1 Opening

Vast Expanse mortal world

Blue Rose Kingdom

Capital city.

Emperor's courtyard

Emperor Yan was sitting with his wife looking at his son playing with the flowers in his garden. He looked at his son and said, " I wonder what is going to happen to our son." His face was covered with grief and worry.

His wife looked at her husband with a faint smile and whispered softly, ' don't worry he is our son no matter how difficult his life becomes we will always be there for him."

Her words brought him some comfort but one could still see the worry in his eyes.

" I have asked for another healer from Serpent Valley Sect. They are saying he is the best healer in our kingdom. Maybe he can find out what is wrong with our son."

For a second, there was a ray of hope in his eyes. The little boy was six years old. He came running out of the bushes with a blue rose in his hand. His hands and face were covered with dirt. But his sparkling green eyes made him look very cute. He had a head full of messy brown hair and sword like eyebrows just like his father.

He came running towards his parents and jumped in his father's lap. "Look father I brought a rose for you." He said with a crisp voice.

His father grabbed the blue rose and then looked at his son's beaming smile. His eyes watered a little.

Right then, they heard several footsteps. Five people entered the courtyard. The one leading them was an old man in his sixties. He was wearing loose white robes with golden snakes embroidered all over. His head had little hair. The most frightening thing was his eyes. They were completely white. But his ruddy face made him look quite amicable. Rest were dressed in a similar fashion. They looked like his followers. He walked towards Emperor Yan and stopped three feet away. He bowed and said, "Lu Sheng is at your service, your highness."

Rest of the four of the other people kneeled.

Emperor Yan nodded and stood up. "We shall start right away. " He said and carried his son into the small wooden cabin in his courtyard.

His wife also followed them into the cabin. Emperor Yan laid his son on the bed and they all gathered around him. Wei Ren was not at all surprised. Because this was not the first time his father had done something like this. Several healers from all over the kingdom had come to see him. He was born with a very special ailment that had no cure. His father searched the entire kingdom for a cure or an immortal medicine but nothing has worked so far. Lu Sheng walked over to Wei Ren's bed and bowed and said, " young master Wei would you please remove your shirt?

Wei Ren complied very easily after all this was not his first time. Some healers had even stripped him completely.

His mother helped him take off his shirt. His small left arm had a strange red birthmark that looked like a mountain, but it was very ill shaped. Lu Sheng closed his eyes and stretched his right palm out of his white robe. A white colored flame flickered over his fingertips. He slowly and gently placed it just below Wei Ren's navel. This is where a person's dantian is. The dantian is the place where cultivators store their elemental qi. The moment his fingers touched Wei Ren's skin, Wei Ren started to squeal in pain. His mother bit her lips and watched as her son suffer in pain.

Emperor Yan watched without flinching. He wasn't worried that Lu Sheng might hurt his son because no one would dare to hurt his son in his presence.

Ten minutes passed.

Lu Sheng was covered in sweat. Wei Ren had also passed out from the pain. Suddenly Lu Sheng opened his eyes and removed his hand from Wei Ren's body as if a snake had bitten him. His face was covered in astonishment

"There are no meridians. Even the dantian is missing." He said in shock.

He was breathing heavily. "Your highness I might have found the main reason why young master can't cultivate!!!"

"What is it?!!" Emperor Yan asked hastily.

"Meridians your highness. Young master has no meridians. As you know, meridians are the channels inside our bodies that are used to regulate qi to cultivate. But young master Wei has no meridians. He also has no dantian to store elemental qi. Previously when I read your letter, I read that the young master has no dantian. I can cure that with pills. A pseudo dantian can be placed inside young master's body. But there are no channels for his qi. Even making such a dantian would be useless. That is why he can't cultivate. This is the most surprising thing I have seen in my life. Even spirit beasts and common animals have meridians but young master has none."

"Impossible. He has meridians. I have checked it myself. Even with my level of cultivation base, do you think I am mistaken?" Emperor Yan asked with anger.

"Forgive me my lord, but what you saw are not meridians but empty spaces where his meridians are supposed to be. I also mistook those lines as meridians but when I used my karmic flame to search, I found that they are not meridians."

"I apologize, your highness. I, Lu Sheng , have failed you. " Lu Sheng bowed deeply. Even Lu Sheng's followers portrayed themselves on the ground.

Emperor Yan looked at Lu Sheng and his followers with helplessness. He carried his passed out son out of the cabin. When he opened the door there were two men outside.

"Wei Ming. What are you doing here?" Emperor Yan asked with surprise. It was a man who looked a lot like emperor Yan. This man was emperor Yan's cousin and the other person was his aide Li Chong.

"Well I heard about Grand healer Lu Sheng was coming to see my nephew. So I came to hear if he found anything." Wei Ming said with a deeply concerned look.

"He didn't find anything." Emperor Yan said with a frown. He didn't tell Wei Ming the truth because he knew that this smiling man was not someone he could trust. His mother was the previous emperor's concubine so he wasn't the rightful heir to the throne. While Emperor Yan's mother was the true queen. That was why he won the throne and Wei Ming got nothing.

Li Chong, his aide, was someone just like him. A venomous viper waiting to bite.

Wei Ming reached out with his hand to touch Wei Ren's head but Emperor Yan didn't allow his hand to fall on his son.

Wei Ming's eyes narrowed but he maintained a pretentious smile. He kept silent.

Li Chong's eyes also narrowed when he saw this.

Emperor Yan took his son to the main house in the courtyard and laid him there in his room. When he came out he looked as if he had been tired for years.

Even a cultivation expert like him couldn't change his son's destiny. Being unable to cultivate in this era means that you are worth nothing. Strong are feared while weak are butchered; this is the law of this land.

Wei Ren's mother Feng Yu looked at her husband with worry. Even though she acted as if everything was going to be fine she knew the dangers of not being able to cultivate even in this world.

Lu Sheng paid his respects and left with his followers. Wei Ming also left just as quietly as he had come.

It was just husband and wife sitting silently in the courtyard looking at the blue roses. Blue Rose Kingdom was famous for these roses. The whole scene looked as if it was a painting.

Emperor Yan pondered while looking at the sky and sighed." I wonder what father would have done?"

Feng Yu looked at her husband's weak face but didn't say anything. They spent entire afternoon sitting there keeping each other's company.

They were cultivators. Sitting like this for even days was nothing to them. Just when Emperor Yan was about to get up he heard soft footsteps. It was Wei Ren. He had woken up. He came running and jumped in his father's lap. Emperor Yan hugged his son tightly and whispered." Father will always protect you."

Wei Ren blinked his big green eyes and said "don't worry father even if I can't cultivate I will still become a great Emperor just like you."

Emperor Yan was startled. But deep down his resolve to protect his son became even stronger.

"Alright, then it is decided. If Ren'er can't cultivate, maybe we should teach him other things." Emperor Yan said with a fresh smile.

"Like what?" Feng Yu asked.

"Well he should learn martial arts to keep a strong body, he should also start learning all about war tactics. After all a good emperor needs the mindset to govern his army. In a war, individual power doesn't matter. And of course if Ren'er wants to, he can also become a scholar." Emperor Yan answered.

"What do you think, what do you want to become?" Feng Yu asked her son as he played with his father's robes.

"Umm… I can't choose. Can I become all of them?" Wei Ren asked with a childish smile.

Both Emperor Yan and Feng Yu were surprised.

"Of course, son. You can become all of them. I will find you the greatest teachers in our kingdom. Learn any skill you want." Emperor Yan said with great confidence.

"He really is my son." Emperor Yan thought in his heart. Even at such a young age Wei Ren knew the implications of not being able to cultivate.

And that was it. If cultivation was not possible Wei Ren focused on other things. His father spent six months trying to find the best teachers for his son. This six year old now had the tightest schedules any toddler could have.

By the age of eight Wei Ren could read write and speak five languages. After this, he joined the military tactic school and spent time in a real battlefield at the southern border of their Blue Rose Kingdom. He not only won all his battles but also became famous and earned the title of the devil general in the neighboring kingdoms. This all because of his infamous tactics and strange strategies. At the age of fourteen he focused on profound poetry and gained mastery in archery, swordsmanship and spear wielding. He excelled at everything except cultivation. His body was completely devoid of any elemental qi.

Nine years later.

It was a long grassy road. A giant wagon was being pulled by four blue scaled horses. In their black eyes a white flame danced as they pulled the giant wagon behind them. A young face popped out of the wagon's window. He looked like a young man in his late teens. His green eyes sparkled with excitement. His short brown hair shined as he enjoyed the cool summer breeze hitting his face.

"Young master I don't think it is safe to keep your head out the window." Another man sitting inside the wagon said with worry. He was a man in his late twenties he was wearing a white robe with a blue rose pin at his collar. He looked like a scholar."

"Bei Piao you worry too much. Life is short. You should learn to live without fear. Don't you remember what master said, fear is a poison that kills your heart." Wei Ren said with a carefree smile.

Bei Piao was at a loss for words. He was never able to change his unruly young master's mind.

"Ren'er keep your head inside the wagon." Yelled another man who was also sitting inside the wagon. He was in his forties. His long brown hair just like Wei Ren flowed as wind blew through the wagon. He was wearing black military uniform. He also had a blue rose pin at his collar but that was not the only pin. There was a black dragon shaped symbol that read 'general' on his chest. His eyes were closed but it looked as if he could still see everything. Wei Ren immediately pulled his head inside with a pout on his face.

"It would be a shame if you get killed on your way to the capital city. I promised your father I would bring you back in one piece." He said without any hesitation.

"I promise I won't get killed, Grandpa Tian." Wei Ren chuckled.

Wei Ren was used to this angry general's scolding. He was very bad with his words but when it came to war tactics his Grandpa Tian was the best in the kingdom. That is why Emperor Yan decided to send his son to the infamous general Wei Tian. Wei Tian was the brother of Emperor Yan's father Wei Shan.

Wei Shan and Wei Tian together conquered the Blue Rose Kingdom. Wei Shan became the Emperor while Wei Tian decided to help his brother by becoming his right hand man and serve him as the general.

"You don't have to worry about the journey, Grandpa Tian. I already sent two officers to patrol ahead of us. If they meet any danger they will signal is first." Wei Ren said with wide a smile.

Wei Tian opened his eyes for the first time. A slight smile appeared on his face. He was too familiar with Wei Ren. This child who was born without any talent to cultivate was more crafty than any of the old monsters he knew of. He always planned ahead and stayed careful but acted as if he didn't care.

"I wonder if I will be able to recognize father and mother. I haven't seen them for so long." Wei Ren chuckled.

"You will recognize them. They both have strong cultivation bases. So their appearances will stay the same for a long time. Look at me I am almost eighty years old but I look like a forty year old man." Wei Tian said with a laugh.

"I know. But they might not recognize me." Wei Ren laughed loudly.

"Tell me Grandpa Tian, do you remember your coming of age ceremony?" Wei Ren asked Wei Tian.

"Well it was a long time ago even your grandfather was a young man like you. We were so full of life. Ahh…it brings back memories." Wei Tian reminisced about his old days.

Today was Wei Ren's fifteenth birthday. He was summoned by his father, Emperor Yan for his coming of age ceremony. He was coming back home after so many years. Even though he couldn't cultivate, he had developed quite well in terms of intelligence and physique. He grew almost two heads taller than his previous height.

Wei Tian looked at Wei Ren's face which reminded him of Wei Shan, Wei Ren's grandfather.

"You know.." Wei Tian was about to say something when an arrow shot through the wagon's window and landed on one of the walls.

Wei Tian's face dropped. His hand immediately formed a hand sign and he waved his hand on Wei Ren and Bei Piao's bodies. They were instantly covered by golden armors that protected their entire bodies.

The wagon was almost completely destroyed with a single arrow. Both Wei Ren and Bei Piao were shocked.

"An ambush." This word appeared in both Wei Tian and Wei Ren's mind. They both looked at each other and nodded.

Wei Tian pulled a long black sword from his void ring. Bei Piao did the same but he pulled a short yellow sword.

Wei Ren couldn't use a void ring because the use of void rings requires elemental qi. Which he didn't have. Cultivators stored stared belongings in these special rings which had a separate dimension opened inside them.

Wei Ren unsheathed the long knife from his waist and also entered into a battle stance. Just because he couldn't cultivate didn't mean he was completely vulnerable.

"Ren'er I am waiting for your analysis." Wei Tian said to his grandnephew. This was Wei Ren's prowess. His analyzing skills brought them several victories. You could also say that the boy was born for strategy.

Wei Ren nodded and started, "The arrow came from the left side, with our wagon's speed it should have been a very difficult shot. But the archer still succeeded. Plus the arrow destroyed the right side of our wagon's wall because it was infused with elemental qi. This means the archer is definitely a cultivator and a strong one at that. Judging from our speed and the speed of the arrow I think that the archer is probably sitting 800 meters southwest. In the forest."

Wei Ren finished without pause.

Wei Tian nodded with agreement. He was not at all surprised with Wei Ren's ability to deduce the facts about enemy from such a small encounter.

"You are right I can sense his presence. But he is not alone, five others are also approaching us."

"Bei Piao keep Ren'er safe. I will lure them into the forest. Both of you take one horse each and run. Ren'er, the soldiers you sent ahead of us will most likely come back if we don't arrive on schedule. I will stall these five. Send them here immediately with reinforcements." After saying this Wei Tian turned into a black light as he charged into the forest.

Wei Ren and Bei Piao acted fast. They each freed a blue scaled horse from the wagon's harness, climbed them and started riding towards the capital city.

A blue scaled horse's speed was much faster when it was not pulling a heavy wagon.

"With our current speed it will take as about two hours to reach the city's main gate. The two guards I sent will probably be waiting for us. If we arrive late they will come back to check on us. That can save us some time, but if they decide to wait longer we might end up in danger." Wei Ren said with a serious face while keeping his eyes on the road.

"Don't worry young master I will protect you with my life. Plus the general is enough for a group of six ambushers. In the battlefield he has brought down entire platoons by himself." Bei Piao assured Wei Ren.

"But that is not the case here. In the battlefield it is different from a fight with a group of ambushers. If there is even a single person whose cultivation base is same as grandpa then we are screwed. Because he will be forced to fight and then rest of the ambushers can come after us." Wei Ren shook his head in disagreement.

Bei Piao's face tensed up when he heard this.

They continued for half an hour. There was no sign of any followers.

The golden armor spell Wei Tian had cast on them suddenly started to lose its shine. After a few minutes the armors slowly started disappearing.

The only parts left were the helmets and the breastplates.

"Oh no did something happen to lord general." Bei Piao said with a terrorized face.

"No. If grandpa had been hurt the armors would have immediately disappeared. Maybe there is too much distance between us and him thus the spell is not functioning properly." Wei Ren was still able to keep his mind straight. But in his heart he was even more worried than Bei Piao.

"Please don't die you old fart." He said in his heart.

By now the armors had completely disappeared.

The moment Wei Ren's armor disappeared, a shiver went down his spine. He felt as though his connection with his grandpa had been snapped. He turned around to look back but all he saw was an empty desolate road.

Bei Piao even started crying. After leaving the kingdom Wei Tian had taken the role of a father figure in his eyes. Even though he was not his actual grandfather, the way he treated him made Wei Ren feel as if his own grandfather was still alive. He was strict but also loved him deeply. Another reason was that he looked his grandfather a lot. This in turn made Wei Tian feel as though his brother was back. So he was even more affectionate to Wei Ren.

"No. No. No." Wei Ren shook his head and resolve returned in his eyes.

"I have to think straight. Grandpa is at the Soul Spirit Formation stage. Number of people at this stage in this kingdom can be counted one hand. So possibly he is not dead he is just over numbered. At most he would get badly injured. There is no way he is dead.. Unless one of the ambushers is at my father's level." A pained smile appeared on his face. Because if someone with the same level of cultivation as his father appeared. Then they are already dead.

He shook his head and ridiculed himself for losing his composure so easily.

Just when he thought everything was going to be fine a flying sword went past his ear and landed on his mount's head. It was immediately chopped off. Blood spattered everywhere. The horse was running too fast so when it fell Wei Ren's body lurched forward. He rolled on the ground for several meters before his fall stopped.

Such a fall would have made an ordinary mortal break several bones but Wei Ren had it easy. His martial arts training could only be explained with one word. Torture. So a fall like this was nothing to him.

He was taught by his grandpa Wei Tian himself. The training regime Wei Tian planned for his grandnephew was nothing but a journey through hell.

He looked up to see his enemy's face. But before he could take a look. A hand grabbed his neck from the back.

"So fast." He thought. It took the attacker less than a second to sprint several meters and hold his head from behind.

The gap between a cultivator and a mortal was clearly visible.

The man who attacked was covered in tight black clothes. Even his face was completely covered. The way he stood over Wei Ren's body, it looked as if he could snap his neck at any second.

Bei Piao was too terrified of the scene unfolding before his eyes.

His trembling hands pulled the same yellow short sword out of his void ring. He meekly pointed it towards the attacker.

"Child put the sword down. You need to train for at least a hundred years before you can challenge me." The black clothed attacker said in a dull yet dominating voice.

Horror in Bei Piao eyes could be clearly seen.

His trembling hands dropped the sword and he fell on his knees. He bowed his head towards Wei Ren and looked at the ground as tears started falling without him making any sound.

"Your general could've defeated me but he is stuck fighting my team." the attacker said with a chuckle.

"He's alive. That old fart is alive." A spark of life appeared in Wei Ren's eyes as the attacker held his neck to the ground. He looked at Bei Piao crying like a baby.

The attacker just said that his team his fighting the general. And judging from his haughty tone he is probably the leader. Plus he said the general could've defeated him. If this man is the leader then the rest of the ambushers are most likely weaker than their leader. Wei Ren found this just from this short exchange of words.

"We can survive this." He thought.

The only unpredictable variable was Bei Piao. He is a scholar who has a decent cultivation base but lacks courage and strong mentality. For his plan to work, Bei Piao was a necessary variable. They just had to stall long enough that their general could free himself and save their asses.

But this Bei Piao is the only cultivator other than the attacker who could stall this situation.

The attacker saw that Bei Piao had no will to fight. He used one finger to tap on Wei Ren's forehead and knock him unconscious. He gave Bei Piao one more look and then ran off back into the jungle while carrying Wei Ren on his shoulder.

Bei Piao looked at where Wei Ren had been intercepted. His failure to protect his young master brought him even more shame.