The Dongchen Continent, a vast world of cultivation where martial arts reign supreme.
Legendary Martial Artists could shatter the void, move mountains and drain seas, pluck the sun and moon from the sky, and devour heavens and earth, leaving behind all manner of miracles.
The many nations on the continent were all founded on martial prowess, establishing numerous Wu Mansions and Academies.
The Azure Cloud Kingdom.
At the foot of the back mountain of Cyan Peak Academy in Qingchang City.
BAM!
A young student, around fifteen or sixteen years old, was sent flying backward, crashing into a large, ancient cyan stone.
The youth collapsed, unable to get up, his forehead covered in blood.
"Did that good-for-nothing die?"
"Let's get out of here!"
The students who had attacked him turned and fled.
A few breaths later.
"So painful!"
Luo Tian struggled to his feet, his handsome face bruised and swollen.
The crimson blood on the young man's body slowly seeped into the Cyan Giant Stone behind him.
"That bastard Liu Yuanhu! They always gang up on me!"
'If Father were still here, and I had been able to open my Celestial Tier Martial Vein, how could these lackeys of the Noble Families be so arrogant?'
Luo Tian clenched his fists, his resolute face suppressing a simmering rage.
The young man's name was Luo Tian, and he came from a commoner family that practiced Martial Arts.
At the age of ten, he was admitted to Cyan Peak Academy with the outstanding achievement of reaching the Sixth Layer of Body Tempering.
At twelve, he broke through to the Ninth Layer of Body Tempering, becoming a highly anticipated genius in the Academy, admired by all.
However, Luo Tian's cultivation had been stuck in the Body Tempering Realm for three and a half years, without any progress whatsoever.
This was all because he had been unable to open his Martial Vein.
The Martial Vein is a Spiritual Wheel Vein within the human body, serving as a bridge to communicate with the Heaven and Earth Spiritual Qi.
Without opening a Martial Vein, one cannot absorb Heaven and Earth Spiritual Qi, advance to the higher Meridian Opening Realm, or become a true Martial Artist.
Luo Tian's father had said that he possessed the legendary Celestial Tier Martial Vein!
Martial Veins were divided into four tiers, from highest to lowest: Celestial, Earth, Profound, and Yellow. Each tier was further divided into Lower, Middle, and Upper Grade.
A Celestial Tier Martial Vein was a sight not seen on the continent for hundreds of years, a legendary, supreme Martial Vein.
However, since the Middle Ages, the Heaven and Earth Spiritual Qi had grown increasingly thin. The higher the tier of a Martial Vein, the longer it needed to be nurtured, and the more difficult it was to activate and open.
Three years ago, his father, Luo Xiao, had gone out in search of a good method for Meridian Opening, and there had been no news of him since.
After his father left, the powerful Noble Families of Qingchang City still held out hope for Luo Tian. For three years, they had freely given him resources and money to help him activate his Martial Vein sooner.
Generally speaking, the more difficult a Martial Vein was to open, the higher its tier, and the greater its future potential.
The reason these Noble Families "sponsored" Luo Tian was in hopes of a future return on their investment.
But three years passed, and Luo Tian still hadn't activated his Martial Vein.
This greatly disappointed the Noble Families of Qingchang City, and they finally concluded that Luo Tian was an extremely rare Veinless.
With Luo Tian's astonishingly fast cultivation speed, who would have thought he was a Veinless?
Having made a "losing investment," these Noble Families came to loathe Luo Tian. One by one, they came to his door to collect debts, smashing and destroying his home.
Everything of value in Luo Tian's home was taken to pay off his debts, but it still wasn't enough.
Because of this, he was bullied by the children of the Noble Families at the Academy.
Among them, Liu Yuanhu of the Liu Clan was the most tyrannical and vicious, frequently coming to find trouble and resorting to violence at the slightest provocation.
And that Liu Clan was one of the three great Noble Families of Qingchang City!
...
"Hm?"
Pulled from his memories, Luo Tian heard a strange noise coming from the Cyan Giant Stone behind him.
HISS!
On the great stone, Luo Tian's blood was absorbed, and countless cracks appeared on its surface, scattering a hazy, mysterious radiance.
'What is this?'
Luo Tian became vigilant.
BOOM!
The Cyan Giant Stone exploded into dust without warning, and a ball of ethereal light shot into Luo Tian's body.
"Ah..."
The world spun around Luo Tian.
Suddenly, a vast, divine radiance appeared in his mind. It transformed into thousands of streams of light that swam and intertwined, emitting an aura that could suppress all of creation.
Immediately after, a huge, ancient book materialized at the center of the intertwining light.
On the massive ancient book, three ancient, obscure words appeared.
Creation Celestial Book.
He didn't recognize the words, but he understood their meaning.
SHHHHF!
The pages of the ancient book flipped open one by one, releasing an aura of immense antiquity.
Almost all the pages were dim and lightless.
Only the first page was wreathed in a cyan-gray light, with a third of its area illuminated.
"To know the astronomy above, and the geography below."
"To know all, to comprehend all."
"To deduce all things, to create without limit."
Mysterious, ancient text pulsed on the page, filled with a primordial aura.
BUZZ!
Suddenly, a vast amount of information flooded into Luo Tian's consciousness.
It was a Cultivation Technique called the Celestial Destiny Creation Technique.
The Celestial Destiny Creation Technique was a mysterious Cultivation Technique that seized the fortune of heaven and earth. By cultivating the Divine Soul and Destiny, one could achieve eternal life and truly transcend all things.
'A Cultivation Technique? Eternal life, transcending heaven and earth?'
Luo Tian's eyes widened in disbelief as he absorbed the information.
At Cyan Peak Academy, he had only ever cultivated basic Martial Skills and had no access to high-level Cultivation Techniques.
'To know all, to comprehend all... does that mean it can answer anything?'
Luo Tian gazed at the lines of text on the page and muttered to himself.
BUZZ! SWISH!
On the page, the cyan-gray light flickered, outlining a single, ancient word.
"Yes."
The Celestial Book was actually Spiritual and could answer with written words.
Luo Tian was stunned for a moment, then became excited. This Creation Celestial Book was truly miraculous; it seemed it could communicate with people.
"Celestial Book! Why can't I open my Martial Vein?"
Luo Tian asked nervously, his heart full of hope.
The next instant, a line of text appeared on the page.
"Incomplete 'Nether Dragon Divine Vein,' a Divine Grade Martial Vein. With the Heaven and Earth Spiritual Qi here, it is extremely difficult to open."
Luo Tian read each word, and his mind was thrown into turmoil.
After answering this question, the bright area on the page diminished from one-third to one-fifth.
"A Di... Divine Vein?"
Luo Tian's eyes widened, and he stood stunned for a long time.
In nearly a thousand years, not a single Celestial Tier Martial Vein had appeared in the entire Azure Cloud Kingdom, let alone an unheard-of Divine Vein.
'No wonder! No wonder my Martial Vein has been impossible to open!'
Luo Tian's heart pounded with ecstatic excitement.
Although a high-quality Martial Vein was difficult to open, once successful, his cultivation speed would be divine, and he would soar to the heavens!
"Then... how do I open my Divine Vein?"
Luo Tian suppressed his excitement and asked.
"Cultivating the Celestial Destiny Creation Technique will help open the Divine Vein."
"Additionally, the method to open it..."
At this moment, the bright area on the page suddenly dimmed, leaving less than a tenth of it lit.
Some kind of power within the Celestial Book was being rapidly consumed.
"Insufficient Celestial Book Power. Unable to perform Inference."
"Cultivating the Celestial Destiny Creation Technique can help the Celestial Book recover its power."
A line of faint text appeared, and then the Celestial Book stopped answering.
SHHHF.
The great ancient book slowly closed, the cyan-gray light on its surface completely exhausted.
The next moment, Luo Tian's consciousness returned to reality.
He was startled at first, but then he discovered that the contents of the Celestial Destiny Creation Technique were still in his mind.
This wasn't a hallucination!
Luo Tian looked down and saw that the Cyan Giant Stone at his feet had turned into a pile of dust, scattering in the wind.
'The Celestial Destiny Creation Technique? Can it really help me open my Martial Vein?'
Full of anticipation, Luo Tian sat cross-legged and began to cultivate.
The Celestial Destiny Creation Technique was a wondrous skill for cultivating the Divine Soul and Destiny, divided into a Nine-Layer structure, plus a Beginner's Guide.
The Beginner's Guide alone felt incomparably profound to Luo Tian.
But his natural talent was already outstanding—he had reached the Ninth Layer of Body Tempering at twelve. The Beginner's Guide for the Celestial Destiny Creation Technique was indeed complex, but he began to cultivate it smoothly.
'Marvelous! Truly marvelous!'
Luo Tian quickly entered a state of self-forgetfulness.
To think there was such a profound and wondrous skill in this world, one that pointed directly to the Soul.
Every single sentence within it surpassed his previous understanding, giving him a feeling of sudden enlightenment and divine mystery.
In the blink of an eye, evening arrived.
Luo Tian had successfully mastered the basics of the Celestial Destiny Creation Technique.
He opened his eyes slightly and was immediately stunned.
WHOOSH! RUSTLE!
The sound of the wind blowing and the grass rustling, the rustle of leaves in the wind—everything entered his ears with incredible clarity.
His eyes could see an ant on a tree dozens of meters away; he could even see the veins on the leaves with perfect clarity.
Furthermore, Luo Tian discovered that his spiritual consciousness could extend beyond his body.
'Could this be the Spiritual Sense that only High Tier Martial Artists possess?'
Luo Tian was shocked to his core.
On the path of Martial Arts, the Body Tempering Realm was only the beginning. Those in it were called Martial Disciples, and they focused on tempering their physiques to build a solid foundation.
Only by opening a Martial Vein and advancing to the Meridian Opening Realm could one be considered to have stepped into the world of Martial Artists.
Above the Meridian Opening Realm were other Martial Arts Realms such as the Spirit Sea Realm, the Earth Element Realm, and the Celestial Pool Realm. Realms above the Celestial Pool Realm existed almost entirely in legend and were said to grant the ability to fly.
But developing Spiritual Sense was something only High Tier Martial Artists at the Earth Element Realm or above had a chance of doing.
SWOOSH!
Under the cover of his Spiritual Sense, Luo Tian could perceive his surroundings even more clearly than with his eyes, controlling an area four to five meters around him.
'I've only just begun practicing the Celestial Destiny Creation Technique, and it's already brought such a transformation.'
Overjoyed, Luo Tian couldn't help but wonder what it would be like if he were to open his Divine Vein.
...
Just then, the sound of footsteps came from nearby.
Four young men walked over, talking and laughing. They were all wearing the uniform of Cyan Peak Academy.
"Do you guys think that good-for-nothing Luo Tian really died from the impact?"
The leader, a tall youth with bright eyes, had a fierce and tough air about him.
This tall youth was none other than Liu Yuanhu. He was the one who had led the group to beat up Luo Tian this morning, and now, after school, they were passing by the area again.
"Heh heh. Even if he did die, you can't blame us. He was the one who couldn't take it and smashed his own head in."
A pockmarked student beside him sneered.
'It's those bastards from the Liu Clan again!'
Anger surged within Luo Tian when he saw Liu Yuanhu and his three companions.
A few years ago, the Liu Clan had been the Noble Family that fawned over Luo Tian the most. Not only did they sponsor him with many resources, but they even wished they could marry their family's precious daughter to him, an offer Father Luo rejected.
Now, the Liu Clan had completely turned on him and was the family that oppressed him the most.
"Luo Tian?"
Liu Yuanhu's group of four also saw Luo Tian, and they were all taken aback.
"Hmph! You worthless piece of trash, you actually played dead to deceive me!"
Liu Yuanhu's eyes glared, his face twisting into a ferocious expression.
"You little bastard, aren't you going to get over here, kneel, and admit your mistake to Brother Hu?"
The pockmarked student at his side barked.
This pockmarked youth had a Ninth Layer Cultivation in Body Tempering and was one of Liu Yuanhu's lackeys.
"Luo Tian."
"Kneel and beg for mercy, slap yourself ten times, and I'll let you off the hook."
Liu Yuanhu stood with his hands behind his back, a mocking expression on his face.
"What a joke! Are you lackeys of the Liu Family still dreaming?"
Luo Tian scoffed.
What!
Liu Yuanhu flew into a rage, and his companions were all deeply surprised.
The formerly forbearing and cowardly Luo Tian had actually become so defiant?
After mastering the Beginner's Guide of the Celestial Destiny Creation Technique, Luo Tian's Spiritual Power had taken a qualitative leap.
His courage and temperament had grown stronger along with it!
For some reason, Luo Tian inexplicably no longer felt the same fear he once had for these people.
"Brother Hu, it looks like this kid hasn't learned his lesson. His skin's itching for a beating."
The pockmarked youth sneered.
"Good, good! How dare you talk back to me! In a moment, I'm going to smash your mouth and break your legs!"
A cruel look appeared on Liu Yuanhu's face.
As soon as his voice fell, the four from the Liu Clan menacingly closed in on Luo Tian.