Chapter 1: The Xiao Family Disciple

  Lǐ Yuán, a lifelong pursuer of immortality, attempted to combine Chinese martial arts, Taoist cultivation and science, but ultimately failed.

  By chance during a deep-sea exploration, Li Yuan discovered a lifelike red fruit female corpse in the depths of the Pacific Ocean, causing a sensation around the world!

  The human body, without any protection, can dive to a maximum depth of 237 meters in seawater. However, this female corpse, without any protection, at a depth of over 8,000 meters in the deep sea, has survived for thousands of years and is still well-preserved. It's hard to imagine what kind of strength this body must have had!

  Li Yuanru obtained the treasure!

  In the years that followed, Crazy Li Yuan devoted himself to the study of this female corpse. Six years later, he finally succeeded in extracting the woman's genes and combining them with his own to successfully cultivate a male infant. He also successfully implanted a microchip containing all of Li Yuan's lifetime memories into the infant's brain. In twelve years' time, if the infant's brain can fully merge with the biological chip, it will mean the arrival of an era of "immortality". This young body will become the second Li Yuan!

  But at the moment when the memory chip was successfully implanted into the young body's brain, something unexpected happened...

  A mysterious woman's body suddenly emitted a brilliant light, which directly entered the infant's body. Immediately afterwards, the woman's body underwent a terrifying explosion, tearing apart the void and creating a massive black hole...

  Li Yuan's laboratory, known as the strongest defensive facility in the world, was directly turned into a ruin and reduced to nothingness.

  No one knew that this strongest gene baby, who had cost Li Yuan's heart and soul and concentrated all his memories, crossed over to a mysterious world and started a new life.

  ……

  The boundless continent, vast and endless. This is a world where warriors roam free, filled with countless empires and powerful forces as well as some mysterious domains, with wars raging on year after year, making the status of warriors increasingly revered!

  ……

  "Hi! Hi! Hi!……"

  One loud shout after another, accompanied by waves of fist winds, echoed through the huge martial arts arena.

  Several teams, each consisting of dozens of young men and women, moved in unison, their fists flying rapidly, each one full of energy, with agile movements, uniform actions, and punches that seemed to shake the air like a dragon rising from the sea or an arrow shooting off a bowstring, revealing solid martial arts foundation.

  This is the Xiang family's martial arts arena.

  In the center of the martial arts arena, there was a two-zhang-high open-air platform. On both sides of the platform were inserted two flagpoles, on top of which two black flags with golden edges fluttered in the wind. On each large flag was embroidered a large golden character - "Xiao"!

  At this moment, a middle-aged man stood on the high platform, with his hands behind his back, wearing a purple robe, tall and majestic in stature, with a powerful physique, and a pair of eyes emitting an overwhelming sharp light, looking down at the crowd below. Just standing there, it gave people a sense of solidity like a mountain, emitting a strong sense of oppression!

  Report—

  Just then, a loud shout came, and a figure rushed to the front of the high platform like a running horse. He bowed down and said loudly: "Headmaster, within a hundred miles of villages and towns, we have absorbed 354 children with relatively good qualifications, and they are all here now!"

  "Bring it in!"

  This middle-aged man was Xiao Guan, the chief instructor of the outer sect disciples of the Xiao family.

  A moment later, a group of children aged around 10 to 13 years old walked in under the leadership of several Xiao family juniors. Behind them followed some well-dressed adults who were basically the parents of these children.

  This is a grand event held every three years by the Xiao family to boost their clan's strength. Similarly, it is also a grand event within a hundred miles!

  Whether it's a poor family or a wealthy one, they all hope that their children can become disciples of the Xiao family. Because once you become a disciple of the Xiao family, it means you'll be able to leap to great heights and stand out from the crowd!

  Especially for poor families, it is even more so!

  However, among the disciples absorbed by the Xiao family each time, those from poor families are almost extinct. This is not because the recruiters accepted bribes or were unfair, after all, there was still the fairest test to pass. In fact, the reason is very simple: talent!

  So-called qualifications are nothing but conditions of the brain and body.

  It's precisely because of this that poor children are unlikely to be chosen by the Xiao family. Let alone a child who has been hungry since childhood, can his physical condition be good? This is beyond doubt.

  The boys and girls who were originally practicing automatically formed two huge rectangular teams, lined up on both sides, their faces filled with confidence and pride, looking at the children walking in slowly, pointing and commenting!

  All the children, under Xiao Jia's son's command, stood in a huge square formation.

  At this time, a boy standing in the last row attracted many people's attention. He was a bit different from other children.

  Other children were mostly dressed in expensive new clothes, with silk and satin on full display, clearly from wealthy families. But this boy was wearing a coarse linen suit!

  Only poor families and the lowest class of people wear coarse linen clothes made from hemp.

  The child of a poor family can get the qualification for the test through Xiao's screening, which is already very eye-catching. To know that in the past decade or so, the Xiao family has recruited disciples four times, and not once has a child from a poor family appeared.

  But this is not the most attractive place for boys.

  What was truly captivating was that under the gaze of Xiao Guan and many of the Xiao family's children, that natural and immense pressure made all the kids tremble with fear, not daring to lift their heads! But this boy stood straight up, his eyes filled with determination, shining with a scorching and excited light!

  His body was small and thin, but his face was rosy, with a delicate and elegant face full of spirituality. The whole person was like an uncarved jade, and the white coarse linen clothes could not cover up his spirituality at all. Such a child, taking off that coarse linen clothes and putting on brocade clothes and jade clothes, saying he is a prince or a noble, no one would doubt it!

  Even Xiao Guan was taken aback for a moment when he saw this child, and couldn't help but secretly admire him.

  After slowly scanning 354 children, the cold-faced Iron Hand Xiao Guan lightly coughed, and the noisy martial arts arena suddenly fell silent.

  "First of all, congratulations on obtaining the Xiao family test qualification! This proves that your physical condition has reached the basic requirements for becoming a warrior! However, this does not mean that you can become a disciple of the Xiao family. To become a disciple of the Xiao family, to become a true warrior, physical conditions alone are far from enough!"

  "Faith, courage, wisdom, insight, and unyielding determination are the keys to being a true warrior! If you want to become a disciple of the Xiao family, you must show sufficient dedication and ruthlessness!"

  Xiao Guan said up to this point, his gaze turned to the parents of those children: "I believe you all understand what the Xiao family test means! I hope your children can pass the test, but that is unrealistic! At least ten percent of them will die in the test, sixty percent will be eliminated, and only about thirty percent will become disciples of the Xiao family! So now it's still possible for you to regret, I allow you to let your children quit!"

  "Of course, if you're afraid, you can also withdraw on your own!" Xiao Guan's gaze turned back to the children, pausing for a moment before continuing.

  "Does anyone want to leave?" Xiao Guan asked in a low voice.

  Neither the children nor their parents said a word.

  Who would give up an opportunity that was hard-won?

  Who would miss this opportunity of getting a fish jumping over the dragon gate?

  Moreover, everyone present knew about the cruelty of the Xiao family's test before signing up. Those who were afraid wouldn't have signed up in the first place.

  But just then, unexpectedly, a middle-aged woman rushed out of the crowd, shouting loudly: "We withdraw, we withdraw..."

  Everyone's eyes were focused on the middle-aged woman.

  All that could be seen was this middle-aged woman, probably over thirty years old, with a haggard and tearful face, rushing to the front of the boy wearing a coarse linen robe.

  "Heavenly gift, how did you secretly sign up? If it weren't for the second dog son telling me... Heavenly gift, let's withdraw... You're still young, can't compare to others, mom... doesn't want you to die..." The middle-aged woman pulled the boy's hand, her voice trembling with tears, and her face, weathered from wind and frost, was wet with tears.

  "No, Mother, I'm almost twelve years old, I've grown up, I can surpass them, I will definitely become a disciple of the Xiao family and become a warrior!" The boy's childish voice said firmly.

  "Heavenly gift... Listen to mother's words, mother only wants you to be safe and sound, always by mother's side..."

  "No! Mother, I want to let you live a good life, I want to become a warrior!" The boy said firmly again. His clear and handsome face was filled with unwavering determination, his voice, his eyes, and his simple yet straightforward words all showed his strong conviction to become a cultivator.

  At the age of twelve, for most people, it's still an ignorant era, and their thoughts are dominated by their parents. Most of them also follow their parents' intentions to determine their direction. But this boy, he actually made such a strong and firm voice, his own voice!

  "Heavenly gift..." The woman had wanted to say a few more words of persuasion, but looking at the boy, she couldn't bring herself to say anything else. She knew that her child had truly grown up. In her heart, there was reluctance, worry, but even more so, emotion.

  She struggled to support a family of five, taking care of her disabled husband and three children aged 12, 10 and 7, drifting from place to place with no fixed abode. Life was very bitter, but she never gave up, because she wanted to bring up her three sensible and lovely children, that was her all, her hope, her only spiritual support...

  "Don't worry, daughter, go home and wait for good news from your child!" The boy finished speaking, suddenly turned around and shouted to the head teacher standing on the high platform: "I'm not quitting, I want to take part in the Xiao family test!"

  "Good!" Xiao Guan's cold eyes flashed with a hint of approval, and he said in a low voice: "Since no one has withdrawn, the test officially begins! Four hours later, everyone will know the result! All family members can wait here or go home to wait, let's start!"

  As soon as Xiao Guan gave the order, many young men were divided into ten groups, led by Xiao's sons, and walked through the large martial arts arena to the back mountain of the Xiao family.

  ……

  The back mountain of the Xiao family is called "Tianlu Mountain". The entire building complex of the Xiao family is located at the foot of the mountain, and behind the mountain is a continuous and desolate mountain range. On both sides are steep cliffs, and the only way to climb the mountain is through the Xiao family. This natural barrier makes Tianzhu Mountain directly become the private territory of the Xiao family.

  Under the leadership of Xiao family's disciples, many young people passed through the martial arts arena and entered the back mountain of the Xiao family.

  It's a man-made path directly carved into the mountain, about three meters wide and over a hundred meters long. A protective railing is installed, but beyond that, there is no protection in sight. The path looks steep and treacherous, and when you look up, it seems to connect with the sky. Apart from this path, the surrounding area is filled with strange rocks, and cypress trees, as well as rare flowers and grasses growing sparsely in the cracks of the stones.

  As the crowd arrived at the artificially created platform, which was hundreds of square meters in size, they stopped. Xiao Guan stood alone on the steps above, looking down at the excited young men and said in a deep voice: "Do you see the stairs behind me? This staircase is what our Xiao family spent ten years building. It's also the only path that can safely reach the summit! There are 8,872 steps in total, with a vertical height of about 3,000 meters! Your first test is to climb to the top! The time limit is one hour! Those who give up halfway will be eliminated! Those who exceed the time limit will also be eliminated!

  Three thousand miles, in just one day?

  Although these children have never climbed such a high mountain before, in their minds, this test is not as terrifying as the legend has it.

  "Understood?" Xiao Guan shouted loudly.

  "Understood!" Many young people responded loudly with high spirits.

  Looking at these newborn calves, several team leaders of the Xiao family smiled at each other. When did they participate in this test and not think so?

  But if the test of the Xiao family is really so simple, then it's not the Xiao family.

  "Alright, I'll wait for you at the summit, let's start now!" Xiao Guan said, and with a flash of his body, he sped up the stairs at an astonishing speed.

  Many young people heard Xiao Guan's command and started at the same time, rushing to the stairs one after another. In an instant, the originally narrow stairs became extremely crowded.

  "What's the panic? Be careful, if you fall down, it's a dead end, no one can save you!" The leader of the Xiao family disciples hastily shouted loudly.

  After a while, more than 300 young men had all boarded the stairs, and the vast majority of them quickly stabilized their speed, neither fast nor slow, going up.

  It is clear that these young people have been guided by "experienced people" to maintain their physical strength and move forward steadily, in order to complete the task smoothly. If they simply rush forward, they will soon exhaust their physical strength and be unable to pass the test.

  But there is an exception, the coarse linen clothed youth!

  He was seen rushing up the stairs, his speed not decreasing at all, desperately rushing upwards, and in just a moment, he rushed to the first place, without any signs of slowing down, leaving many young people far behind.

  Seeing Moe's youth quickly rush past his side, the youths didn't show any panic at all, and instead a hint of mockery flashed in their eyes, with an expression as if they were looking at a fool.

  Even several Xiao family disciples in charge of monitoring and protection couldn't help but exchange a glance.

  "This little guy, hasn't anyone told him about the first test of the Xiao family? This is a compulsory subject! Ji Han Shixiong, should we remind him? He looks quite pitiful." A disciple of the Xiao family named Xiao Jifeng said.

  The disciples of the Xiao family are divided into two categories: outer door disciples and inner door disciples. The eight characters "Thousand Autumns, Ten Thousand Generations, Eternal Good Fortune" are the character generation for the outer door disciples of the Xiao family. The character "Good Fortune" is the character generation for the seventh generation of outer door disciples of the Xiao family, and the character "Prosperity" is the character generation for this year's newly recruited Xiao family disciples. From this character generation, it can be seen that the Xiao family has been recruiting outer door disciples every three years for a full 24 years.

  Anyone who becomes a disciple of the Xiao family will be granted the surname Xiao, with the character generation determined by the time of entry. As for inner door disciples, they are not subject to the restriction of character generations, and their names are free to choose except for being granted the surname Xiao. Inner door disciples can only be promoted from outer door disciples after reaching the 9th rank of martial artist, becoming a true member of the Xiao family, including those from the direct line of the Xiao family.

  Wuji Continent, warriors are divided into nine levels: Martial Disciple, Martial Scholar, Martial Knight, Martial Master, Martial Emperor, Martial Sovereign, Martial Ancestor, Martial Saint, and Martial God. Each level is further divided into nine ranks, with the ninth rank being the pinnacle of that level.

  "Who cares! This kind of inferior person also wants to become a disciple of the Xiao family, it's simply a pipe dream! I don't know how he'll die! Don't remind him! Let him rush ahead, see how long he can last!" Xiao Jihansaid coldly.

  Xiao Jihan was obviously the leader of this group, and as soon as he spoke, Xiao Jifeng didn't dare say anything else. However, Xiao Jifeng couldn't understand why Xiao Jihan seemed to detest that hemp-clothed youth so much?

  "Alright, let's catch up! Jifeng, you cover the rear, Jiyuan, Jitao, Jibo... you guys follow in batches, I'll go ahead!" Xiao Jihanshouted, and then took the lead to charge towards the stairs. Their mission was to monitor and protect these test boys, and try to minimize any accidents.

  ……

  Charge!

  Charge!

  I must pass the Xiao family test!

  Ma Yi's mind had only one obsession, that was to reach the top in the shortest time possible! In order not to be bullied by others, in order to protect his family, in order for his younger brother and sister to eat their fill every day, in order to avenge his father... he must become a disciple of the Xiao Family!

  This was told to him by his only friend who didn't despise his poverty and often secretly gave him food, Er Gouzi: becoming a warrior is the best and fastest way out for him.

  This young man's name was Tianshi, surnameless. From the time he understood things, he asked his parents why his younger brother was called Chen Nan and his younger sister was called Chen Yan, while he was only called Tianshi. His parents told him that it was because he was a gift from heaven to them, and adding any surname would be disrespectful to heaven. It wasn't until he truly understood things that he realized he was not born to his parents.

  His parents said he was dropped from the sky, and they told it in great detail. They said that he was wrapped in a strange transparent thing, filled with sticky stuff inside. When he fell from the sky, the ground was smashed out of a deep pit of several meters. His parents got him this way!

  But he knew that he was picked up by his parents, and he himself was an abandoned baby, a discarded child who had been abandoned by his biological parents. He knew that his parents were just comforting his young heart.

  Under his strong request, his parents finally gave him a name "Chen Hao".

  Hao originally refers to heaven. Still telling him, he is a gift from heaven!

  Although he had this name, his parents still called him "Tianci".

  However, his parents treated him more kindly than their own children. He had an enormous appetite since he was young, and his parents would save food for him, even reducing the meals of his younger siblings so that he could eat more! New clothes were always given to him first, and his younger siblings would wear his hand-me-downs forever.

  So in his heart, his current parents are his parents and his current home is his home!

  Who are your biological parents?

  He never thought that even if they really appeared one day, he wouldn't recognize them.

  But he didn't know that in this world, it was fundamentally impossible for him to have biological parents!

  However, when he turned twelve years old, he finally understood that his parents had not lied to him and finally knew what kind of existence he was.

  ……

  "Hoo—hoo—"

  Chen Hao sprinted frantically, running as he had never run before. Under the support of his strong conviction, he continuously sprinted for half an hour without any decrease in speed, and instead showed a trend of getting faster and faster. His breathing became deeper and deeper, and he felt as if there was a flame burning in his chest. He clearly heard the sound of his heart beating rapidly, "boom boom", but he didn't feel even a bit tired. On the contrary, he felt full of energy all over his body, as if his blood had been ignited. Listening to the whistling wind by his ears and watching the scenery on both sides quickly recede, he experienced an unprecedented thrill!

  "How did this kid get so fast?"

  Xiao Jihans, who was in charge of monitoring the front, soon surpassed all the young men. He thought he could quickly overtake the poor kid who didn't know how to conserve his strength like a fool, but what he didn't expect was that he used all his might, and the young man behind him was getting farther and farther away, but the figure of the poor kid in front was getting smaller and smaller...

  How is this possible?

  A young man who has never practiced can't even catch up? Don't you know that I am a seventh-grade martial artist!

  But in fact it was. In Xiao Jihan's desperate pursuit and extreme shock, the hemp boy gradually disappeared from his line of sight.

  ……

  The mountain peak of the Heavenly Road, as if it had been cut off by a fairy with infinite magical power, was actually a huge circular platform with a diameter of several hundred meters. The entire platform was like a large martial arts arena. On the edge facing away from the Xiao family's direction, a pavilion was built, 10 meters long, 5 meters wide and 4 meters high. The entire pavilion was made of red Shoushan stone, with four pillars and the top made of precious red sandalwood. The fine carvings were clearly done by skilled craftsmen. A large silver-bottomed golden plaque hung above it, inscribed with "Heavenly Road Peak" in bold and powerful brushstrokes.

  "Huh?"

  At this time, Xiao Guan, who had already reached the top and was sitting cross-legged on the platform, and the Xiao family examiners, who had been waiting at the top, suddenly opened their eyes, looking in the direction of the stairs, with expressions of surprise and incredulity.

  At this time, less than half a watch before the test began, the vertical three thousand meters high peak was far from being comparable to the flat ground. The higher the air is thinner, ordinary people would be short of breath even if they stood at the top of the peak, let alone a ninth-grade warrior who would need half a watch. But at this moment, he saw a thin figure wearing coarse linen clothes rushing to the top of the peak!

  Unbelievable!

  "I'm the first to arrive!" When Chen Huan saw Xiao Guan and the examiner behind him, this thought flashed through his mind, and with a "whooshing" sound, he climbed to the top of the mountain, panting heavily, his clothes already drenched in sweat. He felt as if his chest was being scorched by fierce flames, and it was only then that he truly felt the difficulty.

  Xiao Guan's figure flashed and he was already standing beside Chen Huan, his eyes carefully examining Chen Huan. Suddenly, he bent down and stretched out his massive hand, which shone with a faint purple glow, grabbing Chen Huan's wrist. Chen Huan felt a surge of heat flow into his body, making him feel numb and tingly all over. It wasn't until a full minute had passed that Xiao Guan finally released his grip.

  "There's no hint of yuan force... He really isn't a martial artist!" Xiao Guan was shocked in his heart: "Relying solely on physical strength, he actually has such speed..."

  "What's your name?" Xiao Guan asked in a low voice.

  "Chen... Chen Hao, great... person, I am... Chen Hao!" Chen Hao panted heavily, looking up at the seemingly very powerful Xiao Guan in front of him. He knew that this person must hold a high position in the Xiao family, and for a moment, he didn't know how to address him, so he could only call out "Sir".

  "Chen Hao, great, great! Congratulations on becoming a disciple of the Xiao family!"

  " Become a disciple of the Xiao family?" Chen Huan was taken aback and asked in confusion: "Sir... aren't there still several tests left?"

  As he spoke, Chen Huan slowly stood up. At this time, his breathing also gradually stabilized, and the flame in his chest that seemed to be burning himself out also gradually extinguished, feeling much more comfortable.

  Witnessing this scene, a look of shock flashed across Xiao Guan's eyes once again. From Chen Huan's breathing, Xiao Guan had already sensed the boy's astonishing recovery ability.

  "You can get the first place in the first test and break the record, and other tests can be exempt! Now, you have become a disciple of Xiao's family!" Xiao Guan said in a low voice, without hiding the appreciation in his eyes.

  "Really?" Chen Hao's eyes shone with intense surprise, hardly daring to believe that he had become a disciple of the Xiao family so easily.

  "Of course! Take this and report to Xiao's house in three days!"

  A black token appeared in Chen Huan's hand, with a golden "Xiao" character engraved on it. Looking at this token symbolizing the Xiao family's disciples, Chen Huan knew that he had truly become a disciple of the Xiao family. In this instant, his heart was filled with excitement and joy. At this moment, he only had one thought, which was to tell his family about this good news as soon as possible!

  "Sir... then I... can I go back and tell my mother now?"

  "Of course!"

  "Thank you!" Chen Hao bowed and said, after finishing, he didn't say another word, turned around and ran.

  Looking at the rapidly disappearing thin figure, Cold-faced Iron Hand Xiao Guan and the other Xiao family examiners were shocked and stunned: "Is this kid made of iron?"

  ……

  (70,000-word mega chapter, new book uploaded, sincerely asking for collection, recommendation, book review, reward and other supports, thank you...)