Chapter 1: The Boy on Trial
“Lin Chen, do you know your crime?”
“You openly cheated during the Spirit Road trial, and the master of the Wind Sword Sect personally destroyed your cultivation. You deserved your punishment! But do you realize that because of your moment of foolishness, even the three cultivation spots our Great Cang Kingdom was allocated have been wasted?”
“You are a disgrace, a blight upon the empire!”
...
In the Imperial City Square, Lin Chen’s expression remained cold as he quietly watched the scene unfold.
Many faces were twisted in anger, pointing fingers at him. No matter how fierce the curses became, Lin Chen’s face never changed.
Because he had not cheated!
The truth was, Wind Sword Sect’s master, Feng Bumei, to preserve his son’s first place in the Spirit Road trial, attacked Lin Chen, killed his phantom beast, and abolished his cultivation.
The name Lin Chen had shone brightly in recent years!
At thirteen, he joined the Great Cang Kingdom’s Genius Battle and dominated the entire field.
At fifteen, single-handedly brought the Lin family into the ranks of the Four Great Families.
At seventeen, he entered the Earth Spirit Realm. When his cousin was humiliated, he stormed into an enemy nation’s city, faced one hundred thousand defenders alone. When dawn broke upon the horizon, the young man rode away atop a lone wolf, leaving a mountain of corpses and a sea of blood behind.
Over the years, he had won countless resources and honor for his family and the Great Cang Kingdom.
All glory gathered upon him.
He was, without dispute, the foremost genius of the Great Cang Kingdom!
Yet during the Spirit Road trial, he was crushed by Feng Bumei’s overwhelming might.
“With your lowly status, you dare to compete with me for first place?”
The arrogant laughter of Feng Yu, the young sect master, still echoed in his mind.
What happened afterward chilled Lin Chen’s heart even further.
After being expelled from the Spirit Road trial, the Great Cang Kingdom did not defend him. Instead, they brought him to the square for judgment!
Kicking him down when he was already defeated!
Three days ago, he was a prodigy.
In the blink of an eye, he had become a disgrace spat upon by all!
“The Spirit Road trial caused the empire irreparable loss because of you!”
The middle-aged man’s face was twisted with rage as he threw down a command token. “In the name of the Imperial City Lord, I strip you of your honors, revoke your authority, and cast you down as a commoner! Begone!”
The coldness of the world, indeed.
Facing judgment, Lin Chen only clenched the wolf fang in his hand.
His pupils glinted with blood.
Little wolf, I will avenge you—without fail!
“Alas, such a pity, a genius who ended up cheating.”
“Yes, greed knows no bounds. He was second in the Spirit Road trial—was that not enough?”
“He was the pride of the Great Cang Kingdom, but his character is so lacking!”
“He shamed the Lin family and the empire!”
As the verdict was pronounced, the crowd shook their heads.
Their eyes brimmed with disdain.
They had completely forgotten all the glory Lin Chen had won for them.
A shrill cry pierced the air, and a massive shadow swept overhead.
Everyone looked up to see a girl standing atop a giant griffin-like beast.
She wore a spotless white dress, her face nearly perfect, features exquisitely fine.
Those who saw her felt an involuntary sense of inferiority.
“Greetings, Princess Snow!”
Zhao Wuyi, Lord of the Imperial City, exclaimed, dropping to his knees.
The crowd followed suit, kneeling en masse.
Only Lin Chen remained standing.
This was Princess Su Huaxue of the Great Cang Kingdom, and her fifth-tier phantom beast, the Thunder Twin-Tailed Griffon.
The girl leapt lightly down, landing before Lin Chen.
She was like a celestial maiden descending from the heavens!
Her steps were graceful, each one like a lotus blooming.
“Lin Chen, do you remember our three-year pact?”
Su Huaxue lifted her chin, proud and unyielding.
Her beautiful eyes brimmed with mockery. “Everyone says you are the greatest genius of the Great Cang Kingdom, that you and I are a match made in heaven. Now, it seems laughable!”
“I will enter the Wind Sword Sect to cultivate, my future limitless. Your phantom beast is dead, your cultivation destroyed—you have no chance of rising again. Though there are six months left in our pact, you are destined to lack the qualifications to challenge me.”
“According to our agreement, you must kneel before me and brand the mark of a slave upon your face, spending the rest of your life as my dog!”
As her words fell, Su Huaxue’s aura surged, shocking the entire crowd.
Zhao Wuyi was stunned.
Princess Snow had broken through to the fifth layer of the Earth Spirit Realm!?
At her age, that realm was extraordinary.
If compared, perhaps... only Lin Chen in his prime surpassed her.
Faced with Su Huaxue’s relentless pressure, Lin Chen sneered, “The time of our pact hasn’t come. Why are you so anxious? Are you afraid?”
Even in utter defeat, his pride remained unbroken.
“Afraid?”
Su Huaxue seemed to hear the greatest joke in the world, her proud face once again colored with disdain.
It was the look of one gazing down upon ants.
Back then, her heart was set on Lin Chen, and she had revealed her feelings several times.
Lin Chen’s rejection enraged her pride, leading to their three-year pact.
Su Huaxue had trained desperately, only to one day defeat Lin Chen and say, “You are not worthy of me!”
Now, it seemed she need not wait three years.
“Lin Chen, your phantom beast is dead, you are a cripple. But I have a Meridian-Destruction Spirit-Refining Pill. Even without a phantom beast, you can cultivate anew! Even as Su Huaxue’s dog, you mustn’t be a useless dog!”
Su Huaxue was proud as a swan, her tone indifferent. “Now, kneel and kowtow, bark three times like a dog, and I will grant you this opportunity!”
Her slender fingers pinched a pill.
The Meridian-Destruction Spirit-Refining Pill!
A third-grade pill!
After consuming it, one's meridians would be severed, unable to absorb spiritual energy.
But—by surviving this death, the body would gain immense benefits.
From then on, one’s combat strength would grow ever more formidable, embarking upon a different path of body refinement.
Pills were graded from one to nine; third-grade was already extremely precious.
Such humiliation surged into Lin Chen’s mind, burning through his very organs.
“Commoner, why haven’t you knelt and thanked her yet?”
Zhao Wuyi barked angrily from the side.