Old New Beginnings

(Lower Mortal Realm – Mid Plane – Jewel Stellar Kingdom – Ruby 86 Galaxy – Blue Green Star System – Green Giant)

In the Mid Plane of the Lower Mortal Realm there, were said to be ten thousand galaxies, there was one called 'Ruby – 86'. Among countless Star Systems, there was a Star System named as 'Blue-Green Star System'. As the name suggests, there were two habitable planets within this system known as Blue Giant and Green Giant.

Blue Giant is the main planet. Green Giant was full of lush forests. Only a few human cities were there on this planet. Most of them were hunters, farmers, or herb gatherers.

A few leagues into such forest, near the city called New Green, a gravely wounded youth was fighting a wild beast. A wild boar to be exact.

In Mid Plane, beasts could be categorized into two types, wild beasts and spirit beasts. Normal wild beasts with low intelligence and high intelligent spirit beasts that entered the cultivation path through Qi refining. At least a cultivator in the mid-level elementary realm is needed to fight against the newly ascended low-level spirit beast.

These beasts were bigger and faster than normal wind beasts. Not only that each one of them has a special ability unique to them gained from their bloodlines. A spirit beast boar has an ability called 'Haste' which allows it to accelerate its speed in a blink and charge toward an enemy.

But the beast, the youngster was facing, seemed to be able to increase its speed only for a short period. Its limited use suggested that it was yet to become a spirit beast, but soon to be one.

Some distance away from where the youth was fighting, three figures hidden under the shadows were observing the fight. The leader of the group was a young man clad in extravagant hunting attire.

"Young master, why do we need to stalk this puny ant who even cannot cultivate? He's not worth your attention or time." Said the black-clad middle-aged man right next to the young man. There was a scar across his face which gave him a scary look.

"Oh, this guy is not worth my time much. But you have to admire his battle awareness and fierceness. If it's any normal human without cultivation, will be long skinned alive by that half-ascended spirit beast." The young man clarified. "And for the reason why we follow this guy. You'll understand later." He grinned.

"What do you know old Wang! Our young master acknowledged that kid's talent and offered to work under him." A man wearing a brown robe interjected. "But that kid is so arrogant and rejected it without a blink. Do you know how humiliating that is for our young master? Today the kid is going to pay for what he did."

"Oh... Apologies young master, I was away under the patriarch's orders. So I was unaware of the matter."

"It's alright uncle Wang. But Boris stop mentioning that matter again! Don't make me repeat it..." The young man gave a ruthless look at the brown-clad man called Boris.

"Of… of course young master Chao, forgive me!" A cold chill went down his back seeing the young master's expression.

"Pay attention the show is about to be over"

As Shen Chao said, the fight seemed to be coming to its climax. Both opponents were at their wit's end. Seen the way he fought Old Wang had to accept the young man had skill.

"Seeing the fight, now I understand why young master wanted this kid. If not anything he got the guts to come this deep into the jungle. Moreover, face a half ascended beast."

"He's doing it for that cheap drunkard. That's what bothers me." Uttered young master Shen Chao to Old Wang.

"He's willing to risk his life for that bastard but refused my offer. Does he think refusal is enough? The kid might've got talent. But isn't he a bit naive?" Shen Chao sounded wicked.

"Time to show this kid the truth of this world. Without power, you cannot even refuse!"

--- A Few hours earlier ---

Kayson was having a bad day. First, he got beaten by his uncle early in the morning. Then he chased him to the jungle for hunting. Along the way, he met goons from the betting house saying his uncle has 15 silver coin debt to pay within the week. As the sole earner of the ran-down house they were staying, he knew he had to pay them back or these goons will come after him.

15 silver coins was a big amount. To pay that by the weekend he had to score big. That's the reason he came to the edge of the deep forest searching for a bigger creature. Then he stumbled upon a half-ascended wild boar. Even though it's dangerous for normal humans, he had years of battle experience that gave him confidence.

When he saw the bore at the first, it was digging the floor with its harp tusks. He waited and observed the beast before attacking.

'A wild boar... Bit troublesome… But demand for wild pork is high in the market. Hmm… Its skin is too thick to penetrate with my knife. Eyes are its only weakness. I have to aim for that then.'

He sneaked closer and loaded the bow. Then he aimed for its eye and released the arrow.

"Woosh… thak" An arrow tore through the air and hit right in its eye.

"Eek...." The bore squeaked loud. Just as he was about to rejoice, boar charged at him fast with an arrow hanging out of its eye.

"Damn..." He cursed and threw aside his bow. In his hand, there was a knife.

Even though his initial attempt failed, he did not panic. All the fights he had been through had beaten into him that, in a fight panicking meant death. He waited till it came close. Just as they were about to collide, he jumped up and turned in the air, the bore went past right under him.

As he landed, the angry boar was already charging at him, again. He waited just as before with the knife at hand. When it was right in front of him, he jumped. The bore rammed its head upwards expecting the enemy would do the same as before.

But he didn't. he jumped to his side, caught one of its tusks and swung himself over the boar, and sat on it. Immediately his hand snapped and stabbed its other eye with the knife.

"Eeeee…. Eeeee…" Without its sight, the boar went crazy. It started shaking its body violently to put the human on its back. But Kayson held into it tightly. He let go of its tusk and gripped the arrow hooked to its eye and push it further in.

The bore's screech intensified. It suddenly started rolling on the ground to get the attacker off its back. But Kayson never let it go. He further twisted both of the hard objects in. He felt like he was about to be squashed like a grape under the heavy weight of the bore.

"Die...just die" He groaned in pain. After what felt like an eternity the boar started to lose strength. Within a few moments, it became still and he crawled out from underneath the enormous wild beast. From the moment he shot the arrow, it took only a few minutes to lay the bore, lifeless.

"Heh... Thank god. I managed to kill it at the end." He sighed and sat down on the grass.

"Now I need to find a way to get this into the village store." He talked loud to himself. Even though he didn't expect a reply, it came anyway.

"It looks heavy. How about I help out."

Kayson immediately went on alert and turned. What he saw made him disturbed.

"It's you... What are you people doing here?" He inquired from the newcomers.

"Oh… last time I checked anyone can come to the forest. Why can't we be here?" Shi Lei asked provocatively.

Kayson gritted his teeth. Just from their faces, he could realize these people were up to no good. If it was another time he would have run. But now he was stuck. After all the struggle with the beast his body was aching, so it was hard to run away. Also, he could not leave the freshly hunted wild boar with these people. It was his only way to pay away the debt.

"Young master Shi Chao, are you trying to steal from a poor hunter like me? Isn't it a disgrace to the whole Shi family?" Since he cannot fight with them, he thought about tricking them to let him go.

"Haha… My family would surely be disappointed if they got to know it. But if nobody told them it will be fine." Then he nodded at the person called Boris.

"Hehe, kid your luck runs out today. Our young master thought highly of you and offered you a chance. Yet how dare you refuse it. I'm going to teach you a lesson on behalf of my young master" Boris rushed at Kayson as a blur.

"Bang" Next thing Kayson knew was unbearable pain and flying through the air.

"Arg…." He fell and rolled over the ground. The pain made him black out for a couple of seconds. Even without looking, he could say a couple of his ribs were broken. Just as he tried to get up he saw a leg swinging at his other side.

"Bang… Crack Aaahh… Argh…" He felt something break. Pain was so intense tears fell over his young face.

"Hehe, that's right kid. Cry… Scream… Scream till my young master gets satisfied." Boris laughed like a maniac. "Young master, should I break off his legs?" He asked Shi Chao.

Young master Shi Chao who was enjoying Kayson's painful voice thought for a moment before answering.

"Hmm… don't. If we did that how can he go back." Others were a bit surprised by his answer, even half-conscious Kayson.

"But he does not want his hands to walk now, does he? Break this bastard's arms!"

"Hehehe… as young master commands." He crushed Kayson's arm from his leg. Blood oozed from the crushed forearm.

"Aahh… Ah..ah…mmhh" Kayson's groans were nearly inaudible. He was slipping in and out of his consciousness.

"Slap… Slap… Hey, wake up" Shi Chao slapped him awake and looked at his tear-ridden eyes.

"Listen kid take this as a lesson. You might be a slightly skilled fighter. But in the cultivation world, you're worthless as dust. Any random cultivator could squash you like a bug." He said to him slowly.

"You thought after refusing me, it'll be, all right? Do you know how humiliating it was to be refused by a cripple like you? You should be thanking your lucky stars, as my father is about to be the mayor. If not for that, you were already buried here alive."

He paused for a while then continued. "You might be thinking about fighting back and making trouble for me. But to do that you need power. One thing you cannot have. Likes of you were born just to be our slaves. Just do as you were told by the powerful. That's what you were born to do that's your FATE…!" Then he kicked him in the face which make him unconscious.

"It's done. Boris brings that boar. You can sell it at the market if you want. If you don't just destroy it. I just don't want this kid to have it."

Then they left with the boar, leaving Kayson's wounded body lying there. After a few minutes they disappeared into the forest, and Kayson woke up slowly.

"Arg… Arg… O..one day I.. I'll pay you b..back! Be powerful… No one will control me… not even FATE…!"

Just as he said that the whole world stood still. The sound of the wind and the sounds of the birds all went away. Falling leaves stood in the sky. Then the world started to lose colour.

Gravely wounded young Kayson observed everything in awe and fear. Next moment an illusory silver figure appeared right above him. The figure was an extremely handsome male wearing odd black clothes. He was smiling at him. Kayson felt an exceedingly familiar aura from the figure.

"Ar... Are you my father?" He asked. The silver figure's face was crooked.

"Damn it! Was I this stupid back then!?" Then the silver figure phased into Kayson's broken body and he lost consciousness again.