C1 The Heavens Are Unfair

In the Snowlands of Egluarsall, at the Skylark Tavern, there was an air of antiquity in one of the private rooms.

"Pei Le, why are you staring at my head instead of enjoying the delicious feast before you?" a boy around fifteen or sixteen years old demanded with a glare.

Across from him sat a boy of about five or six, dressed in a red jacket and trousers, his cheeks rosy against his pale complexion, looking every bit the cherubic figure from a festive painting. However, his words were far from sweet. "Brother Hu Nao, I have this feeling that your head is kind of green."

"Nonsense! Which eye of yours sees green on my head? Show me where it's green!" Hu Nao, the older boy, bent down, moving closer to the young child.

Pei Le, the little boy, hastily shook his head, "Brother Hu Nao, could you be drunk? When I said I felt your head was a bit green, I didn't mean it literally. It's just an impression, something you can't really point to!"

Hu Nao's face was beet red, and he was belching from the alcohol, clearly having had his fill. Upon hearing the young boy's explanation, he picked up his cup and downed his drink in one go, then burped and lectured, "Pei Le, you little rascal, what do you understand? Your sister Zhiyuan isn't someone who acts thoughtlessly. It's only because Qin Feng is highly skilled and hails from Northwind Keep, with a special status, that she couldn't easily refuse him. That's the only reason she accepted his invitation to dine here at Skylark Tavern, nothing more. Do you understand? I won't allow you to spread rumors or even entertain such thoughts!"

His voice grew louder with each word, as if he were scolding Pei Le, but after his outburst, he couldn't help but glance outside the room, as though he was also addressing someone out there. Sadly, the tavern was filled with the noise of revelry, and no one paid any heed to his shouting, nor did anyone approach.

"Zhiyuan is not that kind of person, she's not..." he muttered to himself, massaging his temples.

It turned out he was shouting more for his own benefit than for anyone else's.

Pei Le, noticing Hu Nao's crestfallen expression and his air of utter despair, quickly offered an apology, "Brother Hu Nao, I'm sorry, I shouldn't have joked about that."

Hu Nao slapped his own head in frustration and grumbled, "You're not wrong. Even though I can't see my own head, I can feel the green... It's downright humiliating!"

Pei Le blinked and said, "Brother Hu Nao, you're always laughing and joking. I thought nothing got to you, but it turns out you really care about my sister."

Hu Nao forced a laugh, which looked more painful than tears, "Your sister is Egluarsall's Number One Genius Girl, and she's entered into Spirit Speak at just sixteen. I'm only at the Fourth Heaven of Body Tempering. The difference between her and me is like night and day. Tell me, what difference does it make whether I care about a fiancée like her or not?"

"It's all destiny," Pei Le said with the wisdom beyond his years.

The boy seemed to recall a sorrowful memory, his cherubic face clouding over. He lifted his wine cup with a bold flourish and declared, "Brother Hu Nao, let's not talk anymore. It's all in the drink now, cheers!"

Hu Nao understood Pei Le's troubles and clapped him on the shoulder in a comforting gesture, raising his own cup, "To hell with this cursed life!"

Together, the two downed their drinks in one go.

Pei Le was the son of Egluarsall's City Lord, Pei Zhan, and was of no mean birth. Tragically, Mrs. Pei died in childbirth with him. Pei Zhan, who adored his wife, couldn't help but feel anger every time he looked at his son.

Hu Nao's fate wasn't much better by comparison.

Let's not even mention the rest, but right now, at this very moment, his fiancée was dining with that damned Qin Feng in the private room across from him. He could only skulk around, following her and hiding out of sight. Was there anything more agonizing in this world?

The more he drank, the more his anger grew.

Hu Nao's rage intensified with each sip of alcohol.

More than once, he wanted to burst into the private room, confront Qin Feng with a few hard slaps, and remind that scoundrel that Zhiyuan was his, Hu Nao's, fiancée—his future wife—and to get the hell away from her!

However, he couldn't defeat Qin Feng.

Even if he could, he wouldn't dare to fight because Qin Feng hailed from Northwind Keep, a revered place in the Snowlands.

The boundless rage and shame morphed into an insatiable thirst for drink.

Glass after glass, Hu Nao lost track of how much he'd consumed. All he remembered was Pei Le's head multiplying, swaying like the glasses before him. He couldn't count them, and then came an endless void of darkness and a pounding headache.

He was drunk.

When he came to, barely conscious and with his eyes still closed, he cursed bitterly, "Damn Qin Feng! Damn Northwind Keep! Damn... Dad?"

Hu Nao's eyes snapped open to find himself at home, with his father sitting by the bed, prompting a moment of shock.

His father, Hu Bugui, was equally taken aback.

The boy had gotten so used to cursing that he'd even cursed his own father. He truly deserved a thrashing.

Yet, seeing his son in this state, how could he bring himself to lay a hand on him?

After a brief pause, Hu Bugui cleared his throat and managed a wry smile, "Naonao, I understand you're upset. It's one thing to curse me, but don't curse Northwind Keep in public. That's the Snowlands, a place not even Pei Zhan dares to provoke."

"Father, I..." Hu Nao's eyes welled up, nearly spilling over with tears.

Hu Bugui's expression grew stern as he spoke with gravity, "Naonao, you've already stooped low by cursing behind someone's back. Don't let the tears fall; it's unbecoming."

Hu Nao nodded vigorously, his eyes red with suppressed emotion, resembling a young, wronged creature tending to its wounds in solitude.

Hu Bugui sighed deeply, "Naonao, all the faults lie with me, your father. I blame myself for making too many enemies in the past, which led to your mother being attacked during her pregnancy. You were injured in the womb, your meridians damaged, leaving you with poor martial arts aptitude from birth. That's why I named you Hu Nao, hoping you could lead a carefree life of leisure. But I never anticipated..."

He couldn't bear to say more, simply advising her to "rest well" before turning to leave the room.

Hu Nao was acutely aware of his frail health, yet he had never felt such rage as he did now. Clenching his teeth, he muttered bitterly, "Injured in the womb, inherently deficient—must this dictate that my cultivation is fated to plateau at the Fourth Heaven of Body Tempering, without the slightest improvement?"

"Is this why Zhiyuan and I are destined to drift further apart, until we become strangers in two different worlds?"

"Is this why I, Hu Nao, must live a life of timid submission, constantly bending to the will of others?"

"Curse this fate! I refuse to accept it!"

In that moment, a surge of defiant pride welled up in Hu Nao's heart, and he resolved to defy the heavens and change his destiny.

"Time to train!"

He sprang from his bed, quickly tidied himself up, and strode into the courtyard.

The Hu family was a prominent clan in Egluarsall, with Hu Bugui serving as the current head. As the son of the patriarch, Hu Nao's residence was naturally impressive. The expansive, majestic courtyard even boasted an artificial lake named Spring Lake, a nod to the evergreen warmth amidst the Northlands' harsh climate.

Despite the perpetual snowfall in the Northlands, Spring Lake radiated a warmth akin to springtime. Snowflakes would evaporate before even touching the lake's surface, dissolving into steam thanks to a powerful spiritual artifact nestled in its depths, which ceaselessly emitted heat and transformed both the lake's temperature and Hu Nao's living environment.

Since childhood, Hu Nao's frailty had made him susceptible to the cold, prompting his father, Hu Bugui, to create this sanctuary for him.

"My father's cultivation is profound; he's among the elite in Egluarsall and a renowned figure throughout the Northlands. I cannot afford to be weak and bring shame upon him."

With a silent pep talk, Hu Nao began to practice the martial art passed down through his family—the Sky-Splitting Palm.

The Sky-Splitting Palm was a sophisticated technique. When fully mastered, the practitioner's palm strikes could cleave the air, sending forceful blasts of Qi that could strike an enemy from a hundred steps away. Its potency was comparable to the widely-known Hundred Steps Divine Fist, both arts sharing a similar genius in their execution.

Hu Nao began his training with vigor, each palm strike fierce and precise, cutting through the air with a whooshing sound. Soon, he was drenched in sweat, his clothes soaked through.

But then, a familiar ache spread throughout his body, stars danced before his eyes, and a buzzing filled his head, nearly sending him tumbling to the ground. "Not again, always the same..." Hu Nao muttered bitterly, forced to cease his practice. In a self-punishing gesture, he pounded his chest fiercely.

His numerous past ordeals had taught him that if he persisted, he would pass out and be left in a state of weakness for an extended period, possibly even confined to his bed. His frail constitution, a result of an injury sustained in the womb, meant his meridians were blocked, and his body couldn't handle intense physical activity.

As a result, his martial arts progress had stalled at the Fourth Heaven of Body Tempering, with little hope for advancement. Martial arts begin with Body Tempering, refining the body through the practice of techniques and unlocking its latent potential. When this potential is fully realized, a martial artist can break free from the mortal coil and ascend to Spirit Speak.

Spirit Speak is shrouded in mystery, its secrets only known to those who reach this level. Outsiders, no matter how much they read or learn, struggle to grasp its essence.

Hu Nao longed to reach the Spirit Speak realm, but his weak physique meant he couldn't even complete the Body Tempering phase...

With a howl of frustration, Hu Nao cursed the heavens, "Curse you, cruel fate! My father said it's low to curse someone behind their back, but what about cursing you to your face? Why curse me with such a feeble body?"

He railed against the unresponsive expanse of the Snowlands, his voice growing hoarse until he was nearly spitting fire, yet his rage remained unquenched. "You wretched heavens, you vile creature, one day, I swear I'll have my revenge... No, the time is now."

Hu Nao placed his hands on his hips and thrust his pelvis toward the sky before plunging into Spring Lake with a splash.

"Ahhh, this feels amazing."

Hu Nao hollered joyfully in the warm waters, frolicking and pretending that the lake was the sky and he was soaring high above.

Deep within the lake, a dark gold feather seemed to take delight in Hu Nao's playful defiance of the heavens. Suddenly, it burst into a dazzling display, shining with a brilliant golden radiance.