasn’t the end of it. The loss left more than just a wound on pride.
The one who had beaten Michael didn’t hold back. His brute-force Heaven Origin energy tore through Michael’s body like a wild beast—crushing his meridians and wrecking his core. His cultivation plummeted back to Earth Origin. Worse, his meridians were blocked nearly beyond repair. No matter how he trained afterward, he couldn’t inch forward.
From then on, the respectful glances from the past slowly turned into pity, regret... and then, silent disappointment.
Michael sank further into despair. Whenever he got drunk, he’d pound his chest in pain, the sound like thunder rolling in his chest—so loud, so broken. Claire Yates would quietly shed tears beside him, too heartbroken to speak. And even though Daniel was still young, those moments hit him like a blade carving into his heart.
And he began to hate.
Hate the one who shattered his father… and their family.
Later, Daniel overheard his uncles mention that man—the one behind it all—with bitterness and helplessness in their voices.
Started training at ten. Reached Body Tempering Nine by twelve. Broke into Earth Origin at fifteen. Entered Heaven Origin at twenty. Yin and Yang energy circulating perfectly, forming a Yuan Pellet before thirty...
A rare genius even within the Great Yan Empire’s highest ranks.
His name was Christopher Dewdney.
In the quiet room, Daniel clenched his fists. His eyes burned—not with anger, but sheer, raw hatred.
