Hard Times

That was what she said that day. From that day, Mrs Ao provided cultivation materials and techniques for the other children. The other children stopped caring for one another as their lives became more like a competition amongst themselves. Shen Jian was slowly separated from the rest of them and was viewed as mediocre by the others over the years.

The other children didn't really care about him anymore, even though he was better at martial arts than they were. To them all they now cared about was cultivation, a few innocent minds were now officially introduced to the way of power. Mrs Ao was a loving mother until they turned five, when she became a cold instructor even to her daughter. The other children had all started their body refinement but Shen Jian was still unable to awaken his martial spirit.

Martial spirits were required for cultivators especially in the early stages of their cultivation. Martial spirits had three known grades; profound grade, earth grade and heaven grade. It was believed that in some rare cases, due to special circumstances some martial spirits could evolve to a higher grade, that is for those restricted to profound and earth levels.

At six years old Shen Jian became a pickpocket. He had finally decided that he would no longer wait for miracles. He was selling off what he stole, and used the money to buy resources for body cultivation.

Yes, Shen Jian had decided to cultivate his body instead of waiting for the day he could awaken his martial spirit. Body cultivation resources were rare and costly so he had to gather a lot of money to afford them.

Now they were eight years old, the other children were completing their body refinement while Shen Jian was also steadily advancing.

On a sunny afternoon Shen Jian was back from his day of 'work'. He was now a cute, good-looking boy with his black hair and blue eyes, he saw the the others practising their techniques in the small courtyard.

''Hey, Shen Jian won't you come over to say hi to us?, if you call me big brother I'll make sure no one bullies you because now I'm at the ninth level of body tempering, hehe''. Pei Yutian said.

Ao Qing looked at Shen Jian, ''Brother Shen won't you join us for a few rounds, we will surpress our strength to your level'' she said.

Shen Jian kept going to his room like he heard nothing.

''Hey!, can't you hear her, or are you afraid that you're no longer a match for us? You're nothing without strength pretty boy" Lan Fei said. She too was feeling proud because she was at the eight layer of body tempering.

''You all are so full of yourselves with only this little achievement, it makes me wonder what will happen when you get defeated by me''. Shen Jian said as he glanced over the three of them. The last boy was still practicing like he didn't know what was happening around him.

He had always been the closest to Shen Jian, and even though they didn't interact much recently, he still wouldn't outright challenge him.

Shen Jian continued as he started walking towards them. ''Be more like Xiao Yingwei, even when he is even stronger than you all, he is still diligently practicing.''

''Humph, if you're afraid just say it'' Ao Qing said with an angry look.

''Afraid?, who is my first opponent?" Shen Jian asked as he arrived before them.

''Humph!, me of course. I'll only use the strength of someone at the fifth layer of body tempering, if you can't even match up to that then you're outright trash.'' Pei Yutian, dressed in yellow, said as he stepped forward to meet Shen Jian.

The others cleared the small courtyard for the two of them.

''If you increase the amount of strength you use against me, you lose'' Shen Jian said with a smile.

''Do I even need to do that for a cripple like you?" Pei Yutian asked in disdain. He clenched his fists as he and Shen Jian charged at one another.

'Who is he calling a cripple? Bastard!! Hmm according to that body cultivation manual that old man gave me, I'm only at the third level. But i should still be able to defeat any regular fifth layer of body tempering stage.' Shen Jian thought.

They had learned a few combat skills and moves alongside their cultivation these past year's, even though they couldn't channel qi yet, they could still defend themselves.

''Shen Jian eat my fist!'' Pei Yutian shouted as he drove his right fist towards Shen Jian's chest.

''Brother Pei is starting with Fierce Fist, Shen Jian is finished.'' Lan Fei cheered.

Xiao Yingwei shook his head ''Fierce Fist is only a good starting move when it is guaranteed to hit, the move is a direct charge with so many openings, if it doesn't hit Shen Jian then he will become very vulnerable.'' He explained

At the same time, Shen Jian sidestepped to dodge the punch that was coming his way, it barely even touched his black robes. He was sure he could take the hit without much damage but it would be painful. So he just sidestepped.

He grabbed Pei Yutian's arm and delivered a kick to the abdomen. Then he pulled the arm, then jumped into the air and gave him another kick to the back which sent Pei Yutian tumbling.

Shen Jian was once again feeling like the whole fight was all under his control. He felt this way whenever he got into fights with people of about the same strength as himself. This was one of the reasons why he always won such fights, coupled with his good grasp of martial arts.

He was just about to follow up with a flurry of attacks when he felt a sharp pain in his chest, the surrounding qi began surging into the courtyard and formed a vortex of qi above Shen Jian.

Somewhere faraway, in a cave on the mainland. Three men were in a room in the cave house.

Two of them were doing miscellaneous tasks. The last man was an elderly man with white long hair and beards. He was garbed in fine blue linen as he sat on a rock with eyes closed in meditation.

Suddenly he opened his eyes and smiled. ''Another bright star is born, this era is indeed full of such stars'' he mumbled before he went back to meditation.

Somewhere even farther, in a city called Wargods City another secret is uncovered. This city was ruled and created with one family as its core. Behind the mansions of the ruling family were a few other houses where their branch families and subordinates lived. At one of the houses the head formation master and an alchemist were going around inspecting the life lamp room. This was a big spacious room which was full of lamps hung all over the walls and ceiling, these lamps were connected to the life of every member of the family who had awakened their martial spirits. If that member hadn't unlocked their martial spirit, their lamp would be left in one corner of the room where such lamps were kept.

As the two elderly men walked around they reached the region where lots of unlit lamps were neatly arranged in rows. They were about to pass by when their divine senses picked up soul force fluctuations beside them.

''Who is there?" The formation master asked as he looked back.

''Maybe someone is trying to probe the room, but what for?" The alchemist said.

''No, that soul energy was pure and natural....could it be'' the formation master retorted as he and the alchemist immediately looked to the rows of unlit lamps.

''Brother Sun another lamp really got lit'' the alchemist said.

The formation master furrowed his brows, ''thats not right'' he said as he bent over to pick up the lamp. ''This is from the batch that can only be lit by someone within ten years of age. Call the Patriarch.''

.....