Volume One: First Signs of Brilliance Chapter Four: The Family’s Delight

In the living room, at the dining table, a man, a woman, and a little girl had already taken their seats.

The man was Wang Jue’s father, Wang Jianbin; the woman, his mother, Liu Wenjing; and the little girl, his younger sister, Wang Xiaoyu.

Wang Jianbin had an utterly ordinary appearance—a face weathered by years of hardship, the kind you’d lose in a crowd without a second glance. Though in his early forties, he looked closer to fifty, with silver creeping into his temples and wrinkles deepening the traces of age on his face. His was the look of a man worn down by relentless toil, a man with no gift for cultivation, who’d worked himself to exhaustion simply to provide for his family.

By Wang Jianbin’s own account, his life would never amount to much. But his children—if they possessed the talent for cultivation—were a different matter. For their sake, he would work himself to the bone to earn whatever it took to support their training.

When it was discovered that Wang Jue did, in fact, have such talent, Wang Jianbin and Liu Wenjing both resolutely resigned from their factory jobs—positions that paid three thousand credits a month—and used their savings to open a small noodle shop.

At first, the shop’s income was meager. After accounting for costs, their earnings barely matched what they’d made in the factory. But both Wang Jianbin and Liu Wenjing were hardworking and honest. They insisted on using only the finest ingredients, selling their noodles at prices just a little above cost.

Other noodle shops cut corners, using the cheapest ingredients and charging exorbitant prices—twenty credits for a single bowl. The Wang family’s shop, on the other hand, had kept its prices unchanged for seven or eight years: a generous bowl full of quality ingredients for just ten credits.

Over time, their reputation grew, and people from all around came to eat at their shop. In the whole of Community Number Three, their noodles were famous. Their customers were mostly ordinary folk; martial artists had little use for such food. Those who pursued the martial path either hunted star beasts in the wild for their meat or bought it from specialty shops.

Though business was good and the family worked tirelessly, their standard of living improved little. They were a bit better off than most, but far from well-to-do. Achieving even modest prosperity was still a distant dream.

The main reason for this was the ever-increasing cost of ingredients. Wang Jianbin stubbornly refused to raise prices, so most of their earnings went straight into supplies, leaving little in the way of actual profit.

Fortunately, Wang Jianbin had bought the shop outright rather than renting it; otherwise, the rent alone nowadays would be enough to make one shudder.

In contrast to her husband’s plain looks, Liu Wenjing, nearly forty and mother of two, still carried herself with grace and elegance. Her figure remained slender, untouched by the years, her long black hair smooth and lustrous. Though time had etched its marks onto her once-radiant face, her refined features still hinted at the beauty she’d been in her youth.

Liu Wenjing, too, lacked the gift for cultivation. Wang Jue remembered his father once saying that, back in her school days, his mother had been a renowned campus beauty. But since she couldn’t cultivate, she never achieved the same fame as other women who could, even if they weren’t as lovely.

Such is the reality of this world: those with talent are cherished, no matter their appearance. Even the plainest girls with a gift for cultivation are treated like goddesses.

Despite being unable to cultivate, Liu Wenjing had no shortage of suitors in her youth—many more accomplished than Wang Jianbin, who, like her, was just an ordinary person. And that’s not to mention the martial artists, who were even more outstanding.

Why, then, had she chosen Wang Jianbin in the end? After graduation, the two of them ended up working at the same factory. Then, tragedy struck: Liu Wenjing’s parents were killed in a star beast attack. In her grief, Liu Wenjing found solace in Wang Jianbin’s companionship.

Through that time together, their affection grew, and before long, they became inseparable.

From then on, they remained loving partners.

Yes…

Wang Jue had grown up being force-fed an endless diet of their affection.

No, wait—that wasn’t quite right.

Now there was a little sister in the family, Wang Xiaoyu.

As Wang Jue approached, Liu Wenjing called out, “Jue, why were you in the bathroom so long? Are you feeling all right?”

“I’m fine,” Wang Jue replied, pulling out a chair and sitting down, shaking his head.

Liu Wenjing nodded, not pressing the matter. Instead, she placed a poached egg in Wang Jue’s bowl. She was about to say something, but then saw Wang Xiaoyu staring at her, eyes wide and expectant. Smiling, she quickly placed an egg in Xiaoyu’s bowl as well before turning back to Wang Jue. “The poached eggs are getting cold, hurry and eat.”

“You’re about to go on holiday, aren’t you?” Wang Jianbin asked, holding his rice bowl, his tone casual and unreadable.

Wang Jue paused mid-chew, swallowed his mouthful, and nodded. “Yes, in a few days.”

“So, have you decided what you’ll do during the break?” his father continued, his expression calm.

Wang Jue frowned in thought. “I’m not sure yet. If possible, I’d like to find a martial arts school to improve myself.”

At those words, the other three at the table fell silent, their gazes converging on Wang Jue, each with a different expression.

Worry flickered across his father’s face; his mother looked troubled. The two exchanged a glance, and bitterness flashed in their eyes.

As for little Wang Xiaoyu, too young to understand the undertones, she tugged at Wang Jue’s sleeve, curiosity shining in her eyes. “I heard from my friends that only people who’ve reached the Body Tempering stage can join a martial arts school. Bad brother, did you break through?”

Before Wang Jue could answer, Liu Wenjing rapped Xiaoyu’s hand with her chopsticks. “Eat your food. Why are you talking so much?”

She shot her daughter a warning look, both to scold her for her lack of tact and to prevent her from hurting Wang Jue’s pride.

After all, nine years had passed since his talent was first tested at age seven. By now, most children his age had reached at least the fourth stage of Body Tempering, with some even at six or seven. Only Wang Jue had yet to break through to Body Tempering.

Wang Xiaoyu, rubbing her stinging hand, pouted, cheeks puffed out in silent protest. She shot Wang Jue a meaningful look—she was angry, and he’d better placate her with snacks.

Wang Jue ignored her, averting his gaze.

Xiaoyu fumed, but dared not make a scene.

After a moment, his father spoke, changing the subject. “If you want to find a martial arts school, I’ll cover the cost. Perhaps they can help you overcome your bottleneck.”

“Yes, Jue,” his mother chimed in. “You’re off school today, aren’t you? Why not go out with some friends? I’ll give you money—enjoy yourself.”

Seeing an opportunity, Wang Xiaoyu forgot her sore hand and immediately scooted closer, as eager as a tail-less puppy. “Mom, I want to go out with my friends too! Ten—no, twenty credits will be enough.”

“Eat your food!” Liu Wenjing declared, pushing Xiaoyu’s head aside without hesitation, then returning to the duet of gentle persuasion with her husband.

Xiaoyu, having been brushed off, folded her arms and pouted, occasionally making noises to draw attention, but her antics were ignored. Her parents continued speaking to Wang Jue, undistracted.

Wang Jue, listening to their earnest concern, couldn’t help but feel secretly amused at his sister’s frustration.

“Is five hundred enough?” Without waiting for a reply, his mother pressed five crisp one-hundred credit bills into his hand.

Xiaoyu’s eyes widened at the sight, longing to dive headfirst into that pile of money.

Wang Jue hesitated, wondering whether to share his breakthrough. After a brief pause, he made up his mind. He didn’t want his parents to worry any longer. Perhaps it was time to give them a pleasant surprise.

He smiled and said, “Xiaoyu was right. Mom, Dad—I really have broken through! I’m now a first-stage Body Tempering martial artist!”

The room fell utterly silent.

Xiaoyu was the first to react, leaping onto her chair, staring at her brother as if he were an alien, pinching his cheeks in disbelief. “Wow, you really did break through! Does this mean my brother’s a genius?”

Then, as if struck by a thought, she shook her head. “No, you can’t be a genius, or you wouldn’t have taken this long. How did you suddenly manage it? Were you possessed by an alien? But you don’t look any different…”

“Jue, you’re not joking, are you? You really succeeded?” Wang Jianbin and Liu Wenjing stared at him, scarcely daring to believe it.

Wang Jue batted Xiaoyu’s hand away, ignoring her glare. “Yes, I broke through—just now, in the bathroom.”

“Good, good, good!” His father was beside himself with excitement, repeating the word three times.

For years, he’d argued with those who called his son worthless, defending him whether others saw him as a genius or a failure. To him, Wang Jue was simply his child.

Despite the whispers behind their backs, he’d steadfastly believed his son would break through someday. Even so, with each passing year and no progress, his faith had started to waver.

He’d long since stopped hoping for a breakthrough. Yet now, out of nowhere, his son had succeeded, stepping into the ranks of martial artists, even if only at the lowest stage.

To ordinary parents, there’s no greater hope than seeing their child succeed. In this world, the only real path to a better life is to become a martial artist.

Though Wang Jue’s cultivation was still low, he had placed his first foot on that path. From here on, it would be up to him…