At dusk, the scorching heat gradually faded away. The last rays of the setting sun streamed through the clouds, bathing the Flowing Cloud Mountains in a breathtaking glow.
As night slowly fell, a young man sat atop the mountain, eyes closed, hands pressed to his chest, quietly absorbing something from the starlit sky.
If one looked closely, they might notice a faint glimmer of starlight flickering across his body, shining and fading with each breath he took.
"Why! Why is this happening!" The young man's face was clouded with pain and anger as he muttered to himself, his voice echoing bitterly atop Flowing Cloud Mountain.
"Two years... and I still can't absorb star power. Is this what it means to become a useless waste?" The young man's face was full of despair; just thinking about it was like a knife twisting in his heart.
He swung his fist and smashed it against a nearby tree. The trunk shuddered with each blow, shedding strips of bark.
But his fist was already a bloody mess, fresh blood dripping steadily down. It seemed only the pain in his hand could dull the agony in his heart...
The young man's name was Evan Chu, once the brightest genius of the Chu Family—one of Flowing Cloud City's five great clans. At just fourteen, he'd broken through to the Profound Martial Realm.
Reaching the Profound Martial Realm meant being able to absorb star power, a leap forward in both strength and body refinement.
Yet ever since his breakthrough, no matter how hard he trained, Evan found himself unable to absorb star power. This had lasted for two years, and all the younger clan members who once lagged behind had now surpassed him.
Evan Chu knew that reaching the Profound Martial Realm ahead of his peers proved he wasn't a waste.
The real reason for his current state all traced back to that strange event two years ago, when he tried to absorb star power.
He remembered practicing his family's Yellow-rank technique, the Violet Nether Star Art, atop Flowing Cloud Mountain that night. Back then, he could already absorb a little star power into his body.
But just as he was about to use that star power to temper his body, a blinding streak of starlight shot down from the night sky and pierced straight into him. A wave of unimaginable pain flooded his mind, and he blacked out instantly.
When he woke up, it was already noon the next day. His whole body felt like it had been torn apart, limp and powerless. The pain in his head lingered, though it had eased somewhat.
Evan remembered the starlight that struck him looked like a sword. It was so fast and sudden he couldn't see it clearly, but the feeling stuck with him—why, he still couldn't explain...
Ignoring the wounds on his fist, Evan gazed up at the starry sky and gave a bitter smile. "Even if I'm a waste, I still have my pride. I would rather die than marry the Third Young Miss Lin from the Lin Family."
She's known as a monster girl, a freak—why should I have to marry her? The engagement was supposed to be with the Second Young Miss Lin. Is it just because I've become a useless waste?"
Full of worries, Evan returned home. "Second Young Master, you went to absorb star power again?" his personal maid, Lily Lin, asked when she saw the blood on his hand.
Every time Evan came back, his hands were injured—the scars on his fists were countless. Lily Lin was already used to it.
Evan Chu gave Lily Lin a gentle smile. "Go make me something to eat, will you? I'm starving right now."
To Evan, Lily Lin was like a real little sister—he never treated her as just a maid.
She never mocked him. When he was at his lowest, she comforted him; when others spoke coldly, she defended him—even if it meant getting punished herself.
The next morning, Evan got up early—not because he wanted to, but because three or four hours of sleep was always enough for him.
If he slept any longer, his head felt groggy and his body weak. He'd tried it many times, but never found the reason why.
The Chu Family was one of Flowing Cloud City's five great clans, with many young members. Most of them preferred to train at dawn.
Back in the day, Evan was always the first to arrive at the family training grounds. But now, he hadn't set foot there in ages.
"Let's go check out the training grounds!" Evan decided as he left his room. He was used to the gossip and ridicule from his clan's younger members.
The Chu Family's training grounds covered tens of thousands of square meters—one of the largest in the city. By now, many clan members were already practicing there.
As Evan approached, everyone shot him looks of contempt, and the whispers started up immediately.
"That useless waste is here again—he really has no shame. Stuck at the first level of the Profound Martial Realm for two years! If it were me, I'd be hiding in a hole somewhere, not showing my face and embarrassing myself like this."
"I heard his engagement to the Third Young Miss Lin is coming up soon. Just thinking about her makes me want to puke—there's no one uglier in the whole city! Maybe only a waste like him deserves her!"
"Of course! But you know, the Third Young Miss Lin is still a virgin, so I guess it's not all bad. I heard he was originally engaged to someone else, though—not her!"
"That was the Second Young Miss Lin—Sophia Lin. She's already reached the fourth level of the Profound Martial Realm! With talent like that, there's no way she'd marry a waste. So they let her unwanted younger sister take her place."
………
Evan could hear every bit of their gossip. No matter how calm he tried to be, he couldn't stand it. He strode up to one of them and said coldly, "Say that again if you dare."
Even though Evan couldn't break through to the second level of the Profound Martial Realm, he still had the strength of the first level. Many of the clan's younger members were still stuck in the Spirit Martial Realm, so Evan was still a threat.
Seeing Evan suddenly confront him with such intensity—he used to always hold back, but today he was different—the young clan member's face went pale. "Second Young Master, I'm sorry! I won't do it again!"
A flash of cold light passed through Evan's eyes. "You'd better hope I don't hear you again, or you'll learn that even a 'waste' can kill you."
The young clan member didn't even dare breathe, nodding quickly. "Understood! Thank you, Second Young Master, for your mercy!"
"Hmph!" Evan Chu strode through the crowd's fearful stares and stopped in front of a massive stone pillar in the training ground.
This pillar was one he'd practiced on countless times. It was made from White Radiance Stone, a famously tough material on the Heavenly Profound Continent—no one below the Earth Martial Realm could break it.
"Second Brother, you're in the mood to visit the training grounds today? I heard you just taught a mouthy brat a lesson—too bad I missed it! Otherwise, I'd have helped you vent your anger!" A familiar voice called out.
Evan glanced back and laughed coldly. "Ryan Chu, I know exactly what you're up to. Drop the act—I don't buy it."
"Heh, Second Brother, you're awfully fired up today. Taking it out on me? I'm just worried about you, can't you appreciate it?" Ryan Chu showed no sign of displeasure—in fact, he seemed pleased to see Evan like this.
Evan found Ryan Chu utterly exasperating. Back when Evan was the first of his generation to reach the Profound Martial Realm, Ryan was completely deferential—a loyal little follower who never refused a single request.
Now that Ryan had reached the Profound Martial Realm himself—already at the second level—his attitude had changed completely. He mocked Evan constantly, and sometimes challenged him to 'friendly matches' just to put him down. Today would surely bring more humiliation.
"I get your point. I'm here to train—if you're bored, go somewhere else and stop bothering me," Evan said after glancing at Ryan.
Ryan walked up to the White Radiance Stone and threw a punch. A gust of force swept past Evan's face; though the stone was untouched, the recoil made Evan tense up.
"Haha, so that's the power of the second level of the Profound Martial Realm. I wonder what my second brother's first-level strength looks like—why don't you show us?" Ryan withdrew his fist and taunted.
"Don't think I don't know what you're up to. I'm not falling for it—just leave if you've got nothing better to do. I don't have time to waste on you."
A flash of annoyance crossed Ryan Chu's face. "Fine, take your time training. With your talent, who knows how many years it'll take you to reach the second level of the Profound Martial Realm."
What a pity! Soon I'll be marrying a stunning beauty for my wife—can't wait! Hahaha! A real beauty, hahaha!"
When Ryan left, he deliberately shouted the words 'stunning beauty' for all to hear—his intentions were obvious to everyone.
Evan shook his head and gave a bitter smile. "Even the tagalongs from before can mock me now... When will I ever break through? Am I really just a waste?"
His internal energy still flowed smoothly, and his meridians weren't blocked at all—Evan just couldn't figure out why he couldn't absorb star power. Every time he tried, it looked like he succeeded, but the star power always vanished without a trace.
Just thinking about marrying that monster girl made Evan feel suffocated. The Lin and Chu families had been close for generations, and the engagement was set when they were children. But because of his decline, the bride was switched—a bitter pill to swallow.
PS: Some words are censored, so commas were added in places like '弟，子' for clarity. Thanks for understanding!