The Mammoth Sect was located deep within the Rosy Mountains and consisted of hundreds of Nimbus Hills. One of them was covered in dense vegetation and exotic flowers and grass. It was known as the Outer Hill and was mainly used to accommodate outer disciples.
It was midsummer, and the sun was blazing.
Under a waterfall on the Outer Hill, a young man was cultivating with bare arms. The young man was about 16 or 17 years old. He had sword-shaped eyebrows and bright eyes and looked imposing. He could be said to be a talented man!
"Boom!" "Boom!"
The 100-meter-high waterfall flew like a giant dragon falling into a cold pool. The water splashed, and the fog rose.
The young man stood under the waterfall. Under the pressure of the waterfall, he raised a thousand-pound bronze tripod over his head. The considerable impact and the slippery water under his feet made him tired and out of breath. The veins on his arms bulged like small snakes, and his skin was red. But he still insisted on it, like a strong pine, rooted in the cliff, and the wind and rain couldn't make him move!
At this time, a group of outer disciples came from the nearby path. When they saw him, they immediately began to talk about him...
"Look, isn't that Zack? He really was persevering. He has been holding the bronze tripod for three years regardless of the weather."
"So what if he has willpower? His elixir field is broken, and he can't store internal energy. No matter how strong his body is, he's still a mortal!" A disciple's face was filled with disdain. "Hmph, I didn't expect him, the dignified Top one in Outer School, to ambush Finn for a Sun Grass Herb. He's the most despicable and shameless person in the Outer School! Fortunately, Finn's Sword Skill is exquisite. He managed to pierce his elixir field with a single sword strike, preventing him from being killed."
"I always feel something strange about what happened back then."
A young and tender youth was a little puzzled. "Although Sun Grass Herb is precious, Zack is the Top one in Outer School. He got a lot of resources as rewards. He wouldn't fall out because of a stalk of alchemical herb, would he? Furthermore, at that time, he cultivated to the Rank 10 in the Condensation Realm, and Finn was only at the Rank 8 in the Condensation Realm. Under Zack's sneak attack, how could Finn possibly retaliate? Could it be that there was something else hidden?"
"What's hidden? If you don't trust Finn, you should trust Fannie!"
The disdainful disciple snorted and said, "Fannie used to be Zack's admirer. She was on the Quest together and witnessed the whole process. How could it be false? As for why Zack launched a sneak attack on Finn? Humph, Fannie said that Zack's cultivation speed was so fast because he had taken the forbidden pills, and his potential had been squeezed out. Seeing that Finn caught up with him, he was scared and did such a crazy thing. Similarly, the reason why Finn could fight back was that Zack's cultivation was promoted by the forbidden pills, and his foundation was unstable. Naturally, he was no match for Finn."
Hearing these words, the young disciple suddenly understood.
However, there was still something he didn't understand, so he asked, "Since Zack dared to kill our fellow disciples, why wasn't he expelled from the sect?"
Hearing that, the disdainful disciple suddenly showed his affection, like a passer-by who secretly fell in love with his goddess. "It was Fannie who was kind-hearted. She couldn't bear to see him being expelled from the sect and begged the elders for mercy, so she kept him in the Outer School. But it doesn't matter. There is still half a year left for the Final exam of Outer School. This year, Zack is in the Outer School for the fifth year. According to the sect rules, anyone who can't pass the test within five years will be expelled from the sect. He is a good-for-nothing whose elixir field has been broken. He can't pass. Being expelled from the sect is certain."
"I see."
"It's good for us that he will be expelled from the sect as soon as possible."
A few outer disciples walked past the waterfall as they spoke.
The young man under the waterfall, Zack, had a self-mocking smile when he heard the conversation. "Finn Hadley, Frances, what a shameless couple you are! You can confuse right and wrong with a thought! Well, I'm as blind as a bat. Thus, I deserve to suffer this disaster. But I swear I will pay back what you have done to me ten or even a hundred times."
...
The Mammoth Sect was the number one sect in the Dragonrage Province and also was the only Cultivation sect, which was known as the saint land.
The residents of the Dragonrage Province were proud of joining this sect.
Therefore, tens of millions of age-appropriate children would come to the Mammoth Sect to take the trial every year. They wanted to set foot on the path of Cultivation and change their fate. However, due to the difficulty of the trial, the requirements for talent were extremely high. There were very few people who could pass.
Countless offsprings from wealthy families, notable families, and other sects failed. Zack, an orphan who couldn't eat well, unexpectedly passed the trial and became an outer disciple!
The outer disciples referred to the little apprentices who had just joined the sect and were like a piece of blank paper in all aspects.
After they entered the sect, they would get their clothes, wooden swords, Condensation Pills, and Rudimentary Cultivation Methods. They would be assigned to different dormitories. After they completed the hoeing, cleaning the mountain path, repairing the thatched cottage, and other daily tasks, they could start practicing the Cultivation Method with the Abecedarian and worked hard to become cultivators!
Zack was the first person to become a cultivator in that batch.
Cultivators were divided into different stages and levels. The first stage was called the Condensation Realm. It was divided into ten ranks, such as Rank 1 in Condensation Realm and Rank 2 in Condensation Realm. In this stage, people focused on sensing the spirit, inhaling and exhaling the essence, and nourishing the internal energy. When the first seed of internal energy was nurtured in the elixir field, one would enter Rank 1 in Condensation Realm and become a real cultivator.
According to history, it would take at least three months for a new disciple to grow a seed of internal energy, while Zack only used three weeks.
At that time, his talent shocked the Abecedarian.
When the other disciples successively nurtured the seed of internal energy, Zack had already entered Rank 2 in Condensation Realm. He then advanced by leaps and bounds, surpassing the senior disciples daily and reaching the Rank 10 in Condensation Realm. He was worthy of being called the Top one in Outer School. He was only one step away from entering the Inner School.
At that time, he was full of glory.
Among the same batch of disciples as Zack, there was a young master of another sect called Finn Hadley. He also had a stunning talent. When other disciples struggled with Rank 4 in Condensation Realm, he reached Rank 8 in Condensation Realm and created the new record of top ten fast-cultivating in the Mammoth Sect.
However, Finn was unlucky. He was born in the same era as Zack, and his glory was all snatched away.
The Mammoth Sect only knew of Zachary Sellers, not Finn Hadley.
Similarly, some young girls also admired Zack but ignored Finn. Among them, there was the most beautiful girl named Frances, who stayed with Zack every day. She begged him to teach her to cultivate and accompany her to enjoy the scenery. She completely regarded her suitor, Finn, as nothing.
A large number of disciples regarded Zack as their idol.
Even some inner disciples were polite to Zack because they knew he would enter the Inner School sooner or later and surpass them. It was wise to build a good relationship with him in advance.
At that time, Zack was at the peak of his life.
However, just as Zack was at the peak of his life, an accident happened...
Finn invited him and Frances three years ago to perform a sect Quest. Because of their good relationship, Zack readily agreed. They went to the depths of the Rosy Mountains to collect herbs and found a stalk of Sun Grass Herb in an untraversed valley. Sun Grass Herb was worth 300 Contribution points, which could be exchanged for many pills. For them, it was a great fortune.
However, at that time, Zack could easily be promoted into the Inner School. Thus, he didn't care about it and gave up voluntarily.
Finn thanked him and reached out to collect the herb. Zack focused his attention elsewhere. However, when Zack was unprepared, Finn suddenly launched a sneak attack and stabbed his sword into Zack's elixir field!
Zack was shocked.
But after all, he was the Top one in Outer School with profound cultivation, so he tried to avoid it in the crisis. What surprised him again was that Frances suddenly took action and scattered a bunch of Exhaustion Pills on his face. Being betrayed by his friend and girlfriend at the same time, even if Zack's cultivation was high, he failed to guard against it. Finally, his elixir field was broken, and he became a cripple.
At that time, Zack was both shocked and angry. He couldn't understand why the two of them would do this.
Finn and Frances told him the reason...
It turned out that their families had been friends for generations, and they had already decided on marriage. They had agreed to work together in the Mammoth Sect to revitalize their families!
But they didn't expect that Zack in their class was superior to them in every aspect, like an insurmountable mountain. After several efforts, they knew that they would never be able to stand out unless Zack died. So Finn devised a plan to let Frances pursue Zack, become his girlfriend, gain trust, and then find an opportunity to kill him together.
They got the opportunity today!
After they told their conspiracy, they laughed wildly, which was still fresh in Zack's mind.
The Mammoth Sect forbade fellow disciples from harming and killing each other, especially a genius disciple like Zack. If something unexpected happened, the sect would strictly investigate it. However, Finn and Frances's schemes were proved again.
As Zack's girlfriend, Frances distorted the facts and deceived everyone. After all, she was Zack's girlfriend, and she couldn't help outsiders. Moreover, her pleading for Zack made everyone believe that Zack was a shameless villain!
That accident not only made Zack lose all of his cultivation but also his reputation. He became hated by everyone.
In contrast, Finn and Frances took advantage of the situation to rise.
Relying on the Sun Grass Herb, Finn spent half a year breaking through the Condensation Realm and entering the Inner School! It was said that he had already reached Rank 6 in Emergence Realm and began to strive for the Top List in Inner School. He was very popular for a while. Frances entered the Inner School a year ago. Relying on her pretty appearance, she became famous for being one of the Four Beauties in Inner School.
One side was shining brightly, while the other side was spurned.
From then on, their lives were completely different.
...
Recalling what had happened that year, Zack was burning with anger, and even the waterfall could not calm him down. "Finn Hadley, Frances, let's see. I will take back what I lost with my own hands!"
Zack's eyes were scarlet red. His breathing was hurried, and his thoughts were extremely chaotic.
He wanted to take revenge, but it wasn't easy. Just now, one of the few outer disciples told the truth. His elixir field was broken, and he couldn't cultivate it. No matter how strong his body was, he was still a mortal. Moreover, the Final exam of Outer School was coming half a year later. If he couldn't pass it this time, he would be expelled from the sect. At that time, there would be no hope of revenge.
The gap between the two sides was getting more expansive, and there was little chance of revenge. Once he was expelled from the sect, he would ultimately lose hope.
Zack hated it, but there was nothing he could do.
The rapid waterfall poured into the bronze tripod, making Zack's body sway back and forth. The wet and slippery rock beneath his feet made it difficult for him to stabilize himself. In a moment of absent-mindedness, he was unexpectedly turned over by the waterfall and fell into the cold pool.
"Plop!"
He fell into the cold pool with the bronze tripod and sank to the bottom of the pool.
Zack choked on the water and then woke up, struggling to emerge from the water. Meanwhile, just as he was about to float up, a bloodred energy sphere suddenly emerged from the bottom of the pool, entering his body!