Trial

In a large living room, there sat a beautiful couple that looked to be in their 20s, but with a more majestic air, no 20 yo can ever hope to match.

With a large stature and dignified face, but also carrying a gentle loving eyes as he look at his children, Astof sat there with his wife by his side.

Astof was even larger than grandpa, standing at 2.2m tall and a shoulder-width twice his wife, no wonder the couch made for 4 people looked so cramped.

His wife, Elen had a beautiful face worthy of being called a Blew, even though she was married into the family. She had a playful grin on her face, eyebrows arched as she look questioningly at her youngest, whose hair was in a mess.

The couple had their hands locked with each other, as Elen leaned on her husband's broad shoulders. "Mia, why do you look like that?" Astof asked.

Mia ignored the question and dove into her father's warm embrace. 'Traitor' thought Gran in his heart.

Seeing this, Elen looked at Gran and spread her loving arms. "Come child." She said with a soothing tone. Gran smiled and dove into his mother's arms, following his sister's actions.

"Oh what a big baby, my big baby. How have you been? Let mother take a look at your face. Hmm, you're ready to find yourself a mate!" Elen giggled as she joked.

"Father! Gran has become even faster! It was like swoosh and I ended up here in a flash!" Mia excitedly looked at her father and Gran, both male members in the household exchanged gazes and nodded.

Both confirm their unending love for the little princess.

"Hmmm, I see you have improved once again. I think it'll be time to abdicate soon. HAHA." Astof joked but with a serious eye. Gran rolled his eyes and said, "You can keep that position until you reach 100 old man."

"Or you can come with me and help out at the company, show all those young 'geniuses' what a genius truly is." Elen chimed in, with a hint of dissatisfaction in her tone. "Mum you know I'm not interested in stuff like that."

Gran dismissed as he look around the living room. With a simple design, the furniture is placed according to the feng shui master's recommendation, with a pure white wallpaper and wooden floor, coated in the best coat.

"I will miss this place." Gran whispered, immediately turning the atmosphere in the room dull. Tears formed in Mia's eyes as she looked at her big brother, who was about to challenge the trial and go down the mountain.

All members of the clan had to challenge the mountain trial at the age of 18 and exit the mountain's protection at the age of 18, before that they had to study and stay on the mountain to prepare for the trial.

The trial was simple; survive an onslaught of attacks by the older generation as you travel down the mountain and reach the gates. the further you go, the more support you can receive when you enter the real world.

"The trial is nothing for my son. What's the point of all this nonsense when he is one of the strongest in the clan already?!" Elen snorted as she gave Astof a look.

"Rules are rules." astof said without interest. "So, what do you plan to do when you go down?" He asked his son.

"Hmm, I haven't thought much about it, I guess ill explore the world? See if I can gain any insight on how to improve my cultivation."

Both parents gave each other a helpless look, not knowing what to say about their son's stubbornness. Mia looked at her big brother in awe, since young she has always respected and idolized her big brother.

Being the genius of the clan, young Gran has accomplished many things that left the older generation speechless and in shame. Completing the education ahead of time at the age of 6, he started cultivating from 6 to 15 and finally reached the peak. What usually took decades of practice, was done in a mere 9 years.

'Monster' was what others called him, and rightfully so.

Not only was he great at cultivating, but he was also very accomplished in the academics field, helping elders and the older generation with their research. Recently, he published the theory of energy fusion.

By combining solar and thermal energy, a greater, more sustainable energy was produced. This allowed the clan's defense system and other systems to increase in efficiency and also helped his mother earn a lot of money.

Of course, he had a stake in all this, and without stepping out from the mountain, he had already acquired a vast fortune to his name.

But everyone knows what his true dream was, that was to improve the cultivation method, to breakthrough from qi refining to a greater realm.

The energy fusion theory was just a side product whilst research combining qi with other forms of energy. Alas, his research bored no fruit as he couldn't solve the biggest problem in his clan's history despite his genius.

'Maybe somewhere out there...' Gran thought to himself.

At the dinner table, in the evening. The family was chatting about random stuff.

"Mia, how are your studies?" currently doing her education with the clan's school, Mia was one of the brightest students albeit not outshining her big brother. "I can graduate in a year's time!" Mia proudly puffed her chest out as she loudly declared.

"Then you can start preparing for the foundation realm now. Ask your brother for guidance before he leaves." Astof instruct.

"Yes, father." The sibling answered.

There are 4 cultivation realms in this current world. Namely, foundation, body tempering, meridian opening, and qi refining realm. In the first realm, kids Mia's age have to practice martial arts stances to build their foundation and muscles, preparing for the body tempering realm.

In this realm, they also learn basic weapons and fighting techniques. In the body tempering realm, they have to temper their body with herbs and intense training, strengthening whatever foundation they've built before that.

For some, body tempering would be the endpoint of their cultivation journey for a sole reason. Pain.

Body tempering is too painful, just like its name suggests body tempering requires one to put your body under immense pressure, forging it through fire. Of course for a clan like the Blew clan, there are many body tempering styles to choose from.

But one thing is common for all the styles, the more pain you can withstand the better the results. Body tempering requires one to tear the body's muscles through intense exercises and use herbal baths to heal and strengthen them.

The more the muscles are torn, the more herbal essence is able to seep into the depth of the muscles. Therefore, those who can withstand stronger and more painful tearing of the muscles will usually receive more benefits from the herbal baths.

The Meridian tempering realm is the easiest realm to go through. When the body is tempered enough, meridians suitable for qi passage will start to appear all over the body. This usually indicates the end of the body tempering realm.

Normal humans have their own meridians but those are not suitable to carry qi as they are too fragile; they're called mortal meridians.

Cultivators cultivate tempered meridians that can hold qi, and to cultivate in the meridian tempering realm, one must continuously strengthen the meridian and prepare them for the qi refinement realm.

Unlike the body tempering realm, meridians should not go through intense stress as they break easily, thus to temper them, the meridians have to go through the meridians tempering cycle.

Each cycle is made up of three steps, pill, fire, and ice. After taking a medicinal pill, the body must go through heat tempering, followed by cold tempering.

By the fire and ice treatment, the meridians will turn brittle, making it easier for the medicinal properties to be absorbed, thus tempering them.

Finally, after the meridians are tempered enough when the fire and ice treatment are no longer enough, the qi refining can begin. This realm is the most straightforward, absorb qi!

The absorbed qi will flow through the body, strengthening it, and also making martial arts techniques more powerful.

Mia was currently excited in her seat after gaining her father's permission to start cultivating.

She only had one goal, her brother! Sadly he will not be there to see her progress, but she would surely show him her improvements when he returns from the outside one day.

Now it is time for the trial.