Julanj
With the pills, Wu Chen realized all his craziest torture fantasies without holding back.
Wu Yi was a tough guy but even he eventually screamed in agonizing pain.
His screams could be heard in that corner of the Wu mansion from day to night.
He was no longer human and judging from his screams, he was not even any of the animals known to humanity
Two years went by with Wu Yi still at the mercy of Wu Chen and his torture skills.
He had been moved into a basement of one of the more isolated residences in the mansion. His screams could no longer reach the surface.
The town that had once praised him as a genius had all but forgotten the name, Wu Yi
His fame had been like a shooting star. It had shone brightly overshadowing all other geniuses but it was gone faster than anyone realized or cared.
These days, other names were at the top of the young generation in the town.
Wu Chen was one of these three geniuses.
Wu Chen was sure to eliminate all evidence of Wu Yi.
He had succeeded.
"The Lion Heart Dojo is coming to town next week to choose disciples." said supervisor Wu as the entire family enjoyed their dinner.
The only missing person was Wu Yi.
No one brought up his name at this table in the past two years.
Wu Chen had grown into a handsome young man and his younger sister, Wu Li who was now just twelve years old was beginning to show herself to be a future beauty like her mother Wu Lin.
Wu Lin looked at the supervisor with disbelief.
The Lion Heart Dojo was the fifth most powerful martial arts faction in the Cloud Empire.
They had thousands of disciples and had never recruited disciples so casually. All those interested in joining the dojo had to go to their domain in the Lion Heart Commandery where they would be given countless rigorous tests and if they passed, they would then be given the chance to start as servants in the dojo before they could work their way to become official disciples.
The dojo had branches in all fifty commanderies and their influence over the entire empire was not to be underestimated.
When the supervisor saw the looks of confusion on his family's faces, he explained further
"They are looking for talented juniors to fight in the upcoming Julanj.
They will be relaxing their entry requirements for this recruitment so that they do not miss out on any geniuses."
When Wu Chen heard about the Julanj, he almost went out of his mind.
The Julanj was a tournament held only once in fifty years in the Jianghu. This tournament attracted martial artists from all over the Sky continent.
All these martial artists fought with only one goal in mind, Victory at all cost.
The prizes for each Julanj are always unique treasures of heaven and earth that can propel one further along the path of a martial artist.
It was even rumored that the winner of the Julanj was given an even given the opportunity to further their cultivation by joining one of the mysterious Spirit Sects.
By joining a spirit sect, one would have access to formidable skills and techniques that would give them the power to flip the oceans and under the heavens with a single move. When one joined the Spirit Sects, they would stop being a part of the Jianghu and they would no longer be called martial artists but Spirit cultivators.
Spirit cultivators were rumored to have the ability to soar through the sky and burrow through the earth.
They were no longer considered mortals since they lived for hundreds of years while eating immortal fruits and drinking immoral spirits.
Such legends had spread over the sky continent for thousands of years.
These rumors were reinforced by the fact that previous Julanj winners always disappeared from the public after their victory.
The desire for more power and immortality attracted many martial artists to the Julanj.
The only requirement for one to join was that they had to be fifty years old and below.
"When is the Julanj?"Wu Li asked in a soft timid voice.
Supervisor Wu was surprised that she was the first to ask the most crucial question.
He loved this daughter of his more than anything else.
Wu Chen felt a twinge of jealousy towards his sister.
"It will be held in just ten years from now."
Wu Chen our on a serious look.
He had been practicing the Quick Slash skill the same as the rest of his family including his mother Wu Lin and Wu Li.
Wu Chen was the most talented in his family. The Quick Slash skill had only five stages.
Wu Chen had reached the third stage and he was about to reach the fourth.
The supervisor had reached the second stage and the two girls were still km the first stage.
Wu Chen looked at his father.
With determination in his eyes, he spoke.
"I will join the Lion Heart Dojo."
His words filled the room but the supervisor was not impressed.
Wu Chen could not understand the reason for this.
He had the best chance of being chosen.
"The Lion Heart dojo will be recruiting anyone below forty years of age. Since this is the case, our entire family will be joining the dojo.
We will become a martial family.
We have achieved all the fame and power we can achieve in the mortal world. We will now seek fame and power in the Jianghu. After that, we will try our luck among the immortals." said the supervisor. His voice was filled with great ambition and an unquenchable thirst for power.
His entire family was shaken by his words.
Clap, clap, clap, clap, Wu Li, the youngest member of the family capped with joy.
Supervisor Wu smiled at her with deep love forcing Wu Chen to look away.
This was when he remembered something important.
"You said our entire family!"Wu Chen spoke with confusion.
The entire family included Wu Yi.
TWO YEARS LATER.
Two years had passed like the wind.
In a decrepit courtyard, a young man dressed in tattered black robes swept the compound with an old broom. His movements were steady and practiced, though his frail body seemed on the verge of collapsing into a skeleton.
The wind carried his long black hair, making it flow like a stream. Despite his extreme poverty, the young man’s striking features shone through. His lifeless, deep green eyes, capable of captivating any maiden’s heart, hinted at a buried strength.
Once the courtyard was clean, he gathered the rubbish—mostly fallen yellow leaves—and stuffed it into a large sack. His gaze lifted toward the towering tree at the center of the courtyard, the source of his daily toil. He harbored no hatred for the tree itself but couldn’t help resenting its relentless shedding of leaves.
Throwing the sack over his shoulder, he trudged out of the courtyard. Through the only window of a modest residence, a mature woman watched him intently. This was Wu Lin, the wife of Supervisor Wu.
The young man, Wu Yi, appeared to be around eighteen years old. As he left, Wu Lin's brown eyes followed him, her gaze lingering.
Outside, Wu Yi continued along a narrow path, picking up more rubbish and adding it to the bulging sack. Seven heaps later, his task was done, and he began descending the small mountain.
Along the way, he passed numerous residences in equally poor condition as the one he had left. The heavy sack slowed his progress, and as he walked, he encountered other people. These individuals wore red robes adorned with the insignia of a roaring lion—disciples of the Lion Heart Dojo.
They ignored Wu Yi, stepping aside to avoid being soiled by the dirty, fishy-smelling servant. While his handsomeness couldn’t be denied, his unkempt appearance repelled them.
After some time, Wu Yi reached a small hut at the dojo's edge. The moment he arrived, a fat man with a pig-like face emerged. This man, Du, was a disciple of the dojo, unlike Wu Yi, who was merely a servant.
“Do you have no manners? Didn’t your whore of a mother teach you anything?” sneered Du.
Wu Yi immediately lowered his head. “Greetings, Senior Du,” he said humbly.
Du’s face split into a pleased smile as he moved closer. His massive body quaked with each step, like a water-filled sack. Standing before Wu Yi, Du’s towering presence seemed even more overwhelming—a giant of a man, albeit an enormous, flabby one.
Without warning, a loud slap echoed as Du struck Wu Yi, sending him sprawling to the ground. The single blow rendered Wu Yi unconscious. When he awoke an hour later, he was alone, his cheek red and swollen. This was far from the first time such an incident had occurred.
Slowly, Wu Yi rose and began the arduous climb back up the mountain.
Two years ago, Supervisor Wu had harbored ambitions of transforming his family into a martial one. He had joined the Lion Heart Dojo, bringing Wu Yi along as a servant. At first, all had gone according to plan—the entire family was accepted as disciples, while Wu Yi assumed the role of their servant.
However, Supervisor Wu had made a catastrophic miscalculation. His young master, Chu Han, reacted poorly upon hearing of their affiliation with the Lion Heart Dojo. The family was forced to flee under the cover of night, carrying only what wealth they could manage. Fortunately, the dojo had not turned its back on them entirely.
Wu Yi couldn’t help but shake his head at the sheer incompetence of it all. He had worked tirelessly to build the wealth that Supervisor Wu had squandered with one foolish, outdated assumption—that Chu Han and the Lion Heart Dojo remained on good terms. That assumption had been fatally incorrect.
Reaching the small residence at the mountain's peak, Wu Yi entered the Outer Disciple Mountain. While the outer disciples were not highly regarded in the dojo, they still held the title of disciples.
Behind the residence, Wu Yi entered a small bathroom. After a quick shower, he emerged clean and fresh, the dirt and grime that had obscured his handsome face washed away. He donned another set of black robes, signaling his status as a servant, and hung his soiled garments on a tree to dry.
Back inside, he found Wu Lin seated near the window. Clad in the dojo's red robes, she exuded a mature, attractive aura. Even in poverty, her beauty had not faded. Wu Yi dared not meet her gaze as he set about cleaning the house, meticulously dusting each corner.
He moved to the kitchen and prepared a simple meal for the woman who was supposed to be his mother. That night, Wu Lin dined alone. Her son Wu Chen and daughter Wu Li were away on a dojo mission. As for Supervisor Wu, he spent most nights working late in the dojo’s mission office, tirelessly striving to rebuild the fortune he had once squandered. Sometimes, he didn’t return home at all.