C1 Lin Hao

The day was bright and the sky was cloudless.

With a creak, Lin Hao pushed open the door, took a deep breath of fresh air, and headed straight for the family library.

Lin Hao made it a point to visit the family library almost every week. It was the only place where he could learn the fundamental techniques of cultivation.

"Young Master, over here."

He had barely stepped out of his room when a jarring voice reached his ears. Lin Hao turned to see a peer of his age approaching him with a sneer.

"Well, if it isn't Lin Hao! What's the plan today? How about you join me for some fun instead?"

The mocking tone preceded him, and his face was etched with scorn. Lin Hao felt a surge of apprehension; it was Lin Qing, his second uncle's son, who never missed an opportunity to torment him.

Lin Qing was sure to seize the chance to make trouble today. With this in mind, Lin Hao's expression turned icy as he said firmly, "I'm busy. Step aside."

Before Lin Qing could retort, Laifu, who was standing behind him, barked, "You've got some nerve, boy. The Young Master extends an invitation and you dare to dismiss it so rudely!"

Lin Qing's brow furrowed. He hadn't expected Lin Hao to stand up to him so boldly today. The nerve!

"Our esteemed genius seems to be in a rush! Off to concoct pills or craft weapons, perhaps?"

With a smirk, Lin Qing taunted, "Oh, that's right, you're off to cultivate, aren't you? The second level of Qi Refining—impressive!"

Laughter erupted from Lin Qing's entourage.

"Don't push me too far!" Lin Hao said sternly, his gaze cutting through the mockery.

"Oh, what's the matter? I'm bullying you, so what? Even my dog advances faster in cultivation than you!" Lin Qing laughed unabashedly. "You must be quite the pill refiner, huh? The Purity Pill? Hahaha..."

Seeing no point in wasting more words, Lin Hao turned to leave.

"Where do you think you're going? My shoelace has come undone. Tie it for me, and if I'm pleased, maybe I'll give you a pill refining lesson," Lin Qing said, sticking out his foot with a sneer.

"Exactly, tie our young master's shoelaces for him. Who knows, he might feel generous enough to teach you the art of pill refining!" Lin Qing's servant called out.

Lin Hao's expression turned grim as he quietly assessed the strength between them. He was at the second level of Qi Refining, while Lin Qing had reached the third level. Factoring in Laifu and his lackeys, Lin Hao knew escaping unharmed would be a tall order. With this in mind, he resolved to strike first.

"Now!"

With a low shout, Lin Hao's hands flew into a series of seals, and a streak of cold light surged forth.

"Oh no!"

Lin Qing's face twisted in alarm as she hastily retreated, narrowly evading the attack with a slight sidestep.

Lin Hao's initial strike failed to land on Lin Qing, but he wasted no time in lunging at Laifu and the rest. While he was uncertain about besting Lin Qing, he felt sure of his edge over these so-called dog slaves.

Bang!

But before Lin Hao could reach them, his body suddenly felt weightless, and he was sent flying several meters.

"Pfft!"

Blood spurted from his mouth, but he had no time to wipe it away as he exclaimed in shock, "You've broken through to the fourth level of Qi Refining! And what you're holding... is that an Enchanted Item?!"

Lin Qing glanced at Lin Hao with scorn and huffed, "Hmph! Still trying to challenge me? You must be sick of living! Get him."

Laifu and the other servants swarmed Lin Hao.

Bang! Bang! Bang!

Lin Hao drew his legs in close, doing his best to shield his head from the blows.

For mere mortals like Laifu and his ilk, inflicting real harm on Lin Hao was nearly impossible; they could only manage to cause minor superficial wounds at best.

"Don't ever let me catch sight of you again. Next time I see you, I'll beat you just the same. You're nothing but a worthless nobody!"

After the brutal thrashing, Lin Qing and his entourage strutted away.

......

"It's always the same, just a bit more intelligence..."

Lin Hao lamented as he gazed at the pill in his hand, another failed attempt at refining. This was the tenth failure of the day, with previous attempts thwarted by his inability to master the flame, leading to yet another botched pill refinement.

This time, Lin Hao took his previous failures to heart. He paid meticulous attention to controlling the temperature, but his cultivation level was simply too low, and without any soulstones for replenishment, he was once again thwarted by an insufficient supply of spiritual energy.

"Could it be that I'm just not cut out for pill concoction?"

"Thud! Thud! Thud!"

Lin Hao's fists clenched tightly as he hammered the wall in frustration.

His cultivation had reached only the second level of Qi Refining, making the creation of high-grade pills virtually impossible for him. Yet, he was attempting to refine the most basic of pills—the Purity Pill.

The Purity Pill hardly qualifies as a pill since it offers negligible benefits for cultivation. Its primary functions are to stimulate blood flow, relieve fatigue, and heal minor external wounds. Lin Hao's motivation for refining it was twofold: to prove to himself that he could indeed refine pills and to treat the injuries he had sustained that day.

The process for making the Purity Pill was straightforward—simply extract the essence from certain herbs and then place them in the furnace to form the pill. Any cultivator at the second level of Qi Refining should be able to produce the Purity Pill, yet Lin Hao had been unsuccessful for quite some time.

The issue lay in his misuse of spiritual energy; he squandered too much of it. Given his low cultivation level and the scarcity of spiritual energy, compounded by his lack of skill in controlling it, failure was almost a certainty.

"Damn it!"

The words Lin Qing had hurled at him earlier echoed in his mind, prompting a bitter curse under his breath.

"What skills do you even have? Your cultivation is a mere second level of Qi Refining. My dog Laifu would surpass you if it could cultivate!"

"And your pill refining? You can't even successfully produce a Purity Pill! It's just sad, truly sad."

"Don't show your face around me again. If I see you, I'll beat you every time. You're nothing but a worthless nobody!"

Lin Hao belonged to a modest Cultivation Family, led by his grandfather, Lin Xiao, with his father being Lin Xiao's firstborn son. Once, Lin Hao held a prestigious position within the family, but since his parents' disappearance three years ago, his standing in this survival-of-the-fittest clan had steadily diminished.

Lin Qing's father, Lin Xiong, held sway over the family's supply of soulstones, which were of paramount importance to a mage. Possessing quality soulstones could significantly accelerate one's cultivation speed.

Taking advantage of his control over the family's soulstones, Lin Xiong showed favoritism towards Lin Qing, often giving him an abundance of soulstones.

Thanks to these benefits, Lin Qing's cultivation had reached the fourth level of Qi Refining. Within their modest Cultivation Family, this achievement was quite respectable, and he was clearly outpacing his peers.

With the addition of an Enchanted Item, he was now in a position where he had no capacity to retaliate.

In reality, his cultivation was only at the second level of Qi Refining. It wasn't for lack of effort; in fact, he worked harder than most. While others cultivated for an hour, he would do two; they cultivated for a day, he would do three.

Yet despite his diligence, his cultivation level saw no significant improvement. The primary reason was his poor innate talent.

Another contributing factor was his lack of soulstones and certain medicinal herbs. Other family members received not only the monthly allotment of soulstones from the family but also additional ones from their parents, which naturally accelerated their progress. Unfortunately, he did not enjoy such privileges.

Setting aside these disparities, his spiritual roots were of the four elements variety, known in the cultivation world as a false Spiritual Root.

Spiritual roots are the cornerstone of a person's potential for cultivation—the fewer the roots, the greater the inherent talent.

Typically, spiritual roots are categorized into five types: gold, wood, water, fire, and earth. Those with a single type of spiritual root, such as gold or water, cultivate much faster. These single-type roots are referred to as Aethervine, with some variations like the Thunder Spiritual Root among them.

Next in line are the dual spiritual roots, like water-fire or gold-wood. Their sensitivity to spiritual energy is slightly inferior to that of the Aethervine, but they still cultivate much faster than those with three or four elements.

A mage with dual spiritual roots is often seen as a prodigy. Provided they survive their early years, they are destined to become formidable figures in the future.

The third type of individual possesses a three-element Spiritual Root, which places their natural talent above average. Among them, there have been strong figures, including Lin Qing.

The last two types are those with the four-element and five-element false Spiritual Roots. Their progress in cultivation is incredibly slow. Without a substantial supply of pills and soulstones, they might never achieve foundation building in their lifetime.

"I can't keep going like this," Lin Hao mused as he gazed out the window, lost in thought.

As he lay on the chilly bed, not a trace of cold touched him.

His fingers brushed over the jasper bracelet on his wrist, and his resolve strengthened.

"Jasper bracelet, I refuse to settle for mediocrity!" he declared.

This bracelet, a gift from his mother in his early childhood, had been his companion for over a decade.

Whenever Lin Hao encountered hardships, he confided in the jasper bracelet. Though it could not respond, he treated it as a confidant, a silent listener to his troubles.

To Lin Hao, the jasper bracelet was more than an object; it was a comforting presence, akin to that of his parents.