1 The Child, The Beauty, The Brute,, The Young Master

Upon a gigantic island drifting through the clouds, a crowd gathered around a colossal gate as tall as a mountain. Gold accents adorned its sparkling black body, and purple pearls, drawing in the surrounding spiritual energy, were mounted on the highest point of the gate.

The gate held back the crowd, preventing them from spilling into the grounds of Spectral Haven Sect. The various cultivation sects of the Imperial Planet had commenced their recruitment ceremony more than a few weeks ago, aiming to attract young blood and strengthen the upper limit of supreme experts available.

Spectral Haven was one of the sects that opened its doors to the general populace. Its reputation as the number one sect within the realm ensured an endless number of people yearning for a chance to enter.

"Do you think I have a chance?" a childish voice slithered through the clouds, tinged with fear and doubt.

A young man in his early hundreds scanned the surroundings for the voice, eventually fixing his gaze on a child who seemed far too young to be present at the ceremony. Emotions flickered across his eyes in a matter of seconds - anger, followed by worry, and finally, shock.

The little boy behind him possessed extraordinary talent. At an age no older than twelve, he had already established his Nascent Soul, and to top it off, he had recently become a Nascent Soul Expert at a hundred and twenty.

"Kid, don't joke around. If you don't have a chance, then what about me?" the young man shook his head and refocused on the gate, awaiting its wide opening to commence the ceremony, albeit with significantly less hope than before.

The little boy simply stared with his large eyes, wondering what he had done wrong. Hadn't his grandpa told him that asking questions when uncertain was of paramount importance?

Why was he responded to with a question? How was he to answer that question? His lips quivered as an answer formed within his mind, but nothing came out. He simply exhaled, his bright red hair matting against his forehead.

Grasping the vivid red phoenix-shaped necklace, he muttered a few words under his breath. The outside world wasn't what he expected. He had assumed that everyone would be as kind and loving as the people from Cascade Paradise. Why hadn't anyone warned him about this?

A powerful gale swept outside the gate, prompting the people to instinctively look up. The overwhelming sense of powerlessness, brought about by a being far superior to them, sent shivers through their souls. In the distance, high above the clouds, a reptilian behemoth drifted toward the island. Its body was long and lithe, covered in thick, large golden scales.

As it growled, rows upon rows of sharp white teeth, each as thick as a fully grown adult human, came into view. Atop its back sat a howdah made of various gems and crystals from all over the Imperial Expanse.

Within the howdah, a young man, barely sixteen years old, sat, twirling a jade cup filled to the brim with scorching hot tea. He gazed at the crowd gathered outside the Spectral Haven Gate. Flanking him were two elders, both late in their hundred-thousands, their hands hidden behind their backs. Their pristine black robes fluttered gently in the wind, unaffected by the gales created by the Leviathan's flapping wings.

"I wasn't expecting to find such a rare talent among the populace, Elder Cai. I thought most of them would be inside the sect hall," the young man remarked.

His gaze lingered on the sole child below the age of twelve who had entered the nascent soul realm. And for that, he held some respect. Very few individuals in the Imperial Expanse could reach the Soul Formation realm at the tender age of sixteen, yet this child had achieved a realm higher at an even younger age. Granted, the child couldn't compare to the Dao Children of his caliber, but it was still impressive.

"He's nothing special. All the noteworthy talents received personal invitations from the Spectral Haven Sect. There are a few children who are far more impressive than him," Elder Cai responded in a dignified tone.

Elder Cai was a legend within the Imperial Expanse, a genius among geniuses during his era. There wasn't a gifted child he hadn't encountered or surpassed back then. At that time, he was a combat maniac, battling and slaughtering anything that could cultivate. The fact that he was still alive after all those years of engaging in conflicts with large sects and clans left many speechless even now. The most they could do was leave a massive scar across the left side of his face that never healed.

Nowadays, he emanated a scholarly aura, with his long black hair tied in a neat ponytail, a well-trimmed mustache, and piercing red eyes that still held the hidden glint of a warmonger within their depths.

"I meant, for someone who clearly doesn't have a lustrous background, any of the ten-year-olds who arrived earlier would easily overpower him in a single exchange. He isn't that impressive, Elder Cai. After all, he is nothing more than a slightly stronger ant," the young man sipped his cup of tea. "But with the right tools, I could polish him into a dragon. Don't you think so?"

"Young Master Wei must be joking," Elder Bohai chuckled. "Even a talentless pig can become a god under your care, let alone a diamond in the rough."

"Don't flatter me that much, Elder Bohai, but you aren't wrong either. Have someone investigate his background for me. I'd like to see if he's worth it."

Elder Bohai nodded, reaching into the inner pockets of his robes and pulling out a piece of paper. Golden symbols swam across the paper as a black brush formed in his hand. With strong, quick strokes, he wrote an order on the paper and channeled some essence into it. The paper burst into flames.

"The stealth division has been notified, Young Master," Elder Bohai said.

"Perfect."

The Leviathan picked up its pace, flying over the crowd and entering the Spectral Haven Sect grounds. Beyond the gate, a paradise of floating mountains and evergreen pastures greeted them. A few kilometers away, a series of massive towers jutted into the sky, their arrogance almost piercing the last atmospheric layer. These towers dwarfed the Leviathan's massive ten-kilometer body by a significant amount.

"Who is that?" one of the people below exclaimed as the Leviathan passed above them.

"Young Master Wei," answered the cold voice of a young lady. Although her voice was as frigid as the deepest reaches of space, her eyes told a different story. Reverence shimmered in them as she gazed at the Leviathan's body.

"Oh, he's here? What does he need this place for? Why doesn't he give us normal folk some breathing room? Will we ever get a chance to break records with him around? Screw this," the man muttered.

"Just admit you are weak and leave Young Master Wei be," Shi Ya, the owner of the frigid voice, spoke curtly. She shifted her focus to the gate. With Young Master Wei's arrival, the recruitment ceremony would start soon. No one dared to keep him waiting for too long.

"Just make way and let us get this over with. Let your talents speak for themselves," spoke Liang Heng, a young man in his early twenties, with a boisterous voice. "Cultivation is long and difficult. Who knows, a few thousand years from now, he might not even exist. Focusing too much attention externally is a total waste of time."

"Young Master Wei?" a childish voice slithered into the ears of Shi Ya and Liang Heng.

Both of them turned their heads in the direction of the voice, only to see a little kid, no more than twelve years old, playing with a phoenix-shaped pendant.

The child had bright red hair that reached just below his waist, sharp golden eyes, and light brown skin.

Liang Heng felt his world turn upside down. His master wasn't wrong at all. Besides those born with silver spoons, there were latent talents among the populace.

"The man who flew on that Leviathan is none other than the heir to the Long Clan, Almighty Long Wei, as most people like to call him. Don't think too much about it. Us and him? Totally different levels," Liang Heng said. "Let's just do our own thing and try to pass the sect entry trials. Then we can think about other things."

"I'll surpass him," the kid said in his innocent voice.

"What's your name, junior brother?" Shi Ya asked.

The kid's thoughts were somewhat intriguing. Every single person who had seen Long Wei personally was forced to admit their inferiority in his presence.

Would the kid be different? It was most likely that he wouldn't be any different than the rest, but she hoped he would be. He had the basics going for him. His talents in cultivation were the cream of the crop, and based on his presence outside the gate, he most likely didn't have many resources backing up his growth. That must mean something, right?

"What's your name?" she asked.

"Feng Li," the kid answered, his eyes focused on the Leviathan as it disappeared beyond the horizon.

The gate creaked open. Two disciples of the sect stood behind it and pushed with all their might. Every ounce of strength they exerted only moved the gate a few inches. They flared their essence to the maximum, using their entire cultivation base with each push.

"What kind of gate is this? Even those in the Heavenly Step Realm can't push it open in an instant?"

"Shut up and watch. No need to gawk around like an idiot. Is it your first time seeing a gate made from primordial wood?" scolded a gruff voice from a man on his last legs, reprimanding the person who foolishly shouted questions during that moment.