Qingyun Province, Tianqing City.
On this day, a patch of auspicious clouds suddenly appeared in the sky above Tianqing City. Countless cultivators looked up at those clouds. The clouds displayed nine colours and radiated strands of sacred aura. At the same time, vast amounts of heaven-and-earth energy abruptly converged from all directions.
Within a radius of a thousand li, gods and ghosts alike kept their distance.
The cultivators in the city wore puzzled expressions and began discussing amongst themselves.
Just then, someone cried out in shock, “Nine-coloured clouds… could these be the legendary Dao Clouds?”
Dao Clouds!
The moment those words left his mouth, the entire city erupted.
Legend had it that whenever Dao Clouds appeared, a person chosen by heaven would be born.
Was Tianqing City about to produce the fabled Child of Destiny?
While everyone was still buzzing with speculation, the nine-coloured auspicious clouds suddenly trembled. Nine beams of light then descended from the heavens and plunged into a certain manor.
Everyone in the city immediately turned to look at that manor.
It was the direction of the Yang Estate!
Someone could not help sighing with envy, “The Yang family is about to rise.”
Inside the Yang Estate.
“It’s born! It’s born… a young master…”
An excited shout suddenly rang out from within the Yang Estate. Soon after, the whole estate burst into busy celebration.
Very quickly, news that Dao Clouds had appeared and that the Yang Estate had received a Child of Destiny spread like wildfire across the entire Southern Province, and it was still racing toward the other provinces at terrifying speed.
Moreover, this young master of the Yang family was not merely a Child of Destiny; he also possessed the legendary Invincible Sacred Physique.
A Child of Destiny plus the Invincible Sacred Physique!
Unparalleled through the ages!
At this moment, not only Tianqing City but the entire Profound Realm lost its calm.
The very next day, countless aristocratic families arrived at the Yang Estate. Among them were the three great clans of Tianqing City (the Hou, Mo, and Li families), several super aristocratic families from neighbouring cities, and even many powerful sects.
Their purpose: marriage alliance!
The Invincible Sacred Physique!
Everyone knew this was currently the second greatest physique in the universe, surpassed only by the legendary Mortal Physique. In the future, this monstrous genius of the Yang family was bound to become an everlasting giant who would shake past and present.
If they could form marital ties with the Yang family now, their own clans would soar to greatness and become super aristocratic families.
In an instant, this qilin son born to the Yang family became the most coveted prize in the entire Southern Province and even the whole Profound Realm.
Inside the Yang Estate, the entire Yang clan celebrated joyously.
The current Yang clan patriarch, Yang Yunshan, was leading several hundred clan members as they knelt before the ancestral shrine.
They were paying respects to their ancestors!
Beside Yang Yunshan stood a beautiful woman of generous figure and noble bearing.
This woman was Yang Yunshan’s sister-in-law, Li Yunrong. His younger brother had gone missing half a year ago while exploring a secret realm and had not been heard from since.
In Li Yunrong’s arms she held a male infant. The infant stared at the world before him with a trace of curiosity in his eyes that no infant should possess.
Yang Yunshan, leading the ceremony, suddenly shouted with excitement, “Heaven blesses our Yang clan!”
With that, he prostrated himself deeply and kowtowed repeatedly.
He was naturally overwhelmed with emotion. The Yang clan had once been a great clan in the Southern Province, but it had gradually declined. By now, it could only be considered a third-rate family, barely surviving in Tianqing City.
He had thought the Yang clan would continue its decline, yet he never expected heaven to bestow upon them a Son of the Great Dao.
This truly was heaven blessing the Yang family!
After the ancestral rites ended, an elder hurried over to Yang Yunshan and said with a trembling voice, “Patriarch, people from the Ye Clan have arrived.”
The Ye Clan!
At those words, Yang Yunshan’s body shook. He hastily replied, “Quick, invite them in! Invite them in at once!”
…
In the discussion hall, Yang Yunshan sat opposite an elder. The elder wore grey robes and straw sandals, his gaze sharp and carrying an invisible pressure.
Yang Yunshan felt somewhat nervous.
The Ye Clan was currently the foremost super clan of the entire Profound Realm.
Let alone the Yang clan, even the three great clans of Tianqing City were nothing but ants before them.
Along with his nervousness, there was also anticipation, because he had already guessed the purpose of this visit.
At that moment, the straw-sandalled elder suddenly spoke, “May this old man see the little young master?”
Yang Yunshan’s heart leapt with joy. He quickly replied, “Of course, Elder Qiuyan, please wait a moment.”
He immediately instructed the servants.
Soon afterwards, the beautiful woman entered carrying the child. Elder Qiuyan rose at once and walked quickly over. When he saw the infant in her arms, excitement instantly filled his face.
The Invincible Sacred Physique!
It really was the legendary Invincible Sacred Physique!
Elder Qiuyan forcibly suppressed his inner excitement and turned to Yang Yunshan with a smile. “Patriarch Yang, I will be frank. I have come today on behalf of the Ye Clan to propose a marriage alliance with the Yang clan. What is Patriarch Yang’s opinion on this?”
A marriage alliance!
Yang Yunshan immediately became agitated.
If they could form marital ties with the Ye Clan, the ancestors of the Yang clan would be smoking with pride!
The Ye Clan was not only a super clan of the Profound Realm; even among the entire Realm of All Gods, they were a famous power.
Forming a marriage alliance with the Ye Clan would bring the Yang clan boundless benefits and greatly elevate their status.
The Yang clan had no reason to refuse, and of course, they did not dare to refuse.
Yang Yunshan hurriedly nodded in agreement.
Elder Qiuyan smiled faintly. He was not surprised by Yang Yunshan’s acceptance. Although the Yang clan now had a Child of Destiny, an immature Child of Destiny counted for nothing to the Ye Clan.
Without the Ye Clan’s protection, such a Child of Destiny would find it very difficult to grow up alive.
After all, that was how the world worked. There might be people who wished you well, but far more wished you ill.
Elder Qiuyan slowly took out a marriage contract. Written upon it were the words:
“Two surnames unite in marriage, a covenant made in one hall, an eternal bond of good affinity, a match equally renowned… Should this covenant be broken, let heaven and earth abandon the breaker.”
At the bottom was signed: Ye Clan, Ye Qing’er.
There was also a small thumbprint.
Ye Qing’er was none other than the daughter of the current Ye Clan patriarch.
There were two copies of the contract.
Elder Qiuyan handed both copies to Yang Yunshan. Yang Yunshan quickly accepted them and wrote a name: Yang Xuan!
This was the name of the chosen son!
After writing Yang Xuan’s name on both copies, Elder Qiuyan walked to the infant, took out a needle, pricked the infant’s thumb, and pressed the bloody print onto the contracts.
Seeing that Yang Xuan did not cry even after being pricked, a flash of surprise passed through Elder Qiuyan’s eyes. He inwardly marvelled, “As expected of a chosen son.”
Soon, the two contracts were completed. Yang Yunshan handed one copy back to Elder Qiuyan. After receiving it, Elder Qiuyan placed a storage ring on the nearby table. “Patriarch Yang, inside this storage ring are several hundred medicinal pills, over ten thousand spirit stones, and some top-grade cultivation methods and martial skills. All of these are for Young Master Yang Xuan. Furthermore, every year the Ye Clan will send powerhouses to the Yang family to instruct Young Master Yang Xuan in martial cultivation.”
Yang Yunshan was overjoyed. Although Yang Xuan possessed a heavenly physique, the Yang family lacked cultivation resources to provide him. Now the Ye Clan was willing to bear all of Yang Xuan’s cultivation expenses; this was naturally a tremendous boon for the Yang clan.
Not only would the Ye Clan cover Yang Xuan’s cultivation resources, they would also provide the Yang clan with tens of thousands of high-grade spirit stones annually and protect the clan.
This left Yang Yunshan ecstatic!
After Elder Qiuyan departed, news of the marriage alliance between the Yang and Ye clans quickly spread throughout the entire Southern Province. Some were jealous, some were envious, but most were jealous.
When one person achieves the Dao, his whole family ascends to heaven!
Although many were jealous, no one dared show it openly. After all, the Yang clan now enjoyed the Ye Clan’s protection.
In the blink of an eye, five years passed.
At first, the Yang clan had placed enormous expectations and hope in Yang Xuan. However, Yang Xuan’s performance soon caused the entire clan to panic.
Because at five years old, Yang Xuan still could not speak!
Of course, at that point the Yang clan could still remain calm. After all, noble people often speak late.
But soon, the clan could no longer stay calm.
Because at ten years old, Yang Xuan still could not speak. Moreover, the Child of Destiny, Yang Xuan, could not cultivate!
Every time the powerhouses sent by the Ye Clan tried to teach him, Yang Xuan would only listen quietly. He neither practised nor spoke. This infuriated the Ye Clan instructors to the point they nearly cursed aloud.
Now the Yang clan was thoroughly panicked.
Not only the Yang clan, even the Ye Clan began to feel uneasy.
After all, Yang Xuan was the person they had chosen. When the Ye Clan formed the marriage alliance with the Yang clan, they had held grand banquets and announced it to the entire Ancient Realm. The whole Ancient Realm knew Yang Xuan was the Ye Clan’s son-in-law-to-be. If Yang Xuan turned out to be an idiot, would the Ye Clan not become the laughingstock of the entire Ancient Realm?
Thus, the Ye Clan began sending all sorts of famous physicians to the Yang clan to treat Yang Xuan.
Yet the results were hard for them to accept: Yang Xuan’s body was perfectly normal, with no issues whatsoever, and he truly possessed the Invincible Sacred Physique.
But he simply refused to cultivate and refused to speak.
After two years of treatment, Yang Xuan still neither cultivated nor opened his mouth to speak.
So the Ye Clan began to give up.
Another year passed. When Yang Xuan turned thirteen, the Ye Clan stopped providing any cultivation resources to the Yang clan.
And from that year onward, the youth who should have been a peerless genius became known as a peerless waste!
A peerless waste!
The entire Yang clan plummeted from the peak to the bottom!
Those who had once envied and hated them were now overjoyed. A peerless genius had actually turned into a peerless waste… this was simply too entertaining.
Every era is the same: people who kick others when they are down are never in short supply. Those who enjoy watching others become laughingstocks are even more numerous.
However, at this stage, no one yet dared to target the Yang family openly, because the marriage contract with the Ye Clan still remained.
Many people still had reservations because of that.
In the blink of an eye, Yang Xuan reached sixteen years of age.
This year was also the day he was supposed to marry Ye Qing’er.
Everyone was watching the Ye family, waiting to see what they would do.
Dissolve the engagement!
Would this clichéd, melodramatic plot actually befall the Yang clan?
If the Ye family dissolved the engagement, the Yang clan would be completely finished.
…
Inside the Yang Estate, in a certain courtyard, a youth stood before a tree. He wore a cloud-coloured robe, had sword-like brows and starry eyes, a bold nose, and a straight posture. His looks were rather striking.
This youth was none other than Yang Xuan.
Yang Xuan stared blankly at the tree in front of him, silent as usual.
The servants around him were long accustomed to this behaviour and paid it no mind.
The young master’s favourite pastimes were reading books, staring into space, or swinging a wooden sword about while muttering nonsense like, “I am invincible, come at me as you please…”
In short, everyone in the Yang Estate now regarded this young master as an idiot.
At that moment, Yang Xuan’s brows suddenly furrowed tightly. In his mind, the image of a woman in a plain dress appeared once more.
Ever since he was born, this woman in a plain dress had repeatedly appeared in his thoughts. He did not know who she was, only that she felt extremely important to him.
Aside from that, fragmented memories occasionally flashed through his mind: chaotic, incomplete scraps.
He knew he might be someone else.
Who am I?
This question had troubled him for sixteen years!
There was no answer.
As though recalling something, he opened his right hand. A sword appeared in his palm.
On the blade were two characters: Qingxuan.
Apart from that, he knew nothing of the sword’s origins.
The sword had been with him from the very beginning. He had tried communicating with it, but received no response.
As far as he could tell, the sword was simply rather sharp; it never needed a second strike to cut firewood.
Beyond that, it had no other special qualities.
One thing worth mentioning: the sword would occasionally vanish without warning, destination unknown. After some time, it would return, covered in blood, as though it had killed someone…
Very strange.
At that moment, a beautiful woman slowly approached from the side. She walked up to Yang Xuan and looked at the frowning youth. Heartache flashed through her eyes. She took his hand. “Xuan’er, is your head hurting again?”
Yang Xuan nodded slightly. Over the years, whenever those mysterious images appeared in his mind, his head would ache terribly.
The woman quickly said, “I will fetch a physician…”
As she turned to leave, Yang Xuan held her back and gently shook his head. “It will pass soon.”
The woman gripped Yang Xuan’s hand tightly, both heartbroken and helpless.
Yang Xuan looked at the woman before him, complex emotions stirring in his heart. After the Ye Clan abandoned him, the attitude of everyone in the clan toward him had plummeted.
Of course, he understood. To the current Yang clan, he now held no value. Someone without value naturally could not expect continued respect or attention.
He accepted that calmly.
Only the woman before him was different. From beginning to end, she had never abandoned him.
He also knew that she worried about him constantly and often went secretly to the city’s Temple of All Gods to pray for him.
Over the years, she had aged greatly.
Thinking of this, Yang Xuan sighed inwardly.
At that moment, he felt he had to change.
He could no longer live in this muddled state!
No matter what the past held, he had to live the present well.
With that thought, Yang Xuan looked at the woman before him. “I want to visit the Ye Clan.”
The woman was slightly taken aback. “Visit the Ye Clan?”
Yang Xuan nodded. “According to the marriage contract, one month from now is the day I am to wed Miss Ye Qing’er of the Ye Clan. But now, marriage is impossible. Therefore, I wish to go personally and dissolve this engagement in order to protect myself.”
The Ye Clan had not yet proposed dissolving the engagement, nor had they suppressed the Yang clan. But he understood that if he remained oblivious, the only thing awaiting him was death.
Many times, if you do not make yourself respectable, others will do it for you!
