The sky roared with a rumble, and in an instant, enveloping dark clouds cast a shadow. A bolt of lightning struck the earth and the soft drizzle quickly turned into a heavy rain. Pedestrians around quickened their pace, cursing the capricious weather.

On the outskirts of Tianhai city, a desolate green hill sat in silence. Below it, a young man was resting.

The man looked to be in his early twenties, his clothes were shabby and tattered with a few burnt holes from which thin wisps of smoke rose.

His eyes were calm, however, a hint of a bitter smile was inevitable. He assessed his internal condition and was relieved to find that his meridians were not completely damaged. He had only fallen from the Golden Core stage to the initial stage of Qi training.

"The Thunder Tribulation is indeed as scary as Master said," he thought, "even the first layer is grotesque enough to make my physical body unbearable. My meridians are ruined, and my ten years of cultivation vanished like smoke."

Thinking of his master, Lu Yang's expression darkened. The old man who had raised him since childhood, had ascended to the heavens, leaving him, a disciple who was not up to par, in the mortal world.

What surprised him more was that before his master's death, he had arranged 'a matter of his lifetime' for him...

The gloomy sky cleared in an instant, and once again, the day was bright and clear, causing the pedestrians in the town to silently grumble.

Just as Lu Yang was about to stand up, he suddenly spouted a mouthful of blood. His complexion became as pale as gold foil.

Ignoring the scorching pain reminiscent of turning tides in his body, he shakily stood up and looked up blankly at the sky.

A cool sensation burst from his chest, inducing a refreshing breath that rushed into his body, smoothing out the fire caused by the thunder that was ravaging his meridians.

Lu Yang let out a comfortable moan. A slight cracking sound emerged, knitting his brows, he hurriedly took out a jade stone from his chest, the once-round and translucent jade was now broken in half.

"It seems the 'Turtle Spirit Jade' resisted three layers of Lightning Tribulation, but got destroyed," he thought.

This 'Turtle Spirit Jade' was not only a treasure inherited from his sect but also his love token.

Thinking this, Lu Yang carefully packed away the broken jade, and began to ponder over his predicament.

The stages of cultivation are Qi Refinement, Building Foundation, and Golden Core. Earth's spiritual energy was thin, and there were only a few cultivators left. These individuals would spend their whole lives on Earth and would never surpass the threshold of the Golden Core.

His master, before his death, handed him the sect's treasured 'Turtle Spirit Jade,' stating that it held great fortune. But now, the Spirit Jade was shattered, and he hadn't discovered a clue.

Over ten years, he followed his master in cultivation, living a life of asceticism. Now, it was time for him to venture into the world and descend from the hills. It seemed it was inevitable to head to Sky Sea City, as his 'arranged date' was still waiting for him.

Actually, he had no intention in that respect. His master was quite open-minded, stating that he owed a favor from many years ago and had to arrange this meeting. He just needed to meet this prospective partner once; whether they ended up together was up to him.

This trip to Sky Sea City would fulfill his master's dying wishes.

Thinking of this, Lu Yang frowned bitterly. At this moment, the meridians in his body were destroyed. Although his cultivation foundation was not damaged, he could not use the 'Refining Flame Technique' for half a month.

This place was nearly ten thousand miles away from Sky Sea City. How long would it take for him to walk the distance?

Lu Yang wrinkles his brow in thought. Suddenly, he heard a movement and took out a new set of clothes from a bag. He made a gesture and activated the 'Dust Removal Technique'. His clothes were instantly clean, and he felt greatly refreshed.

Employing a bit of spiritual energy made his complexion slightly abnormal. He put on the backpack and slowly approached a suspension bridge at the foot of a small hill. On the other end, a red bus was parked with a dozen or so tourists bustling around.

Not far from the green hills was the famous Liao River, an ancient river that had been converted into a popular tourist attraction in recent years.

Lu Yang, without showing any emotion, blended into the crowd and found a seat. After listening quietly for a while, he finally understood what had happened, and it seemed that he was related to this incident.

During his tribulation earlier, the heavenly tribulation's thunderbolts had been attracted to this area. This bus was returning from the Liao River to Sky Sea City. The bus had just arrived here when a bolt of lightning struck the nearby grassland. Although the lightning did not hit the bus directly, the aftermath caused the bus to break down.

The tourists had all disembarked from the incapacitated bus. The tour guide had made a distress call, and everyone calmed down after hearing this news.

As the afternoon turned into evening, a few tourists began to get agitated again. The tour guide made a call, and after uttering a few sentences, he hung up with an upset expression, "Due to the weather, there's been a landslide blocking the mountain road to Sky Sea City, and the rescue team is now trapped. They won't be able to arrive until tomorrow morning at the earliest."

"What? Are we going to have to spend the night here?" a tourist complained.

"We paid for this trip, and when something like this happens, your tour company should take full responsibility!"

The tour guide hurried to appease the group, "Rest assured, our company will compensate for all losses, but this was an act of nature, we didn't want this either..."

After comforting the group, they eventually calmed down. By this time, it was getting dark, and the rumbling of their stomachs could be heard.

Everyone found snacks they had brought along and took a few bites, but hunger soon took over.

Lu Yang took out two roast chickens from his bag, found some wood, made a fire, and set the chickens on two sticks.

His actions attracted the attention of those around him, but no one said anything.

Before long, the aroma of the roasting chicken wafted through the air, and many people swallowed hard, sneak peeks at Lu Yang.

A muscular middle-aged man hesitated for a moment, eyed Lu Yang's appearance, and approached, "Hey brother, how much for a roast chicken, I'll buy one."

Lu Yang glanced at him, "Sorry, not for sale." If it was any other day, he wouldn't mind giving away a roast chicken. However, this chicken was roasted with his spiritual fire, which had healing effects, so how could he sell it?

The man looked disgruntled after being refused, but still offered, "How about this, a thousand yuan, sell it or not?"

"Not selling."

Some people around started to pay attention, and many were speechless. This guy must be crazy. A thousand yuan for a roast chicken, even though they were all starving, who wouldn't sell it? With a thousand yuan, how many chickens could they buy outside?

The muscular man sounded annoyed, "Trying to bump up the price? You don't look wealthy. How about this, I am the CEO of Tianhai Qingshi Group, I'll offer five thousand. Sell me the chicken, and when you're in Tianhai City, you can look for me at Qingshi Group. I can help arrange a job for you."

Everyone around was stunned. Qingshi Group? This was one of the most famous antique companies in Tianhai, a huge corporation with nearly billions in assets. By selling only a roast chicken, this young man could potentially get into the Qingshi Group - a prestigious company that even high-achieving graduates from well-known universities couldn't get into. This young man must be quite lucky.

Everyone looked at Lu Yang with envy.

Lu Yang had a peculiar expression. Qing Shi Group? Wasn’t this too coincidental?

However, this roasted chicken was useful to him, so he said, “Not for sale.”

People were flabbergasted upon hearing this and looked at Lu Yang as if he were a fool.

The muscular man was also taken aback, but when he came back to his senses, his face turned ashen. When had he been rejected like this before? “I must have this roasted chicken today. Whether you give it willingly or not, I still must have it.”

From a distance, Su Xin, who had been watching the situation, realized that things were not progressing well. Her pretty eyebrows furrowed, and she shouted in a quiet yet assertive voice, “Stop it, don't take action against a civilian...”

But it was too late, the muscular man had already swung his palm, creating a gust of wind that was heading straight for Lu Yang!

Lu Yang's brow furrowed, he was astonished by the muscular man’s violent temperament. Just for a roasted chicken, the man had started a fight. Was it that he was not right in the head, or was the chicken of utmost importance to him?

While thinking this, his palm moved as fast as a lightning flash, his hand caught the vicious attack from the man with ease. With a gentle push, the muscular man staggered backward. “If you disturb me again, it will not be as simple as this,” warned Lu Yang.

The muscular man did not pay attention to Lu Yang's words because at the moment, he was shocked and couldn't believe that he had been pushed back so easily.

Su Xin was also surprised. The other people around only believed it to be an ordinary conflict, they thought, at most, the young man in front of them knew how to fight. But she was clear about the muscular man's real strength. He was a genuine martial arts expert, although not a martial artist. Ten plus ordinary people would still not be able to deal with him. Otherwise, he would not have followed them this time.

With her eyebrows furrowed, Su Xin gazed at Lu Yang, her beautiful eyes revealing a trace of an inexplicable look.