Jian Xuan

The Zhou Kingdom, Frost Sword City, Jian Clan Manor

Jian Xuan lied down on the grass, simply watching as the sun would fall down.

It was relaxing and it was better than being beaten by his elder brother, as well as his two younger brothers.

He didn't blame them, it was a practice fight, and he could never really match them in a fight.

They were far stronger than he was, though his elder brother did practice more, his two younger brothers had practised less, yet, they were stronger on the basis of one thing.

'Talent'

Something, he didn't have.

The Jian Clan was well known in the Zhou Kingdom was a family full of Cultivators who had specialised in 'Body Strengthening'

What was the old saying?

Right, it was, "Copper Skin and Iron Bones... Iron Skin and Steel Bones..." Jian Xuan said to himself, it was what many said about his family, in both fear and admiration.

After all, it was said that the Jian Patriarch, who was Jian Xuan's grandfather, had the strength to move an entire mountain.

Not one of the 'True Mountains', but, rather just a normal mountain, though, the feat was still impressive.

As he continued to watch the sun go down, it eventually disappeared and Jian Xuan saw no reason to continue being awake and promptly fell asleep.

"Jian Xuan! Why aren't you studying right now!" A mighty voice then shouted.

In response, Jian Xuan simply began to snore.

"Jian Xuan!" The mighty voice then appeared to where Jian Xuan was, noticing he had fallen asleep yet again, or at least, pretended to.

Picking up Jian Xuan, the voice then took him inside, to which Jian Xuan opened his eyes.

"Ah. Teacher Li. I fell asleep again."

The voice now identified as Teacher Li didn't bother to reply, he had gone through this already and saw no benefit of doing this again.

Instead, he took out a book and gave it to Jian Xuan in order to read, "Read this, it is History of the Zhen Empire."

"Why do I need to know about the Zhen Empire? I live in the Zhou Kingdom!"

Teacher Li sighed before answering his student's question, "The Zhen Empire, while not bordering the Zhou Kingdom, is the most powerful nation, on our continent, it would be foolish for you not to learn about it!"

"A fool I am then." Jian Xian replied without shame.

Teacher Li thought for a second, then asked, "Where is your pride? The pride of the Jian Clan!"

"Elder Brother Qing said he would lift up the entire Jian Clan by himself."

"Indeed, your brother can do such a feat, but, then where is your own pride?"

"Buried, deep."

By this, Teacher Li decided not to continue.

He was a Cultivation Instructor, yet, he had to teach Jian Xuan basic knowledge, the knowledge that he should already know!

He couldn't even teach Jian Xuan any Cultivation, as he was surprisingly near talentless.

It appeared that he had inherited none of his father's or mother's skills. But, even without inheriting neither of their skills, he should still have talent!

Jian Xuan's family was a group based on Body Strengthening, even if Jian Xuan lacked on it, which he did, he should still have quite some talent for Cultivation of the Spirit.

However, for some reason, it seemed that he had little to no talent in that either...

Jian Xuan had almost as much talent as any other mortal. It left him very vulnerable in the case that someone may one day want to take revenge on the Jian Clan.

Fortunately for Jian Xuan, his grandfather was kind enough that he decided to send the meat of Spirit Beasts as to at least build up Jian Xuan's body.

Unfortunately for Jian Xuan, that had a limited effect and it helped mainly to just keep his body in fit shape.

'What a waste...' Teacher Li thought to himself as he looked to Jian Xuan. It was a look of pity, Jian Xuan was the second-born of five children, he would be expected to hold up the Family Name, yet, he wouldn't be able to.

It could have been worst, Jian Xuan's cultivation was at least not crippled. A fate worse then death, some would say, Teacher Li could only recall a single distant memory of---

"Done, reading." Jian Xuan's voice came out of nowhere.

"What? Impossible!" Teacher Li replied, there was no way Jian Xuan was finished, the book was at least several hundreds of pages long! He had to have been lying!

"Open the book and look. Everywhere it says, 'Jian' I have highlighted." Teacher Li didn't know why, but, he opened the book and began to look.

There were no highlights in the few dozens of pages, but... He realized, he had been duped again. Why he kept falling for these things, he didn't know. Jian Xuan was simply to... Trustworthy... Yet, constantly lying at the same time...

Looking to see where his young student should be, not be there, was to be in honest truth, both his student's fault and his own fault.

It was a bit annoying, but, finding his student should be easy. Using his Spiritual Sense, everything within fifty meters was now within his vision, unless they were stronger.

To his dismay, he had found nothing...

Jian Xuan had already left the Inner Area of the Jian Clan Manor...

"Haha, fifty meters in two seconds... Grandfather's gifts are truly from the Heavens if even I can move at such a speed..."

Jian Xuan was now walking running the shops, unaware, of what was going to happen next.

His life would from then on, change forever.