At the gate of a majestic mountain, a lone young man was walking forward, his steps steady and calm. His deep brown eyes, far more mature for the young face, carried something few could understand.
As he moved, he glanced behind at the sect that he once called his home, and a deep sigh escaped his mouth. As his gaze surveyed the mountain, the conversation he had just had a few minutes ago flashed before his eyes.
"From this day forward, Bai Chen won't be considered a disciple of the Azure Dragon Sect." His father announced to the elders and disciples present.
His face was expressionless, and he clenched his fists slightly, only to release them the next moment, not betraying any hint of the turmoil inside of him.
As his words spread, chatter began to fill the audience, and as Bai Chen glanced at those present, he saw pity in some eyes while others held contempt.
"I can't believe our sect leader gave birth to such trash."
"Such a waste, only if he had talent..."
As he heard all of this, Bai Chen's face remained cold, but he kept quiet. But a hint of amusement can't help but appear in his eyes.
These murmurs meant nothing to him from the start. Glory and power held little meaning to him, his path was different from all the people in this world.
As his mother heard all this, her fists clenched, but she loosened them immediately. Although it pained her to no end, she wasn't able to show it on her face, as if even a single trace of favoritism appeared in her behavior, the news might leak, and their enemies might grow suspicious.
"Silence."
The murmurs started to grow louder and louder, and the sect leader's strong voice resounded once again, silencing everyone present.
"Bai Chen, hand over the sect's sword and your disciple badge, and you can leave."
When he said this, a disciple of the disciplinary hall came forward to collect the items from Bai Chen.
Bai Chen's eyes narrowed a little, and a deep glint that no one noticed flashed in his eyes. he unfastened the belt around his waist, and as he was handing it over, he felt the weight of his beloved companion one last time.
As he reminisced about those moments, another deep sigh escaped his lips, and he started walking again.
'One day, I will come back and tell this world, I, Bai Chen, am not trash, but the strongest genius this world has ever seen,' he thought, but then he burst out into an amused laugh. 'Maybe I am also getting the main character syndrome.'
'When did I start to care about others' opinions? my path is different from theirs after all.' his amusement only grew with the realization, and he shook his head before continuing on his long journey.
At this moment, he had already climbed down the mountain and was on the path to a nearby city.
While he was trotting on this path, scenes of his past life flashed through his eyes, scenes when his life was simple, scenes where fate hadn't twisted his life.
"Brother Feng, hurry up. We are going to be late for the festival." A young girl with a face full of smiles said as she pulled his hand.
"Alright, I am coming, I am coming, no need to pull me," he said, happiness blooming in his heart. "geez, Fei Mei, you can be so impatient at times, there are still two hours until the festival starts."
As Fei Mei heard this, her rosy cheeks puffed as she pouted, and her lips pursed into frustration as she glared at Xiao Feng, making her look incredibly cute.
"What does Brother Feng mean I am being impatient? Can you blame me? It is going to be our first Valentine's together." She said as she started to pull him even harder.
As Xiao Feng looked at the beautiful girl in front of him, his heart started to race, and he once again realized how lucky he was to have someone genuine like her to fill his monotonous life with happiness.
"What are you daydreaming about? Hurry up." A sharp voice pulled him out of the trance as Fei Mei once again glared at him, already annoyed. Her hair was already sticking to her forehead from the summer heat.
As Xiao Feng looked at this, he chuckled as he took out a napkin to wipe her face, and said, "I was once again entranced by the fact that how can someone be so beautiful."
As Fei Mei heard this, a small squeak escaped her lips as her face turned a bright shade of red, and she ran away like a scared deer while covering her face with her hand.
Looking at this, Xiao Feng just chuckled and started to follow behind her, the warmth in his eyes growing as each moment passed.
As Bai Chen was still immersed in his past life, the cold evening wind blew onto his face, and a rustle in a nearby bush brought him back to reality.
He grew vigilant as he scanned his surroundings to find the source of the sound.
"Who's there?" Bai Chen asked as he reached out to his waist, but when he found it empty, he remembered that he had given his sword back to the sect.
"AHAHAHAHA, isn't that the useless young master of the Azure Dragon Sect?" An arrogant female voice sounded as a figure stepped out of the nearby bushes.
"Who are you?" Bai Chen's vigilance increased as he scrutinized the figure in front of him.
"Me? I am nobody, just a passerby who loves to watch the misery of others." The woman said as a playful smile adorned her beautiful lips.
At this moment, Bai Chen realized that he was only sensing the aura of a foundation establishment 3rd stage cultivator from her body, and his guard relaxed a little.
"Did the sect send you?" He tentatively asked, trying to fish out more information to check which power he might need to deal with in the future.
"The sect?" The woman seemed surprised for a second, but then a mocking look appeared on her face as she sneered, "Do you really think someone would send me here to mock you? How arrogant."
The arrogance that was in the woman surprised Bai Chen, but he remained quiet, his long golden hair dancing with the cool wind, his deep brown eyes observing her beautiful visage as the evening sunlight fell on his face, further highlighting his sharp features.
"I only act on my whims, and my whims led me here," the woman continued, " and right now, they are telling me to enjoy these moments as much as I can."
A blank look appeared on Bai Chen's face as he heard this, Naturally, he was not going to believe her, who would? After all, this is a dog-eat-dog world, where a moment of carelessness would have you end up dead.
"What? don't belive me?" When the woman saw his blank face, she asked in a somewhat irritated tone, but then she got back to her mocking again, "Do you really think you are worth someone wasting their time to deal with you?"
"You are weak, Bai Chen, nothing more than trash," She said, the mocking look intensified. "you are not worth anyone's attention, not even your parents. Honestly, your situation makes me almost want to pity you… almost."
Although Bai Chen was keeping a blank look on the outside, he was actually trying to feel her aura and trying to understand the reason why he, a golden core peak cultivator, wasn't able to sense her till she revealed herself.
As the woman's mocking grew more and more, Bai Chen finally started to get annoyed and asked, "You still haven't told me your name and purpose."
"Oh, where are my manners? right, the weak don't deserve to be treated with respect, AHAHAHA." The woman appeared to be a little embarrassed at the start, but then she went back to mocking him again.
"Anyway, since you are so curious, my name is Qiao Xue, and as for my purpose? well, let's just say I don't have one," She continued.
"Don't have one? Who doesn't have a purpose?" Bai Chen, surprised, asked her in a questioning tone.
"I don't, I just go wherever fate takes me, and it also led me here, anyway, see you around," Qiao Xue replied before starting to walk back into the bushes.
"Wait, you haven't answered all my questions," Bai Chen tried to stop her, but then he realized that he couldn't sense her presence at all, just like before.
"That woman," he murmured as their conversation started to run through his mind again, but the words that stuck out the most and the words that he felt were the most true overshadowed everything else.
"Yes, the weak don't deserve to be treated with respect." A determined look appeared on his face as he once again realized his purpose in this world and why he needed to get stronger."
'Just wait for me, Fei Mei, I will surely come back to you,' He thought to himself as he continued on his journey.