C1 The Life and Death Bead 

Azure Cloud City — the beautiful city admired and envied by many — sits within the center of the Cloud Dragon County of the mighty Heavenly Martial Country.

Inside the grand hall of the city stands a stick-like young man, leaning against one of the pillars. However, despite being present under such great travesties, his pale face was contorted into a seemingly irreversible scowl.

"Been at this school for three years," Luo Xiu murmured to himself, hitting his heel against the tiles. "But I've only reached Level 2 in Body Refining. Body Refining!"

"At this rate, I'll be expelled!" Then...that meant... His heart clenched in his chest, and he gritted his teeth. He had sacrificed many things to be here, holding onto the hope that he may rise up the ranks. If that hope were to dissipate, then...

Luo Xiu stopped himself. "No. I can't be expelled. They can't kick me out! I have to find a way to stay."

All his sacrifices shouldn't be in vain.

However, despite his determination and fiery will, he didn't have the talent of his other peers. Even after spending years cultivating, his talent and power were still ranked last.

He sighed heavily.

"Ah!" Just then, a terrified scream echoed across the high ceilings. "What do you want from me?"

Luo Xiu finally lifted his head and turned to the source of the sound. A bright young woman appeared in his line of sight. Her dress fluttered with the wind as she held onto her skirts. Her shoulders were crouched, and her startling dark eyes were narrowed at the people surrounding her.

"Lau Yuxin, I've liked you for ages. Go out with me!"

A young man stepped forward. His hair was slick back as his hands were shoved into the silky pockets of his trousers. The man stood out from the rest of his peers, not just because of his seemingly arrogant stature, but also for the gold accessories wrapped around his neck and wrist. He stared at Lau Yuxin like a wolf on a hunt for his prey.

She gritted her teeth and stepped back. "Zhang Hao, how many times do I have to say it to get it through your head?" she snapped. "I don't like you!"

However, before she could escape his gaze, his lackeys blocked her way.

Zhang Hao's lewd smile widened as his grubby hand reached for her milky skin. "Do you know? I just attained Level Four at Body Refining," he slowly said. "Are you really going to deny yourself of an expert?"

"I said don't touch me!" Lau Yuxin swatted his hand away. "If you dare touch me again, my family wouldn't let you go."

"Your family? The Lau's?"

Zhang Hao barked out a laugh. "Even if I undress you in front of everyone in this school, the Lau Family would just look the other way. Sweetie, that's just how powerful we are. Do you really want your family to be involved in this? I might even have them lick the soles of my shoes!"

"You're dreaming!"

"Well, I do like them feisty." The young man waved his hand and his lackeys took a step forward. Their eyes were wide as they gazed her up and down, admiring her soft curves and light skin. She wrapped her hands around her chest in embarrassment.

"Stop!"

Luo Xiu hesitated for a while before shouting out.

He had been training here for three years now, and he had always liked Lau Yuxin. However, knowing that they were on different levels—both reputation and talent-wise—he was never given the chance to confess to her.

Even then, there was no way he'd just sit back and watch this man assault her!

"Hm?" Zhang Hao turned around. However, as soon as he saw the slinky male figure, he couldn't help but sneer. "Some trash who doesn't know when to stick to his place, huh? Do you think your talents could best me? Lee Hai, teach that bastard a lesson."

"Ey!"

Lee Hai, the tallest man in the group, took a step forward. He stretched and pulled on his knuckles as a sinister grin slipped into his lips. "I'll enjoy this."

Lau Yuxin felt her shoulders sag in despair. At first, hope flickered in her chest when someone had called out to help her. However, when she saw who it was, her expression quickly crumbled.

What could this guy do? Get beaten to death?

As expected, due to their martial arts difference, Luo Xiu wasn't able to catch up to Lee Hai's quick movements. Before he could even understand what was happening, he felt Lee Hai's fist connecting with his stomach.

The young man plummeted to the ground, coughing out a mouthful of blood.

"You dare be a hero? How dare you interfere with my boss's business?"

Lee Hai clenched his fists as he watched the young man vomit out blood and yesterday's dinner.

"Well done."

Zhang Hao slowly walked up to him. The corners of his lips curled up upon seeing his piteous form. "You really are trash." He scoffed. "By the end of the semester, you'll be expelled, and you still decide to get yourself beaten up. If you want to survive the remaining months, I suggest you lie low."

Luo Xiu felt his body clench and ripple from the pain, but he still didn't back down. He forced himself to look up at the tall male and spat out another mouthful of blood. "Let go of her!"

His eyes were dark with anger as he glared up at him. There was no way he was backing down from mere insults.

"Maybe you deserve to be taught a lesson then!"

Zhang Hao performed a series of quick movements before the tip of his foot connected with Luo Xiu's chest.

His strength was a dozen times stronger than his subordinates. As his attack hit, cracks echoed across the hall. His ribs! Luo Xiu tried to speak, but he couldn't—his body was too wiped out from the staggering pain. A guttural sound rumbled from his throat.

"L—le..." he said in heavy breaths. "Let her go!"

"You still won't give up?" Zhang Hao lifted his foot and prepared to hit him again when the doors of the Martial Arts Hall opened.

"What are you doing here?"

A middle-aged man strode into the room, one hand placed on his back while the other stroking his half-shaven beard. His eyes narrowed. "How dare you dishonor this hall with your antics?" he barked. Despite the raspiness of his voice, the students could not help but freeze by the amount of power it holds. "Do you think you're powerful enough to go against each other? Hurry up and go practice already!"

"Elder Wang." Zhang Hao bowed his head.

All his arrogance from a couple of moments ago vanished in a second. In front of the old man, he was like a puppy nudging his master.

"Go." The man waved his hand and Zhang Hao and his followers disbursed.

"Thank you." Lau Yixin stiffly glanced over at the broken man before turning to leave.

Luo Xiu gritted his teeth in pain. Was this how she had taken him? Just some weakling?

Even if he had been beaten to death, she wouldn't even care to look in his direction—much less try to treat him.

He had tried to stand up for her—struggled to protect her. While he had endured the pain, she still would not even spare him a second glance. She wouldn't even dirty herself to help him. As he tried to stand up, something inside him cracked, and he doubled down in pain.

"Ah!" Luo Xiu gasped and screamed. Beads of sweat continuously trail down his skin as the veins on his forehead bulge. His pale skin turned to shades of green, red, and blue. He clutched his chest as the unbearable pain consumed him.

The bead!

He glanced down only to see the bead on the necklace he was wearing sinking into his skin. Blood trickled down as he tried to pull it away, but it was to no avail. The bead sunk even deeper, drilling a hole in the middle of his chest. He clawed, he writhed, but none of his actions could trump the pain he was actually feeling.

After mere seconds, Luo Xiu fainted.

When he woke up, the searing pain was still there. However, it wasn't as severe as before.

Suddenly, a thought crossed his mind, and his hand quickly grasped the air around his neck. He froze. "The bead," he murmured hurriedly, looking down. "Where is it? Where is it?"

It was the bead that his father had given him when he was young. "To guide you," he professed, raising the bead up under the sun as it glistened with the skies. Crystal clear, it looked like something worn by princes, and he kept it with him ever since.

"Could it really have gone into..." He checked his chest, but there was no traces of blood. How?

As he was murmuring to himself, something around him changed. An indescribable pain shot through his soul before disappearing, and when he looked around, he saw that he was no longer surrounded by the pillars of the hall. Instead, he was consumed by darkness.

"What is this place?"

Suddenly, a ray of light appeared, and he squinted his eyes. Something glinted. Is that—his bead necklace? "What's going—" The bead flew toward him and crashed against his chest as if fusing with him. However, this time, there was no pain. It was uncomfortable at first, but what came after...

He gasped, clutching his head. So many things flashed across his mind—texts, pictures, events, spells, they were all there. He blinked as the world around him blurred in comparison. What was happening?

"The Life and Death Bead?" he whispered, saying the first thing that was highlighted in his mind. "Did it just give me memories? How?"

His vision came back to him. Instead of being in a dark void like he had been in earlier, he was in his room sitting cross-legged. However, while his physical presence filled the room, his mental presence was still stuck in the void. He sat and observed.

Diagrams of different shapes and sizes connected with each other—the Life Vein Diagram as his mind had called it. They emitted a faint white light, as his gaze went after them one by one. Suddenly, the bright lines enveloped his body like a blanket. Was this what his Qi looked like? His eyes were wide in amazement.

However, there was something that had attracted his attention. Luo Xiu narrowed his eyes at the faint veins around the wounds he had suffered from the earlier fate.

"Circulate your inner Qi and treat your injuries. With your powers, you would be able to do this."

A faint voice sounded in his mind, and he blinked. Could he do this?

"It's not like I could get any worse," he murmured, conceding to the voice in his head.

Thinking of this, Luo Xiu sat cross-legged on his bed and began the cultivation technique. He felt a warm thread wrapping around his injuries as if he was closing the gaps in his wounds.

Only then did he see the faint lines become clearer.

Was this the power of the Life and Death Bead? "No way." Luo Xiu gaped in amazement. The bruising he had sustained was gone. It was as if he had never been injured!

He jolted up from bed, yet his muscles weren't strained at all. He was as good as new!

"How? I was...I couldn't even heal a paper cut when I was at Level Two," Luo Xiu stuttered, gazing at his chest. His fingers trailed across his skin, trying to find a flaw but there was none. "And now I could heal my broken bones?"

A thrill coursing through him, he straightened his back and continued.

However, before he could concentrate again, the lines outlining his veins had disappeared. His eyebrows furrowed over. Luo Xiu tried to bring it back, but it was to no avail. All he could manage was a flickering image of the Life Vein Diagram.

"Could it be that my cultivation wasn't able to sustain it?"

Luo Xiu found himself nodding. "My foundation is poor. I would have to start from the very beginning," he said. "But if my memory now serves me correctly, I'd be able to improve my foundational methods quicker. It wouldn't hurt to give it a try. It's not like people would come and find me."

He sat down and began his work.

Two hours later passed, yet an infinite amount of changes had already transpired.

"I have succeeded."

Luo Xiu grinned with joy.

His inner Qi changed. It was as if a new life force had threaded its way around its own, bounding him to a limitless void of power. He flexed his fingertips as shots of energy burst through his veins.

"Life and Death Qi?"

It was the Life and Death Bead that has given him enlightenment! It seemed that the wheels of fate had begun to turn.