A hut in the swamps 

 Long Bing’s PoV:

*Flashback*

I still remembered my first meeting with my little brother, Long Yan.

I was the grandson of the legendary expert Qi cultivator, Long Shi and the son of the wise genius Long Huo. Both were the Sect’s leader of the Long clan; thus, I was feared and respected by everyone. Even though my father was strict, I’ve always trained hard and cultivated my Qi energy since young because of my blood relation with them.

‘The son of a genius is probably another genius.’ It was my grandfather’s favorite words. It has been correctly passed through generations and it was also Long Huo’s policy. ‘You won’t survive in this world with that kind of weak strength…’ or ‘If you have the time to spoke nonsense then train harder!’ it was the kind of sentences my father always spouted while training me. I couldn’t escape to the fate of becoming the Sect’s leader.

Waking up at 4 in the morning, starting the training at 6 and finishing at lunch, then restarted training after eating until dinner. It was my everyday lifestyle until that father stopped my training.

After that I reach six years old, my father suddenly stopped my intensive training.

I was happy at first, and skipped training. I was visiting the town, reading books, learning common everyday lifestyle, it was truly the only peaceful moment I had in my life. I was enjoying my leisure life as I was wondering why father suddenly stopped training me.

A month later, I learn why my father stopped training me.

For the first time, I heard that I had a little brother, his name was Long Yan. The Long Sect’s dojo was huge. There were more than hundreds of buildings where more than thousands of disciples are living while cultivating their Qi energy and Qi cultivation inside the Long Sect’s domain. The Long Sect’s domain could gather more than 2’000’000 of people without problem. It was one of the biggest field within Wuhan empire. Thus, I didn’t meet my little brother once, until that day…

It was a day like another.

I woke up usually at 4 in the morning and started my usual jogging. While running around the Long’s domain, I noticed another boy at the same age with me sitting on a vast plain cultivating his Qi energy. I slowly walked towards him but he didn’t seem to notice me.

It was only after he opened his eyes, that he saw me sitting close to him staring him with curious eyes.

“Wah!”

He lets out a funny surprised cry and fell on his back. I let out a small mocking laugh and spoke.

“Usually at this hour there’s no one around… I wonder why are you practicing alone in this place? People usually go to the training hall since they can duel against each other.”

The young boy stood up spoke while showing his displeasure.

“I was so scared to death! Please, don’t do that ever again! And the training hall is only reserved for nobles or family members of the Long clan, there is no way for such a commoner like me to train inside the training hall!”

I was kind of shocked hearing his words. Normally most of people knows my appearance, thus, they always tried to win my favor or was tense upon watching me, but this strange young boy didn’t show any of those intentions. He was only smiling like a little kid of his age while asking.

“Why were you even glaring at me anyway? Do you have any business with me?”

Honestly, I was just bored and a little curious about you who was training this early in the morning. The Qi energy he was releasing while cultivating wasn’t bad, but wasn’t that good either, it was on the norm, but there is no way that I could say those harsh words.

I look at the him while measuring his Qi energy then answered.

“I was just doing my usual training. It was the first time I saw someone who was training this early in the morning, so I was a little curious…Why do you train that hard despite being only at silver realm?”

The silver realm was the early stage of cultivation. Everyone who start cultivating, start at the early stage of bronze realm. Everyone had their own way to cultivate through cultivation techniques. The cultivation stages were categorized in 10 different stages:

The bronze realm, the silver realm, the steel realm, the gold realm, the jade realm, the ruby realm, the sapphire realm, the emerald realm, the adamantine realm and the diamond realm.

Reaching the pinnacle of the diamond realm, one could start cultivating the heaven realm and only after breaking through the heaven realm, the Qi energy from the body changed and was ranked by 4 others new categories: Novice, intermediate, expert and god.

And after breaking through the heaven realm, one needed to cultivate once again to bronze realm but as a novice bronze realm Qi cultivator and repeat the cycle until reaching god diamond realm.

Those who reach the pinnacle of the cultivation normally reach novice bronze realm before reaching the age of 16. Thus, most of the cultivators on the expert stage were on the end of their 50s or were elders from strong clan. Once one had succeed to break through the diamond realm, then this one can have the opportunity to go to a certain place, where only S+ elite monsters could be found and break through the diamond realm, becoming a heaven realm Qi cultivator.

A legend says that the one who could truly become a god heaven realm Qi cultivator will become the god of the world and won immortality. Since no one has yet to reach the god heaven realm yet, it was a stupid legend that nobody thought as ‘realist’, thus, no one believed to the legend.

Each stage had their own difficulty and once they reach the correct amount of Qi energy by cultivating, they will fuse with a spirit stone to break through the current realm. Fusing with the spirit stone, depending on that spirit stone, one could learn several Qi techniques depending on the monster core of the spirit stone. Spirits stones were ranked by F to SSS depending on the monster core. Most common spirits stones were ranked at the bottom, F and G.

Since the boy was only on the early stage of silver realm, there is no way he could become a good Qi cultivator with such a weak Qi energy. Becoming a strong Qi cultivator later was though. As I was thinking such thought, the boy answered my last question while dazzling at the scenery in front of him.

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“You see... I want to get acknowledged by my father, thus, even if my Qi cultivation growth is slow and my Qi energy is weak, I will never give up! Giving up to what my father gave to me is like killing my own father!”

Get acknowledged uh… It was a long time I didn’t heard those words…I still remembered while I wanted to get acknowledged by my father...I sighed while thinking about the sudden changes happening to my father. then look where the boy was looking and spoke.

“Get acknowledged uh…Mine won’t even watch me correctly grow…”

My voice carried a faint depressed tone and I was showing a complicated expression, so he tried to cheer me once he heard my depressed voice.

“I’m sure he’s watching over you without you knowing it! Did you even ask him honestly about his feelings?”

Hearing his voice, I slightly frown my eyebrows. He was right on this point. I never really asked until now how my father feels about me…well he’s always busy… I even never saw him once trying to comfort me nor took care of me like a real father. I don’t think it was even worth asking but… With such thought, I noticed that he was waiting for my answer and with a fake smile said.

“Well… I never asked him until now but…I’m afraid that he really don’t look at me as his son.”

At least he never shows it to me. It was hard to hold a family talk with him. He was only talking about my cultivation or if I had trained correctly without taking break. He was just obsessed by strength and never congratulate his son even once. He was that kind of father.

Hearing my depressed voice that be sensed, the boy once again spoke in an affectionate tone.

“Don’t say that big brother! …but I also know what you mean. My current father is not my real father you see… He told me that I had not talent in Qi cultivation and to forget about becoming a Qi cultivator…but even so, I want to get acknowledged by him! Even if he prefers his real son instead of me, even if he don’t want me to become a Qi cultivator, I won’t give up and show him that even a fish that really want to fly can fly!”

Hearing the beautiful speech given by the boy, I was amazed by his never-give-up will. He was truly a mysterious boy but was strangely interesting and attracting. Without noticing that the time had passed, it was already time to head back for the breakfast.

The boy who finally noticed that it was already eight o'clock spoke.

“Damn! I didn’t see the time! Gotta go!”

I send him my introduction before I left.

“The next time we met, if you ever had a problem you can call me. I’m Long Bing from the main branch. Nice to meet you.”

Hearing my answer, the boy smiled back at me and ran away without giving his name. He stopped mid-way and turned his head while waving his hand and shout.

“My name is Long Yan! Nice to meet you, big brother!”

And without returning his back, disappearing from my view…

It was my first encounter with my dear little brother.

He was a cheerful and mysterious boy. If it wasn’t for me discovering the truth that day, I would probably hate him without letting him the chance to become my brother...

Later on, at 19:00 p.m., I decided to head towards the place where I meted my brother.

The sun had already sunk, and the moon was illuminating the dark road heading to the plains. As I impatiently run towards the tree where I met him, Long Yan was at the same spot, cultivating his Qi energy. This time, I waved my hand and spoke before approaching.

After he heard my voice, both of his eyes opened and with a heartwarming smile said.

“Hello big brother Bing! Sorry, I didn’t notice you coming.”

I waved my hand to tell him to not mind and keep training and sit next to him.

Suddenly, I feel a presence so I turned my head towards that direction. Several shadows could be seen running through the weeds coming towards us.

“Not good! They must be assassins! Brother Yan go call the Sect’s leader fast!”

Hearing my words, Long Yan hesitated. He finally spoke with a disbelieving tone.

“But brother…There is no way I can let you alone against them!”

As he quickly answered me back, I already rushed towards the assassins.

There were five of them, three steel realm and even two gold realm!

*Peng* *Peng*

As I rushed towards them, I succeed to knock out two steel realm with a quick move that teleported me behind the back of both. One of the gold realm concentrated Qi energy inside his mouth and spitted a green smoke from his mouth towards me. The green smoke gradually become bigger and surrounded my former position.

Fortunately, I succeed to jump and with an air-step quickly landed ten meters away from the smoke.

‘He didn’t even wait for his own comrades to get out of the smoke…’

I concentrated my Qi energy while the other gold realm also spitted a huge flame out of his mouth. A huge fire forming a fireball was directing towards me with an amazing speed.

At the same time, inside the smoke, several shurikens were thrown at me.

*Ting* *Ting* *Ting*

I quickly unsheathed my wooden sword and barely parried most of the shurikens aiming at me then with the concentrated Qi energy within my fist punched the fireball.

The fireball suddenly dispersed as the gold realm who spitted the poison came back at me from the back.

‘F*ck! It’s way too hard to handle all of them at the same time!’

I was cursing my bad luck as the gold realm quickly approach closer to me.

I tried to move from his huge halberd aiming at me, but my body didn’t listen to me at the worst timing possible!

‘F*ck! Damn! Sh*t I can’t afford to die in this F*cking place before beating up that stupid uncle!’

The halberd that was aiming at my neck at an unbelieving speed. Frightened by the outcome, I closed my eyes and heard a huge sound.

*Peng*

As I opened my eyes, it was my little brother, Long Yuhan who came back.

“You…Are you out of your mind?! Just run!!!”

Without knowing how in the world he managed to knocked the gold realm, I was angrily shouting at him.

“I will protect big brother even if death is awaiting me! I vow my life to protect you and made a promise with father. If I run away now, then how can I even look at father’s face?”

Without even caring about himself, that silly and stupid kind boy who’s my damn little brother retorted at me while showing his battle spirit.

‘How can he still be able to knock out a gold realm with only one hit?’

I was totally shocked from the moment. This brother who I called weak this morning was on the contrary way stronger than me mentally…Aaaah...I definitely can’t lose face in front of my brother…

Both charged towards the gold realm remaining.

*Flashback end*

“Urgh…”

As he slowly opened his eyes, Long Bing noticed that he was once again in a different place.

“This is…the swamps?”

He looks the surroundings and noticed that the place was surrounding by swamps. It didn’t take him long enough to know that he was inside the deadly swamps.

The deadly swamps, compared to ordinary swamps are emitting a strong mist inside the swamps blurring most of the vision inside the swamps. He could only see the top of trees inside a forest in a 50-kilometer radius surroundings the deadly swamps.

“That strange dream…Long Yan…”

Recalling his brother, Long Bing became depressed. It was not the time for that but after having such a dream, who can blame it?

Long Bing regained his composure. It was not the time to be depressed, so he forcefully tried to stood up but fall in the marsh. His body was still exhausted because of all the Qi energy he had wasted.

At the same time, he fell a presence near his position. He felt a strong Qi energy that was releasing from a human body and started to feel pressured by the intense Qi energy that was in the air. He guessed that this person entered in the Heaven realm. His Qi energy was more thin and beautifully colored.

In the Shaozhu Continent, the Qi energy had different kind of color depending on its level. Yellow was the basic color for most of cultivator. The second color was when one reach the Heaven realm, his Qi energy became more fluent and the color change to orange.

The area was filling with an orange Qi energy that was overlapping the mist inside the deadly swamps. The orange Qi energy was filling the air, and the vision within the mist started to became clearer.

A road suddenly appeared in font of Long Bing’s view.

He slowly followed the road. Even though it was risked, he didn’t had the choice. It was still better to follow the road than roaming inside of the mist while being in this state. Long Bing walked through the mist while carefully looking at his surroundings.

After about 5 minutes of walking, a single hut appeared in the middle of the swamps.

Noticing the hut, Long Bing hesitated between the hut or the road.

Inside the hut, a huge Qi energy was release and it was quite frightening to see. Fortunately, it was a Qi energy from the human body he noticed earlier.

The Qi energy emitting from the road was unidentified and was hard to guess if it was an elite monster or a living human, thus, he decided to head towards the hut.

Step by step, he slowly approached the hut.

Finally arriving in front of the door, he opened the door.

Inside the hut, a silver-haired old man was sleeping on the ground. The silver-haired old man had a permanent and was looking at his earlier 30s. He was lying on the ground sleeping in a pile of hay.

As the door opened, the old cracking sound of the door resounded with a *kreeen* and an old man voice could be heard.

“Who is it…?”

The old man asked with a faint murderous intent could be feel in his voice.

Long Bing was frightened…The Qi released by the old man was a color that Long Bing never saw until now! A deep red colored Qi.

‘What an amazing amount of Qi energy…Heaven realm? No…He entered through the god realm?!’