Sword Sect, Hanging Sky Mountain, the peak where low-level apprentices live.

As one of the most famous sects in the South Region, Sword Sect is backed by the vast Ten Thousand Mountains and faces the Great Qin Empire. Its buildings occupy over a thousand miles of the Hanging Sky Mountain. The mountain has seven major peaks and thirty-six smaller secondary peaks, and the Miscellaneous Disciple Peak is one of these countless small peaks.

Though the Miscellaneous Disciple Peak is where low-level apprentices live, its scale is enough to rival a small city in the Great Qin Empire with a population of over thirty thousand.

As the sky began to lighten, just like any other day, Yang Ye woke up. After a quick wash, he grabbed the broom behind his door and stepped out of his room.

Looking at the pale light of dawn, Yang Ye took a deep breath of the fresh morning air. After a moment, the slightly immature face on Yang Ye's face showed a determined look, and he muttered to himself, "Persist and never give up!" After saying that, he quickly walked toward the place called Qingfeng Valley.

"You see, isn't that the former Outer Sect Disciple?"

"Oh, it's him. Well, that's what he was before, but now he's just a Miscellaneous Disciple, doing chores just like us."

"What a shame, he was such a handsome young man! And he’s only about sixteen or seventeen now. At that age, his future should have been bright, but now look at him, doing chores. It's such a pity!"

"I heard he was accepted as a disciple by an Outer Sect Elder in Annan City, but after a year without sensing the natural energy, he was angrily demoted to a Miscellaneous Disciple by a middle-level teacher. Apparently, he is the first in Sword Sect's history to be demoted from an Outer Sect Disciple to a Miscellaneous Disciple and even earned the title of Sword Sect's number one waste!"

"Sword Sect's number one waste, tsk, that's quite a loud title!"

Hearing the conversation around him, Yang Ye's footsteps slowed, his grip tightening on the broom. After a moment, he took a deep breath, ignored the whispers, and quickly headed toward Qingfeng Valley.

Qingfeng Valley is located behind Miscellaneous Disciple Peak, nestled between several small mountains with a sunken valley floor. The valley is lush with fragrant grass, and towering trees spread out like umbrellas, blocking out the sun. This area is where low-level apprentices usually gather medicinal herbs and cut wood, and it is also where Yang Ye typically practices.

On a large stone, Yang Ye casually tossed the broom aside, then sat cross-legged on the stone. From his chest, he took out a letter and a small clay figurine, the letter being one he had received the night before. He hadn't had time to read it because he had been busy for the past seven or eight hours.

Looking at the small clay figurine, Yang Ye’s youthful face showed a soft smile. The figurine wasn’t very detailed, but its features were clear enough. It was made by his little sister to resemble him. Although it was rough and not quite like him, to Yang Ye, it was the most precious thing.

After gently stroking it for a moment, Yang Ye put the figurine back into his chest pocket. He then looked at the envelope, gently blew off the dust, and carefully took out the letter.

"Brother, we’ve received the gold coins you sent last month. Ever since you were taken by the Sword Sect to become an Outer Sect Disciple, those neighbors who used to look down on our family have been visiting us often. Hmph, Xiao Yao knows they’re only doing this because they now know you’re capable, so they want to get close to me and mother...

"And also, the people from the Liu family are so annoying! They actually proposed to mother, asking Xiao Yao to marry that big, fat guy from their family, the one who weighs three hundred pounds. That guy can hardly walk, and when Xiao Yao saw him, she couldn’t even eat. They still want her to marry him, but luckily mother didn’t agree! Even if I had to marry him, Xiao Yao would only marry someone as handsome as brother... Ugh, how embarrassing! Brother, don’t laugh at me, and don’t laugh in your heart!"

"Liu family!" Yang Ye’s eyes flashed with a cold light. This family had some influence in Annan City. Before, the head of the Liu family wanted to take his mother as a concubine, but his mother refused, and the Liu family dared not make a fuss because the laws of the Great Qin Empire were strict. If they caused trouble, they’d face consequences.

But the Liu family hadn’t given up, constantly making life difficult for his family in Annan City, trying to force his mother to join them. Life was tough, but his mother still refused to submit. This continued until Yang Ye was accepted as an Outer Sect Disciple by the Sword Sect, and after that, the Liu family dared not push them too much.

However, he hadn’t expected that now the Liu family had turned their attention to his little sister!

"Power... power!" Yang Ye’s fists clenched. He understood that if news of him being demoted to a Miscellaneous Disciple spread back to Annan City, the Liu family would definitely target his mother and sister. Their situation would be extremely dangerous.

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With that thought, Yang Ye folded the letter and put it away. He walked to a giant stone, pushed aside some branches, and found four black iron rings under the stone. He put the rings on his arms and ankles, and immediately felt a heavy weight. Fortunately, after a year, he had become accustomed to the weight of the iron pieces.

After putting on the iron weights, Yang Ye walked to a large tree, jumped up with force, and grabbed a branch firmly. Using the pull of his arms, he began swinging up and down. His body moved in an unusual posture, which caused all of his muscles to work together.

This was a body strengthening exercise called the "Body Refining Technique." He had received this technique when he became a middle-level apprentice. It wasn’t the best technique, but every Outer Sect Disciple had a copy. The purpose of this technique was to enhance physical strength. When the body’s muscles and bones reached a certain level, a mysterious natural energy called "Xuan Qi" would emerge. This energy was invisible but essential for becoming a true practitioner, called a "Xuan Master."

Back when he was a middle-level apprentice, Yang Ye practiced the Body Refining Technique for six months but never managed to generate a single trace of Xuan Qi. This was the reason he had been demoted from an Outer Sect Disciple to a Miscellaneous Disciple, the lowest rank in the Sword Sect.

Others mocked him as a waste! Not only that, but he also became the example used by the Outer Sect Elders when they lectured other disciples.

If any middle-level apprentice slacked off or didn’t put in the effort, the Outer Sect Elders would always say, “Do you want to become the second Yang Ye?”

Normally, most people would leave the Sword Sect and return to an ordinary life. But Yang Ye hadn’t. Not only had he not left, but he was willing to stay as a Miscellaneous Disciple!

All because he didn’t want to disappoint his mother and sister! He was their hope. When he became a middle-level apprentice in the Sword Sect, his mother and sister could live without fear. When he became an Outer Sect Disciple, their lives started to improve.

If he went back now, all of that would be destroyed!

"Ha... ha..."

After a while, the air in Qingfeng Valley was filled with heavy breathing. Sweat stung his eyes, making them sting painfully, but Yang Ye didn’t stop. He gritted his teeth, holding onto the branch tightly, and kept swinging his body up and down.

After a long time, his face flushed, his forehead covered in sweat, and his outer robe soaked through. The extreme exertion made his head spin. Finally, he let go, and his body fell heavily to the ground.

"Ha... ha..."

Lying on the ground, Yang Ye breathed heavily, feeling too weak to even move a finger.

As the sky lightened, the view around him gradually became clearer. The gentle breeze brushed by, and Yang Ye greedily inhaled. Suddenly, his body shot upright, his eyes wide open, his face full of disbelief.

He had actually felt Xuan Qi!

Yes, he had felt Xuan Qi! The faint energy slowly flowed through his meridians and gathered at his heart. Although the flow was still weak and intermittent, he could truly feel it.

"Huh? What’s going on?"

Yang Ye felt the Xuan Qi enter his heart, but then it suddenly disappeared. It was as if it had never been there at all!

Yang Ye’s brows furrowed as he focused on the faint trace of Xuan Qi in his body. After a moment, his eyes widened in shock.

“I… I actually have two Dantian!” he exclaimed, his throat tight with disbelief. He had found that the Xuan Qi wasn’t just in one place but flowed into a small whirlpool deep inside his second Dantian. This whirlpool was full of Xuan Qi!

Yang Ye now realized why he hadn’t been able to absorb any Xuan Qi before. It wasn’t that he couldn’t absorb it, but rather, as soon as he did, it was immediately pulled into that small whirlpool. He had never noticed it before because it had been hidden too deeply!

His face was filled with disbelief. He had found that trace of Xuan Qi, or rather, it wasn’t just a trace, but a flow of energy. Deep within his Dantian, there was a small whirlpool, and in this whirlpool, it was completely filled with Xuan Qi!

Yang Ye now understood why he had never been able to absorb any Xuan Qi before. It wasn’t that he couldn’t absorb it, but rather, as soon as he absorbed it, the small whirlpool would immediately draw it in. He had never noticed the whirlpool before because it was hidden so deep within his body. If he hadn’t followed the sensation of the Xuan Qi flowing just now, he probably would never have discovered it.

And the reason he could now sense the Xuan Qi was that the small whirlpool had become full. Yes, the small whirlpool was filled with Xuan Qi, and this trace of Xuan Qi had been squeezed out into the normal Dantian position. But for some reason, the whirlpool had forcefully sucked that trace of Xuan Qi back in, leaving nothing for the normal Dantian.

From what he knew, a normal person should only have one Dantian. He didn’t know if others were like him, but one thing was clear to him now—he wasn’t a waste! He was capable of absorbing natural energy, and of cultivating Xuan Qi!

With that thought, a faint smile appeared at the corner of Yang Ye’s mouth. After a moment, the smile grew wider, and a light chuckle escaped from his throat. After a while, the light chuckle turned into a full, hearty laugh.

“I, Yang Ye, can become a Xuan Master! I, Yang Ye, can become a Xuan Master! Hahaha...”

At that moment, Yang Ye laughed so hard he cried, tears streaming down his face like a child. For countless days and nights, though he had never given up, he had always carried an invisible weight on his shoulders. He wasn’t afraid of being ridiculed as a waste, nor of being looked down upon by others.

But he feared one thing—the hopes of his mother and sister being shattered!

He feared that his mother and sister would once again be humiliated by the neighbors like before!

He feared that his mother and sister would return to the days when they couldn’t even afford a meal!

He was really afraid—so much so, of many things...

But now, he had the ability to stop all of that from happening. As long as he could practice the "Body Refining Technique" to its highest level, reaching the sixth level of a mortal, he would qualify as a mid-level apprentice. Once he became an Outer Sect Disciple, he would have the resources he needed for cultivation—spells, swordsmanship, and more. At that point, he would have the chance to become an Inner Sect Disciple.

Once he became an Inner Sect Disciple, even the city lord of Annan City would treat him with respect!

The gentle sunlight filtered through the trees, shining on Yang Ye’s face, still streaked with tears, making it glow with a warm red hue.

“Why didn’t I notice how beautiful the scenery was before?”

With a smile, Yang Ye suppressed the excitement in his heart, wiped the tears from his face, and then took off the iron weights, placing them back where they had been. He walked over to the giant stone, picked up the broom, and quickly ran toward the valley entrance.

He remembered that today his task was to clean the Sword Sect’s training square for spells and martial arts!