Sun Chen walked out of the cave behind the mountain. As he felt the surging power within his body, the desire for revenge grew ever stronger in his heart. Yet he knew full well that this was not yet the best moment for a direct confrontation with Sun Tian; he had to continue enduring and make himself even stronger.
Upon returning to the Sun family, Sun Chen continued to put on a frail, harmless act. Dragging his legs, he moved with difficulty through the corners of the estate, avoiding everyone's disgusted glances.
Believing that Sun Chen had been completely broken, Sun Tian gradually relaxed his surveillance. This gave Sun Chen even more opportunities to cultivate.
Every night when all was quiet, Sun Chen would hide in his dilapidated room, bolting the doors and windows tight, to cultivate in secret. Drawing upon the meager spiritual qi around him, he channeled it into his body thread by thread, relentlessly tempering his meridians and dantian.
However, the spiritual qi where the Sun family resided was thin and cultivation resources were scarce, causing Sun Chen's progress to slow down. He understood that if he wanted to rapidly increase his strength, he had to find more resources.
Thus, Sun Chen began paying attention to various news and movements within the family. He learned that the family treasury was replenished with new treasures and cultivation resources at regular intervals, but the treasury was heavily guarded and watched by experts.
Sun Chen did not act rashly. He spent a great deal of time observing the guards' shift-change patterns at the treasury, searching for potential flaws.
After many days of observation, Sun Chen finally discovered a golden opportunity. On a pitch-black, windy night, taking advantage of the brief window during the guard shift change, he stealthily slipped into the treasury.
The treasury was filled with a mysterious aura, and all sorts of precious treasures and cultivation resources dazzled the eye. Sun Chen's heart pounded, but he suppressed his excitement and quickly searched for items that would be useful to him.
Just as he had grabbed a bottle of precious medicinal pills, he suddenly heard footsteps. Sun Chen's heart tightened, and he quickly hid behind a huge rack.
An elder of the family entered, apparently to check on the condition of the treasury. Sun Chen held his breath and calmed his mind, not daring to make the slightest sound.
The elder walked around the treasury, found nothing unusual, and left. Sun Chen breathed a sigh of relief, quickly hid the medicinal pills, and cautiously retreated from the treasury.
With this batch of precious medicinal pills, Sun Chen's cultivation speed increased dramatically. Yet he did not dare to be overly ostentatious, taking only a small amount of pills each time to avoid discovery.
At the same time, using the knowledge he had learned in the world of Cultivation, Sun Chen began refining some simple magic tools. Buying some ordinary materials at the market, through repeated trials and improvements, he finally succeeded in refining a few magic tools of decent power.
Although these magic tools could not compare to divine treasures from the world of Cultivation, they were already considered rare treasures within the Sun family. Sun Chen carefully hid the magic tools for use in case of an emergency.
As time passed, Sun Chen's strength continued to grow, but his skill in forbearance became even more formidable. In front of the family members, he remained the pathetic wretch with broken legs who would never rise again.
However, Sun Chen's changes still caught the attention of one person: Sun Yue, the eldest young miss of the Sun family. Sun Yue was of a similar age to Sun Chen, but she possessed an arrogant personality and had previously looked down upon Sun Chen with utter disdain.
On one accidental occasion, Sun Yue saw Sun Chen practicing cultivation in secret in a corner, and she was extremely astonished in her heart. However, she did not make a fuss, choosing instead to observe Sun Chen in secret.
Sun Chen sensed Sun Yue's gaze, but he kept his composure and continued to act as if nothing were amiss.
Sun Yue's heart was filled with doubts; she could not understand why Sun Chen would hide his strength. Therefore, she decided to ask Sun Chen for a clear explanation.
One day, taking advantage of a moment when Sun Chen was alone, Sun Yue approached him.
"Sun Chen, I know you are cultivating. Stop pretending," Sun Yue said straight to the point.
Sun Chen was startled inside, but maintained his calm expression. "Eldest Miss, what are you talking about? With this crippled body of mine, how could I still have the ability to cultivate?"
Sun Yue sneered. "Don't lie to me. I've been watching you for a long time. Tell me, what on earth is your goal?"
Sun Chen was silent for a moment, then said, "Eldest Miss, since you've already found out, I won't hide it anymore. I cultivate merely to protect myself, so I won't be bullied by others again."
Sun Yue looked at Sun Chen, a flash of complex emotion crossing her eyes. "Self-protection? I don't think it's that simple. Are you trying to take revenge on Sun Tian?"
Sun Chen gritted his teeth. "Eldest Miss, Sun Tian harmed me to this extent; if I don't take revenge, I am not a man!"
Sun Yue frowned slightly. "Sun Chen, I advise you to give up this thought. Sun Tian's status in the family is at its peak right now; you are simply no match for him."
Sun Chen said resolutely, "Eldest Miss, my mind is made up. Even if I am smashed to pieces, I will make him pay the price!"
Sun Yue fell silent for a long time before speaking. "Fine, since you are so determined, I can help you. But you must agree to one condition."
Sun Chen looked at Sun Yue doubtfully. "Please speak, Eldest Miss."
Sun Yue said, "After you take your revenge, you must help me become the head of the Sun family."
Sun Chen pondered for a moment, then nodded. "Alright, as long as Eldest Miss sincerely helps me, I will surely keep my promise."
From then on, Sun Yue began providing Sun Chen with some assistance, such as secretly sending him cultivation resources or covering for him within the family.
With Sun Yue's help, Sun Chen's strength advanced by leaps and bounds. Yet he never forgot his original intention, which was to make Sun Tian pay a heavy price for everything he had done.
Days passed by, and Sun Chen awaited the best opportunity for revenge. And this opportunity finally arrived during a major family event.
The Sun family had a conflict with another family over an important territory, and both sides decided to hold a martial competition to determine ownership of the land.
As the outstanding talent of the younger generation of the Sun family, Sun Tian was naturally the primary choice to represent the family in the battle. And Sun Chen knew this was the perfect opportunity to take revenge on Sun Tian.
He proposed to the family that he also wished to participate in the competition to contribute to the family. Upon hearing this, the family members burst into loud laughter, thinking he was indulging in wild fantasies.
Yet Sun Chen's attitude was resolute, and Sun Yue also spoke up on his side. In the end, the family elders decided to let Sun Chen give it a try, though they merely regarded him as someone to make up the numbers.
On the day of the competition, Sun Chen and Sun Tian stood together in the Martial Arena. When Sun Tian saw Sun Chen, his eyes were filled with disdain and mockery.
"With just your crippled self, you dare to come to the martial competition?" Sun Tian said contemptuously.
Sun Chen looked coldly at Sun Tian. "Today will be your dying day!"
At the sound of the order, the competition officially began. Sun Tian launched his attack first, assuming he could easily defeat Sun Chen. But what he did not expect was that Sun Chen was no longer what he used to be...