Martial Peak Chapter 1 – The servant who sweeps

As a new dawn broke, Kai Yang stirred from his slumber. After a brief tidying, he retrieved the broom from the corner of his cramped quarters and stepped outside. At the threshold, he performed a light stretch, gazing up at the gray hues of the early morning sky while inhaling a deep, revitalizing breath. He savored this fleeting moment of tranquility before opening his eyes to begin his task, sweeping away the accumulated dust and fallen leaves.

He was clad in simple, clean black garments. The faded color of his aged attire somehow emphasized the youth’s profound solitude and his years of isolation. Kai Yang’s posture remained as straight as a javelin, his expression focused and meticulous. Despite performing the lowliest of duties, his movements were serene; he applied minimal force to the broom, and his frame barely shifted. With a fluid rotation of his wrist, the broom glided effortlessly. As he moved, the debris on the ground seemed to possess a will of its own, gathering magically in one spot as if it had grown feet.

Kai Yang held the status of an experimental disciple at Sky Tower. Though he had trained at the school for three years, he had only managed to reach the Tempered Body third stage. In contrast, those who entered the sect alongside him had long since surpassed that level, advancing to higher stages. They had moved on to the main buildings to pay their respects to mentors and forge their futures, while he was left to lament his lack of progress in the outer courts.

Reaching only the Tempered Body third stage after three years could not be described as good or even bad—it was simply, utterly mediocre.

With no other choice, Kai Yang could only persist in his duties here in the outer court, laboring to sustain himself while training relentlessly.

Sky Tower is a highly unique institution, characterized by the ruthless competition maintained among its disciples. Within the sect, the strong rule like kings while the weak are discarded. The law of the jungle—the strong devouring the weak—is a principle actively embraced by everyone in Sky Tower.

While other schools might foster friendly rivalry and brotherly bonds where disciples work toward a common goal, one finds only hollow alliances in Sky Tower. Disciples use one another to ascend in power, knowing that stepping over the bodies of others is the only path to the top.

Under this harsh system, Sky Tower’s reputation has spread throughout the Han Dynasty. Although their territory is not vast, the brutal nature of their disciples makes their influence second to none. Every disciple is as fierce as a tiger; when they travel the rivers and lakes, few dare to provoke them.

Sky Tower maintains a specific rule: for disciples entering at age fourteen, the first three years are a trial period. During this time, the outer court provides all food, clothing, and shelter, allowing disciples to focus entirely on Cultivation. If one can breakthrough the Tempered Body stage within these three years, they may enter the inner court to pay respects to Elders and become formal students. While one can choose to practice without a teacher, the gap between self-study and guided instruction is immense. In this regard, Sky Tower’s rules offer a degree of flexibility and freedom.

However, if a disciple fails to breakthrough within those three years, they must either depart from the school or be demoted to an experimental disciple.

Experimental disciple—that was Kai Yang’s current rank. He was the living shame of Sky Tower!

Their treatment was a world apart from that of normal disciples. Experimental disciples were forced to provide for their own basic needs, as the outer court refused to waste Cultivation resources on such trash. Once demoted, advancement became nearly impossible unless one could somehow rapidly increase their Cultivation level. Only then would the sect allow a chance to reclaim the status of a true disciple.

Out of the three thousand disciples in Sky Tower, the experimental disciples could be counted on one's fingers. Yet, Kai Yang maintained faith that he could once again become a true disciple.

For an experimental disciple, surviving in Sky Tower was as difficult as reaching for the heavens. Kai Yang’s current shack, for instance, had been built by his own hands, one log at a time. He lacked the time even to patch the holes in the roof; when it rained, water pooled inside without an exit. He bought his own clothes and sourced his own food, taking full responsibility for his survival.

His small hut was located in the most isolated and desolate corner of the school grounds.

Usually, such miserable conditions are too much to endure, which is why the school has so few of these disciples. Most who fail to breakthrough the Tempered Body stage choose to leave, but Kai Yang stayed behind.

Having already been cast out, how could he simply accept defeat?

Months ago, upon being designated an experimental disciple, Kai Yang took up the sweeping job to support himself.

Currently, he functioned as both an experimental disciple and the tower’s lowly sweeper. Earning a living this way was arduous; he often faced hunger and cold. He had chosen this path for his life, and despite the hardships, he refused to beat the drums of retreat. To him, a man must follow the path he has chosen to the very end.

Kai Yang possessed a certain stubbornness—the kind of toughness where one refuses to look back until they have crashed into the brick wall ahead.

The sky brightened as he continued his work, clearing the paths and removing dust from the area.

Although sweeping did not require immense energy, the lack of food and constant movement left Kai Yang drenched in sweat. It was not a lack of internal strength, but rather a poor physical condition. Missing two out of every three meals meant his physique could never be robust.

Slowly, other Sky Tower disciples began to gather around him. They had risen early not to cultivate, but to watch him. They observed Kai Yang with intense interest, their gazes as fixed as if they were staring at a naked beauty. The air carried the faint, sweet aroma of juicy meat buns.

Among the gathered disciples, a tense, competitive energy lingered. They watched each other warily with unfriendly eyes.

Someone in the crowd muttered softly, “So many people... this is a bit much, isn't it?”

Another immediately retorted, “Do you think just anyone can walk this path? Nobody is forcing you to stay.”

The first speaker looked embarrassed. Everyone knew why they were there; they were all watching Kai Yang, waiting for a specific moment to arrive. The deadline was approaching, and leaving now would be a waste. If one could seize the opportunity today, it would be quite a harvest.

Kai Yang was well aware of the commotion beside him, yet his expression remained unchanged. They showed up like this every five days, six times a month. He had grown accustomed to it; it was nothing to be upset about. He noted that the crowd was smaller than usual, likely because not everyone had arrived yet.

Ignoring the disparaging remarks, he kept his head down and continued to sweep.

As time passed, the crowd grew until roughly thirty to forty people were present.

Suddenly, Kai Yang stopped and sat down in the middle of the path. He began to slowly breathe in the morning air, attempting to recover his physical stamina.

At this move, the onlookers spread out and formed a circle around him. A heavy, stagnant tension filled the air, making it feel as though the wind itself had stopped.

None of them looked at each other with any kindness, their eyes locked onto Kai Yang.

To an outsider, the sight might suggest an elite expert was at the center of the fray. Otherwise, why would so many surround a single person? In truth, Kai Yang was merely an experimental disciple at the Tempered Body third stage. Every person standing there was stronger than him.

“Kai Yang, don't bother. Why don't you just lie down obediently so I can beat you and save us both some time?” one disciple said with clear disdain.

How much energy could a third-stage practitioner truly recover? The outcome was inevitable, so why delay?

“Exactly. Kai Yang, have some consideration for your fellow disciples. We aren't like you; we actually have to go practice after this game is over.”

They urged him to submit quickly to their blows, viewing his attempt to recover his Qi as a sign of disrespect. He remained deaf to their words, sitting as still as an old Buddha.

Time ticked away until the resonant bells of the Tower rang out. The sound startled the surrounding disciples and signaled the moment. The bells tolled nine times as the sun climbed in the east. A new day had officially begun! The crowd’s breathing steadied as they watched Kai Yang slowly rise. He gripped his broom and scanned the circle of people.

“Choose me, Senior Yang!” one person shouted. “I hit lightly, I promise it won't hurt!”

“Nonsense! Pick me, I’ll be merciful. I’ll end it with one punch so we don’t waste time.”

“Pick me...”

“Over here...”

The scene became incredibly noisy, resembling a marketplace where vendors shouted to prove their produce was the freshest.

“Kai Yang, you can pick your own opponent!” someone reminded him.

Kai Yang chuckled. With a swift motion, he tossed his broom high into the sky. Dozens of eyes tracked it with anticipation, everyone praying, “Choose me, choose me!” Time seemed to dilate as the broom spun in the air before hitting the ground with a loud thud, coming to a rest.

The head of the broom pointed directly at a burly teenager in the crowd. A collective groan of disappointment and resentment rose from the others. However, the burly youth laughed heartily and stepped forward. “Fellow disciples, this brother has won the right to battle today. I hope you won't hold it against me.”

“Hmph, lucky brat!” one muttered jealously.

“Why wasn't it me? I’ve come every five days for a month! Kai Yang, you’re doing this on purpose, aren’t you?”

“That’s nothing, I’ve been coming for three full months and haven't been picked once!”

“Brother, you have it worse than I do.”

“It’s fine, it’s fine, at least we get to watch a good show.” The two shared a secretive, knowing smile.

The others in the courtyard began to disperse, leaving only Kai Yang and the burly teenager to face one another.

“Experimental disciple Kai Yang, Tempered Body third stage!” Kai Yang announced to his foe.

“Ordinary disciple Zhou Ding Jun, Tempered Body fifth stage!” the burly youth replied.

Sky Tower disciples are strictly ranked. From the bottom up, they are: Ordinary disciples, Lower Base disciples, Elite disciples, and Core disciples. By identifying as an ordinary disciple, Zhou Ding Jun revealed he had not yet been accepted by a mentor. If a disciple who had broken through the Tempered Body stage had a teacher, their status would be higher than these ordinary or lower base disciples. Elite disciples were then chosen from the finest of the lower base.

As for the Core disciples, they were the future hope of Sky Tower and received the best resources.

This rigid hierarchy, while seemingly unfair, was designed to spark a fierce competitive spirit—the very core of the Tower’s brutal regime. This was the reason Kai Yang had fought so many people; it was another rule of Sky Tower: the Challenge Rule.