A Slap in the Face

If Wutian could not practice cultivation, others would have to support him for the rest of his life. It would become a burden to Dragon Village, where food was lacking, so he was naturally not welcomed.

"You two know nothing. Get the hell of out of here!" A burly teenager with thick eyebrows, big eyes, and a muscular body slapped the two kids with his unusually big hand. He stood at seven feet tall.

The teenager's name was Longhu. Although tall and rugged-looking, he was only thirteen years old and Wutian's sole friend in Dragon Village. Every time Longhu went hunting, he would ask Wutian to foretell what dangers lay ahead of him.

Wutian's divination had been accurate, so every time Longhu followed Wutian's instruction, he would always land on his feet and experience a fruitful hunting day. Hence, they became good friends over time.

"Don't listen to their lies, Elder Linshan. Wutian has been working very hard all these years. He goes to the back of the mountain to practice his breathing method every morning, year after year. He has never given up. There must be some other reason for his inability to unlock his physique. Anyway, I believe that he is dead," said Longhu matter-of-factly.

"Really? Could I have made a mistake here?"

Linshan started to have doubts. He did not know the other villagers' thoughts, but he knew who Wutian was. Ten years ago, Longshan had told him everything, and he had always held Wutian in high regard, thinking that he would become somebody someday. Little did he expect things to end up this way.

Again, Linshan looked at the old man not far away. Knowing that Longshan was well-versed in divination and would surely know whether Wutian was still alive or not, Linshan wanted to see if he could find something out from Longshan. Yet, Longshan's response did not reveal much, and he had a hard time deciphering what was in Longshan's mind.

"He's dead, Elder Linshan. Forget about him, and let's get started!" the boy dressed in fine clothes said impatiently.

"Who says I'm dead?"

At that moment, a mocking voice was heard. Everyone followed the voice and saw a blood-red figure marching toward them. The figure was a teenager. Standing upright at seven feet tall, his body was covered in blood, while his eyes were dark and deep-set like a pair of black holes that could suck the souls of the living. 

"Wutian!" Longshan rose to his feet at once, his murky eyes finally showing a hint of liveliness.

"Grandpa!" Wutian scurried up to Longshan, then dropped to his knees. When he looked up and his old grandfather's frail face, he felt so sorry that his heart ached. It was as though he had been stabbed by a knife in the chest. He lost control of his emotions, and tears flowed down his cheeks.

"Grandpa, I've returned. I'm sorry for making you worry about me. I am unfilial, a bastard, not befitting of a human." Wutian slapped himself on the face as he spoke.

"Don't do that!" Longshan quickly stopped him.

He reached out with his trembling hands to hold Wutian up. "Seeing you come home safely is my greatest comfort. Never hurt yourself again. As your grandpa, I can no longer take it," said Longshan avuncularly.

"I'm sorry, Grandpa! It's my fault. I made you worry about me."

"You silly boy. It's not your fault. It was the goddamn monster beast that chased you down the cliff. You must have endured a lot of hardships."

"The monster beast?" Longshan was stupefied before he quickly came to his senses. He glanced at Longhe. Just as he was about to say something, Longhe interrupted.

"You're finally back, Wutian! Are you okay? Are you hurt?" Longhe seemed very concerned about him as he stepped up to Wutian eagerly. "I'm warning you, if you dare reveal what happened on that day, I'll kill your precious grandpa," said Longhe in a whisper once he came close.

"You..." Wutian glared at him, his eyes burning with fury.

"I mean what I say."

There was a fleeting sense of intimidation in Longhe's eyes. He reached out to pat Wutian on the shoulder but saw a little black beast there and flinched. "Not bad. Not only have you returned safely, but you've also become physically stronger. You might be able to unlock your physique in the near future."

Wutian's body stiffened; he had no doubt that Longhe would go through with his threat.

At first, he had thought of exposing Longhe's lie in front of everyone, but now, he had to think twice. Since he had unlocked his physique, joining the Fire Cloud Clan was just a matter of formality. If he divulged the truth of what happened a month ago, however, no one on the scene would probably believe him, and that would only make things worse.

"Haven't you noticed me here, you stinky rascal? You've never changed all these years—still as disrespectful and unloving as before!" Linshan came up to him and knocked him on the forehead.

Wutian winced and decided to put his plan of exposing Longhe's lie on hold. "Uncle Linshan, long time no see. I thought I wouldn't be able to see you again!" He simpered.

"You've grown this tall since I last saw you a few years ago, stinky rascal!" Linshan lamented and smacked Wutian on the shoulders with force.

Wutian tumbled to the ground in an instant, appearing embarrassed.

Linshan was startled. Scratching his head, he also felt embarrassed. "I forgot that you never practiced cultivation. I'm sorry, Wutian! I'll be more careful next time."

"Once is enough. No next time, please! You almost killed me, you know?" Wutian pulled himself up and rolled his eyes. Even if he had unlocked his physique, he would not have been able to withstand a hit from him considering Linshan's attainment in cultivation.

Heck, I'll have you pay back a hundred times when I get stronger next time.

Nonetheless, that was just a thought. Wutian knew his grandfather's friend well. Linshan was a straight talker, and he lacked the arrogance of other cultivators. Being a friendly individual, he took good care of his grandfather and him, occasionally sending them food as well as making sure that the two of them had enough to go by.

Sometimes, Wutian would question how a fortune-teller like his grandfather managed to get to know the Fire Cloud Clan's censor elder.

The Fire Cloud Clan came from Mount Fire Cloud in the Red Flame Mountains, which was about a thousand miles from Dragon Village. They were one of the few major clans in the Greendragon subcontinent. Among them were many masters and talented people. Someone who could become the elder of such a major clan had to be out of the ordinary.

Linshan furrowed his brows. "So many years have passed, yet you haven't unlocked your physique. What have you been doing all this while, you stinking rascal?"

"What could I have done when I couldn't even get it unlocked? For me, it's no big deal. I just want to take care of my grandpa and earn an honest living by becoming a fortune teller." Wutian could not have cared less about what Linshan thought.

He was telling the truth; the last thing he wanted was to leave. There was a possibility that Long He would harm his grandfather if he was not around. Now that he had the Gobbler and lacked no Essence, he could self-study to practice cultivation without needing to attend school. Perhaps he could make more progress the clan's disciples? The only downside of practicing on his own was that he did not have access to any secret books of cultivation.

"It looks like you've grown some senses after you survived a mishap this time, Wutian. Falling down the cliff wasn't a bad thing after all."

"It's a good thing to know when to give up. You should spend your time learning divination techniques from now on so that you can share in the responsibility of taking care of the village."

"There's no such thing as a free lunch. We can't afford to keep freeloaders here."

Some villagers were not happy about Wutian's safe return. Instead, they treated Wutian like the plague, digging at him at every turn.

"All of you, shut up!" Linshan got angry and chided them in an authoritative voice. Everyone felt the pressure and kept their mouths sealed.

"Perish the thought, you rascal! The old man wouldn't allow that. You can do it if you work hard enough. Am I right, old man?" Linshan spoke loudly as he tried to exhort Wutian, but all he got in reply was everyone's cold shoulders.

"Have all of you finished catching up on old times?" Right then, the boy on the Flamingo spoke. His face told Linshan that he had lost his patience.

Linshan's heart skipped a beat, and he quickly collected himself. "Let's start the test!" he shouted as he glanced over at the teens.

A beautiful wooden box with engravings on its surface appeared. Linshan waved his arm, and the box opened by itself, revealing a few green fruits the size of soybeans inside.

The Yuan fruit was a special fruit that could be used to assess a person's physical strength. Once consumed, a person's body would glow with a white light if he or she possessed a unique physique.

"You know the drill. Anyone who wants to take the test, please step forward!" said Linshan.

The six teenagers stepped forth in tandem. They looked nervous as the test could be a turning point for them. Those who passed the test would be on a magical rise in their life, and those who failed would fall from grace.

Linshan approached them and nodded with a smile as a sign of encouragement. But Wutian was in a pickle. He peered at Longhe hesitantly, and in the end, he slowly stepped forward upon Longshan's urging.

Linshan swept his eyes over the youth. Then, with a flick of his hand, the fruits flew out of the box and landed in the teenagers' hands.

Looking at the fruits in their hands, the teens felt even more nervous. They were reluctant about consuming it for fear of getting a disappointing result.

Wutian was not in a hurry to take the fruit. Instead, he waited for the others. He had unlocked his physique, and again, the test was just a formality for him.

At last, one of the teens could not hold back anymore and popped the Yuan fruit into his mouth. He waited for a while but no glow came from him. Everyone shook their heads in disappointment. After all, a cultivator meant a lot to such a village.

"I couldn't make it. I've failed to become a cultivator and an elite. Just like Wutian, I'm a burden to the village!" At only eleven to twelve years old, the young teen could not bear the disappointment. He squatted down and started crying.

"There's no hurry, Son. You only failed this year, but you can still try again next year. You're going to make it." The teenager's father tried to comfort him.

"Sigh!" Linshan looked away.

Likewise, the other villagers shifted their attention away from the teenager. Their eyes were filled with anticipation as they gazed at the next teen who had just taken the Yuan fruit.

"Fail!

"Fail!

"Another fail!"

Not long after, the other four teenagers swallowed the Yuan fruits in tandem. None of them emanated a glow, which meant that they did not possess the required physique.

The villagers were disappointed, but they still did not disperse because it was hard to accept the outcome. Those kids had been working extra hard the entire time, and everyone knew that. Little did they expect that they would fail.

At that point, in the middle of the test area, only Wutian and Longhu had not swallowed the Yuan fruits.

"Who will be the next one? You or me, Wutian?" Longhu was fearless and not worried at all.

Wutian chuckled. He extended his arms, open his hands, then closed his eyes to feel the Essence energy in his Sea of Qi.

"What are you doing, Wutian? Don't tell me that you're going to give up!" Longhu scratched his head in bewilderment.

"He has failed to unlock his physique for sixteen years. He better give up now to save his face," Longhe mumbled quietly.

Right then, a glow appeared in Wutian's hand. It spread like water and covered his entire palm in a dazzling light.

"That-That's Essence energy! How-How could this be possible? Has he unlocked his physique?" Longhe rubbed his eyes, as he could not believe what he was seeing.

"Not bad, Wutian! At least, falling off a cliff has unlocked your physique!" Linshan chortled.

"Yeah, yeah!" Wutian forced a smile. He knew that it had nothing to do with the fall, but he needed to entertain Linshan.

"What's so great about that? He only unlocked his physique at sixteen. How far can he go?" With the exception of Longhu, the other kids who had failed the test were jealous.

"Most cultivators start at thirteen or fourteen. He's sixteen now. The Reborn Gamma stage will most likely be the farthest he can go. There's nothing special about that." They were still mocking Wutian earlier on. Now that Wutian had returned safely and unlocked his physique, their faces looked anything but happy.

"Even so, he is at least a cultivator now, which is much better than the rest of us who still lack the physique!" A few youths looked dejected, and some behaved like sour grapes.

"Congratulations, Wutian!" Longhu was physically strong but simple-minded. He said whatever he wanted to say.

Wutian was pleased to see everyone's reactions, especially Longhe's stunned look. He gave Longhu a smile of encouragement before he walked toward his old man, who had a smile across his face. "Are you surprised, Grandpa?"

"Of course I am, Wutian. This is thanks to the monster beast. It was indeed a blessing in disguise," said Longshan in elation.

"Yeah, I should have thanked that bastard, without which I wouldn't have gotten to where I am today." Wutian gave Longhe a sideways glance and spelled out his words.

Longhe's face reddened as anger burned within him, but he could not show it there. His only choice was to pretend that nothing had happened.