Chapter 1 : The beginning

Ever since he could remember, Tian Shen was alone. In this world, he had no parents, no siblings, no relatives, and no friends. 

The only things he had were a pendant with the word 'Tian' inscribed on it and a black, mysterious book.

The pendant was made of high-quality jade, so he always kept it hidden under his clothes. 

The book, on the other hand, seemed utterly useless as it was pitch black and had no words written in it.

In Tian Shen's heart, they were the most important things to him in this world, as they were the only things given to him by his parents when they were still alive.

However, these seemingly ordinary objects held a secret that Tian Shen was yet to uncover.

Tian Shen had just completed the written tests for his high school exams, which he had breezed through. 

He had always been a prodigy since a young age, excelling in various fields like combat, studies, alchemy, and forging. But this was just the beginning.

He was called a prodigy due to his accomplishments during his youth, and whether or not he could still live up to that title remained to be seen. The only path ahead was martial arts, and it was beckoning him. 

In the sub-planet Blue, or Earth as its inhabitants called it, martial arts reigned supreme.

Almost everyone you saw on the streets had undergone body tempering. In this era, no matter what position you sought, you needed to be a martial artist. 

From Government officials, celebrities, entrepreneurs, even janitors, delivery men, and teachers sought out martial prowess. 

The students vying for admission to prestigious martial sects were evaluated based on their martial capability and written test scores.

But in this society, inborn talent was the jewel in the crown, unchangeable and immutable, distinguishing the elite from the ordinary.

Now, Tian Shen was heading to a test site where his future path would be decided.

As Tian Shen entered the testing grounds, it was as if a new universe unfolded before his eyes.

He paid no attention to the people setting up the test machines and checking the equipment, Tian Shen looked around curiously.

All the geniuses, some of which could be his future classmates, were gathered together in this place. 

Among the thousands of students present, only a handful were a cut above the rest. The select few of his generation included Qin Jie, Yang Murong, Chen Zian, Liu Yao and a few more who are yet to be known to the world. 

Although these four lacked great strength as of now, they all hailed from prestigious families and had been cultivated with immense care.

Tian Shen harbored disdain for these young masters, born into privilege and pampered without having to face the vast difficulties of life.

A few others briefly caught Tian Shen's interest but not for more than a couple of breaths.

Suddenly, an ear-piercing voice resounded, "Seeds of Hua Xia, listen here. The tests are about to begin, line up according to your card numbers!"

Most of the students were overwhelmed by the commanding presence of the speaker and couldn't move. However, it was like a gentle breeze for those with true potential, a test to weed out the unworthy.

Not long after, everyone lined up, and a mechanical voice announced, "Candidate Number one, please step forward." 

A student walked up to a machine with a pad in the middle and struck it with great force.

BEEP. "89 Kg, Fail. Next, Number two, come forward."

The hall erupted in chatter. "No way, 89 Kg of punch force, and he failed." "How is that possible when the limit for regular humans is only 100 Kg?"

The icy voice interrupted, "Silence!" Everyone straightened their backs, not daring to utter a sound.

Candidate Number two stepped up. BEEP. "102 Kg, Pass. Next."

The hall started murmuring again but was quickly silenced. After a few more students passed, it became clear that the minimum requirement for the strength test was 100 Kg. 

Everyone remained silent, not daring to take a breath.

Tian Shen remained unfazed. He had anticipated that the requirements for the four sects would be above the limits of a regular human, so he stayed calm.

As time passed, a large number of students dropped out upon seeing the high benchmarks, leaving only a small percentage who had passed. Among them, a small number surpassed the rest.

The mechanical voice called out, "Candidate number 2222, please step forward." 

It was someone who had caught Tian Shen's eye from the start. He muttered, "Wow, what a lucky number, along with that monstrous talent."

Long Aotian stepped forward. His steps were light but concealed immense potential. He struck out calmly, as if greeting an old friend with a punch after a long absence.

BEEP. "New record, 398 Kg. Congratulations, candidate 2222, for setting the new record." 

The remaining students erupted in excitement, ignoring the icy voice that occasionally reprimanded them.

Gasps filled the hall. "Almost four times the upper limit of a regular human, without even cultivating!" Everyone marveled.

Some women began to swoon over him, while others vowed to start a fan club and remain devoted for life.

Tian Shen couldn't help but mutter under his breath, "Humph, what a show-off. Just because you're a little handsome, do you think everything is yours? Tsk, Tsk, Tsk."

Some more time passed, and more students passed the test, though none matched Long Aotian's incredible strength. The four young masters all scored above 300 Kg of punch force.

Finally, the mechanical voice called out, "Candidate number 9634, come forward."

A breathtaking young man with a mesmerizing pale face, jet-black hair that cascaded down to his waist, and dressed in all black moved gracefully towards the machine.

Some women were utterly captivated by his features, staring at him with drool trickling down their mouths.

The young man assumed a stance and struck out lightly.

BEEP. "222 Kg of punch force, Pass." 

Disappointment washed over the women; they had hoped the young man would be heaven-defying and dethrone Long Aotian.

Tian Shen, on the other hand, was not disappointed at all. He walked back with his lips curving upward slightly, thinking, "Ha, see that Long Aotian, I got the first three digits of your candidate number. If my dad hadn't said that the tallest tree always often gets felled first, I'd have gotten all four digits."

Since Tian Shen was one of the last candidates the rest of the strength test was completed in little to no time. 

Then the mechanical voice sounded once again, " All remaining candidates who have failed please leave the venue. The remaining candidates may proceed to the next venue." 

The dejected students who failed walked out of the test site, some sobbing, a few having a mental breakdown and a couple who seemed unaffected. 

However, they were soon forgotten as it was time for the next test.