With a massive timber log strapped to his shoulders, the boy squatted and rose, again and again. A lattice of muscle shifted and hardened across his back. With every squat, he settled into a perfect horse-riding stance, his form unwavering.
This was Wei Yixian, the third son of the Wei family of Heyang. He had turned fifteen this year.
“Young master, it’s time for dinner!” a servant called from the entrance to the training grounds.
The boy, his eyebrows thick and straight, offered no reply.
Just a little more, he thought.
He completed ten more repetitions before the timber thudded to the earth. He snatched up the shirt he’d discarded earlier, his movements hurried.
He was not a large boy, but the muscles layered over his frame were so dense that they seemed to gleam like diamond even at rest.
It was not an ordinary physique. He looked nothing like other boys his age, nor did he resemble the common folk. Even he had to admit it was peculiar.
The Wei family martial arts are… finally complete.
His methods were nothing like the traditional practice of sitting cross-legged and absorbing the energy of nature. He had long ago abandoned his family’s static training, which he saw as little more than meaningless breathing exercises.
He had deconstructed the entire technique. He had reinvented the static forms, transforming them into a dynamic method of accumulating energy through movement.
From a young age, he’d found he could manipulate energy with ease. The acupuncture points through which his internal energy flowed were more durable, more elastic, than those of any normal person.
He once believed there was a bond between him and his half-siblings. He had even tried to teach them his new methods.
Their reactions had been predictable, if not entirely unreasonable.
“You created a martial art?”
“What if we get a Qi deviation? Will you take responsibility if we die?”
“Do you really think you have the makings of a grandmaster?”
He gave up after that, stung by their open mockery and the ridicule in their eyes. The boy stopped trying to create new techniques. That day, he had been hurt not just by his indifferent father, but by his siblings as well. It stung all the more because, in a way, they were right.
A grandmaster, huh.
In the world of Jianghu, the term held a special weight. It referred to the founder of a martial art, one who could establish a new sect. Apart from the legendary masters of both religion and martial arts—like Zhang Yunfan of the Azure Peak Sect or Master Kongjian and Master Mingjue of Vajra Temple—every martial artist revered the founders of the Nine Great Sects as grandmasters.
It was a title far beyond his reach.
Wei Yixian had never considered himself a grandmaster, nor had he ever placed much importance on the act of creating martial arts. He had simply wanted everyone to grow strong together.
So he had practiced his version of the Wei family martial arts alone, driven perhaps by a quiet need to prove something.
The benefits were undeniable. The parts of his body stimulated by his sword forms and physical conditioning grew exponentially stronger. His own martial power honed and compressed his muscles, forging the physique he now possessed.
I’ve done it.
He was confident. The efficiency of the art he had unceremoniously dubbed the Wei Clan Body-Forging Art had reached its peak. Through it, he had pushed his body to its absolute limit. He suspected that unless one was a monk from the Vajra Temple Sect, it would be impossible to find another man like him in all of Heyang.
Then again, he could just be a frog in a well, seeing only the sky of Heyang.
“Young master!”
“I’m coming,” Wei Yixian called back, his tone casual despite the servant’s urgency. He knew why the man was in such a rush.
The head of the Wei family was a strict and patriarchal man. As for Yixian’s mother, the patriarch’s third wife, she had died giving birth to him. In an era rife with superstition, especially in the countryside, a child who caused his mother’s death was seen as a curse. No one in the family, not even its head, looked upon him with anything but disdain.
It was no great matter, Yixian thought as he walked. With no blood relatives to care for him, it had been easy to focus his entire being on martial arts. He had no grand aspirations for fame or a glorious future in Jianghu. He simply loved the art of it.
Passing the guest quarters, he heard the singsong voices of children reciting their lessons.
“Recite Chapter 1, Verse 4 of the Grand Compendium of Tian.”
“From the gates of heaven, long-eared and short-statured comrades returned, vanquishing the wicked Ye Devil Dynasty and establishing the Tian Dynasty with Emperor Wu.”
“Chapter 1, Verse 8.”
“The great demon pursued the comrades, but timely closed the gates and annihilated them.”
The phrases were familiar. Wei Yixian chuckled to himself and continued on.
“You’re late, you foolish boy.”
As he entered the dining hall, his eldest half-brother greeted him with a tone of false warmth. Yixian felt his chest muscles tighten as his brother’s narrowed eyes swept over him.
“It’s been a while, brother.”
“If you’re late, then sit down quickly.” Wei Nanshan, the eldest son, scoffed.
Yixian nodded and took his seat at the far end of the long dining table, his gaze sweeping the room.
The family head sat at the head of the table, flanked by the senior lady and the second wife. Below them sat Nanshan and his wife, their daughter, and Yixian’s fifth sister. It was unusual for him to be seated so low when younger siblings were present, but he had long been a direct descendant in name only, a status enforced by the family head’s indifference and the insistence of the two wives.
It’s been comfortable, thanks to them.
He held no important position in the family, which meant he had no responsibilities or duties. But the meals were always good, allowing him to focus entirely on his training.
They must be ecstatic.
The family head was beaming, his gaze fixed on Yixian’s second brother, a young man with a square jaw. The feast was a farewell banquet for him. Soon, he would leave to be trained by the masters of the Taiyue Sect.
The Taiyue Sect, whose influence was comparable to that of a small kingdom, was one of the most prestigious sects in Xiqin Province. It was one of the Nine Great Sects, currently rivaling the Stride Sect for the honor of being the greatest in all of Xiqin. To be accepted as a disciple was a tremendous honor.
Even with the famine that currently gripped the continent, the banquet was lavish.
When the family head raised his glass, everyone at the table followed suit.
“Since my ancestor, a disciple of the Taiyue Swordmaster, founded this family, I have dedicated my life to restoring our clan’s glory. If I had sought to make a name for myself, I too would have inherited the Taiyue techniques! But how could I abandon the family business? I am deeply pleased that my son now follows in our ancestor’s footsteps to climb Taiyue Mountain.”
“It is indeed a joyous occasion.”
“Congratulations, brother.”
The family head was boasting again, claiming he could have been a Taiyue disciple if he’d wanted. The family members dutifully showered him and the second brother with flattery.
In Jianghu, it was often said that it was better to be the head of a snake than the tail of a dragon. The Wei family were the de facto law and landlords of the prefecture. In Xinye County, their influence was comparable to that of the magistrate himself. They had no reason to envy the Nine Great Sects.
Even if he joins the Taiyue Sect, he’ll probably just end up polishing the ancestral tablets of the elders.
Yixian focused on his meal.
“Considering the current situation in Taiyue, wouldn’t it be safe to say they surpass the Stride Sect by half a step?”
“Indeed. Talented new masters have emerged.”
“Look at the recent Xiqin competition. The Azure Sword Dragon himself beheaded the leader of the Asura Palace in Guanzhong. The Plum Stride Swords are formidable, but they are no match for the Dragon, the chief disciple.”
The second brother already spoke of Taiyue’s chief disciple as if he were his own master.
Yixian let out a soft, almost inaudible chuckle and reached for a pancake, but he froze.
His father was staring at him, his glare sharp with disapproval.
Should I have joined in the flattery?
The family head spoke, his voice slow and deliberate. “I hear you spend all day in the training hall. How is your progress with the Wei Clan Divine Sword?”
“The principles of our family’s martial arts are difficult for me to grasp,” Yixian replied humbly, straightening his posture. “I have not yet achieved much. I am ashamed.”
The Wei Clan Divine Sword was the family’s unique martial art. Like many such arts, its name was far more grandiose than the reality. It was a simplified sword style, cobbled together from a shallow interpretation of the first half of the Taiyue Sect’s Thirty-Six Swords. It was a common practice for secular disciples of major sects like Taiyue or Mount Stride to establish their own families this way.
Strictly speaking, it was an offense that could get the entire family eradicated. But reality was different. As long as periodic donations were made to the main sect, such things were often overlooked. The sect received wealth and grain; the branch family received protection under the sect’s name. It was a mutually beneficial arrangement.
The Wei family Divine Sword is the reason I focused on my dynamic training.
There was simply too much to fix. Faced with so many nonsensical sword forms, what else could he do? If he officially joined the family’s training, he knew he wouldn’t be able to resist modifying the techniques.
A person’s character is often forged in childhood. Wei Yixian was no different. His siblings’ mockery had driven him to focus irrationally, obsessively, on his Wei Clan Body-Forging Art.
The family head clicked his tongue. “Your first and second brothers are already on the path to great achievements. Your effort is commendable, so I will not inquire further, but you must reflect on whether you are truly applying yourself in the training hall.”
“I will heed your advice.” Yixian clasped his hands and bowed, waiting until his father’s gaze shifted away. He didn't care what his siblings thought.
Paying them any mind will only hurt me.
Yixian turned his attention back to the feast. As he bit into a piece of perfectly fried southern chicken, he half-listened to the conversations swirling around him.
“The situation with the Asura Palace in Guanzhong is alarming, chief steward.”
“Indeed, family head.”
“Is our information network being established properly? I don’t expect it to rival the Beggars Sect or the Hao Clan, but it should at least touch the heels of the networks run by the major sects.”
“In Xinye, at least, it seems manageable.”
“Good. Very good.”
Just then, a voice boomed from the courtyard. “The masters from the Taiyue Sect have arrived!”
It was Steward Zhang, the gatekeeper. The banquet hall erupted into chaos. They had received word that the Taiyue masters would come for the second brother, but no one had expected them so soon.
“Hurry, hurry, bring them in! No, I’ll go myself!”
All dignified pretense vanished. The family head scrambled to his feet, rushing to welcome the guests. Everyone else in the hall did the same.
I’m curious.
Normally, Wei Yixian would have used the commotion to slip away to the training hall. But this was the Taiyue Sect, one of the Nine Great Sects. The presence of their masters changed everything. When would he ever get another chance to see martial artists renowned throughout the world?
“Which masters could it be?”
“Do you think it’s the Azure Sword Dragon? Or perhaps the distribution Elder?”
For once, his siblings looked like excited children.
Wei Yixian blended into the crowd and made his way toward the main gate.
The family head, having rushed ahead with his light footwork, was already bowing deeply to three figures, his hands clasped in greeting.
“I am Wei Daming, head of this humble family. I am honored by your esteemed presence.”
The three visitors returned the gesture. The woman at the forefront was of an extraordinary appearance.
Her hair was the color of molten gold, and her ears were long and tapered like leaves. But it was her ethereal, almost alien features that were most striking, giving her the air of a fairy descended from the heavens.
“The Yao Spirit race…!” his first brother, Wei Nanshan, muttered in a breathless moan.
Wei Yixian glanced back to see Nanshan staring, all decency forgotten. He clicked his tongue inwardly.
So that’s what the Yao Spirit race looks like. Just like in the books. Fascinating.
Though Xinye was a hub of trade and transport, it had remained a small village ever since the great battles between strange beings at the end of the Ye Devil Dynasty Dynasty had reshaped the landscape. It was rare for anyone here to see a member of the Shanling Clan Clan. The ‘comrades of the Zhongyuan’ who had descended from the heavens to found the Tian Dynasty with Emperor Wu were said to be seen only in places like Tiandu, in military camps, or among the Nine Great Sects and the great noble families.
They said an Senling healer visited our house when I was born.
He didn’t know the details. He could never ask his father, and the servants who might have known always avoided the subject.
“I am honored by your hospitality,” the Senling woman said with a smile. “I am Yue Yixin, an elder of the Taiyue Sect.”
Her smile was so beautiful it was like a cool breeze, but no one with an ounce of sense could bring themselves to smile back.
An elder of one of the Nine Great Sects?
That meant she was one of the founding heroes of the Tian Dynasty Dynasty. It was said the Shanling Clan Clan did not age. She must have fought alongside the ancestral master of the Taiyue Sect to drive out the Ye Devil Dynasty.
“I-I failed to recognize a deity!”
It wasn’t just the family head. Everyone from the household, even the guests who had followed them out, bowed low. Some fell to their knees in prostration.
Isn’t this a bit much?
Wei Yixian, who had merely clasped his hands and bowed his head, lifted his gaze slightly.
At that moment, his eyes met those of Yue Yixin. She was staring right at him, a curious light in her otherworldly gaze.