Chapter 4: Fa Wa

While Fa Wa was catching fish in the river, Xiao Tian stared blankly at the blue sky, his fists tightly clenched around painful memories.

Suddenly, tears began to flow from the corners of his eyes, falling to the ground and forming a small puddle. However, these were not ordinary clear tears but tears of blood, deep red, reflecting the depth of his pain. Xiao Tian recalled the moment his parents were killed by enemies from the Wang Kingdom and the Ming Dynasty, who had destroyed his family.

In his heart, he vowed to avenge his parents. “Mother, father. Tian'er swears to avenge you! Tian'er will not let the Wang Kingdom and the Ming Dynasty, who caused your deaths, go unpunished. I will make them pay a hundredfold, and if I cannot, I swear not to live as a human!”

Ziyan Rouxi saw Xiao Tian shedding tears of blood. "Tian, you must calm your emotions. If you want to avenge your parents, there's only one way—you must grow stronger than anyone else!"

Xiao Tian did not respond; he merely nodded his head.

****

Fa Wa arrived with a large fish he had just caught from the river; then, he cooked it over a fire. Once ready, Fa Wa invited Xiao Tian and Ziyan Rouxi to return home.

When they arrived at the sect’s gate, Xiao Tian noticed the large inscription above it. He paused for a moment, reading it carefully. "Supreme Sword Sect," Xiao Tian murmured, trying to recall if he had ever heard of a sect named Supreme Sword. However, he could not remember any Supreme Sword Sect in the Ming Dynasty.

Xiao Tian was surprised to realize he was in the territory of the She Dynasty. "Did the river’s current carry me to the She Dynasty?" he wondered, confused and shocked. Xiao Tian inhaled the cold air that enveloped his body.

Recalling the knowledge he had gained from reading books, Xiao Tian understood the vast distance between the Ming Dynasty and the She Dynasty.

Xiao Tian was an avid reader, and his mother always encouraged him to read books on various subjects. Not just martial arts but general knowledge as well. Although he was still young, Xiao Tian had a broad understanding, especially since he had a unique memory that allowed him to remember everything he saw without forgetting.

“Respect to the patriarch.” The gatekeepers immediately bowed in respect upon seeing Fa Wa.

Fa Wa merely smiled and led Ziyan Rouxi and Xiao Tian inside.

Xiao Tian arrived at Fa Wa’s residence. Fa Wa looked at Xiao Tian. “Tian, you will stay here now. However, although I have adopted you as my grandson, you will not be exempt from duties. Your task is to clean the entire courtyard and the training area. You must also take care of all the books in this house; do not let a single book gather dust! When you turn ten, I will register you as a disciple of this sect. Even though I am the patriarch, I must follow the sect’s rules. Do you understand?”

Xiao Tian clasped his hands together. “Grandfather, I understand.”

****

Every day, Xiao Tian diligently performed his tasks. Every morning, Xiao Tian diligently swept the courtyard, removing the scattered dry leaves. The morning sunlight reflected off the sweat on his innocent face. After that, he moved on to his next task, dusting off the books during the day. His small but nimble hands wiped each book carefully, not wanting to damage the precious pages.

At night, Xiao Tian took advantage of the opportunity without Fa Wa’s knowledge, sneaking into the library. In the silence of the night, he read the books with great interest, absorbing the knowledge within. Despite his young age, his determination and passion for learning never waned.

Three years had passed since Xiao Tian had been living in the Supreme Sword Sect. He was now nine years old.

“Tian, let’s go to the martial arena. There’s an interesting event to watch,” said Ziyan Rouxi. She was now eleven years old. Although she had turned eleven, her beautiful face already looked more mature.

Xiao Tian nodded; he was also very interested in the battles of the talented disciples. He watched the competition to find the strongest disciple in the Supreme Sword Sect.

When they arrived at the martial arena, no one dared to stop them, as everyone knew that the two children were the patriarch’s grandchildren.

“Look! Is that the patriarch’s adopted grandson named Tian?” one disciple asked another.

“Yes, that’s Tian. Unfortunately, he doesn’t like martial arts; he has never been seen training.”

“Maybe he’s waiting until he turns ten to start training.”

“Hahaha, he’s indeed the useless adopted grandson of the patriarch. Unlike Miss Ziyan, even though she hasn’t turned ten yet, her fingers are always busy with training, so when she turns ten, she won’t just start training, but she’ll already be able to defeat disciples older than her.”

“Maybe that’s the difference between a real grandchild and an adopted one. After all, he is adopted, so it’s normal if his martial arts talent is lacking.”

Xiao Tian heard the disciples’ remarks. However, Xiao Tian never took them to heart. He was used to the insults from the sect’s disciples. Despite his status as Fa Wa’s adopted grandson, people did not hesitate to mock him.

Ziyan Rouxi wanted to reprimand them, but Xiao Tian stopped her. “There’s no need to respond to them; let’s go see grandfather.”

“You’re too lenient with them. If you keep this up, they’ll keep mocking you!” Ziyan Rouxi was displeased that her adopted brother was being belittled.

“No need to be angry. Besides, I’m not hurt by their insults.” Xiao Tian smiled slightly. However, behind that smile lay a hidden meaning.

They both sat behind Fa Wa. They listened as Fa Wa laid out the rules for the competition to find the strongest disciple under seventeen years old.

Fa Wa looked at everyone present. “You all know why this competition is being held. It’s to find the strongest talent. Whoever wins will represent the Supreme Sword Sect in the She Empire tournament. So, use all your abilities so I can determine the best resources for you. I will personally train the strongest disciple for a year. By the time the tournament is held, you will be ready to compete with disciples from other sects and kingdoms in the She Dynasty. Do you understand?”

Fa Wa’s voice carried inner energy, so his words were heard by everyone present.

“Patriarch, we understand.” All the disciples answered in unison.

“Good, as long as you understand!” Fa Wa looked at one of the elders. “Liu Qingyun, lead the event!”

Liu Qingyun was an elder with high status in the sect. Although he was not young anymore, his muscles and fierce face showed he was very strong.

“Yes, patriarch.” Liu Qingyun immediately stepped into the martial arena. He began the competition.

Xiao Tian continued to watch the fights. However, his eyes were always drawn to one male disciple. That disciple’s name was Daniel.

Xiao Tian murmured, “Daniel has an internal energy of 230 rings; he’s already a third-class warrior. But he’s sealing his internal energy and showing that he only has 100 rings. This guy is very cautious; it seems he’s the one who will win this competition.”