When a kid grows up they dream of becoming the strongest or at least strong enough to protect their family. but when a young Yin Fu grew up. he only dreamed of death.
a thud could be heard in an ally as Yin Fu stumbled to the ground again after the students from the same institute "punished" him for bumping into them a poor excuse for bullying the weak.
a voice could be heard "Still not gonna apologize huh? I guess you haven't learned your lesson Yin Fu!" A boy of around 16 yelled out in a mocking voice all but to say "you can't do anything, and you know it"
And for Yin Fu it would be correct. The Yin family is a small family and have no big impact in the world even worse was the fact that he had no talent in martial cultivation whatsoever at birth his meridians were deemed too damaged to work because they would react to strongly to heat it was as if his body was constantly rejecting any form of heat.
"I'm done here lets leave this trash to die alone here." The 16 year old said. when he walked away the two other goons followed him and mocked the down Yin Fu once more.
Although they went to the same school Yin Fu knew little about the kid except his name Nie Li, that he was a year above him and, that Nie Li hated that Yin Fu was accepted into this school of elites when he had no talent. it seemed like that no matter where Yin Fu ended up he would always receive this type of stereotypical hate.
Groaning Yin Fu pulled him self up and saw the kids walking away. he hated himself. he hated them. he hated everyone because life had handed them the better deal. Not only did it leave him with nothing it seemed like no one could seem to let him forget that either. "raaaaaah" Yin Fu was blinded by hate and released his aura of a unsettled body of cultivation.
Nie Li being the strongest felt the aura burst and turned around in a humored way "are you really gonna fight us? You! an unsettled body when the energy in your body isn't settled enough for you to cultivate?! You who was deemed a failure? WHAT COULD YOU POSSIBLY DO!" Nie Li said as he revealed his aura of a 2-Star bronze rank and made Yin Fu stumble back.
"Maybe its time we do kill you off. You're a disgrace and your own family wishes you dead! grab him!" Nie Li ordered the other two boys into action and they dragged Yin Fu onto the nearest mountain peak in the area. It was night by the time they arrived and Yin Fu could be heard muffled groaning and being dragged up the mountain.
"well Yin Fu i understand you anger i mean i would be angry to if i was as pathetic as you!" Nie Li said mockingly while pacing around "but you still wanted to go against your superior so i do have to punish you even if i understand you!" Nie li had a grin split across his face as he spotted a block of ice in the distance. "So tell you what we'll play a game and if you survive i'll never bug you again but if you die..." Nie Li seemed like a mad man as his grin seemed to get even more malicious
'what can i do? i guess father will be able to try for another son if i die' Yin Fu thought to himself as he recalled his fathers hatred of him because of a law that only permitted one child each and while he couldn't outright kill his child because he would lose face he didn't mind if Yin Fu died to the hand of another.
"SLAP" Nie Li hand met Yin Fu's cheek "You dare daydream while i'm talking! i'm thinking maybe i shouldn't even bother giving you a chance out or do you want me to keep it a secret?" Nie Li mocked Yin Fu again with a grin that suggested nothing good could happen from talking to him
"please tell me senior Nie." Yin Fu decided to play along to let it end faster and not end up suffering.
"well its simple" Nie Li walked over to the hill of ice and punched the ice making it collapse and form a 10 meter deep hole "survive until i come back to get you!" Nie Li said and the two goons started to cackle behind him "he'll die by sunrise i bet!" one of them yelled out while laughing.
"Th-That's" Yin Fu lost his voice as he figured there was no way for him to survive. he had no food or water. He didn't even have proper cloths he was in the rags his father dressed him in.
"well i'll come back to get you soon try to hang on as long as you can ok?" Nie Li said the words so genuinely but to Yin Fu who knew that he was going to die it sounded like the executioner saying it wasn't going to hurt.
The two goons threw Yin Fu into the hole and left with Nie Li while talking about their respective dinner plans.
"how am i supposed to survive...my meridians are damaged so even if i wanted i couldn't summon the power to escape. the only thing to eat is ice shard that are left over from when he made the hole!" Yin Fu panicked while desperately trying to climb out of the hole of ice.
two days passed and Yin Fu felt oddly relaxed. "Is this death? Maybe i can be reborn into someone that someone else can be proud of instead of a failure like the current me. maybe i'll be born in a family that'll love me. maybe i can have friends my own age and be ignorant to the world outside..." Yin Fu broke down into tears as he wished for a better life and waited to die but it never came and instead he felt a steady flow of power build up inside of him. It accumulated in his blood then spread out to his soul finally exploding with energy when it reached its peak.
"what?!" Yin Fu felt everything happening in his body and became confused before he realized maybe this was it. "This is my chance to become better than the current me to not be a failure! this energy is so pure and there is so much of it that i feel as if maybe it can fix me!" Yin Fu said as he tried to push the energy into his meridians but felt that his meridians were perfectly fine with no damage to them as if there was never any damage to them. He realized that he felt this way before when he was a lid playing in the snow around Christmas but it was temporary and when summer came back around his meridians were damaged again.
"Could the cold be the trigger to my meridians not being healed? but then why would it only happen now and not when i was younger? was i just unlucky, and could staying in the cold make me stronger!" Yin Fu's mind went on over drive as he thought of ideas and explanations to the weird phenomenon that was accruing in his body.
Yin Fu noticed that his body became settled and went the rest of the week in the hole trying to accumulate energy to reach a breakthrough. Yin Fu found he still couldn't draw in enough energy without cultivation resources to help him. determined he clawed away at the ice and picked up the scraps of ice and ate them trying to draw out the "cold" energy as he put it and store it in his body. at first it seemed like nothing was working but the more he ate the more power he could feel building up until. BOOM!
Yin Fu ate ice like a life line. If one were to see him they would instantly call him crazy and, as fate would have it someone did see him. an old man that exuded an aura of power saw this happening and was about to help the kid until he felt a burst of power come out of hime as he seemingly ranked up from a settled body state to a 1-Star Wood Realm. normally this wouldn't shock the old man but the state he found Yin Fu in was savage and the level up didn't come from training or cultivating resources it came from...eating ice?
Yin Fu didn't know of the presence he was in but felt the rank up to 1-Star Wood Realm and was so pleased he had tears the moment he ranked up and from him ranking up he gained enlightenment "i don't have to consume cultivation resources? i can absorb them?! THEN WHY DID I EAT ALL THAT ICE!" Yin Fu was obviously disturbed by his discovery but he calmed himself down and began to absorb ice from his palm.
up on the hill the old man watched in confusion that turned into shock as Yin Fu started to absorb ice "STOP!" the old man yelled and rushed in to save Yin Fu when another burst of power followed. "My word..."
the old man took the grey hood of his cloak and walk to the Yin Fu who had just broke through to 2-Star wood realm.
"Just who are you that entered this world with such a unique ability!" the old man said as he watched from above.
Yin Fu seemed to be oblivious to the man and his warning becoming immersed in his absorbing of cold energy from the ice. "i can feel enough energy for one more star!" Yin Fu steadied himself and focused on cultivating the energy from the ice until once again. BOOM! his body exuded the aura of a 3-Star Wood Realm cultivator that was ready to break through again.
Yin Fu finished and looked at himself in the reflection of glass in amazement for the first time since he was born. "maybe i can be someone." Yin Fu thought aloud but never expected to get a response as an old voice replied.
"So it seems you can." seeing the boys shock he paused before continuing "My name is Umo fue (F-way) and i want to ask you some questions about what you just did" Umo was calm but just his presence scared Yin Fu as he thought he might have lost his one chance to become someone.
"I only know some theories and nothing concrete, but i'll answer any questions you ask if i have the ability to." Yin Fu really hoped that he could get out of this easily without injury and his body posture showed his shyness and blatant fear of the man in front of him.
Seeing this Umo step a pace back in a gesture that spoke miles to Fu as he has never had someone want him to feel safe. "i simply want to know what you did to increase your realm 3 times and how it involves you in this hole. because at first i thought maybe you were thrown in here." Umo said this and Fu explained everything that had happened about him being tortured and forced to survive in this hole to live until finally coming to the realization that this hole and the cold energy healed him and helped him rank up his realm.
"I simply can't believe it." Umo said with a shocked face as he took in that Fu was sent to die here in the hole they were in.
"Me either it seems like a miracle for me to be so fortunate!" Fu said oblivious to the fact that Umo was referring to him being brought to the hole and not the power of cultivating cold energy.
Hearing the words coming out of Fu's mouth Umo realized that this was a regular occurrence. "What school do you go to that the kids would resent you so much? is it the Purple Haze Institute for young cultivators?!"
it was evident that Umo was fishing for information but Fu didn't mind seeing that nobody had ever taken an interest in his life before this stranger.
"yes it is uh Mister Umo" Fu awkwardly let out as he realized he might come off to friendly to the man.
"call me Uncle Umo and what might your name be?" Umo seemed to notice Fu's shyness at addressing him.
"My name is Yin Fu." Fu seemed to only now realize he never gave his name out to Umo and was talking to him about his life.
"well Yin what about you parents? why don't we take you back before they worry?" Umo said worried about the young boys parents thinking he might have died
"my mother died giving birth to me and my father doesn't want me..." Fu seem to say the words without thinking.
"hmm?" Umo raised his brow and came to the realization of what Fu meant since it happened to a lot of people in this country since the Cultivators Union set up a law that only allowed those who were at a wood to silver realm only have one kid most families would treat the kid poorly so that the kid could die and they could try again with a better kid and hope for a genius i the next line of kids.
"well what if i take you under my wing Fu. I'm a teacher at the Purple Haze Institute and i can protect and even shelter you until you graduate. i can even research the strange phenomenon thats occurring in your body." Umo wanted Fu to except the offer so that he could raise him to be a strong individual and so because he felt pity for the poor dealt a rough hand in life.
"i'll give you a day to think about it go home and think about it and if you agree tell a counselor to come find me at school and i'll see to it that you are taken care of." Umo realized that Fu seemed to have some regrets and decided to give him time.
"ok i'll do it Uncle Umo!" Fu said straight forwardly as he realized he may never receive this chance again.
Umo didn't expect Fu to respond right away and was caught off guard "umm ok then tomorrow at school find me and we will verify your father!" Fu seemed scared when he realized his father would know. Seeing this Umo added "Your father will lose custody of you once your under my care as well so you wont have to worry about him at all!"
Hearing that he wouldn't have to care about his fathers blessing to get into Umo's care was the best news Fu had heard in his life. like a burden was lifted off his shoulders.