The Morning Sun shore over the Outer Court Training Grounds of the Azure Cloud Sect. The dirt arena looked yellow and dusty under the sun light.. Outer Disciples stood around in a rough circle wearing plain light blue robes. Some whispered, So laughed while some openly mocked...
In the middle of the ring a weak looking young man Knelt... Lin Xian.
He was Seventeen. Tempered Body, Third Layer.
Blood leaked from the corner of his mouth, his black hair stuck to his Forehead with sweat and his rob was torn at the shoulder. He coughed and spat blood onto the ground then Slowly forced himself to stand up
"Still getting up?' someone in the crowd laughed.
"This guy really doesn't know when to quit!'
The one who has knocked him down stepped forward.
Zhao Huo... Tempered Body, 7th Layer. Broad shoulders, a smug face. He rolled his neck and sneered.
"You dared to look at senior sister Mei Ling."
"With Eyes like that? Trash like you thinks you're worthy of her?"
Lin Xian wiped his mouth with the back of his hands.. smearing the blood away. His body ached as straightened his back.
Third layer... Once, it sounded like progress but here it was just a joke. His throat burned but his voice stayed calm.
"I looked" he said...
"But.. i didn't touched her.. i don't even talk to her." He paused then added quietly "i just looked.. is that a Crime now?"
"You didn't just looked," a thin disciple sneered.
"You stared like a hungry beggar staring at food. Senior sister Mei Ling is the jewel of the Outer Court. Even inner disciples show respect when she walks by... And you?"
"You can't even afford a Single Qi gathering Pill" Zhao hua stepped closer.. gathering qi around his first.
"Enough talking" he Said coldly "Let's see how long that mouth of yours keep opening"
He attacked.
Xian twisted and tried to use Wind Step, pushing his little qi in his legs. But it was too slow...
A first smashed into his ribs.. Something cracked inside him... Pain exploded through his sides. He stumbled but forced a counterattack by swinging a sloppy flowing river palm toward Zhao Hua's waist, aiming at bottom.
Zhao Hua knocked the arm away like it was nothing and slammed his knee into Xian's stomach. All the air rushed out of Xian's lung.. he bent forward choking.
"Again!" A girl shouted from the crowd, laughing. "Make him crawl this time!"
Xian dragged in a rough breath and barely straightned himself... His leg shkkm he changed the stance and tried the Third Move of Flowing River Fist : Whirlpool Strike. His first soun weakly... His qi flickering like it might run out any second.
Zhao hua burst out laughing. "That trash move? My little cousin does it better than you."
A slap cracked across Xian's face, his body spun and hit the ground hard
The crowd cheered while Xian stayed down for few breaths... His mouth tasted like dirt. Then.... Slowly... He pressed on hand into the dirt and forced himself up again. His vision swam.. blood dropped from his nose onto the ground.
At the edge of the ring, a shadow moved... A girl stood there half hidden behind taller Disciples. She wore the dull light blue robes or a servant, sleeved tied back for work... She bit her lips hard until it hurt
When Xian tried to stand again and again... And failed... Her fingers clenched tightly around her sash.
"Look at him" another girl from the crowd said with disgust.
"He's like a cockroach.. just crush him already Senior brother Huo."
"With pleasure" Zhao huo grinned. He stepped in and drove a qi-filled punch straight into Xian's Chest.
Evrything went dark
...
...
...
Lin Xian woke up suddenly, gasping for air like he'd almost forgotten how to breathe. His hands grabbed the grass... above him tree branches spread out, forming a green roof. Sunlight moved as clouds passed by. His head throbbed each beat matching his pulse. He sat up too fast.
"Hiss..."
Pain shot through his body. The training court was gone. He was under the old camphor tree near the western wall... The one evryone ignored because it's root had cracked the stone path. He noticed that someone had dragged him here . His body hurts where his body had scraped the ground
"Son of a... Whoever you're" he Shouted hoarsely. "Next time just leave me where I fall. Dragging me like this... Are you trying save me or kill me ?"
He winced. "...Feel like my ribs are trying to crawl out ." He tried to push himself up. His arms shook. Palm flared, sharp and burning.
That's when he felt something in his Right hand. Smooth. Cool. He opened his fingers and found A small ceramic jar.
Healing cream.. the good kind. He could tell just by smelling it. A faint herbal scent rose up it was gentle and comforting, promising relief.
Xian stared at it for a long time, his heart beat faster as he shook around. There was no one... Only cicadas buzzing in the heat and the distant sound of metal clanking from the forges.
He let out a long shaky breath, and lowered his head his body was in pain but he did it anyway. And said softly to the empty shade.
"Thank you, whoever you're"
He slipped the jar into his robe and slowly made his way back to his Small hut in the woods. His Hut was small barely more than a wooden box... A straw mat on the floor one shaky table. A cracked window that never closed properly. He shuts the behind him and barred it
Then he removed what was left of his rob and looked into the water basin
Skinny... bruised... Old scared mixed with fresh ones across his thin body like marks on map. Each one from a beating he had refuse to give up.
He mixed the healing creame into the water carefully until it turned clody and then began cleaning his woundsz starting with the worst cuts.
As he gently rubbed the soaked clothes of medicinal water over a cut on his chest, Lin Xian muttered to himself.
"All that pain... Just for one stupid glance. I didn't even get a proper look at those perfect , big melons. If I was going to get beaten anyway i should've stared harder. At least then I'd have a nice memory while I'm pissing blood for the next week."
He let out a weak laugh and then immediately sucked in air as pain shot through him.
"Idiot," he told his reflection. "From now on Eyes on the ground. Or better... Don't look at beautiful things at all... They're not for the like of you."
Exhaustion dragged him down. He collapsed onto the mat without putting his robe back on. And let the sleep calim him. Or maybe it wasn't sleep. Evrything Turned black... Endless darkness.
Faces materialized.... Disciples, Elders, Beautiful Female Cultivators... All of them looking down at him with disgust.
"Useless"
"Trash"
"You don't belong in the Azure Cloud Sect"
A girl who just looked like Mei Ling sneered at him. "Touch me? You? Don't make me Vomit."
Cold laughter echoed... Dozens of Hands reached for him. They tore his cloths, his skin and dragging deeper into the dark.
He couldn't breathe. Panic clawed his throat. "No.... Stopp!!!"
His lungs burned. Panic squeezed his throat... While the darkness closed in....
Then suddenly....
Warmth...
A gentle heat appeared in his dantain. It spread slowly, like warm liquid flowing through his body lm his Meridian's filled with it, glowing like sunlight.
The hands pulled back.... The faces cracked apart, shattering like broken glass. And then a voice spoke inside his mind. Smooth. Deep. Calm with a hint of dark amusement.
[Welcome, Host.]
[The Lust Leveling System is being initiated.]
[Assessing physical condition. Tempered Body: Third Layer. Injuries: moderate. Mental state: acute stress.]
"What?"
Lin Xian's eyes flew open in the dim room.
His heart pounded wildly.