It was a joyous moment for the Bast Clan, a prodigious baby boy was given to them. He had an astonishing soul force, a soul force of 100! This was higher than most commoners reach at their peaks! For a child like this to be born, it must certainly mean that they will be destined for greatness.

Audun Bast. This child was the child that will raise the Bast clan to ultimate power.

-10 years later-

The sun shone hard onto Audun’s exposed shoulders. He was training his body, since he had finished tilling the soil long ago, and was practicing the variety of cultivation techniques gifted to him by the clan. When he was born, he had caused a huge commotion because of his unheard of soul force upon birth, but it was found out a few years later that he had no ability to cultivate. His dantian was a twisted knot, and his soul couldn’t be made out from it. The clan had thrown every cultivation method they had access to at him, all in the hopes that one would work. After three years, they had all but given up, allowing him to go back with his family. He still receives cultivation manuals from time to time, but he was no longer the Dao Child.

Audun didn’t really know nor particularly care about his rise and fall from fame, but he had the personal desire to be strong. He has always been around those exceedingly more powerful than him, leading him to lust after such an existence. It was as if the Heavens themselves could not contain his elders. But as hard as he may try, the Qi he could sense around him refused to enter his pathways.

The current technique he was attempting involved him damaging his Qi pathways with fire, after strenuous physical activity. After several minutes of trying however, he had the same feeling every other cultivation technique had left him with, wanting more. He sighed heavily, and prepared to go home. It was in this instant that the smell of fire hit his nose. Looking over the rolling hills, he saw a billow of smoke coming from his house.

A sense of worry gripped him, and he ran as fast as he could to get home. Even though he was only a child who could not cultivate, his natural born power was simply too frightening. He could run at the speed of a horse, with a little help from the special movement techniques that were a part of his self defence classes.

Arriving in the courtyard of his family's modest wooden home, his face gave way to shock as he saw his house burning. He began to run towards it, he needed to make sure his family was okay, when a hard kick sent him into the dirt.

“Well well, what do we have here. A little kiddie not knowing his place. You should have stayed where you came from.” A big, intimidating man loomed over Audun. His features were almost entirely hidden by the shadow he created. But he was not intimidated, since he was young he was able to overpower most normal adults. Even though his soul hadn’t increased at all, his fighting prowess and body strength had soared.

He moved quickly between a bandits legs, hitting the weak point in his knees, knocking him down. The other bandit had just begun to reach for his sword when Audun swung a full force punch to his stomach. The bandit coughed blood and hunched over, dropping his blade. Audun swiftly picked it up and decapitated both of them.

He turned around to begin to head back when yet another bandit appeared in front of his face. This one was different, his dantian exhibited a noticeable pressure. He was obviously on another level.

“Heh, you’re not bad kid. It’s too bad you turned out to be a dud, someone who can’t even refine their body is worthless in the cultivation world.” The bandit slowly reached toward him, his hand slowly eclipsing the rest of the world. His knotted dantian shook violently, as if it was trying to leave his body and run away. No matter how hard he tried, he couldn’t move away.

Suddenly, the man reached forward and held his head. Everything went quiet, and then blood began pouring out of every crevice, his dantian shattered. His soul went wild, expanding and contracting repeatedly. Then, everything stopped again.

The sky began to rain, as if to mourn in the death of the child. Lightning violently flashed across the sky, as if from another plane. It seemed that the heavens themselves were angered by the destruction of Audun’s dantian.

“It’s time, we need to move out. I don’t know why this is happening, but we will all be killed if we don’t get the f*ck out soon.”

-----

Pain, excruciating pain. Every second another ripple ripped through Audun. He vaguely felt that this shouldn’t be happening, he shouldn’t feel anything, but it quickly passed when another ripple hit. Then, heavenly enlightenment descended, and he felt his soul move to the True realm. He felt wisdom bestow itself, and his body repair itself, but the dantian was still a void shooting out pain.

Days passed, his soul kept increasing in power, the pain slowly lessened. After several days, he could finally crawl. He made his way to the castle, wondering why no one was sent to check on his family, someone had to have seen the smoke. Almost as if by request, a caravan appeared. A brightly dressed woman exclaimed at him, and the blackness returned.

“Awaken young master! Please, let your soul return to you!” Audun could feel the use of an artifact on him. The artifact was trying to bring in his dantian, but to no avail. It was completely dissipated. After several more minutes, the presence of the artifact disappeared. To the outside world, he must be dead. Yet, he was alive. He didn’t understand it, he was always taught that dantian destruction was the end of all living beings. So why was it he was alive. And why was it he could so clearly sense the world Qi around him.

“The boy is dead now, it’s a true shame. He was finally able to make the leap, even soaring straight to the sixth rank of the true level. But his dantian has dissipated. It’s odd for it to have happened so quickly, but it is reality.” Audun recognized this as the voice of the clan’s master alchemist, Chimia. He had interacted with the kind but stern old man many times. He held still a full head of hair due to his elixirs, but one look at his face would betray his age. His body was surprisingly spry however, showing he truly was powerful. He was at the peak of the sky rank, one of the strongest in the clan, and his alchemy title allowed him to be only second to the Patriarch, Alistar. He had tried everything to increase Audun’s cultivation base, but to no results.

“It is a shame we lost such a talent, the heaven’s certainly are cruel. We could have gone interplanar with him. I want his body out of my sight and burned, I want no reminder of heaven’s games.” No! The Patriarch was always a prideful man, as he was born in the upper echelon of soul force users. He was at the middle saint level, and he was young. Defeat was still a fresh taste to him, so it is natural that he would be so inclined as to have Audun burned.

But Audun was alive! He struggled to awaken from his coma, fighting against the black void that held him under. Yet, even though he felt he was only a step away, he couldn’t make it. Soon, he felt himself lifted. Time was growing shorter, once he was in the ritualistic chamber of burning, there would be no escape. Desperately, he flailed in his mind to try and twitch something, but when he finally realized that wouldn’t work, an idea came to mind. Attuning himself to the Qi around him, he attempted to push his body to the ground. Feeling the flow of the earthly Qi clearly, he swayed it like a wave, back and forth, gaining in power. Finally, when it was strong enough, he crashed it into himself.

In the real world, it seemed as if he had rolled out of the alchemist’s assistant’s arms. This led to a horrified gasp from the assistant. This child he had held had no dantian, there was no way he could be alive. To survive without a dantian was simply impossible, it held the soul in place. Without it, the soul would disperse back into the world, as sustenance for other living beings. But the child, the thing, it moved.

Audun’s head was spinning, but he was able to finally move. For the first time in days, he felt he had the strength to stand on his own two legs. He held himself up against the wall, looking around the bleak stone corridor. Finally his eyes settled onto the young apprentice, who appeared to be about 17. He was average in nearly every way, from his appearance to his height. His brown eyes held terror, and a bit of intrigue. But what caught Audun’s eye most was his soul. He could see the man’s soul. It was a flamingo, but one of washed out red. This.. This is an ability that should only be able to be harnessed by those at the sky level.

“What are you doing standing there, take me to the Patriarch!” While Audun had never really used his status, when he had it, as a tool to get his way, he felt it necessary now. Although his status has diminished, the conversation he overheard earlier was enough to give him confidence this man would take him to the Patriarch.

“S.. sorry milord, I.. I cannot..”

“You cannot nothing! You will take me to the Patriarch, or you will face the wrath of the dao child of the Baste Clan!”

Audun didn’t know why, but panic had begun to seize him, he felt as if disaster was coming his way soon.

“Sorry milord, right away milord.” The apprentice turned and beckoned Audun forward. This would usually be considered very rude, but Audun was not going to object right now. As they emerged from the dark corridors into the vibrant,

luxuriously carpeted castle, he was able to look outside and see terrifying tribulation clouds billowing. They seemed to encompass the entire plane and beyond. Audun couldn’t help but shiver at the thought that they were for him.

Soon, they were before an ornately designed door, bearing the image of many different men standing on top of a Legendary Golden Baste, which was the beast the clan was named after. Once the ancestor’s killed the ancient Baste, 23,000,000 years ago, through luck and heavenly tribulation Angel’s descending on the beast, they found its martial training manual. It was the third and most recent immortal martial manual. The book was able to give those untalented in the abilities of the soul the ability to become a true immortal. However, only 10 of the great clan had made it through the training.

Through the door, Audun could clearly hear the Patriarch shouting.

“Heaven’s! How have I angered you! I, a simple cultivator who follows the path of a million million other men, have done nothing of note to call for a tribulation!”

The apprentice knocked, muttering under his breath about the Patriarch being crazy.

“Come in.” Opening the door led to a hugely beautiful sight. It had been so many years since Audun had been here, he forgot the majesty of the throne room. It’s lights that shifted to fit one’s mood, the beautiful paintings adorning the walls. And most of the, the throne itself. It was a mighty creation, beckoning one up a flight of stairs. Then, a golden throne shone out, carved to be the perfect size for a true immortal, with a secondary throne at the base. In that cushioned throne sat a young man, who looked to be around 22. In reality, this was the Patriarch, who is really 76. He arrived at the saint level when he was 22, so unless he becomes a demigod, he cannot change his appearance.

His fiery red eyes betrayed his shock upon looking at Audun. He couldn’t sense this child's dantian, yet he could tell he had reached the true rank. There was no way that someone could exist without a dantian, yet here was proof of this existence before his eyes.

“Wha.. What are you? How do you exist?!”

“Senior, I am Audun Baste, the Dao Child of the Baste clan.” The heavens outside seemed to rumble angrily at that statement, threatening the destruction of the whole clan in response to Audun’s statement.

Alistar’s face was full of turmoil, the child before him was exceptionally talented , but the Heaven’s reject his very existence. Cultivator’s defied the Heaven’s, yes, but this was a blight upon Heaven. Only a fool would provoke Heaven further.

“No, you are Audun Arimasen, Dao Child of Nothing. You will leave this clan and take all your disputes with Heaven with you. From hence forth, the clan will no longer acknowledge you.” Arimasen. The death sentence of Amrestria. It means you have no family, no clan. Merely speaking it is considered taboo, yet the sky lightened, as if to approve the decision.

“Clan Patriarch! Please reconsider! My latent talent is unmatched in history!” He was practically yelling, but the Patriarch nor the apprentice even acknowledged there was a sound. A raging heat built up inside him, and he prepared to attack.

The Patriarch however put him in his eye again, and the entirety of him shook. Even the hollow part where his dantian was shivered.

Tears built up in his eyes, there was nothing he could do against these people. He was too weak. He left quietly, knowing that he would never know the warmth of his clan again, but he step brought a cool rage sweeping through him. He was weak now, and everything was taken from him. He would not be weak. He will become strong enough to grasp his life that was taken from him. He will become strong enough to make the Heaven’s submit. This was Audun’s life or death promise.