In a poor corner of the Setting Lands Continent lay a destitute country named Vorchin. On one side was the Desolate Wilt with sand for hundreds of miles and on the other was the Primeval Forest. Qi was thin in the air, making it a poor habitat for cultivators. Life found it difficult to even survive. There were only a handful of cities and a dozen towns that scraped by.

The Lin family were one of the many small families of Two Stone Town. There were only a hundred people who could be gathered under their banner, this included elderly and servants. They weren’t a notable power, even in their own neighborhood. If they lasted the next ten years it would be called a success.

The Lin Family made it’s home in a collection of a few buildings surrounded by a wall. There were dormitories for members, a kitchen, a main hall and little else. The whole area was a little smaller than a city block.

At the back of the estate a group of boys were ganging up on one miserable youth.

“Get out trash. You're just a servant of the family, you know. You should be grateful we treat you like a slave and feed you at all.” A boy bullied the other young boy mercilessly.

“Hah! He can’t even fight back! We’re younger than him and already Qi Cultivators. It’s sad that we have such a weak member of our family, he’s dragging everyone down.” Another child flailed his fists at the huddled figure.

The abuser kicked the poor soul to the ground. His victim was only a mortal who couldn’t cultivate, after all. Who would care if one of the many servants never made it to his next task? He was one among thousands of other poor people in this town, his life mattered little to anyone at all.

“Come and find me when you can sense Qi, otherwise you're just an ant. The family isn’t likely to keep around a useless servant, after all.” The bully gave him a final kick to the ribs and left him there.

Lin Feng gritted his teeth at the injustice done to him and pounded his fists against the ground.

‘Mother, Father. Your son is useless. You left this world too early. I wanted to make you proud, but I can’t even breakthrough to the Qi Sensing realm.’

‘I can't even lift my hand against a Qi Sensing acolyte. Why did you have to sacrifice your life for the family, father? Why did you save medicine for me when you yourself were sick, mother?’

This youth was one of the few unfortunate souls born with a permanent disability. Just as there were persons blessed by the heavens, there were those cursed by them.

Unable to cultivate Qi, people like Lin Feng walked the wicked path or were pushed to the side and forgotten. One in a million had some kind of fortunate encounter and turned from a fish into a mighty dragon.

Lin Feng was unwilling to follow the wicked path, but also unwilling to give in to his fate. He would fight until his last dying breath against these shackles that held him to the mortal path. Unknown to him, his dantain couldn't absorb any Qi and his meridians were shriveled.

He went back to the dirty tasks that any sect needed done. Gardening, sweeping, cleaning up trash and taking care of tamed beasts. The family demanded a third of his life while he was a low ranking member. Half of his every waking moment was taken up with these tasks.

Lin Feng was innoventive. He had a different perspective on these busy tasks, he tried to turn each one into a training opportunity. Gardening turned into performing martial forms with an emphasis on leg sweeps and striking the ground, sweeping into strength training with weights, he picked up garbage while practicing a movement technique and manipulated his aura while taking care of the beasts.

In his free time he ran with weights and lifted boulders in between practicing his martial arts. He practiced a common rank foundation skill that was taught to guards and foot soldiers called Fierce Fists. It hardened and strengthened the muscles, tendons and bones through repetition of arduous tasks.

Lin Feng engaged his torso as he punched out. His feet twisted, his core flexed and his whole body turned into each strike.

*Whoosh*

*Whoosh*

He repeated his blows one after the other. His life took on the same repetition of his ineffective blows.

Day after day he carried on with his work and training. He got slightly stronger as he grew, but he lost the most valuable time to breakthrough to the Qi Sensing realm. The other youths around him had all long been able to sense Qi, but he had never followed suit. As the months passed by he lagged further and further behind.

Lin Feng began to grow desperate. At this rate he would be cleaning up shit until he was an old man, or used as cannon fodder for the family.

He put in a request for time for personal training. Lin Feng was told by the domestic elder that he would have to work double shifts for three days for every day he wanted off. For three months Lin Feng worked 16 hours a day so that he could attempt to breakthrough.

The day he was to leave he took with him a bag of supplies, his hunting spear and his only remaining family heirloom, a flat, round stone with a hole in the center.

He began his journey at the families herb garden. It would be more accurate to call it a weed farm. The outskirts of the Primeval Forest had common rank herbs that could be refined into medicinal powders and pills of the lowest quality. Used en masse even the weakest herbal Qi could be drawn out and used.

Lin Feng had worked in these fields for years. He passed by seven leaf grass, old man’s beard, black finger fungus and maidens lost nettle. He nipped off a piece of the grass to munch on, ignored the moss, stayed well away from of the fungus and plucked the nettle, expertly removing the stinging skin the get to the soft meat beneath.

He hiked past the signs warning mortal workers away from the forest and entered the outskirts of the most dangerous place on the continent.

Lin Feng was going to temper himself through combat to try and break through to the Qi Sensing realm.

At first he found only wild beasts, these were all comparable to mortals and Body Tempering cultivators at best. They included boar, snakes, and other animals that could be a danger to a normal mortal. When an animal started absorbing Qi naturally they would see an enormous boost in strength and turn from a wild beast to a fierce beast.

A normal wild boar had little chance to become a fierce beast. Only by the luckiest of chances, living in an area dense with natural Qi or consuming some natural treasure like a earth ranked herb would a wild beast be able to evolve.

A fierce beast would normally give birth to other fierce beasts, preserving its bloodline. If if was crippled or disadvantaged in some other way they may give birth to a lesser children, this same principle applied to humans as well.

Lin Feng’s parents were only in the early Qi Condensation realm. His mother didn’t have the quality of blood and body to nurture her unborn child and his father couldn’t provide ideal genes, environment and support to his mother. This was no reason for hate, every living thing owed its life to its parents. Filial piety is one of the highest virtues.

Lin Feng thought of his parents as he hiked into the forest. Trees became more dense and numerous. An oppressive aura grew around him. The air became heavy and thick with moisture.

Here in the outer reaches of the forest he began hunting high level wild beasts like wolves, bears and boar.

He held his spear in one hand and crept along a game trail. His slim form ducked under low branches and weaved through the underbrush.

Following the game trail, Lin Feng found a small pond. As he carefully approached the watering hole he noticed a vivid purple fruit hanging down above the water. It was shaped like a pear and gave off a relaxing scent that made Lin Feng’s mouth water.

He identified this as a Purple Pear Strength Fruit. While not rare, it was uncommon. Lin Feng had seen elders of the family use this as a reward for the best performing youths of the Lin family. It was an ideal elixir for those entering the Qi Condensation realm.

He carefully surveyed his surroundings. A fruit like this would usually be watched over by a low level fierce beast while it ripened, otherwise any random songbird would come by and eat it. There was sure to be some guardian in the area.

Lin Feng tried to still himself and melt into the background of the forest. His breathing and heartbeat slowed. He began using a secret technique that sacrificed his other senses to improve his hearing.

He closed his eyes, relaxed his body and fell into a state that was close to sleep. He turned his attention inwards, specifically focusing on his middle ear.

In the middle ear are three small bones. The malleus, incus and stapes, they are the smallest bones in the human body. The three bones transmit vibrations from the eardrum to the inner ear. There is a small muscle that controls how close the bones are to each other to allow for variations in ambient noise.

When in a loud environment this muscle tenses up and pulls the bones apart, allowing less vibration into the inner ear. In a quiet environment this muscle relaxes and more vibration is allowed through. This is why sudden noises like a gunshot are more harmful than going to a loud concert.

Lin Feng’s special technique had two parts to it, the first part relaxed the muscles in the ear, allowing for maximum transfer of vibration. The second part cut out the other senses and focused the mind on hearing.

He had learned this technique on accident when falling asleep. In that strange place between waking and slumber there was a point where his hearing increased dramatically. For just a few moments, sounds around him increased in intensity by threefold. By holding on in this state of doze he was able to increase the duration of the effect and use it at will.

The biggest drawback to this skill was the state of relaxation that must be achieved. It left the user mostly helpless and unable to respond to ambush and ranged attacks. It also couldn’t be used in any noisy environment or there would be permanent damage done to the inner ear. There were other problems with the skill, but those could be easily solved with cultivation and practice.

Lin Feng crouched by the pond, listening carefully. The breeze rustled the leaves of the trees, a rivulet tricked into the pond. Insects buzzed overhead and insects rustled through the undergrowth.

He listened for a minute to the forest around him. Just as he was about to ‘wake up’ from his technique, he heard a slightly louder rustling coming from one direction.

He groggily lifted his head and stared through the forest. When the noise got louder, he canceled his technique and started retreating from the pond. He only walked a few steps before his food snapped a twig underfoot.

The rustling sound stopped, then started up again. It got louder and closer as Lin Feng escaped.

He had only gotten a dozen meters away when he saw the animal that was coming towards him.

It was a wild boar the size of a horse. It’s hide was grey-blue and covered in thick bristles. It’s small beady eyes were lodged far back in it’s large skull, it relied mostly on its large ears and powerful nose as its primary senses.

The boar looked around with stupid suspicion in its eyes. It thought it had heard a noise just a second ago and was wary of intruders. The fruit it had been guarding was almost ripe, any day now it would be ready to eat. Weeks of looking after the budding fruit would have all gone to waste if he let something else eat it now.

Lin Feng started to panic and wanted to hurry up, but stalking prey without making a sound took time. If he started to run, the boar would notice him immediately and pursue. His best chance was to sneak away quickly, then run if he was detected.

The boar neared the pond and snorted in some air. It ceased its footsteps and sniffed again.

A large huff came from the beast and it scored the ground with one hoof. It became agitated and soon found Lin Feng’s trail.

It began to make sounds similar to sumo wrestlers making love while people ran in panic at the sight. There were thuds, grunts, hisses, high pitched squeals and a weird chuffing noise.

Lin Feng took this chance to speed up and started hurrying through the woods.

The boar began following the smell.

Lin Feng split off from his original trail and took a separate path away from the pond.

The Boar followed, unperturbed by the juke.

Though the boar could find him quickly if he knew Lin Feng’s exact position, it could only follow his scent at a moderate pace through the forest. If it tried to find him faster, it would only lose the trail.

Lin Feng tried other techniques like doubling back, circling around, climbing up a tree and leaping from the branch and jumping into a stream to wash away the scent trail.

None of it worked and the boar followed.

Lin Feng was very nervous, he was sweating and knew that it made his trail easier to follow. This was a self destructive cycle that may lead to his death.

He ran over ridges and through culverts. He plunged through dense thickets and climbed through the tree canopy.

The boar followed.

Lin Feng dove into a deep valley in the hopes that he would lose the boar in the troublesome terrain. He clambered down slopes and climbed up slides trying to lose the beast. It didn’t take long for him to lose himself in the rocky playground.

The boar was unwilling to enter the dangerous ground. Unlike the evolved monkey he was chasing, the boar couldn't climb down the slopes without risking serious injury.

He left the boar behind him and passed through the canyon. Towers of stone and outcroppings of bedrock forced him to take a twisting route through the canyon floor.

Lin Feng wasn't familiar with this place. He knew he was on the border between the dangerous inner forest and the peaceful cultivated land that was used by the forces in the area for growing common herbs. This place could hold fortune or death for someone like Lin Feng. It all depended on his luck.

As luck would have it, Lin Feng didn't see the crack in the stone until his foot had slipped into it. His momentum carried him forward while his ankle stayed behind. There was a brief moment of panic, then a world of pain.

The delicate bones of his ankle snapped and he fell to the ground in pain. He bit his tongue and blood poured from his mouth as he forced himself to stay silent, he didn't succeed entirely and a grunt followed a sickening snap.

The pain radiated up his leg and spine. Lin Feng lost consciousness.

---

Lin Feng woke up, and wished he hadn't. The blessing of sleep and forgetfulness had pushed away worry and pain if only for a minute.

Here he was on the outskirts of the primeval forest, crippled and stuck in a canyon with unknown dangers all around him. If he wasn't already sweating from the injury, he would be now. He was helpless at this point, even the weakest scavenger could just stand back and wait for him to die.

Despair threatened to overtake him, he was alone in a dangerous place with a serious injury. Even without the threat of fierce beasts finding him, it was unlikely that he would make it back home alive. He had already come close to the grave in his flight from the blue boar, now he had a crippling injury.

These thoughts and others ran through his head. If it was someone else, they would have given in to despair and waited for their death. Lin Feng was different. He had known adversary in his life and faced immense challenges.

He oriented himself and began crawling back towards Two Stone Town. He still had one leg and both arms. The useless leg he dragged behind him and tried to disturb it as little as possible.

Lin Feng crawled out of the valley inch by arduous inch. After all, he had one major advantage over other people.

He had already died once, back on Earth.