The Announcement

Huang Yang's eyes swept across the countless books, filling the walls, he knew that some of these were not really of much use for him, some simply talked about theories, while other hardly matched his elements. He had three main points he searched for, fire, metal, and Sword.

His eyes quickly landed on a copy of the Roaring flame sword art, practiced by most Huang family members, as it fitted their martial spirit perfectly. He even realized that a lot of other books were dedicated to this sword art, likely former family members who studied the Roaring Flame sword art.

He decided to move on, as he wasn't sure about his martial spirit yet, since he wasn't of biological birth. He saw other sword arts, such as the Swift fire sword art, which seemed to have elements of wind and fire.

He soon realized that most of the sword arts had a subtle mix of elements, he found the Hot Steam sword art interesting, yet he didn't know anything about his affinity to water and didn't want to take a gamble.

The Ground Cracker sword art sounded cool, yet relied upon the earth element too much. Finally, he found the fire and metal section, which ended up housing only one manual. What Huang Yang didn't know, was that blacksmiths were rare due to the uniqueness of the metal element. Having metal as the only element was already a blessing, and having two meant that a person was a true child of heaven.

The Manual's name was The Scorched Steel sword art, which blended the fire and metal elements. Huang Yang almost jumped out of joy when he saw it, with a quick jab, the book appeared in his hand. The author's name seemed to be Ren Jie.

'My sword shall one day scorch this lowly world', those were the words written on the first page. Huang Yang felt drawn to each and every word, which seemed to hold both pity and anger. Maybe this really is nothing more than a lowly little world.

Huang Yang began to browse the book, looking through the instructions and movements. The Scorched Steel sword art had four stages: The basic where a person would enhance the movements of the sword through their affinity with metal. The second added external flames to the sword. The third united the two, creating a burning blade, which could cut through anything with its heat. The last stage actually had a name, 'Ashen earth'. When the blade was drawn, a domain of heat that could burn even the toughest metal would appear, this step, however, was not truly explained in the book.

A childish smile had been forming on Huang Yang's libs as he stuffed the manual into his robes, ready to go on home and train.

As he was a couple of feet out the doorway a shadow came crawling up from behind him. He turned around only to see Huang Zhilan's angry face staring at him.

"It disgusts me that an outsider thinks so highly of himself, how dare you look at our martial arts?!", Huang Zhilan said with an ugly face.

Huang Yang's heart sank as he once again felt the pain he had experienced when he showed a small amount of talent at three years old. While he didn't see people like Huang Zhilan as loved ones, he felt sadness every time he heard them degrade him.

While he was strong and had talent, he was still no more than a six-year-old child who had matured a bit faster than others due to various treatments.

"Please leave me alone, none of you even want this manual", Huang Yang said with his eyes facing the ground. He hated the eyes some of the family members looked at him with. He just kept on telling himself that they were narrow-minded. Just like his grandfather said.

Huang Zhilan drew the sword tied to his hip. The grip was made of red leather and clearly matched his robes. "Let us see what the amazing freak can do", he said with a wicked smile.

"So this is what has become of the former number one talent. When Unable to accept reality, he wants to kill a six-year-old... it's a pity!", said a stern voice coming from behind Huang Zhilan.

From the library came Huang Wei with a peaceful smile. "Are you dumb, child, you are only a couple of steps away from the library, please do think. We enjoy peace here," He said.

His gaze darted off to a nearby building with a hint of anger hidden within them. "Why not come out brother Lang, or are you waiting for the death of a junior", Huang Wei said.

From the building came a burst of booming laughter, as a middle-aged chubby man with a big beard walked out. "I'm sorry brother Wei, but I don't see anything wrong with a friendly contest", Huang Lang said with a smile.

"Father!", shouted Huang Zhilan before taking off towards him, greatly interested in getting away from his uncle Wei. Huang Lang patted his son's shoulder before taking a piercing look at Huang Yang.

"How about a friendly contest in a months time, you can study your martial arts and even gain experience fighting my son", Huang Lang said with a toothy smile.

Huang Yang felt anger deep within his heart towards these two. His uncle Lang had always been a devil wearing a mask, while his son always acted like an arrogant young master. He would likely have felt fear towards these two, yet he knew that he had some talent, and on his back was a giant sword, boosting his confidence. "Deal!", he said with his childish voice.

With an even broader smile, Huang Lang clapped his hands and said, "Then we will see you in the courtyard this time next month". The duo soon disappeared from Huang Yang's sight. He knew that he needed to inform Lei Nianzu about his talent before starting his training, so he quickly took off after thanking Huang Wei.

When he came to Lei Nianzu, he informed him about his talent and the fact that the stone cracked again. Lei Nianzu had an urge to dance and sing yet kept it to himself, after discovering the anger within Huang Yang's eyes. After learning about what happened he wanted to release his rage, he knew, however, that Huang Yang had to handle this himself, in order for him to overcome his fear.

Huang Yang quickly reached the training grounds just outside his house. After greeting his mother and little Xianjun, he placed the Bronzefire greatsword by his side before he began flipping through his manual. Hours drifted by as Huang Yang was fully invested in his new skill. Only when the sun began to set, did he realize that his grandfather and father hadn't returned since they took off earlier.

The minutes seemed to crawl by, as Huang Yang began feeling worried. He couldn't focus on his martial arts, as his mind would begin to wander about, while imagining the others never returning.

At night when he couldn't sleep, he sat in the garden outside their humble home, silently feeding Xiaotian some grapes. Had his mother seen Huang Yang she would have put him to beg, as his listless face seemed too obvious.

Soon, however, the silent night began to change as a lions roar boomed across the Huang family estate. Huang Yang looked up with a dazed expression. He knew that roar, the power behind it, told him that this was his grandfather's martial spirit.

"You unfulfilled son... Huang Qiang how dare you not appear when we are attacked by demons?!!", Huang Canfeng shouted out, for all family members to hear.

Standing in front of a luxurious building, was the patriarch of the Huang family. He would normally wear simple robes with a lion sown on to it, yet now he wore armor made from the toughest iron the mines could dig up. His face was red from both anger and exhaustion, while fresh drops of blood fell from every part of his body.

"Get your ass out here now, or never show yourself again!!", he shouted. From every word he spoke, the dirt from the earth seemed to rise up imitating his anger. His powerful qi seemed to pressure the very earth itself as the ground beneath him began to break apart.

His eyes seemed to become the essence of fire, as the heat generated from him melted the golden decorations on his son's house.

"Grandpa, why are you mad?", said a small voice, filled with sadness, as if the child had truly suffered this time. From the door came Huang Long with a tired face.

Tenderness flashed across Huang Canfeng's eyes, as he retracted his burning qi. As a grandfather, how could he not hold love for his grandson? Yet this boy's father had truly sinned. Mortals and soldiers hired by the Huang family had died today.

"Those soldiers could have lived to see their families, yet too many died due to you not showing up... You do not deserve the Purple Flame spear, as you do not deserve the trust of this family", Huang Canfeng said with gritted teeth, as a hint of pain rose in his heart.

He turned around to look at the members and servants of the Huang family, whose heads had sneaked out through the doors and windows of their houses. The Huang family had its place in green fields, with an abundance of trees surrounding it. Most houses were simple and quite few in number. At the center was the main hall of the family, closely connected to the courtyard, armory, and library.

His little family could not be counted as unique, yet Huang Canfeng did not care. His eyes peered towards the main hall and went even further off, looking at a small house at the foot of a mountain. This was the house of Huang Shi, Xiao Shu, and his grandchildren Huang Yang and Huang Xianjun. Huang Canfeng's mood seemed to grow better, as a faint smile appeared on his bearded lips.

"I now announce that my son, Huang Shi, shall be the next Patriarch of the Huang family...".