A light rain fell from the sky above a small settlement called Green Snake Town. The town was built in a plain that was overlooked by a majestic mountain that seemed to pierce into the sky.

Within this unremarkable town, existed an unremarkable clan, that housed an unremarkable youth. This youth laid beaten on the ground as the soothing rain gently washed the blood from his face.

The youth of no more than fifteen stared listlessly into the night sky as he rested there beaten and battered.  This unfortunate youth named Lin Tian only had the pitter patter of rain to accompany him in nursing his wounds.

"Beaten again, huh?" Lin Tian quietly mocked.

Lin Tian felt several things as he gazed up at the sky. Pain. Sadness. Anger. Yes, anger towards the heavens that mocked him. Blazing hot fury at the heavens that caused his loneliness and robbed him of his future.

It is said that the heavens are always fair and leave a chance for all. This chance is through Immortal Cultivation. Under heaven, all beings are permitted to cultivate, all beings have the chance to control their destiny.  All, but one.

Lin Tian rested his right hand just below his navel where the dantian that he should have been born with would be. His right hand that only had four fingers has faded scarring over where his pinkie finger should be.

Lin Tian heard the splashes of footsteps as an unknown person made his way over. A young man of the same age wearing a clean green robe blocked his view of the sky.

"Lin Zhou?" asked Lin Tian as he can barely focus his eyes.

"I came as soon as I heard about that bastard Lin Qin bragging about putting you in your place." Softly spoke Lin Zhou. This Lin Zhou had a healthy complexion with a solid frame. His heroic face and short cropped black hair have captivated the hearts of many young ladies. Yet, it is this face that is gazing guiltily upon Lin Tian with a look of regret and hopelessness.

"This is all my fault." Grimaced Lin Zhou. "If it hadn't taken me a week to break through to the middle Houtian stage, then you wouldn't have been targeted like this."

"Haha . . . cough cough. . . this isn't your fault at all. Congratulations brother Zhou on breaking through." Smiled Lin Tian weakly. "Well, are you going to help me up?"

"Easy, bro." Lin Zhou stooped down to help Lin Tian up and support him back to his room. Lin Tian was a fair bit shorter than Lin Zhou and had trouble walking with him.

"You big panda, maybe if you spent more of your energy on cultivating instead of growing, then maybe you would have broken through to the Xiantian stage by now." Jested Lin Tian as he struggled to keep up.

"C'mon, even the clan master is only at the late Xiantian stage. It's more like brother Tian is a bit short instead of me being too big." Smiled Lin Zhou. The tension on Lin Zhou's face slowly eased after joking with his good friend.

The two friends made their way across the Lin Family residence to Lin Tian's own house. The misty rain did little to hide the extravagance of the Lin Family. The large area of land that housed the Lin Family was littered with beautifully designed pagodas and pavilions. Every building was vibrant and carefully maintained to show off the prosperity of the family. Well, most of them.

At the extreme southeast corner of the Lin Family residence sat a small wooden shack. It was almost as if the Lin Family was trying to hide this place away.

The shack couldn't be called decrepit since the roof didn't leak and there were no holes in the roof or walls, but it definitely showed its age. The paint has long since faded and several of the wooden boards were starting to warp.

Outside the shack was a small vegetable garden with various plants growing in it. The garden was both a hobby and a source of food for Lin Tian.

"Someone's here." Said Lin Zhou upon noticing the door ajar.

"Well if they're here to beat me up, then they're a little too late." Joked Lin Tian with a wry smile. Faint purple bruises were already starting to form on his face.

"Don't worry bro, with me here I would just like to see who dares to mess with you." Lin Zhou pledged by thumping his chest.

"Oh really, it seems like little brother Zhou is trying to become big brother Zhou huh?" A cool and pleasant voice chimed.

The door slid open to reveal a budding beauty. A young woman who looked roughly sixteen stood in the doorway holding a silk fan. Her long black hair was neatly pinned up to reveal her pure green eyes. She gave off a mischievous air as she sweetly smiled at the two boys.

"Big Sis Xue!" exclaimed Lin Zhou as he nearly dropped Lin Tian. As if by instinct his eyes started to dart around looking for a path of escape.

"So, the little brother is finally challenging his big sister?" smirked Lin Xue as she crisply closed her fan.

"Big Sis, I didn't know you were here. If I did, then even if I was given ten… no a hundred times the amount of guts I wouldn't dare to challenge you." Panicked Lin Zhou as he took a step back. Lin Tian could feel Lin Zhou's body tense up as if he was about to face a wild beast.

"Oh, really. Too bad. I was hoping to have a little fun." Lin Xue charmingly beamed towards Lin Zhou. At this point, she finally took a deep look at Lin Tian's injuries. Her playful air disappeared as her brows furrowed, "It's been hard on you hasn't?"

"Well, I can put up with it as long as it's this much." Smiled Lin Tian.

"No! This isn't right. That bastard Lin Qin keeps bullying brother Tian whenever we're not around. Big Sis, you're already at the late Houtian stage. Can't you do something about him?" Pleaded Lin Zhou.  Lin Xue gave Lin Tian's smiling face a long look before she closed her eyes with a sigh.

"What exactly do you want me to do? Beat him up?" She asked Lin Zhou. "All that would do is make things worse for Lin Tian later. You and I can't always be there to protect him." She berated.

Lin Zhou could only grimace in response as he tightly clenched his fist, "It's still not fair." He scowled.

"That doesn't matter. Both of you need to remember this. The only thing that you can rely on is yourself. If you're weak then you're at the mercy of the strong. It's only when you're strong that you can start talking about 'fairness'." Lin Xue instructed.

"However, you are right that this has gone on for long enough. I will bring up this matter at tomorrow's clan assembly." Lin Xue relented. "Little brother, I'll head on home first, but don't stay too much longer. Brother Tian, my mother had me bring you some soup." Lin Xue once again opened her fan as she made her way out. The rain seemed to avoid her as not a single raindrop fell upon her.

"Sister Xue, thank you for the care." Lin Tian turned to smile at her. She only gave him one last look with a trace of a frown at the corner of her lips before leaving.

Lin Zhou proceeded to help Lin Tian settle into his room. Inside the house, there was only one room that contained a bed, table, chair, and a single chest. The room was dimly lit by a single candle that Lin Xue must have brought over. Despite the exterior of the house, the inside was clean and devoid of even a single speck of dust.

On the table was the pot of soup left by Lin Xue. "Bro, you just rest for a moment and I'll get you some soup." Ordered Lin Zhou after helping Lin Tian to the chair. After setting him down Lin Zhou fumbled with ladling some soup into the one bowl that Lin Tian owned. Lin Tian felt a warmth in his chest as he watched his best friend pour him some soup.

"Should I help you take care of your wounds when you're done eating?" Asked Lin Zhou as he passed the bowl over.

"Bah, you smelly panda, do you really have the time to be caring about me? Shouldn't you have already gone home to consolidate your breakthrough?" Spat Lin Tian as he shooed Lin Zhou away.

Lin Zhou gave up after Lin Tian's repeated urging and made his way to the door. He looked upon his childhood friend eating hungrily and showed a pained expression. His face revealed that there was much in his heart that he wished to say.

Lin Tian also glanced at Lin Zhou out of the corner of his eye. "Why are you making such a face? I've never blamed you for anything." Lin Tian coolly said. This only served to worsen the expression on Lin Zhou's face.

With one last look, Lin Zhou said his farewells and made his way back home. As he walked home, the rain finally let up to reveal a vast night sky. Lin Zhou muttered to himself while looking up at this sky, "You may not blame me, but I'm unable to forgive myself. For both my weakness and my cowardice."

Lin Tian was left alone in this house as the pain from his wounds finally soaked in. The fake smile that he faced both his friends with slowly turned into a grimace of pain. He forced himself up to dress his wounds. He grabbed several medical supplies that he kept in his chest such as bandages and body ointment. He always made sure to have these on hand as this wasn't the first time that this happened. He was just glad that Lin Zhou didn't insist on helping him as the memory of that trauma was still fresh in his mind.

Lin Tian removed his faded blue shirt to reveal a lean and muscular frame. His clear face gave off a pleasant feeling and his deep blue eyes gave off a certain chill. The only problem is that the bruises along with his unkempt short brown hair made him look like a common street thug now. The scrapes and bruises he received were mainly concentrated on his torso and face. He proceeded to carefully wash and bandage his wounds with ointment and water.

After putting away the excess supplies, Lin Tian suspiciously glanced at his surroundings before pulling out a small wooden box that he kept at the bottom of his chest. Inside laid a small round stone the size of a chicken's egg. This was a precious commodity in this world known as a Qi Stone.

Despite its size, a Qi Stone contained a vast amount of spiritual energy. A practitioner could absorb the energy within to double his results with half the work. This Qi Stone was gifted to Lin Tian by Lin Zhou several years ago after he entered the early Houtian stage.

Lin Tian blew out the candle and quieted his mind. Once again, like every night since he was twelve, Lin Tian sat down in a lotus position to practice the Lin Family's breathing technique to try and draw Qi into his body.

A gentle stream of moonlight cascaded through the window to provide a slight amount of light. He sat in meditation for one long hour before sighing in disappointment. Like a closed well, Lin Tian couldn't even feel a trace of Qi entering his body.

"Why? Why me?" Questioned Lin Tian to the heavens. Lin Tian could only softly sigh once more as no one answered him. He stood up and gently stretched out his legs that have become stiff. He carefully returned the Qi Stone to its hiding place before deciding to go to sleep in his creaky old bed.

Lin Tian experienced several emotions before falling asleep. Pain. Loneliness. Anxiety. Fear. Disappointment. Desire. And a will. A will to be strong. He remembered the words that Lin Xue said about fairness. Lin Tian decided if there was no place for him under the heavens, then he will carve out one for himself by force.

With that single thought, the future changed. Countless destinies have shifted. Paths that should have never crossed now intersect. Not even the Heavens can escape. In the end, even gods may fall.

 In an instant, the despair of the night was replaced by the hope of the sun.

NexusRex

That was chapter one and our protagonist Lin Tian. If you read the prologue then you should already guess some of what's going on, but is that all there is to it? Thanks for reading!