This was the worst day of Xian Chen’s life. It had only taken a few more minutes after Ling Qi’s disastrous(fortuitous?) testing for the rest of the batch to be tested. His mind was in a fugue all the way to their barracks, being herded like sheep by Senior Brother Shi Qian. He had not even given the piece of paper in his hands a glance, knowing that his attributes were nowhere near Ling Qi’s prodigious talent.

  Even as they walked, his skin burned with the gazes that were cast upon him, some full of pity, others scorn, most mocking. Teenagers were ruthless everywhere. They eventually reached the barracks, where Shi Qiang asked one of them if they wanted to man the outpost at the bottom of the mountain. If this was fifteen minutes ago, Xian Chen would have jumped at the opportunity. Now, he only watched with fury at the world as the snake-like boy volunteered himself for the role.

  Supplies and room keys were given out, and he went through the motions,bowing when needed, shuffling out of the way when required. He paid no heed to his surroundings, his mind emblazoned with Li Qian’s face, and the old witch that had stripped his life away.

  He eventually reached his new home, shutting the door with a bang behind him, closing himself off to the world. He sank to the floor, his back sliding down the door, and hugged his knees. Now that he was out of the public, the tears were really threatening to flow. But he abstained, and instead chose to read his talent from that damned piece of paper that doomed his life.

  He read through the sheet once. Then once again. Then a third time. A single tear rolled down his cheek, and the walls were broken down. His body was racked with silent sobs as he buried his head in his knees, lips salty as the tears poured onto them. He was never to meet Ling Qi again. He was just trash, barely able to cultivate, with how awful his talents were. His hand crushed the sheet that was the final nail in his coffin on this day of misery. What did determination matter, if he was never able to reach the level of even Li Qian, leave Elder Lin?

  No physique, average meridians, substandard capacity, and just a singular fire attribute. The Heavens had decided already that he was not meant to be great.

  His sobs transformed into chuckles, making him hiccup at the sudden change in emotion. His situation was so bad it had started to become funny. He now understood why that damned Elder had given him that token. He would require some powerful art if he even wanted to catch up to his batch.

  After an hour of this self-pity, he shook his head and slapped his cheek lightly, the sting clearing his mind of the fog. There was no use in wallowing in the bleakness. He would just have to work that much harder than everyone, be that much faster than everyone, and win back Ling Qi from Li Qian and his master.

  A determined smile graced his face as he started to make plans for the steps ahead. At least his father would be happy that he got into the sect.

  The winds howled, and thundering cranes cried out in accompaniment to the flashing lightning. It was a summer storm, rare in the sect’s province. The stars were hidden behind black clouds as the Heavens cried upon the land.

  At the back of the barracks, at a cliff’s edge stood a young boy. His white shirt and blue skirt were soaked, and highlighted his scrawny build as they stuck to his skin. His normally bright amber eyes were dull as he stared down the edge of the cliff, the bottom endlessly far, yet so inviting. Xian Chen wondered how long it would take for him to reach the bottom.

  He wondered when it had started to all go wrong. Was it when Ling Qi was taken away, when he understood how trash he was, when his father sent him that letter? Or was coming to the sect in itself the wrong move? He wondered, yet he did not care for the answer. Not now, when everything was finally lost to him.

  TEN DAYS AFTER THE INITIATION

  Xian Chen was satisfied with the day’s work. For the past ten days, they had been given theory lessons on matters relating to cultivation, and he had done rather well, if he did say so himself. He had managed to scrape into the top three, just behind that Shen Yao and Cai Lingxin. And that was just because both of them were from Elder Clans, and had been taught this stuff previously. So he was essentially first.

  He was excited for tomorrow, from when they would finally start cultivation. He was average in almost everything, but he planned to make it up by working twice, even thrice as hard as the others. To stay at the top. To meet Ling Qi again.

  So it was in a good mood that he walked up to the outpost. He had sent a letter back to his family as soon as he was able to, and the reply was supposed to arrive today. His mood soured a little when he saw Shen Yao, his lackey Gong Wei and others of his troupe at the outpost, clearly amused at something and laughing their heads off.

  He approached them, gave a slight bow and asked Shen Yao, the outpost manager, “Shen Yao, there was a letter that was supposed to arrive for me today. Do you know if it has been received yet?”

  The group started to laugh even louder. Xian Chen frowned as Shen Yao handed him a piece of paper he had been clutching that Xian Chen hadn’t noticed before. Shen yao wheezed, wiping a tear out of the corner of his eye, “Sorry, but there was no seal on the letter, so we could not help but read it.”

  Xian Chen opened the letter, and his heart froze at the few words written on it.

  You are no son of mine. From today onwards, your half-brother is my heir. Any trouble with cultivators is yours to handle.

  There was no sign.

  His ribcage felt too small, and each breath was accompanied by a burning pain in his heart. His father had abandoned him, left him for the wolves. He knew he was not his favorite, but he could never have imagined a reaction such as this.

  Ignoring Shen Yao and his group, he bolted back to his residence, stumbling over rocks as the path was blurred by tears. He slammed the door behind him, collapsed onto the bed, and cried-screamed into the bed. He stayed like that till it was time for dinner, where he found that the news had spread to the rest of the recruits, probably by Shen Yao. He did not eat dinner, and instead walked out into the rain.

  The bottom called to him. The ground was slick with rain, and all it would take was one slip, and everything would be gone. He smiled at that image. But as Xian Chen peered down, he spotted a leafy tree sprouting from the cliff, right below where he was standing. Hmm, if he jumped here, the tree could stop his fall. He started to move away to another spot.

  I wouldn’t do that if I were you, Young Master.

  Xian Chen stopped in his tracks, looking around in a panic.

  Not there, Young Master. Look around your neck. The voice called out again.

  Xian Chen looked at his neck, but only spotted the locket there. The one that his mother had left him, before disappearing forever. It was an elegant thing, a jade piece styled like a flame, carved intricately and was held by a sting that still held strong even after more than a decade.

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  He whispered incredulously, “The locket?”

  Yes Young Master. The voice replied brightly. This humble Huo Bian is pleased to finally converse with you.

  “Who are you?” asked Xian Chen, his mind running through all the types of demonic techniques of possession he had heard about.

  This Huo Bian is your butler, the voice said. Xian Chen’s brain stopped. Your mother had sealed me into this locket before leaving so that I may look over your growth.

  His mother. His mother, who had left him and disappeared when he was a baby. “My mother is alive?”

  I should well hope so, Huo Bian replied with a slight hesitation. She is a very important person, so she was just taken back, as she had run away from home. But they would not have killed her.

  “Who’s they?” Xian Chen questioned sharply.

  Huo Bian did not reply for a second. It is not safe for you to know about them right now. You are too weak.

  Xian Chen seethed. Again that phrase. Too weak. When would he not be weak?

  Hopefully not after today, Hou Bian replied. Xian Chen started. Looks like the man could read his mind.

  “You will make me strong?” Xian Chen asked, almost hopefully. Would he be able to get Ling Qi back after all?

  Yes I will. But to do that, you must follow me. First, could you look down the cliff at the tree? Huo Bian instructed.

  A little confused, Xian Chen did as he was told. The wind had died down a little. The tree's leaves were still.

  Suddenly there was a tugging at his neck as the locket surged forward, off the cliff. Xian Chen tried to resist, but the ground was too slippery. And so he found himself flailing over the cliff’s edge, but the Law of the Earth could not be resisted, and he tipped over.

  The last view he remembered before losing consciousness was purple lightning flashing across the sky.

  Pain. Pain. Pain in his legs. Pain in his arms. His ribs, his spine, his head.

  Xian Chen had never experienced this much pain before. He had never imagined this much pain could be felt. His nerves were on fire inside his body, yet he could feel the cool rain soaking him down to his shattered bones.

  What the hell, Huo Bian, you fucking bastard, he thought weakly in his mind, fog enroaching on his brain again.

  I’m sorry Young Master. He did not sound sorry. But this was the only way to break your body in one go. The only other way would be to get smacked by a Heaven Formation or above cultivator, and I’m sure you have no way of doing that.

  BUT WHYY?? Xian Chen screamed into the void of his mind.

  Because to reconstruct your body, and awaken your Physique, all of it had to be broken down. If your Mother were here, she could have done it painlessly, but seeing that she is not… Huo Bian trailed off.

  He was going to die, Xian Chen was sure of it. What a pathetic way to go, now that he thought about it. Fiance? Stolen. Family? Disowned. Body? Broken. If he could, he would have laughed at the cruelty of the Heavens.

  The Heavens are not cruel, Young Master, Huo Bian said. They are as fair as any can be. You are the Son of Heaven, and your Destiny is to Ascend beyond. Thus you must also suffer in proportion, for the Heavens are nothing but fair.

  I DO NOT WANT THIS DESTINY, Xian Chen cried, his tears mixing into the rain.

  Yet you must endure it. Do not worry, Young Master. You will not die today. Not while I am here.

  As Huo Bian said this, a warmth started to spread through his body. It originated from the locket, a penta-colored aura slowly radiating outwards and covering his body. Red, yellow, green, brown and blue washed over him, replacing the screaming of his nerves with this pleasant warmth.

  Unbeknownst to him, as he could not turn his head, the world around him had started to come alive. The ground below him shifted, the Earth slowly getting assimilated into the light. Roots of the nearest tree surfaced above ground, settling the Wood on his shoulders. The rain falling on him suddenly refused to stick to his body, leaving him dry of Water. His blood that pooled beneath his body bubbled and gurgled, the Metal in it travelling back into his body. And the Fire in his belly, in his dantian and meridians, slowly cycled, transforming and making way for its new companions.

  He could not feel any of this happening, as the relief from the pain advanced the black fog in his mind, and Xian Chen slipped back into consciousness once again. The thunderstorm started to subside, the rain abating and the winds dying down. Xian Chen though was blissfully asleep.

  A sharp prick on his arm woke Xian Chen up from his blissful sleep. She shook his right arm, and there was a fluttering of wings and loud chirping, before the surroundings grew silent again.

  His back ached from lying on the hard ground the entire night, but there was no other pain in his body. In fact, he felt miraculously cured of every small thing that had ailed him since childhood. His left knee did not hurt anymore, the one he had bruised a few weeks ago. And the cavity he had in one of his teeth and stopped hurting. It was a miracle.

  Not really, Young Master, a voice sounded in his mind.

  It was at this moment he really took notice of the surroundings. He was lying at the bottom of a cliff, surrounded by trees and bushes. Out of the cliff jutted a small tree, a part of which was broken from where it had broken his fall. He had only survived because of the tree.

  And Huo Bian was still there with him.

  Explain. Now. He growled into his mind.

  No need to get angry, Young Master, his supposed butler said in that infuriatingly calm voice. I did what was necessary to unlock your potential.

  Unlock his potential? What the heck was the bastard talking about.

  Let me explain. An image of a guy pushing his glasses up his nose entered Xian Chen’s mind. Your body has an incredible Physique. It is called the Elemental Physique, because it is perfectly attuned to all five of the natural elements, and boosts each of their power by about twenty percent, which increases every cultivation realm. Your mother knew how coveted this could be, so she sealed its essence inside the locket along with me, until it was time to return it to you. Which, unfortunately required you to break your whole body.

  Not losing steam, he continued, You now are able to cultivate using all five of the natural elements, and your meridians have been upgraded to being Smooth, the highest grade there is. And your dantian capacity has also been greatly increased. All in all, a huge benefit.

  Xian Chen could not believe his mind’s ears. This kind of thing should not be possible. No one should be able to transform their body like this. But it had happened to him. Huo Bian did not sound like he was lying.

  He slowly sat up, his dirty white shirt somehow pristine, his amber eyes glowing more fiercely than ever, his body full of newfound power. He flexed his arm, and the muscles responded. Xian Chen grinned. He could work with this. With this new potential, it would not take long to catch up to Li Qian, and win back Ling Qi.

  The sun shined brightly into his eyes, and he winced. His brain then caught up to his situation. It was already early morning. He had a lesson to get to.

  Scrambling up, he darted off towards where the outpost was, his Destiny awaiting him with bated breath.