The morning sun broke over the horizon to welcome a brand-new day. The rays of the sun washed away the cold darkness and replaced it with warmth. The entirety of Green Snake Town glittered like a jewel as rays of light reflected off the early morning dew.

Green Snake Town was considered to be a mid-sized town with a population in the tens of thousands. Although the town couldn't be called extremely prosperous, it was considered fairly wealthy due to its proximity to several valuable natural resources.

The rising of the sun also signaled the start of the day for most residents of Green Snake Town. The city came alive as both man and beast populated the streets. Guards with a green snake emblem on their chest changed watch with the weary night patrol. Fires blazed from the smithies as the sounds of hammers rang out. Wagons pulled by giant black oxen came into the city as there were deals to be made and gold exchanged hands.

Even the prestigious overlords of Green Snake Town, the Lin and Xia families, busied themselves with their day-to-day operations. This was also the time that Lin Tian began his day as well. He awoke from a thin stream of sunlight piercing through his window. He took a long deep breath of the cool morning air only to sneer in pain as his body screamed in discomfort.

"Ouch . . . did that bastard really need to beat me so hard." Winced Lin Tian as he lightly clutched his side. He slowly undid the bandages across his body to inspect his wounds. Overnight, his scrapes closed up nicely and left only thin red lines crisscrossing his body. The major problem was the bruises on his torso and face that turned into a nasty purplish-black color.

Lin Tian could only sigh as he redressed his wounds with ointment. After fixing his bandages he stood up and gently stretched out his body checking for any severe damage, "At least they didn't break anything."

With his wounds taken care of Lin Tian finally began his day in earnest. He quickly changed into his spare set of clothing. Just like his other set, these robes are a faded blue from too many washings. After properly fixing his attire, Lin Tian proceeded to carry out his daily chores.

Lin Tian liked to make sure that his house was kept clean and his garden tended. He took out an old rag and broom to attend to this. After making sure that his house was in shape, Lin Tian set his sights on his garden next. In the time it took to boil tea, he finished weeding and watering the garden. A small smile came to his lips as he found it relaxing to tend to this small garden of his. 

Finally satisfied with the condition of his garden Lin Tian dusted off his hands before heading off to begin his actual work. He took the same side path that he always did as he traveled towards the Lin Family's Herb Pavilion. He took care to keep his head down and keep to the far side of the path to avoid attracting any unnecessary attention to himself.

Lin Tian looked enviously upon the beautifully designed buildings and well-clothed juniors of the Lin Family as he walked. The more he looked, the bigger the dissatisfaction within his chest grew. Lin Tian wondered why he was the only one treated this way in the Lin Family. Even the servants were better dressed than he was.

The only thing that Lin Tian had that they didn't was an empty stomach. He could only bury these complaints deep within his heart as he arrived at a large green pavilion. Despite the early morning, there were already people coming and going.

The building itself always had a pleasant aroma as the smell of herbs seeped into the sandalwood walls. The Herb Pavilion was where the Lin Family stored spiritual herbs that could be refined into pills. Since the Lin Family lacked an alchemist that could refine pills, they mainly gathered the herbs to trade with bigger cities.

Lin Tian was not here to sightsee, but to work instead. Once a person reached thirteen years of age, they were expected to start working in the Lin family's businesses. This was of course if you didn't have the talent for cultivation.

The strength of a clan was determined by the number and quality of its cultivators. The Lin Family was no exception to this. At twelve years of age, the Lin Family taught its youth cultivation techniques to step on the path of Immortal Cultivation. If by the age of thirteen you were able to step into the Houtian stage, then you were marked as a seed worth grooming by the Lin Family. If not, then you were destined to remain an ordinary person.

Lin Tian at one point was also given this same chance, but at the end of one year, all he had was a red face to show for it. Lin Tian made his way to the front counter of the pavilion where a white-haired old man with a long beard sat there lightly snoring.

"Old man Bai, what are my duties today." Asked Lin Tian respectfully. This respect was only met with the continued snoring of this old man. It was impossible to tell that this old man was actually the Pavilion Master of the Lin Family's Herb Pavilion, Lin Bai!

"Old man Bai!" shouted Lin Tian. This yell abruptly took the old man out of his dreams and back to the waking world. The old man deeply scowled after finding the source of his disturbance.

"So, it's you little brat. Are you able to shoulder the responsibility of disturbing this grandfather's rest?" shamelessly berated the old man.

Lin Tian could only stare helplessly at the old man. If you were just going to go back to sleep, then what was the point of even rolling out of bed.

"Old man Bai, your heart is as vast as the sea. Can't you just forgive this little one and give me my duties?" Flattered Lin Tian with a heavy tongue. Despite his forced praise, he rather liked this old man since he was one of the few people to treat him well. The only problem was that his face could be a bit too thick at times.

"Hmph, fine. It seems like your mouth can say some nice things. This grandfather will graciously let you off this time." Harrumphed the old man. "For today, you're on herb gathering duty. You know where to claim your tools."

"Also, while you're at it throw away this garbage for me." Ordered the old man as he threw a meat bun to Lin Tian. He could still feel some warmth from the bun as if it was freshly made. He felt a warmth in his chest as he held this simple meat bun. Looks like he would be throwing away "garbage" for the old man today as well.

"Lin Tian will always remember your kindness." Lin Tian pledged as he cupped his hands in respect.

"Still here? Scram." Shooed away the old man with one hand as he reclined back to rest. Lin Tian gave one final salute before collecting his sack of herb gathering supplies and leaving the pavilion. As Lin Tian left, the old man opened one of his eyes to watch the lone figure leave.

"If you weren't born into the Lin Family, then things may have been different. No, if only you weren't born to that woman." Muttered the old man to himself as he closed his eye.

After gathering his supplies, Lin Tian left the residence for Green Snake Mountain while eating his meat bun. There were two main jobs in the Herb Pavilion: growing and gathering. The Lin Family had some fields where they grew some of the more common herbs, but the real profit was gathering rare herbs on the mountain. For some reason there was an abundance of valuable herbs growing on the mountain and the Lin Family wasn't going to let them go to waste.

There was some danger to the task though. The mountain just wasn't home to herbs, but Vicious Beasts as well. Vicious Beasts were animals that were able to cultivate just like humans. As they cultivated, they not only grew stronger but also more intelligent. Some rumors say that they could even take human form if their cultivation base was high enough.

Lin Tian was not worried since he long ago memorized a map of the mountain created through the suffering of previous herb pickers. On it was the dangerous and safe areas of the mountain, as well as, the forbidden region of the mountain. He strode forward confidently through the forest filled mountain as he left the stigma of the Lin Family reject behind.

 After roughly an hour of walking when the sun already rose high into the sky, he made it to a clearing on the mountain. The clearing appeared to be man-made as it was neatly made with different training areas. Various sized rocks were lined up neatly and wooden posts were driven into the ground. One of the posts had thick rope coiled around it and dark red stains that looked like dried blood. This was the place where Lin Tian came to train his body whenever he came to the mountain.

Lin Tian sat down his sack of supplies and took off his shirt to warm up his body. This constant training was how he developed his well-defined physique. However, no matter how much he trained his body it was no match for the amount of power one could gain through cultivation. He was just considered a bigger ant to those cultivators.

With a determined expression on his face, he punched at the wooden post with the rope coiled around it as his knuckles split open. One, two. One, two.

It was also around this time that the monthly clan assembly of the Lin Family took place. Each month, the elders would gather to discuss the future and prosperity of the Lin Family. Several outstanding juniors of the family would also attend.

The clan assembly was held within the grandest building of the Lin Family, the Main House. Within the grand hall, sat the most prominent members of the family. The room was luxuriously decorated with detailed tapestries and gold fixtures to showcase the prestige of the Lin family.

Seven elders sat around a dark ironwood table that was placed in the middle of the hall. Each elder gave off a certain aura that denoted their power. Surprisingly, it was the wizened looking old man that seemed as if he could be knocked over by a spring breeze that occupied the seat of honor at the head of the table.

Below the main table, several chairs were lined up so that the youths seated in them could quietly observe the meeting. Most of these youths looked bored as a hook-nosed elder complained about the Xia Family once again.

"The Xia Family has gotten too impudent these days. They claim that they had nothing to do with the disappearance of our trade caravans. Everyone knows that they're jealous of our new trade deal with Qingfeng City. It's as if they don't even put us in their eyes at all!" cried the hook-nosed elder.

"There is no proof that the Xia Family had anything to do with the disappearance of our trade caravans." Reasoned a kindly looking woman.

The discussion got further heated as all but the old man at the head of the table joined into the conversation. When the discussion finally reached a crescendo, a strong browed middle-aged man with a small black beard cleared his throat. The other elders quickly quieted down in respect. This middle-aged man was Lin Yi, which if no other problems occurred would become the next Clan Master of the Lin Family.

"Let's all settle down now. Since there is no proof connecting this matter to the Xia Family, we will put the matter to rest for now. We'll increase the security team taking care of the wagons and watch the movements of the Xia Family." Calmly stated Lin Yi. "Now let's discuss an even more pressing matter that will affect the future of the Lin Family, The Qingfeng City Tournament."

NexusRex

At least there's someone looking out for Lin Tian. Any guesses on what old man Bai was talking about when he mentioned Lin Tian's mother? Thanks for reading!