Chapter 001 Blood Feud

The scorching sun blazed in the sky, a single orb radiating ten thousand crimson rays. The ground was baked scorching hot, and the clouds seemed to have been burned away by the fierce sun, vanishing without a trace—a vast, cloudless sky.

It was just noon, the most brutal time of the sun's heat. No one wanted to walk through the town; even the laborers who earned their living by hard work lay in the teahouses to cool off.

Yet from the eastern end of Bluestone Town came the sound of hammering iron.

Following the sound, an old building stood at the town's easternmost edge. Compared to the magnificent structures nearby, this building, covering a hundred zhang, seemed isolated and solitary. The wide gate was tightly shut, with no guards in sight.

On it were carved four ancient characters: Dragon Star Martial Hall.

In the courtyard, a young boy, naked to the waist, panted heavily through his mouth and nose. He gripped a massive iron hammer, swinging the pitch-black tool slowly, striking the anvil.

Clang! Clang!

The clashing of steel rang out incessantly as he swung the hammer, which weighed over a hundred jin.

The muscles on the boy's arms bulged slightly. If one observed closely, each time he swung the hammer, the muscles contracted and seemed to unleash boundless strength.

"Almost there," he muttered, glancing at the nearly formed sword blank, wiping the sweat from his face. The boy was called Yang Tian, soon to turn sixteen, with delicate features and slightly tanned skin. But his demeanor was steady, unlike others his age.

"Xiao Tian, why are you forging again? The family isn't short of money now—go cultivate," an elderly man suddenly said as he entered from outside. He wore a gray short-sleeved shirt, his exposed muscles quite robust. Seeing his adopted son still forging as usual, he hurried over, his tone tinged with affection.

The elderly man was Yang Tian's adoptive father, Lin Yuan, the master of Dragon Star Martial Hall. Eight years ago, he had found a child in the courtyard and adopted him. In a flash, eight years had passed quietly.

"Father, I can handle it. You go rest. I'm cultivating this way too," Yang Tian said, quickly pushing aside Lin Yuan's arm, scratching his head, and grinning.

Then he turned around, swung the hammer again, his expression focused on the anvil, calm and steady.

As the sound fell, sparks flew from the anvil, and the clang of metal rang out continuously. In Yang Tian's dantian area, dozens of crimson, crystalline blood droplets suddenly began to roll. A faint surging of blood energy flowed into his palm, increasing his strength several times over!

This blood energy was the fruit of Yang Tian's arduous cultivation. In this world, there existed a peculiar energy. Humans had created cultivation techniques to absorb this energy into the body, thereby enriching the blood energy within—collectively known in the cultivation world as 'Blood Refinement.'

This energy was collectively called 'Heaven and Earth Essence.'

What is Blood Refinement? Absorbing the essence of heaven and earth to nourish the blood and qi within the body. When blood and qi are abundant, they can unlock human potential, temper the physique, grant the strength to uproot mountains and dominate the world, and achieve an unparalleled sacred body!

Blood Refinement is divided into nine levels.

When Lin Yuan saw Yang Tian's determined expression, a few smiles suddenly appeared on his aged face.

Since adopting Yang Tian, Lin Yuan had treated him as his own son. Though life had been hard over the years, Lin Yuan felt immensely content. Moreover, Yang Tian was exceptionally sensible, often crafting knives and swords to sell for money to supplement the household.

"Sizzle..."

Yang Tian plunged the forged sword blank into a bucket of water. Thick steam rose, and the water in the bucket boiled continuously. After a moment, Yang Tian wiped the sweat from his face and looked at the rough sword blank, his expression quite dissatisfied.

"I wonder when I'll be able to forge a blood weapon. The scriptures left by the family are too incomplete," he shook his head helplessly, slowly turning to look at Lin Yuan.

"Father, isn't the martial hall tournament in three months?"

The martial hall tournament was held every three years. If one could make it into the top ten, the prize money was exceptionally generous.

"Heh, yes. I wonder if I can bring back a ranking," Lin Yuan said, scratching his head with a smile, a hint of anticipation in his eyes.

"Father, you've already reached the seventh level of Blood Refinement. That should be enough, right?" Seeing Lin Yuan's slightly uncertain look, Yang Tian quickly comforted him: "Don't worry, Father. You still have me."

"Of course, our Xiao Tian is the best," Lin Yuan said loudly, ruffling Yang Tian's hair.

But in his heart, a deep bitterness spread. If Lin Yuan couldn't win that prize money, the land for Dragon Star Martial Hall had been unpaid for half a year, and the deadline was fast approaching.

If he couldn't get that prize money, Dragon Star Martial Hall would be forfeited as debt.

Although Yang Tian's talent was extraordinary, three months was too short.

"Don't worry, Father. Xiao Tian will make it happen. The ancestral land must not be taken away," Yang Tian clenched his fists, vowing silently in his heart.

In the past, the Dragon Star Martial Arts School was quite renowned in Green Stone Town, but all of this was due to Yang Tian.

One rainy night eight years ago, Lin Yuan found Yang Tian in the courtyard, covered in blood, his body nearly shattered.

Lin Yuan was startled at the time, because the boy's eyes churned with an icy, piercing murderous intent. Seeing an eight-year-old child in such agony, Lin Yuan understood that he must have suffered a great calamity in his youth!

At that time, Lin Yuan had no children; his wife had met with misfortune, and he never remarried.

Lin Yuan took a great liking to the child who had fallen from the sky, and since he was nearing old age, he adopted Yang Tian. Just curing Yang Tian's illness nearly bankrupted Lin Yuan. He was as stubborn as a mule and refused to give up until Yang Tian was healed.

Countless spiritual medicines were spent, and thus the Dragon Star Martial Arts School declined over time. Now only the two of them remained in the school.

It took a full seven years!

Under Lin Yuan's meticulous care, their relationship became like that of father and son. Lin Yuan never asked Yang Tian what had happened in his childhood.

When Yang Tian turned fifteen, he rose like a comet. In less than a year, his cultivation broke through to the third level of Blood Refinement! He could be called a prodigy.

For some, reaching the third level of Blood Refinement in two years after starting cultivation was considered talented. Yang Tian achieved it in one year, far surpassing those geniuses and rivaling disciples of great families.

Nighttime.

"Creak!"

The door opened. Yang Tian walked to the desk and sat down quietly. After a moment of silence, he picked up a bamboo brush, dipped it in ink, and looked at the coarse rice paper before him.

Yang Tian's previously calm eyes now blazed with ferocity!

His eyes were full of rage, full of hatred, and bloodshot. He poured all the resentment in his heart onto the paper.

This was something Yang Tian did every day. Perhaps only this way could he keep the hatred in his heart fresh, never forgetting the scene from eight years ago!

Under the flickering candlelight, Yang Tian's eyes gleamed with cold light, an intangible murderous aura spread, and his opening and closing gaze held boundless hatred.

On the rice paper, the brush strokes were sharp and fierce, like a swarm of snakes dancing wildly.

He wrote the first character, "Dragon." As the stroke landed, a killing aura spread from the paper!

The brush strokes interlaced as he continued to write the second character. Just after writing the character "Dragon," Yang Tian's breathing became rapid, and cracks appeared on the bamboo brush.

He wrote the second character, "Sun."

Dragon Sun!

The moment the two characters were written, the cracks on the bamboo brush multiplied. Yang Tian's hand suddenly clenched.

"Bang!"

The bamboo brush exploded into a pile of powder. A gust of cold wind swept in, blowing the powder all over Yang Tian's face.

"Bang!"

Looking at the two characters, Yang Tian crushed the corner of the table with his bare hands. The faint blood energy within him seemed to awaken, suddenly surging upward, as if responding to the youth's grief, rumbling loudly, composing a clanging war song!

Suddenly, the hatred in Yang Tian's eyes intensified. He pounded his chest violently, blaming himself for being useless. Under the heavy blows, blood slowly seeped from the corners of his mouth.

"Dragon Sun, who are you? My family had no grievances with you, why did you kill my clan? Dragon Sun, you old dog! I will slaughter your entire family sooner or later, make you feel the pain of losing loved ones, make you taste the suffering of a broken home."

He roared in his heart like a peerless ferocious beast, his blood-red eyes captivating the soul.

Eight years ago, Yang Tian's family was surrounded by a group of black-clad men. At that critical moment, his parents tore through the void and sent Yang Tian into a spatial passage.

Yang Tian's biological parents' fate was unknown. Yang Tian leaped through the void, his body unable to withstand the damage from spatial forces, severely injured, and was rescued by Lin Yuan.

Yang Tian only heard the leader shout the words "Dragon Sun Lord," but he had never heard of this person.

"Dragon Sun, you old dog, wash your neck and wait for me. I will come back for you sooner or later. If my parents are in trouble—no, they won't be..."

Yang Tian closed his eyes tightly. When he opened them again, they had returned to normal. He took a deep breath and took out an ancient ring from around his neck. On the ring was a pitch-black dragon pattern, which looked exceptionally eerie under the candlelight.