Chapter 1: The Crippled Father and Son  

In the Qin Family’s stray courtyard located in Luosang City of the Ancient Continent of Wu:

Three people stood in front of a dilapidated old house filled with dust. There was a middle-aged, dejected-looking man, a middle-aged woman, and a teenager.

The middle-aged man stared at the run-down house and released a helpless sigh. “Who would’ve thought that I, Qin Wu, would come back here once again ah.”

“Father, what do you mean come back here again? Our family lived here before?” the youth asked in a puzzled manner.

Qin Wu turned and looked at the youth. His expression grew more sorrowful and helpless. His talented son had not only been turned into a cripple that couldn’t cultivate like him but had even been hurt seriously in the head and lost his memory. As a result, his son couldn’t remember anything.

The middle-aged wife stepped forward and asked, “Yu’er, you really can’t remember anything?”

The youth named Qin Yu was at a loss when he heard her.

Seeing Qin Yu’s blank face, the wife sighed regretfully before saying, “Yu’er, you don’t need to think about it if you can’t remember.”

“We lived here up until you were 14. Afterward, you amazed everyone with your achievements in the clan’s tournament and became the outstanding genius of the Qin Family’s younger generation. As a result, we were fortunate enough to be able to leave this place and move to one of the Qin Family’s courtyards. It’s a pity that it hasn’t even been three years before we had to move back. Ai.” [1. Ai = Sigh indicating weariness or disappointment] Qin Wu released a heavy sigh. He dragged his feet as he walked with heavy footsteps toward the door and pushed it open.

Qin Yu was still at a loss because he really couldn’t remember anything from the past. “Ah! I—!” Qin Yu grabbed the back of his head.

All he knew was that he had just awoken from a coma three months ago. After that, somebody told him he was the talented youth of the Qin Family. At only 17 years old, he had already reached the apex of Origin Realm.

In the Ancient Continent of Wu, there were eight cultivation stages for martial cultivators which were: Origin Realm, Immersion Realm, Transformation Realm, Spirit Realm, Void Realm, Immortal Realm, Saint Realm, and God Realm.

In Luosang City, reaching the apex of the Origin Realm at 17 was considered to be exceptionally rare talent that appeared only once in every generation. This was because the average 17-year-old was likely to be at the gate of Origin Realm.

Unfortunately, the first time he left the city for Ten Thousand Beast Mountain to learn through experience, he was plotted against by others. All his meridians were crippled, causing him to lose all his cultivation and become a cripple that couldn’t cultivate.

A powerful family of martial cultivators like the Qin Family naturally wouldn’t raise a cripple that couldn’t cultivate. So after three months, his family was driven out and returned back to their run-down courtyard.

Qin Yu only knew that much and remembered nothing of his past memories.

The wife stepped forward and answered Qin Wu’s words, trying to softly comfort him. “Wu-ge, I think living here is also good. Our family can live here peacefully without having to go back to a life of only beating and killing.”

“Just a woman’s insight.” [1.used to belittle women for their poor knowledge and short-sightedness.] Qin Wu snorted discontentedly and entered the house with one stride.

Seeing Qin Wu’s actions, Mother Qin sighed helplessly.

“Eh? Why if it isn’t our Qin Family’s genius, Qin Yu? How did you end up in such a deplorable place ah?”

At this moment, a voice filled with ridicule suddenly echoed as several young men and women just so happened to walk by.

An insolent and condescending voice howled with ear-piercing laughter, “What genius? Right now he’s nothing more than a cripple. Oh, wait—that’s wrong, it’s two cripples! The father and son are both cripples that can’t cultivate, hahaha!”

Qin Yu angrily turned around with an icy cold gaze. His fists were clenched as he glared at the people walking by.

The one who took the lead was a long-faced youth named Qin Mu. Back when Qin Yu was still a genius, he would always try to curry favor whenever he saw him. Now that Qin Yu had become a cripple, he immediately turned hostile and became the first to jeer and humiliate Qin Yu’s family.

Qin Mu saw Qin Yu’s clenched fists and a disdainful sneer formed on his face. “What? Genius, you want to fight with this young master? Alright ah, come. I promise I won’t beat you to death. Instead, I’ll just beat you into idiocy, hahaha! You still think you’re a genius huh, you trash!”

“You’re courting death!” Qin Yu almost instinctively spat out those three words as an overbearing, tyrannical aura emanated from his body. His killing intent surged, charging towards Qin Mu. In that split second, he seemed to have become a different person, unexpectedly dominating the group of youths.

Qin Mu couldn’t help but take a step back, staring at Qin Yu with incomparable amazement. How did Qin Yu get such a dreadful aura?

He knew Qin Yu very well. When Qin Yu was still a genius, he never had such a domineering aura.

But this aura wasn’t just something that could be formed in just a short amount of time; it could only be created after a great number of kills and experience.

“Yu’er, don’t cause trouble.” Mother Qin grabbed Qin Yu and turned around to face Qin Mu’s group, rising slightly to politely say, “Young Masters and Misses, we don’t want to cause trouble so I beg you to please let us go.”

“Ahem, seeing you get up to plea for leniency, I’ll let you two off just this once. But next time, if you dare to still act so unbridled in front of this young master, don’t blame me for bullying a cripple. Let’s go!” Qin Mu seized the opportunity to extricate himself and left behind a ruthless sentence before arrogantly bringing his group along and leaving. If he let people see that he got scared of a cripple, then he would definitely lose a large amount of face. [3. Having “face” in Chinese is equivalent to having dignity, prestige or pride. So if you’re “losing face,” it means that your dignity or pride is being disregarded.]

“Hmph, just a group of scum!” Qin Yu snorted coldly and turned around to enter the cottage.

Behind him, Mother Qin watched his back as she thought about what had happened earlier. For a moment, she almost had the misconception that he wasn’t her Yu’er.

“What am I thinking? Who else could he be other than my son? Ai, I reckon that hoping encounters with the main family will change is only indulging in a flight of fancy.” Mother Qin shook her head and quickly followed him into the cottage.

In the evening, Qin Yu sat on his wooden bed and recalled the three months he was in the Qin Family. He always had this strange and odd feeling. He sensed that he wasn’t a Qin Family member, but he wasn’t sure of his true identity.

With regards to martial arts, these past few days he went to the practice arena to see the so-called experts compete. Their strikes all seemed very ferocious, but somehow he felt as if they were like two children play-fighting. How the hell was that still called martial arts?

How come he had such a feeling? Could it be that he was once an ultra-powerful expert?

Qin Yu thought about these problems and unconsciously entered the land of dreams.