Hengsheng, now atop Lan Ju's flying treasure, returned from Lan City with a golden-colored, basketball-sized oval egg resting on his lap. The egg was engraved with intricate qi runes, exuding a faint metallic aura. This was the mortal-grade metal-type spirit beast egg he had won at the auction for 50,000 mid-grade spirit stones—a price that wasn’t exactly cheap but still reasonable for its potential value.
He studied the egg closely, feeling a twinge of excitement. When it hatched, the egg would give birth to a random spirit beast companion.
Unlike demon beasts, which were essentially wild animals that absorbed spiritual qi and cultivated to gain strength, spirit beasts were a different entity altogether. They were more akin to spirit treasures than living beings. Spirit beasts were born directly from environments with extremely high concentrations of spiritual qi. Their initial form was an egg, and only by nurturing it with a cultivator's qi could they hatch and form a lifelong soul bond with their master.
Once bonded, spirit beasts were fiercely loyal and their strength grew in tandem with their master. Even in the unfortunate event of death, a spirit beast could be resurrected with sufficient resources, provided its master was still alive. However, there was a significant downside: raising a spirit beast was resource-intensive and often required specific environmental conditions to refine and enhance its power. Despite these challenges, the benefits of a spirit beast companion far outweighed the costs.
Hengsheng recalled from his studies that spirit beasts left unclaimed by cultivators could continue absorbing the spiritual qi of heaven and earth until they hatched naturally. Such independent spirit beasts, after millions of years of cultivation, often evolved into the ancestors of powerful demon beast clans—like dragons, phoenixes, and other mythical creatures. However, this natural process until it hatched, was exceedingly slow and rare in the modern era due to the scarcity of untouched high-qi environments.
He also remembered hearing about a distant continent in this realm where spirit beast cultivation was the primary focus, unlike the Golden Pillar Continent, where swordsmanship and blade cultivation reigned supreme.
“In a way, this is just like Pokamon,” Hengsheng thought with a smirk. He’d wanted a spirit beast companion for a while now, but they were rare and expensive on the Golden Pillar Continent. Even a mortal-grade spirit beast egg like this one was a significant investment. Still, he felt confident. “Once I figure out how to abuse my system’s power, raising it should be easy enough.”
For now, though, the egg would remain dormant. It required a steady supply of spiritual qi to hatch—something Hengsheng couldn't provide until he entered the Qi Gathering realm. After inspecting it one last time, he stored the egg carefully in his space pouch.
Looking down from the flying treasure as they approached the Lan Clan residence, Hengsheng took in the sprawling layout of the clan grounds. From above, it looked more like a small city than a single estate. Then, something on the training ground below caught his attention.
“Lan Ju, land over there,” he instructed, pointing toward the bustling training grounds.
Lan Ju nodded, skillfully directing the treasure to descend. As they landed, Hengsheng stepped off, his eyes fixed on the commotion below. Something—or people—had piqued his interest.
As Hengsheng landed, people began to notice him. Most of the individuals present were part of the Lan clan's younger generation, future seeds of the family. However, what truly caught Hengsheng's attention was a particular young man—Lan Baixing. With short black hair and a height that made him stand out, Baixing was the grandson of the third elder. Once upon a time, Baixing had called Hengsheng "Big Brother," only to stab him in the back when it was revealed that Hengsheng was a mortal.
Hengsheng never forgot a grudge.
A mischievous smile curled on Hengsheng’s lips as he focused on his target. Baixing noticed and immediately paled, yelling in desperation, “Lan Hengsheng! Don’t push me too much! I’ll fight back if I have to!”
Hengsheng smirked, his tone oozing mockery. “What are you talking about, my dear young brother? Aren’t we close? Why not spar with me before I return to my cultivation session?”
Baixing’s voice cracked with fear as he pleaded, “Please! I beg you! I was wrong! Just let me go!”
But Hengsheng wasn’t listening. He leaped into the air, his fist aimed squarely at Baixing’s face.
Bang!
Baixing was sent flying, crashing into the ground a few meters away. The rest of his group turned pale and immediately began begging for mercy.
“Big Brother, we were wrong! Please forgive us!”
Before the one who spoke could finish, Bang!—he followed Baixing into the dirt, knocked out cold. The remaining members of the group realized Hengsheng wasn’t going to stop. Panic turned to anger as they started shouting.
“You monster! Why couldn’t you just stay a mortal?”
“Show some mercy! We’re just kids! What’s wrong with you?”
Finally, one of them yelled, “Everyone, gang up on him! Take him down!”
A group of ten dashed toward Hengsheng all at once.
Hengsheng smirked, his movements swift and precise. He dodged their attacks effortlessly, countering each one with just enough force to send them sprawling. Within moments, the entire group was lying on the ground, groaning in pain.
Dusting his palms, Hengsheng glanced at the fallen group. Beating Baixing and his cronies had become something of a hobby since reclaiming his status as a clan prodigy. After news spread that Hengsheng wasn’t a mortal, the clan elders had spun the tale that his mortal status was just a ploy to divert enemy attention. Yet, these idiots had decided to test the waters and challenge him. Their failure had been spectacular.
“Just look at them,” Hengsheng thought with satisfaction as he strolled past the fallen group. His intimidating aura made others watching the scene shrink back in fear. When he noticed a trembling girl, he couldn’t resist scaring her.
“Graaah!” he shouted suddenly.
“Ahhhhhh!” The girl screamed, falling to the ground in fright.
Not everyone, however, was willing to tolerate Hengsheng’s antics.
“Lan Hengsheng!” a voice rang out, firm and sharp. “Stop that right now! This is the Lan clan training ground, not a place for lowly bullies like you!”
Hengsheng turned to see Lan Xiaorong, a core disciple of the clan. The young man, older than most of the group, had long black hair and a wooden sword strapped to his back. At 16 years old, Xiaorong had already reached the middle stage of the Qi Gathering realm, But Hengsheng is not afraid of Lan Xiaorong even though he has a higher cultivation realm because the power range from body awakening and Qi gathering is not wide enough to overwhelming him.
“Brother Xiaorong, teach him a lesson!”
“Make him pay!”
The crowd’s murmurs only bolstered Xiaorong’s resolve. He pointed at Hengsheng, his expression stern. “Lan Hengsheng, bow and apologize for your actions, or I will make you!”
Hengsheng smirked, unfazed. “Why should I? We were just playing. Can you blame me if they’re too weak to keep up?”
Xiaorong’s face turned red with anger. “Fine! You’ve chosen this path yourself. Don’t blame me for what happens next!”
With that, Xiaorong dashed forward, his wooden sword glowing faintly with green wind qi. His movements were swift, enhanced by a Qi technique.
Hengsheng, however, stood his ground. As Xiaorong’s sword swung toward him, Hengsheng’s Ultimate Fighting System activated, guiding his movements with pinpoint precision. He dodged Xiaorong’s strike effortlessly, giving him a slight shove that threw Xiaorong off balance.
Before Xiaorong could recover, Hengsheng’s foot connected with his face.
Bang!
Xiaorong flew backward, landing unceremoniously on the ground. The crowd gasped in shock at his humiliating defeat.
Hengsheng smirked, turning his gaze toward the onlookers who had started to flee.
“Who dares run from me? If I catch you, you’ll wish you were never born!”
Some froze in their tracks, unsure of what to do. Others ignored him, bolting as fast as they could.
Hengsheng memorized the faces of those who dared disobey, filing them away in his mental space for later. He then turned to the remaining crowd, his voice loud and commanding.
“Now, who’s the Big Brother?”