01 - Rock Bottom
However, it doesn't matter if we are talking about the martial world or normal society, in the end, it is practically impossible to divide people into evil and good, as even among the so-called legendary heroes, there are disguised villains, and a world where you can climb to the top only through effort and talent would hardly exist or will ever exist.
Wealth, status, fame, appearance, and many other factors matter; even in the martial world, strength and talent are just two of the many things that are needed just to survive, and unfortunately, in the overwhelming majority of cases, most of these things are attained at birth, having your destiny partially written from the beginning.
Long Shen, although he was merely a teenager at just 14 years old, was well aware of all this, he knew how rotten not only the martial world but the world as a whole was and how horrible his life would be from a very young age given his poor origins.
An orphan who never even met his parents, he grew up and lived within a decaying sect believing he could ascend in the martial world thanks to the stories he had heard about it, enduring all hardships and keeping all his hatred inside while dreaming of a better future.
Until one day, when participating in his sect's awakening ceremony at the age of 13, he discovered his grand talent, a talent that could not even be measured in a conventional way, thus believing this would be the moment his dreams would come true, similar to the stories he had heard in his childhood, but this was, in reality, the beginning of his nightmare.
Envied, hated, feared, and despised by the people around him, and even possessing great talent, fearing he would grow and seek revenge against them, the elders refused to give him any opportunity to become stronger, not even allowing him to cultivate properly; the martial world truly was disgusting. But one person showed herself to be different towards the young orphan: a girl.
However, no matter how much of a friend he was to the girl, who had a high status within the city, his fate still seemed inevitable when, upon opening his eyes after another night of sleep, he found himself in a horrible and sudden situation, hearing that disgusting voice he knew all too well.
"Well, well, well, look who woke up! If it isn't the number one talent of our sect and Yue Qing's best friend, Long Shen! Did you have a good night's sleep?"
Lying on what seemed to be the grass of some nocturnal forest, he tried to move his body or even say something, but he realized both his arms and legs were tied, and his mouth was covered by a cloth.
Although his vision was somewhat blurred and he couldn't completely see the face of whoever was speaking to him at that moment given his position, just through his voice, it was possible to deduce who that arrogant and sarcastic boy was.
That voice... Wang Ming?
The only son of the sect master, as well as the promised fiancé of Yue Qing, the heiress of the Yue Family, and his only friend.
Just by discovering the identity behind his kidnapping, Long Shen could easily think of why this was happening, since Wang Ming had always been known as someone who, despite being frequently rejected by his own promised fiancée, continued to be jealous of her, threatening anyone who approached her.
No matter how desperate he was in this situation, the young orphan tried his best to remain calm and not make any big movements, for he knew that would give exactly what the arrogant young master wanted, only keeping those naturally sharp and intimidating eyes of his, with his purple pupils standing out in the darkness.
"Hey! Don't look at me with those eyes, Long Shen! I initially planned to throw you into the Blood Lake Pit for having walked too much with my woman, but as someone benevolent, given your talent, I can spare you if you decide to become my follower and never approach Yue Qing again... What do you say?"
Instead of simply shaking his head, muffled sounds came from the cloth over the young orphan's mouth, causing Wang Ming, already sure of his answer, to have no choice but to ask his two followers to untie the cloth from his mouth. But the answer he received was the complete opposite of what he expected.
"Pfft... Hahahahaha... Do you really think I would agree to follow someone as useless and talentless as you, Wang Ming? Just think for a second, if even Yue Qing, who should be your wife, prefers to be with me, some random orphan, rather than with you, the young master of the sect, how pathetic must you be? Even your followers must laugh at you behind your back! Hahahahaha..."
Veins popped out on Wang Ming's face, his entire face showing signs of rage about to explode, and seeing that mocking and arrogant smile on Long Shen's face only made it worse.
His followers, seeing this, without needing him to order anything, shouted in unison how the young orphan had the courage to treat the young master like this, cursing him in every way while they began to kick him on the ground to the point of making him spit blood.
But, no matter how much they kicked and stomped on him, or how much they humiliated him, cursing him and his situation, the expression of scorn and arrogance on Long Shen's face did not leave at all, all while he kept staring fixedly in the direction of the young master.
When it seemed that Wang Ming was about to explode with rage, with just a slight sigh and his eyes closed, his expression calmed down, surprising even Long Shen, but his following speech, no matter how calm his voice was, demonstrated that his hatred had not truly extinguished internally.
"Well, you leave me no choice, Long Shen. Apparently, inferior people aren't capable of understanding the kindness of the superior... Throw him into the pit."
His last words were few but enough to take even his subordinates by surprise, causing them to hesitate about following his order, since this was not the original plan, and if discovered, it could land them in big trouble.
"Young Master, are you really sure!? Yue Qing won't—"
Before he could finish his plea, a strong wave of energy was released from Wang Ming's body, causing a subtle but visible bluish energy to appear around him, and with just a brief glance, it instilled fear even in Long Shen, who did not show it outside but felt that presence piercing through his body and lightly crushing his heart.
So... This is the power of someone about to reach the Spiritual Awakening Realm!? Fuck...
Wang Ming did not have above-average talent, nor did he have a special physique or a bloodline blessed by the heavens, but he had money, money that enabled him to reach a higher level in cultivation than the geniuses of the sect.
Thus, with great fear penetrating even to his bones, both of his followers just lowered their heads in agreement, sounding cold, and while cursing Wang Ming for putting their lives at risk, they grabbed Long Shen's body and began preparing to throw him into the depths of the pit.
"Hmph! I hope that in your next life you learn to value the kindness of others more, you poor and despicable orphan."
About to be thrown, unable to speak since he still felt the pressure of the previously released energy present in his body, the young orphan just maintained a subtle smile on his face and, with his arms still tied in front of his body, raised his middle finger towards Wang Ming, having as his last sight the pleasant look of anger on the young master's face.
...
The pit really seemed bottomless, just as the stories said, and several minutes had passed as Long Shen continued to fall into it, his view from the top gradually being swallowed by the darkness around him.
Thoughts and more thoughts raced through his mind in what seemed to be his last moments of life, a premature end he had always expected would someday happen to him, but still couldn't help but feel sad and terrified about his tragic death.
A premature death, in the midst of darkness, alone, after living a life accumulating sadness and anger towards the world, and now, being killed by the mere whim of someone who was envious and jealous of him, simply for having, for the first time, someone he could talk to and rely on for help.
Anyone in his situation would have the same feelings he did: the feeling of injustice, the hatred for feeling abandoned by the heavens, thrown towards that fate without even having had a chance to change it at any moment, especially since what could a mere orphan like him do against someone with a status as high as Wang Ming?
Shit... Should I really have swallowed my pride and accepted becoming this bastard's little dog? But...
Long Shen pondered, but deep down he knew he couldn't continue living this way for much longer.
What was the reason for having so much pride? He didn't even know for sure, as he had always done everything to survive, even humiliating himself to the other disciples of the sect to earn a few pills for cultivation or a few coins.
Maybe he was just tired of how his life was going, already wishing to face his death, deciding then to show at least a little pride by irritating someone he considered untouchable, a pitiable action that he knew only someone as weak as him would take as a form of revenge for all those years he spent suffering at Wang Ming's hands.
More and more minutes passed, lost in his thoughtsm Long Shen didn't even know exactly how much time had passed, however, now, in the distance, he could see the crimson waters at the bottom of the pit.
Fuck... So, this is my end... An inevitable end for those at the bottom of the food chain like me... Sigh...
In the end, Long Shen understood, it wasn't strength or talent that mattered in the martial world, it was power, a power that goes beyond merely being strong alone, it is the power of wealth, of the collective, of influence, and various other powers that, together, could lead you to the power to survive and ascend in this corrupted world.
For those born without the fortune of already possessing such powers and still wishing to survive, all that was left was to tread a dark path that one could not be proud of, something Long Shen never did, since he only endured and suppressed his darkest thoughts for fear of losing the only person by his side.
... If I only had another chance... I would challenge even the heavens themselves, I would do whatever it took to become stronger... Yeah... To hell with being human! To hell with being alone! To hell with being seen as something worse than a demon! I'm not even seen as a person by the world, so why the hell should I continue being one!?
Like this, the feeling of rage began to rise again, but it was already too late, and Long Shen knew this, having no choice but to dream that some miracle could happen, even though he himself didn't believe that could occur, given everything the heavens had dealt him in this life.
A few meters from reaching that dense water filled with the blood of the dead who had fallen there, knowing that his end was inevitable, Long Shen closed his eyes, his last vision being a sudden white light emerging around him.
Wait, why is my necklace—
Boom!!! Splash!!!