In the demonic world of Asuras, where the law of the jungle prevailed, and strength determined one's position in the merciless hierarchy, weakness was the ultimate sin.
Being weak meant being a sinner, and the fate of such sinners was to be slaves to the strong, living lives of unending misery until every last drop of their value was squeezed by their masters.
'I will never be a slave.'
Clenching his fist, a boy who appeared almost human, steeled his resolve as he entered the valley.
He was Han Shura, a six-and-a-half-foot-tall boy with pale yellow skin, dark hair, and blue eyes, an oddity among the Asuras, who had ash-white skin, small fangs, and towered at an average height of eight feet.
Shura's alien appearance, coupled with his physique considered frail by Asura standards, was also the reason he was ostracized in the clan and became a target for the scorn and contempt of his peers.
"Well, well, if it isn't the little runt Shura."
The moment Shura entered the valley and reached the gathering, a huge male with a strong build named Han Wuchen, grandson of Elder Han Wu, blocked his path.
Surrounded by a pack of similar-looking youths, Wuchen sneered with mockery.
"What business does a pathetic weakling like you have here?"
Today was the Han Clan Summoning Ceremony, performed only once every three years, where all youths between the ages of fourteen and sixteen would come in contact with portals known as Gates for the first time and attempt to enter them.
Success meant being transported to other worlds for a dangerous mission, a gamble with one's life for a chance to seize a new, better fate of becoming an Immortal For Hire and earning resources to grow stronger in other worlds.
In contrast, failure meant having no choice but to stay in this barren place forever, to forget cultivation, and to live a life of misery.
"Hey, hey, little runt, have you finally accepted your place as a laborer and come to pick out your future master!?"
"Hahaha…"
Other youths burst out in laughter as Wuchen stepped forward and looked Shura up and down slowly with a mocking smile on his face.
"Once I return from the Orange Gate after the summoning, clan law will allow me to register contract servants. So if you kneel now and pledge yourself to me, I might show mercy and take you in."
Then, pretending to think for a moment, he raised three fingers generously.
"Hmm… I think three Dust Shards a month would be more than enough for you. After all, with your pathetic cultivation, you can barely make one Dust Shard. But that won't even cover the rent."
His smile widened with open contempt.
"Serving me might become the greatest accomplishment of your miserable life."
"Pff—! Hahaha!"
Laughter erupted around them once again.
'Bastard!!!'
Shura gritted his teeth, and his heart was burning with rage.
He wanted to tear that mouth off this motherf*cker Wuchen's face and wipe that smug look forever.
But Shura was the weaker one here, an orphan with no backing, and all he could do was swallow his fury for the moment.
Although the clan law strictly forbade infighting without just cause, he knew that if he showed open hostility towards Wuchen without the power to defend himself, he would be pounded into a bloody pulp on the spot.
"Oh, please, Wuchen. Why don't you just rob him outright?"
Just then, another voice cut in, and the crowd parted slightly as Han Miyo waddled forward. She was a large, obese girl, like a walking heap of fat, sucking on a red lollipop.
As soon as she arrived, she started scanning Shura's body.
From his face, to his shoulders, to his waist, and then to his crotch, like a psycho pervert.
"Well, well," she pulled the lollipop from her mouth with a soft pop. "My dear Shura, don't listen to that idiot. Come serve me, and I'll give you five Dust Shards a month."
She grinned maliciously.
"You won't need to work in the mine. Someone with skin this smooth... It would be a shame if it turned rough. You just need to stay by my side and help with a few… private matters, hehe."
A few boys sneered, while others whistled loudly, and, without a doubt, everyone was relishing Shura's misery.
Luckily, just as Shura felt his resolve begin to crack due to rage, a hand wrapped around his shoulder, pulling him away from the crowd's center.
The owner of the hand leaned in and spoke to Shura softly.
"I told you coming here was a bad idea. If you've had enough of their barking, let's just go back."
The speaker was Han Jin, the only person in the entire clan who could truly be called Shura's friend.
With his completely bald head, large protruding eyes, a wide, flat nose, thick lips, and a height that matched Shura's, most clan members called him "pig" behind his back.
He was another oddity in the clan, but unlike Shura, who was an orphan taken in by a frail old woman, Jin's father owned a successful butcher shop.
The man was ruthless and possessed a decent amount of wealth, which made most people dare not openly mock his son, Jin.
"Thanks, fatty, but I can't go back."
Shura removed Jin's hand from his shoulder as they came some distance away from the crowd and spoke seriously.
"I will never be a slave and be mocked for life. I would rather die on my feet than live on my knees, swallowing this humiliation."
What he didn't voice aloud was that he could never, ever let this chance to change his destiny and become stronger slip away.
'No matter what it takes, I will become strong, strong enough to leave this damn place for a bigger, better world after ripping apart these bastards alive.'
The unyielding fire in Shura's words and gaze made Jin sigh, and he scratched his bald head in frustration.
"What is wrong with you? With your meager talent, the chances of you entering the Gate are practically zero. Nobody is demanding you become a slave; you can work at my father's shop… Damn it all! If the clan hadn't prohibited non-cultivators from owning contract servants, which blocks my path to dual cultivation and completely ruins my chances of securing a good wife and a few sexy slaves, I wouldn't have even cultivated and be here risking my life for this nonsense."
Truthfully, if not for this single, infuriating rule, Master Pig Jin really would have never bothered gracing this Summoning Ceremony with his presence.
"I…"
Before Shura could respond, a dry cough echoed from the entrance path.
"Ahem."
The sound was not loud, yet it instantly turned the noisy gathering of youths silent, and even the arrogant Wuchen immediately shut his mouth.
Everyone's focus shifted to the source of that cough, which was an old man.
Steady steps, straight back despite the age, a thick white beard flowing down the chest, and long silver hair tied behind his head.
This was Elder Han Rong, a cultivator at the absolute peak of the Tier-2 Blood Furnace realm, one of the strongest beings in the entire Han Clan, and the overseer of the Han Clan Summoning Ceremony.
Walking slowly toward a large table set beneath the stone arch of the valley and sitting on the wooden chair, Elder Han Rong glanced at the gathered youths and spoke calmly.
"Anyone between fourteen and sixteen years of age who has reached the middle stage of the Iron Body realm or above may step forward and verify their qualifications."
There were two smooth black stones on the table before him, each carved with faint runic patterns.
"These will verify your qualifications. The first stone is for verifying the cultivation, and the second for the bone age. Line up and come forward, one at a time."
As Elder Han Rong's sharp eyes swept across the crowd, everyone hesitated before a boy from the front of the gathering stepped forward, bowed slightly toward the elders, and placed his palm against the Cultivation Stone.
A faint pulse of energy flowed through his meridians, causing the black stone to flicker… then release a steady grey glow.
Following that, the boy placed his hand upon the Bone Age stone, causing a soft ripple of energy to spread across its surface before settling.
"Fifteen years. Iron Body Middle Stage. Eligible."
Elder Han Rong nodded and marked the boy's name on a wooden tablet beside him.
"Next."
One by one, the youths step forward.
Gray lights flashed across the cultivation stone again and again, some dim, some steady, some blooming brightly when those at the peak of the Tier-1 Iron Body realm revealed their strength.
Amidst the occasional murmurs of approval and sighs of disappointment, the line slowly dwindled.
There was even a huge commotion in the middle when Han Meiling, the second granddaughter of the Clan Head, known for her beauty and ruthless nature, a once-in-a-century genius, was revealed to be at the Initial Stage of the Tier-2 Blood Furnace realm.
After causing quite a stir, Meiling stepped away, her chin held high, and the examination continued.
Several more youths stepped forward, and the line grew shorter until eventually—
"Next, Han Shura."
It was Shura's turn at last, and he stepped forward, placing his hands on the Cultivation Stone and Bone Age Stone one after another.
"Sixteen years old. Iron Body Initial Stage. Failed!"
Elder Han Rong spoke coldly without any change in his emotions.