Night fell over the grand estate of the Sun family, plunging it into a deathly silence. Sun Chen, the third young master of the Sun family, curled up in the corner of a freezing woodshed, the excruciating pain in his legs driving him to the verge of fainting.
The death of his father when he was a child had stripped him of his greatest pillar of support within the family. Although his mother was a concubine, her humble origins left her with no status in the household, forcing her to silently endure bullying from all sides. From a young age, Sun Chen understood that power and status decided everything in this family.
Yet, he had never imagined that his own second brother, Sun Tian, could be so ruthlessly cruel.
A few days ago, Sun Tian had set a trap. He framed Sun Chen for stealing an important family heirloom. Sun Chen defended himself desperately, but no one was willing to believe him. At the family meeting, Sun Tian wore a look of cold detachment and triumph, his eyes revealing a deep-seated hatred and jealousy toward Sun Chen. Sun Chen clearly saw that this was a madness that would stop at nothing to gain power.
"Sun Chen, you have committed such a grave crime that the family cannot tolerate you!" Sun Tian's voice echoed through the great hall, sweeping like a cold wind across Sun Chen's heart.
Sun Chen glared fiercely at Sun Tian and shouted, "Second Brother, this is a frame-up! I have never done such a thing!"
But his defense was useless. At a single word of command from Sun Tian, the family guards swarmed forward. Sun Chen tried to resist, but how could he possibly be a match for these well-trained guards? Amidst the fierce struggle, Sun Chen was heavily beaten to the ground, and Sun Tian seized the opportunity to strike personally, brutally breaking both of his legs.
"Ah!" Sun Chen let out a scream of agony that tore through the silent night sky.
"Throw him out! From this day on, he is no longer a member of the Sun family!" Sun Tian commanded ruthlessly.
Just like that, Sun Chen was tossed out the gates of the Sun family like trash.
At that moment, Sun Chen's heart was filled with despair and fury. He hated Sun Tian's viciousness, and he hated the cold indifference and ruthlessness of the rest of the family. Staring at the tightly shut gates of the Sun family, he swore a silent oath: "As long as I, Sun Chen, am still alive, one day I will make you pay the price!"
The night wind was biting cold. Dragging his crippled legs, Sun Chen crawled with immense difficulty through the streets. Every inch of movement was accompanied by heart-wrenching pain. His clothes were already tattered, and his body was covered in blood and dust.
Passersby who saw his miserable state either cast sympathetic glances or coldly turned away, afraid of bringing bad luck upon themselves. In Sun Chen's eyes, the expectation of pity from others was gone; only a steadfast will for vengeance burned within him.
He did not know how long he had crawled before Sun Chen finally collapsed, losing consciousness in a narrow alley.
When he woke up again, he found himself in a dilapidated temple. An old beggar sat beside him, watching him.
"Child, you're awake." The old beggar's voice was hoarse yet gentle.
Sun Chen tried to get up to express his gratitude, only to find that he couldn't move at all.
The old beggar sighed. "I found you in the alley and brought you here. What kind of person did you offend to suffer such a brutal fate?"
Gritting his teeth, Sun Chen recounted his ordeal at the hands of his family to the old beggar.
After listening, the old beggar shook his head. "Power struggles in this world are always so cruel. Child, what are your plans for the future?"
A flash of determination crossed Sun Chen's eyes. "I want revenge! I want to make those who hurt me pay the price!"
The old beggar fell silent for a moment. "Revenge? Easier said than done. But if you have such resolve, perhaps there is still a glimmer of hope."
With that, the old beggar pulled a tattered book from inside his robe. "This is a cultivation manual I happened to acquire by chance. Perhaps it will be useful to you. But the path of Cultivation is incomparably arduous; you must think it through."
Without a moment's hesitation, Sun Chen took the manual. "As long as I can have my revenge, I am not afraid of any hardship."
With the old beggar's help, Sun Chen began the arduous path of Cultivation. However, because his legs were crippled, his progress was extremely slow. Every session of cultivation was accompanied by excruciating pain, but he never gave up.
Days passed, and Sun Chen's physical condition gradually began to improve. Yet, just as he thought there was a glimmer of hope in his life, members of the Sun family appeared once again.
When Sun Tian learned that Sun Chen was still alive and practicing Cultivation, he grew worried that Sun Chen would return in the future to exact revenge, and thus sent his subordinates to wipe out the root cause.
Hearing footsteps approaching, Sun Chen's heart sank. He tried to hide, but the temple was so small that there was simply nowhere to conceal himself.
"Sun Chen, did you really think you could escape our grasp?" The Sun family's guards rushed into the temple, surrounding Sun Chen tightly.
Clenching his fists, Sun Chen's eyes filled with rage. "Sun Tian, you despicable villain!"
The guards showed no mercy, raising their weapons to attack Sun Chen. Although he fought back valiantly, he was ultimately outnumbered and beaten to the ground once more.
Just as he thought he was going to lose his life right there, a mysterious light suddenly appeared, enveloping him within it. The guards were repelled by the light and watched the scene in terror.
When the light vanished, Sun Chen was nowhere to be found.
Sun Chen felt his head spin, and when he opened his eyes again, he found himself in an unfamiliar place. All around him were green hills and clear waters, and the air was thick with a rich spiritual aura.
"Where is this?" Sun Chen wondered, his heart filled with doubt.
At that moment, a voice sounded in his mind: "Kid, you have arrived in the world of Cultivation. This is your chance, and also your challenge."
Sun Chen was utterly shocked, but he quickly realized that this might be the opportunity that would change his fate. Dragging his crippled legs, he began to explore this world of Cultivation...