THE CRIPPLED CHILD

Within the vast Jiao country, one could see an intersection of varied landscapes intertwining with each other. It was a hub of various powers, both guilds and clans, all under the rule of the royal clan of Jiao.

The morning time was marked with a lot of activity. One could see both cultivators and commoners roaming throughout the place. It showcased the liveliness of the kingdom.

As one move towards the eastern part of the country, one hears the name of the Long Clan. Being a vassal of the royal clan, they gave it jurisdiction over a large stretch of land. 

A massive signboard with the words LONG welcomed visitors to the excellent clan manor. One could see the disciples training, fighting, and gaining insights. Several people gathered on the grounds and spoke about its power in the area.

Within the centre, the section was a vast building near the north. This was the clan lord's mansion. Within it, one could see a pair of men and women lamenting about something.

"Is there still no news of Tao'er?" Tears could be seen in the eyes of the lady. Do you have to be so heartless? Does our son mean nothing to you?"

"you don't have to cry like that. I will search heaven and earth to find our son. We have already organized the search team. I assigned only the best men among the mansion guards the duty to go search." The clan lord Long Shen said with a heavy heart.

" I may be a father, but there is a tremendous burden on my shoulders. It comes with the title of clan lord. I can't waste much of my time on waste." He then exited and commanded all his guards: "Gather all the elders for a meeting.". The guard bowed in response.

The young master of the Long clan, Long Tao, recently went missing. But the response of the clan members was almost nonexistent. This could all be attributed to the fact that he was an infamous cripple.

Long Tao was a dazzling star of the clan, born with a heaven-defying talent and quickly built his base to the 8th level of the Foundation forging realm. The whole clan had a massive expectations from him.

But an unfortunate event related to the feud between the Long and Bai clan, crushed all his dreams. Long Tao lost his cultivation base and was crippled by a sneak attack from the enemy.

"Can anyone clarify where my son is?" Long Shen razed angrily. "answering the clan lord, due to the incompetency of this old man, the young lord seems to have gone missing on the way back from the Ti village." one of the guards replied.

"All the guards of the young lord have been found dead, and the carriage in which the young lord was travelling was burnt to the ground." Nervousness was visible in his tone.

"Form a search party fast. Search for every nook and cranny of the whole range. I don't care about the procedure, but I want my son found alive. Otherwise, all of you can accompany him to your deaths.". The guard's countenance paled as he bowed and left.

Another man clad in blue robes approached the lord and said, "Why pit them with a crime they have not committed, brother? We all know that the Black dagger hall caused the incident. The Bai clan is behind it."

All the men present lowered their heads. Rage could be seen in their eyes. "I have gathered you all here to inform you that the 5-year disciple selection event of 6 sects will soon be held. Only one and a half years remained for that event. The clan needs to emphasize the training of the next generation. We need at least three people crossing into the Qi disciple realm before the event's commencement".

....

Ti Mountain Range-

A body lying in a pool of blood in the middle of the forest is in the mountain range valley. This range was called the range of death due to the mysterious atmosphere. All those who have dared to venture into the valley have never returned, turning it into a specialized danger zone.

Long Tao was lying surrounded by grass dyed red with his blood. Due to the previous encounter, Long Tao had lost consciousness. One could see a black-like fluid slowly surrounding his body, mending his injuries and his features turning demonic.

Just as the black fluid was about to turn him into that demonic being, a white resplendent of light shone from Long Tao's body, slowly countering the effect caused by the black Ki. The process of conversion and cancellation continued.

His body was healthy, and a faint rosiness slowly arose on his face. As time went by, the body's aura kept rising. In Long Tao's consciousness, he could see multiple fragments of memories.

The first one is a desolate world. A man of medium stature was silently cultivating. A feeling of deep reverence emerged within Long Tao's heart. He was feeling tiny in front of the power radiated by this man. The man suddenly opened his eyes.

A dark gleam could be seen in them. Long Tao's mind was dismayed. The figure got up, practised a set of arts, and sat down again. One could hear the crack of bones from his body, the expression turning unsightly, but the cultivator persisted till the end.

The scene continued until Long Tao eventually broke out. The figure opened its eyes, looked at Long Tao, and threw a punch towards him.

The scene in Long Tao's mind changed. He was currently in the beautiful domain of greenery all around. Upon a nearby hill, a man clad in white stood and was practising a set of weird movements. 

One was a monkey, a crane, a tiger, a turtle, a leopard, an elephant, a rhino, and a bear, and gradually unrecognizable animal outlines were formed. The final was that of a Dragon as it howled and went up the sky, dominating all existence. Long Tao couldn't bear to hold himself up to the roar and was ejected out of the scene.

With a sudden start, Long Tao got up. His whole body was covered in sweat as he looked around, gradually coming to his senses. He tried to organize his thoughts. How did he end up here?

As he engrossed himself, he could feel some memories forming in his brain. " Hell forger art" and " 99 stances of beast god". There was another painting flowing in his memory space, and upon close look, he saw golden runes floating up saying" Omnipotent soul art".

He was busy making sense of the memories. He didn't notice drips of his blood falling on the pendant he wore. The blood was absorbed, and the pendant shone.