1 Green Hatted Youth

In a location of endless clouds, an enormous palace set on a mountain peak. This mountain was also big enough to break the clouds' surfaces. Joseph, who boiled with fury, soared through the air toward it.

He quickly confronted the people who dared to snatch his little sister.

"Nicholas!!! If you don't release Maple, I will end Divine Heavenly Gold Palace! I won't let anyone off."

The man named Nicholas smirked.

"Haha... You knew this was a trap, and you still came? You're foolish. Don't you know the Martial Path means to sever all ties?"

Joseph ignored him as his realm breakthrough sprung up and became unstable.

"Enough! Release her!"

"Heh... Worry about yourself instead. Activate the formation."

The dozens of men waiting in position executed their given assignment rapidly.

"Joseph, you are maybe the greatest genius to live. So let me help you cross your Heavenly Tribulation."

Joseph felt his realm change as Divine Lightning gathered and covered the entire sky. The formation array then took effect and put his body under immense pressure that multiplied the Heavenly Tribulation, tenfold.

If it were during any other time, this ordeal wouldn't faze him. However, he lacked the required preparations made because he was concerned for his little sister.

He could have waited to avenge her after the breakthrough, but his morals would never allow him to see her sustain a fate worse than death.

"This will not save you! Today, I Joseph Clouds, will kill you and erase Divine Heavenly Gold Palace."

The tenfold powered up lightning struck, trapping him inside the formation array. Mysterious lights and strange phenomenons occurred. The whole ordeal lasted hours despite more clansmen attacking from outside and acting as reinforcements.

"This...!"

Nicholas stared in disbelief. It was impossible to survive a double powered Heavenly Tribulation, let along with one enhanced tenfold.

But this common knowledge didn't apply to Joseph. He emerged severely injured with a book held above his head.

The following events afterward transpired swiftly. Joseph killed everyone. Whether it was the guilty or the innocent, they all died to his rage. When his reason came back, Joseph sealed his sister with his last breath.

"Wait for me. I will save you."

Then, the world turned black after these words.

*

Burning Sky City

In this city, four influential powers controlled the balance of authority. Amidst their struggles, Clouds Family was the third strongest. It was also the family of a black-haired youth who accompanied a red-haired young woman around the marketplace.

A fancy necklace suddenly caught his eyes before he rushed to the owner.

"Storekeeper, how much for this necklace?"

The owner frowned then answered sharply,

"2,000 silver coins and not a coin less."

The youth called Joseph shook. Despite the Clouds Family easily earning tens of thousands of silver on a yearly annual income, he didn't have that kind of money.

It was different if it was the master of the family who could use a large portion of that yearly annual income whenever he wanted, but he was only the third young master in the Clouds Family.

In addition, because of his lack of a partner to cultivate with, his level was falling behind his family members. There was absolutely no way the family would prioritize him over others who showed brighter futures.

The Clouds Family was a place for survival of the fittest. The more talent you displayed, the higher the family rewarded you.

If a member of the family possessed no talent or appeared worthless, the lesser they were helped. It was not strange for them to disregard them or make them suffer altogether.

Joseph knew this well, given his circumstances, so he gave up on the necklace. He then faced the red hair beauty next to him and said,

"How about we found something else? This Storekeeper wishes to rob us."

"...You! It's only a few silvers, and you're the Third Young Master of the Clouds Family. Why can't we get it?"

The disappointment was evident by her expression and the way she took two steps away. The hope he had in convincing her to be his Martial Companion was shrinking.

"Ah... forget about it, okay? I'll get you something prettier that's ten times better."

He placated. He visited every visible shop, looking for a piece of jewelry within his budget. However, fate was against him. He returned home empty-handed.

"Why is everything so expensive nowadays? This city is trying to ruin me."

He cried dejectedly. Beside him was the red hair beauty in anger.

"Well, well... I didn't expect to meet you here."

A handsome youth taunted. The youngster was none either than Kyle Wood, who was tall, in his late teens, and had messy brown hair.

In addition, although he sounded friendly, it was hard to take his words seriously since they stood before the front doors of Clouds Proud Estate, the residence of the Clouds Family.

Furthermore, this youth was not from Clouds Family. Instead, he was apart of City Manor House, which was Wood Family's territory and the second strongest influential family.

"Get lost! Nobody welcomes you here."

Joseph yelled. He avoided eye contact with the two ladies Kyle held wrapped around an arm each, and moved in front, shielding the red hair beauty from behind out of their view.

Kyle just laughed.

"Impotent fool, who said I was talking to you?"

He snared then shifted his focus on behind Joseph and continued,

"Beautiful, how about I give you a gift in exchange for hearing your wonderful name?"

What he pulled out of his clothing was the same necklace Joseph initiatively wanted to offer. He took sweet joy in watching Joseph's face warp into hate, hurt, shock, and finally settling on horror.

The thing was Kyle had a rather nasty little habit. He enjoyed stealing women from other people.

In fact, the two ladies by his sides were women stolen.

But it didn't end there. These two ladies were women he took from Joseph, making the total amount three as the red hair beauty walked over and gave her name.

Joseph reached out to stop her, but she moved her arm away and ignored him.

"Thank you for your kindness, Young Master Kyle. My name is Beatrice."

Joseph exploded in hatred. He determined that he and Kyle could not co-exist in this world. One of them had to die.

"Kyle! I must see you dead, or I can not continue living."

He charged Kyle, launching an attack to end it once and for all. Kyle stepped forward and delivered his own move. There was even a hint of mockery as they drew closer.

"Then die for me, impotent loser. Let us see if your Clouds Proud Estate dares to make a fuss with my City Manor House."

Joseph's attack missed, and he got sent blowing through the front doors of Clouds Proud Estate. Blood sprayed from his mouth, and he no longer possessed the strength to get up.

"Ahaha... hmph! So what if you have a little bit of talent? Look at you now, do you think everyone is a loser like you? How can a 2nd Grade Iron Body measure up to a 6th Grade Bronze Body? Before me, you will always be trash who don't even know how to take care of his own woman."

Kyle declared, hoping for each jap to wedge a deeper knife into Joseph. But more importantly, his real aim was to showcase the difference between their power, while winning the hearts of the ladies over to his side completely.

This, in fact, wasn't difficult. In the Strengthening Body Realm, there were ten known grades and four different body types. These grades arranged as 1st Grade being the lowest and 10th Grade being the highest.

The gap between each Grade was wide. It was rarely ever seen for a lower grade to win against a higher grade. But this was merely for different grades and didn't speak for each body type.

The four body types were Iron Body, Bronze Body, Silver Body, and Gold Body. It wasn't necessary to obtain a Gold Body to reach the next realm, but it was impossible to breakthrough if one weren't at the 10 Grade.

Furthermore, the strength and the defense of each body type were as different as day and night. One might as well be fighting in separate realms.

"Brother Kyle, will the Clouds Family get revenge on us?"

"Young Master Kyle is a dragon among his peers. This small issue should not matter, right?"

Two of the girls asked. Kyle's smirk widened in contempt.

"What Clouds Family? Even if it were the number one family in Burning Sky City, Stone Family, they would still need to think twice before messing with my City Manor House. As long as you all follow me obediently, luxury is just one of the things this Young Master can bestow upon you."

Beatrice giggled.

"Hehe... Young Master Kyle is great and wise beyond his years. I think any woman would choose you over that poor guy."

Kyle looked proud at that statement and spun around on his heels. He didn't spare Joseph another look and left with the three women in tow.

Meanwhile, Joseph slipped unconscious, loathing Kyle with every fiber of his being.

'I will definitely kill you one day, scoundrel.'

The surrounding family members shook their heads in distaste. This sight was a usual occurrence at Clouds Proud Estate.

Although to be honest, the only individual this pertained to was Joseph. Because the family already gave up on him, nobody bothered to help.

Even if some felt it was a loss of face to have a stranger treat their own harshly right in front of family grounds, they left it as is since the older members turned a blind eye.

"This impotent loser is out to destroy all our faces."

"Can't he see how bad he makes the family look?"

"If it were me, I would kill myself to save the family from this disgracefulness. Only trash don't care about the family."

"Should we help remove him? It kinda looks bad on us."

"No! Maybe this time, he is dead for sure. This could be considered fortunate for our family. We will never have to see this sight again."

Unfortunately for the youths watching, Joseph shot awake while groaning.

"Tsk! This guy has the life of a cockroach. No matter how much you squash him, he always springs back up more annoying than previously."

"Man, that guy should just die already. Why keep suffering? Stupidity at its fineness."

The last youth spoken shook his head in resentment. But he wasn't alone in his displeasure, the majority of Clouds Family felt the exact same way.

After they became utterly feed up with disgust, they left, leaving Joseph to his own devices.

Joseph, on the other hand, was still stabilizing his bearings. He was astonished to know he was only at the 2nd Grade Iron Body again.

The injuries he possessed weren't too surprising since he felt they were close to life-threatening earlier, which is why he sealed his sister to give him time in recovering. But he never thought it would reach this point.

'My body seems odd. It's as if it lacks yin energy to cultivate. What is going on? Is this why my level has retrogressed to this stage?'

His thoughts stop abruptly. Memories of this life came about, assaulting his mind.

'Argh... So that's what's going on. I have been reborn into a waste. Shameful, how can you allow yourself to lose your women repeatedly? What kind of trash accepts this? Hmm, I see.'

As the memories flooded him, he came to know everything regarding this youth and how much he suffered. However, he was not pleased. And it wasn't the one known as Kyle Wood who received his dislike.

Rather, it was the previous body owner named Joseph Clouds instead. He didn't care that they shared the same names, and now the same body, he would never have allowed himself to be green hatted.

'Since you have already died, I will use this body as I see fit.'

Joseph got up and made his way to his room. All the regrets and suffering the past him endured had nothing to do with him.

He was not a kind person. His only goals right now were to get stronger and rescue his little sister. Only if those same people dared to block his road would he remove them.

And permanently.