The sounds of fists striking wooden dummies and swords slicing through the air filled the atmosphere. Disciples in grey and blue sparred in the distance, their laughter laced with arrogance, happiness, mockery, cunningness, and many more emotions that should have been hard for kids their age to feel.
As Harry walked past, their eyes lingered—not out of respect, but out of idle curiosity. Not many people knew him personally. They only knew the vague rumor of a boy who lived on the outer periphery of the main family branch, a boy who could no longer cultivate.
So most of them didn't bother with him at all. But some knew exactly who he was.
In their childhood, their parents had used Harry as a cautionary tale, a symbol to motivate them to work hard.
Now, their eyes swept him up and down. Some wanted to mock, while others simply pitied his condition.
"Isn't that the cripple?" one whispered.
"Still pretending he belongs here," another chuckled.
"Shame. He could have been something."
Harry ignored them, though his jaw tightened.
They already treated him like a ghost. The mocking words almost felt better than their indifference, but only barely.
Lyria clenched her fists. "Don't listen to them, Master. They don't know—"
He continued forward until he reached the Resource Hall, where disciples came to collect cultivation materials. A towering elder with sharp eyes sat at the front desk, a book in hand. This was Albert, one of the Grand Elder's lackeys.
The old man raised a brow at Harry's approach. "Well, well. If it isn't Young Master Harry. What business could you have here?"
Harry had already stopped taking resources from this hall long ago. He usually sent Lyria to collect the spirit stones, just enough to buy essentials and live quietly.
But today, it was another soul inside Harry's body. Ash knew he would walk the path of cultivation again, so accumulating resources now would be crucial for the future.
"Why? Am I not allowed to be here?" Harry questioned, his face flat, showing no emotion.
"No, young master, I didn't mean that. It's just...given your condition, I don't think these resources would help you anyway." The elder chuckled mischievously.
A few disciples nearby looked on, confused at first, but after hearing Albert's words, they burst in laughter.
Harry's lips curved into a smirk. "Relax, Elder Albert. I'm eligible to get them, and I will take them one way or another. Unless, of course, you'd prefer I complain?" His tone was light, but his eyes flashed with challenge.
For a moment, the elder's smile faltered. He had expected meekness, shame—anything but this sharp-tongued confidence.
"Careful, boy," Albert said, narrowing his eyes. "Words can be heavier than swords."
Harry chuckled. "Then you'd better make sure your sword is sharp enough."
The tension thickened, disciples whispering in the background. For the first time in years, Harry's name was being spoken again.
But most didn't truly care. To them, he was just an unknown cripple who lived in the outskirts. His presence was little more than a passing novelty.
After a long exchange of challenging glances, Albert finally backed down. He couldn't deny Harry. These were basic resources given to every clan member.
10 Low-Grade Spirit Stones, a bundle of Azureleaf Grass, two Body Tempering Pills, one pouch of Impurity-Expelling Powder, and an Ironwood Training Token.
"Spirit stones for your lazy ass so you don't have to earn them? Azureleaf Grass to strengthen Qi you don't even have? Pills wasted on a broken dantian? Heh, if you ask me, these resources would be better used by other hardworking disciples. Maybe you should hand them over." Albert leaned back, clearly waiting for the show.
The kids in line for their monthly resources nodded in agreement. If Harry was crippled and couldn't use them, why waste precious cultivation items on him?
"It's not your problem whether I can use them or not." Harry snatched the bag from Albert's hand.
"Boy, you can't even use them. How about you hand them over?" One of the disciples stepped forward, trying to push Harry into a corner.
Before Harry could reply, a cold voice echoed in the hall.
"Enough."
"They were given to him. Whatever he does with them is none of your concern."
A girl with ice-jade beauty entered, her purple robes marking her distinction. She didn't even glance at Harry, it was just a passing remark.
"Sophia…" Harry muttered under his breath.
She had been Harry's best friend when they were younger. Even after his crippling, she had tried to keep things normal. But at some point, things had fallen apart.
Looking back now, Harry could see it clearly. She had been the center of attention. Because of her, he had drawn unwanted hostility from the other kids. It had been manageable when he could fight back. But after becoming crippled, her company had only painted a target on his back.
He couldn't pinpoint the exact reason it ended, but he understood enough.
The whole room fell into pin-drop silence. Her aura alone made the outer disciples choke.
Harry instantly knew she had reached the Qi Condensation Realm.
The first realm was Body Refining. The second was Qi Replenishment, where Harry himself had once stood. After that came Qi Condensation. Each realm had nine levels.
Harry had reached Qi Replenishment, Level 1—but now he couldn't channel Qi at all.
"Miss Sophia, is there a reason for your arrival? I'm sure you didn't come here just to help—" Albert tried to play with words, but Sophia's deathly glare silenced him instantly.
"The Grand Elder wants to discuss the upcoming test." She left without another word.
Seeing her leave without even acknowledging him, Harry didn't know what to say. He didn't care, but perhaps the real Harry would have.
He returned to his house soon after, walking with confidence. Passing glares still felt like needles, but his plan was to crush those needles soon.
It was a half victory, half loss. He had made his presence known, but Albert had successfully established a negative image.
Harry didn't care. His main focus was preparing resources for when he will break free of his crippling Chains.
"Master, you shouldn't have gone. I could have brought the resources for you, as always," Lyria said with concern, checking his health with her healing ability.
She knew how much the mockery in the past had weighed on him, and how it had affected his health.
"I don't care about those fools anymore. Don't worry about me, baby," Ash said, pinching her cheeks.
He was too excited by the sight of the cultivation items before him to notice Lyria's confusion. Baby was a foreign word to her, but she vaguely understood the affectionate nature of it. Combined with his bold action, it made her cheeks flush bright red.