King of Gods Chapter 1 – Young youth Zhao Feng
Chapter 1 – Young youth Zhao Feng
Dawn broke. As the sky began to brighten, Sun Feather City lingered in the shadows of early morning......
Sun Feather City, Zhao Family Clan
“Flash!”
A youthful boy instinctively leaped into action, flung aside his cozy blankets, sprang from his bed, and dressed in a single swift motion.
While most family sect disciples and even servants remained asleep at this hour......
This youth, about 13 or 14 years old, possessed a slender build and a youthful face. Though not extraordinarily handsome, he carried an attractive charm.
His eyes stood out most, sharp and brimming with unyielding determination.
“Soon, I’ll hit the 2nd rank of the Martial Path, and make all those Zhao family sect disciples eat their words.”
The youth was named Zhao Feng. Six months prior, he had arrived from the Zhao family’s Green Leaf Village branch to the main Sun Feather Zhao family sect, thanks to his outstanding achievements.
Back in the Green Leaf branch, he shone as a prodigy among his peers, becoming the first to step into the 1st rank of the Martial Path. That marked his entry from mortal life into the world of cultivation.
Villagers back then hailed his talent from elders, proclaiming his potential boundless.....
His family clan, parents—they all pinned great hopes on him.....
Yet only Zhao Feng understood the multiplied efforts he invested beyond his peers to earn his status as Green Leaf Village’s genius......
The Green Leaf Village clan served as a side branch to the main Zhao family sect. Every five years, two spots opened for recommendations to the primary sect.
Accompanying Zhao Feng was Zhao Xue, a girl who achieved the 1st rank of the Martial Path just two months after him.
Leaving Green Leaf Village behind, Zhao Feng burned with ambition, vowing to shine in the main Zhao family sect.
But upon arrival, he discovered his own ignorance, like a frog peering from a shallow well......
Green Leaf Village’s Zhao family numbered only around 100, with just 7 or 8 youths his age.
The main Zhao family sect, by contrast, boasted tens of thousands of members, dominating vast lands, mines, and resources—a scale over a hundred times grander than the village branch!!!
In the Green Leaf side branch, he ranked as a talent, even a genius to some..... Yet in the Zhao sect, he scraped by as one of the weakest outer disciples his age.
Numerous peers in the Zhao sect had already surged to the 2nd rank of the Martial Path. Talented ones reached the 3rd rank, and whispers spoke of family prodigies piercing the 4th rank.....
This harsh truth humbled Zhao Feng, revealing his insignificance and naive smallness beside them.
Moreover, Zhao Xue, the lovely girl from Green Leaf Village who journeyed with him, gradually drifted away after joining the sect. She grew closer to one of the top three outer disciples.
Recalling the past, Zhao Xue once gazed at him with admiration and affection back in the village. But Zhao Feng, obsessed with cultivation, had overlooked her.
From that point, despair fueled his desperation, driving him to intensify his cultivation efforts.
He swore an oath: to claim a top position in the Zhao sect within Sun Feather City.
Or he would never return to Green Leaf Village!
******
After freshening up, Zhao Feng drew a deep breath and dashed toward the family sect’s martial arts field.
“Hah! Hah!” ........
Zhao Feng advanced half a step, fists whistling through the air as he executed the Zhao sect’s “Flaming Metal Fists”.
Though merely a core martial art, Zhao Feng honed “Flaming Metal Fists” with meticulous care, refining it to perfection.
Common martial arts divided into five tiers: Core, Low, Middle, High, and Peak.
As the basest level, core martial arts bolstered body and blood, yet inflicted limited damage.
Generally, higher-tier martial arts delivered greater power and aided cultivation more effectively.
With his side branch origins and lack of standout talent, accessing superior martial arts proved nearly impossible for Zhao Feng.
“I’ve lingered at the 1st rank of the Martial Path for ages. Breaking to the 2nd rank still demands more time.”
Sweat poured down Zhao Feng’s face after practice, his breaths coming in rapid gasps.
Zhao Feng’s talent held up decently; his lag stemmed from inferior martial skills and poverty. Main family disciples, flush with wealth, purchased rare pills to accelerate cultivation.
Rumors claimed certain Zhao sect disciples consumed such pills from infancy to fortify their bodies. By age ten, they surpassed the 1st rank, seizing an early lead.
From the outset, Zhao Feng trailed far behind. Half an hour passed, and the sun crept upward.
Zhao sect disciples trickled into the martial arts field, chatting and laughing boisterously.
Yet when their gazes fell on Zhao Feng, chilliness replaced warmth, disdain flickering in some eyes.
Such scorn targeted not just Zhao Feng but all side branch arrivals. Towering over them granted these disciples a thrill of superiority!
Lost in thought, Zhao Feng heard a sharp call from behind: “Little broomstick! Hold it right there!”
“Pah!”
A iron-hard palm slammed into his shoulder.
“It’s you....”
Zhao Feng staggered, nearly tumbling, but his solid foundation let him recover.
The attacker was a black-clad youth, sturdy and broad-shouldered, with bold eyebrows. Playful mockery danced in his eyes as he sneered down at the stabilized Zhao Feng.
“Zhao Kun! What’s the meaning of this?” Fury blazed on Zhao Feng’s face; he itched to strike back.
Their first clash at the Zhao sect arose from Zhao Kun’s jeers at side branch folk, irking Zhao Feng.
Vengeful by nature, Zhao Kun seized every chance to torment Zhao Feng since.
“Zhao Kun! If you can’t drop this side branch kid in ten moves, it won’t look good!”
“Ten moves? At peak 2nd rank of the Martial Path, Zhao Kun needs just three against that weakling!”
“Three? A direct clash might drag longer!” Nearby disciples buzzed, eager for spectacle, speaking freely.
“Three moves? Hahaha......” Zhao Kun threw back his head, laughing scornfully, “You underestimate me, Zhao Kun! I’ll crush this brat in one move!”
One move only!
Shock rippled across the watching disciples’ faces.
“One move?”
Zhao Feng’s brows furrowed, expression darkening as anger surged anew.
A single rank separated them; three moves might claim victory if Zhao Kun pressed hard—that rang true.
But one move alone.....
Pure insult!
Meeting Zhao Kun’s taunting stare, Zhao Feng composed himself swiftly, thinking, “No trap for me. Surviving that move leads to more humiliation anyway.”
Half a year in the sect had taught Zhao Feng endurance through beatings.
“Training wore me out today. Give me days to recover, then we’ll fight.”
Expression blank, Zhao Feng turned and walked away wordlessly.
His cool retreat stunned Zhao Kun, his peer.
“Fine, kid, you escape today. But next time, remember this ‘one-move duel’.” Zhao Kun’s gaze gleamed cold and sly.
One-move duel?
Zhao Feng’s pulse quickened; he sensed Zhao Kun’s unrelenting grudge.
“I need the 2nd rank of the Martial Path fast. Only then can I face Zhao Kun.” Tension gripped his heart again.
Departing the field, Zhao Feng headed home.
His entry into the main Zhao family sect had elevated his parents, letting them join too, basking in his reflected glory.
That glory now shamed him.
His sect struggles risked disappointing his parents and the village elders who cherished high hopes.
“I’m back.”
A steady, composed man emerged—Zhao Feng’s father, Zhao Tianyang.
“Feng’er, come eat quickly!” His mother, Zhao Shi, beamed warmly, carrying dishes from the kitchen.
Home always wrapped Zhao Feng in familial warmth.
“Thanks, Mom..... So delicious!” Zhao Feng chewed happily, words muffled.
During the meal, Zhao Tianyang and Zhao Shi stayed quiet, minds burdened.
“Father, Mother, what’s wrong....” Zhao Feng noted their grave looks, sensing unspoken words. Parents exchanged glances, sighing deeply.
“I’ll explain. Recently, higher-ups from the sect delivered a letter.” Zhao Tianyang hesitated briefly.
“Sect higher-ups?” Zhao Feng puzzled.
Solemnly, Zhao Tianyang declared: “New sect rules target side branch youths. Fail to reach 2nd rank, and you’re barred from the ‘family sparring contest’. Worse, miss 3rd rank by age fifteen, and back to branches you go.”
What!
Zhao Feng’s heart skipped; his face twisted in shock.
The family sparring contest let youths clash for glory. Victors earned lavish prizes and inner disciple status, with full sect backing.
For outer disciples, it meant leaping from fish to dragon.
Exclusion equaled sect abandonment!
Chilling most: pre-15, no 3rd rank meant branch exile.
“No, this can’t be....” Zhao Feng whispered, fists balled tight.
Returning to Green Leaf Village would shame him and his parents.
“Rules hit only side branch disciples.” Zhao Shi’s face soured with resentment.
“Mother, Father, don’t worry. I’ll train twice as hard, hit 2nd rank before the contest.” Zhao Feng gritted teeth, voice shaking.
“Two months remain, but registration’s in one. Breaking through in a month? Tough odds.”
Zhao Tianyang shook his head.
Just one month?
Despair dimmed Zhao Feng’s eyes, plunging him into gloom.
Two months might yield 20-30% success with doubled effort. One month? Zero confidence!
After long silence, Zhao Shi dabbed tears, murmuring: “Feng’er, failure’s fine...... You’ve made us proud.... Worst case, we return to Green Leaf Village for a simple life.”
“Right! Back there, you’d still shine brightest—I’d take chicken head over phoenix tail!”
Zhao Tianyang nodded firmly.
Parents craved their child’s safety over perilous glory..
Back to Green Leaf Village?
“No!”
Zhao Feng shook head wildly, “I won’t crawl back to mediocrity!”
He had vowed success: shine in Zhao sect and Sun Feather City, claim his domain.
His soul hungered for the Martial Path’s 9th rank and realms beyond....
How could defeat end it so?
Holding back tears, Zhao Feng yelled and bolted from home.
“Feng’er! Don’t be reckless......”
Parents called after.
“Boom!”
Thunder roared, lightning cracked, rain poured. Zhao Feng bottled despair, roared skyward, charging into the storm. Bolts illuminated his determined face.
“Danger!”
Crushing pressure loomed; looking up, Zhao Feng froze in awe.
Never had he witnessed lightning so dense, weaving like a spider’s web.
In that instant, heavenly forces seemed to warp space itself.
“Sheeeeeeew ——————-”
A dark streak pierced from the cosmos, slicing through bolts, trailing dreamlike ripples.
Unfathomable, this “black line” defied lightning’s fury.
“Pah! Pah!”
Numbness seized Zhao Feng’s legs, hair and clothes charred, ears ringing with thunder.
Silence engulfed the world.
“What......”
Pale-faced, he glanced down at a bizarre black orb by his feet, eye-shaped. It birthed that black streak.
“Peng! Peng!”
The eye-orb pulsed alive, “gazing” at Zhao Feng, beating in rhythm with his heart, evoking strange kinship.
A summoning tugged at him.
“Alive?” Breath held, he braced for peril. But before action—
“Poom!”
The eyeball blurred into shadow, burrowing into Zhao Feng’s left eye.
“Ahhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhh!.............................” Zhao Feng shrieked, collapsing unconscious.
His final thought: “Doomed......... my eye’s destroyed!”