Under a perpetually muted sky, where only a pallid, sluggish mist drifted, Steel-Gloom City festered like a gangrenous boil upon the Mortal Realm. A putrid stench – a blend of parched mud, evaporating sweat, and decaying ambition – choked every breath. Here, Chen Tian, a fresh vagrant among myriad lost souls, set foot. Yet, within him, resided a secret far more ancient and dreadful.
His blood-red hair, now a tangle of dust and twigs, and his tattered clothes danced with a wind that reeked of death. In his right eye, a faint golden glint lingered, while his left, a dark violet, slowly swirled, a testament to an unspoken abyssal whisper. He was a newborn child of the mire, yet a chill aura emanated from him, enough to give even crows pause before daring to caw nearby.
"Foolish boy. Do you intend to starve here? Even an earthworm holds a nobler purpose than yours,"
Hei Xuan's voice reverberated within Chen Tian's mind, a bee's drone in a hollow skull. His tone, a mix of ancient mockery and eternal vexation, as if he had witnessed a million deaths more heroic than Chen Tian's impending demise.
Chen Tian offered no reply. His stomach rumbled like distant thunder. This mortal life, once a jest to the Demon Emperor who had drowned universes in blood, was now a tangible ache for Chen Tian. The market's putrid odors, mingled with the shouts of hawkers and the laughter of addicts, offered no solace.
In a market corner, a corpulent man with an oily mustache peddled what he called "Beginner Qi Strengthening Pills." They resembled dried goat droppings rolled in mud, their aroma enough to sicken a demon. Yet, in this world, hope itself reeked.
"Only five silver coins! Five silver for eternal power!" the man bellowed, his voice cracking like an ancient drum.
Chen Tian paused. Five silver coins. He possessed not a single one. Even selling his Martial Soul might yield nothing. "Hei Xuan, do those pills… truly work?" he whispered inwardly.
"Work? Hah! Such putrid pills wouldn't even make a low-realm cultivator empty his bowels. It's merely a trick to drain coins from desperate wretches like you," Hei Xuan retorted, annoyed.
"Unless you wish to vomit your guts, do not touch the damned things."
Dusk began to wane, and the mist thickened, swallowing every shadow and intensifying the stench. Chen Tian continued to wander, his eyes observing. He saw bullying thugs, agile pickpockets, and beggars resigned to their fate. He was a blend of all three: homeless, potentially a thief, and undoubtedly, a beggar.
"Look at that brat, with hair like dried blood," a vegetable vendor yelled at him. "Get out of here! Don't bring bad luck to my stall!"
Chen Tian didn't flinch. He merely averted his gaze, a faint smile on his lips. This world truly hadn't changed. It still rejected his existence.
"Will you continue to endure such insults, boy? In the upper realms, even a demon's breath is more precious than all these mortal lives. But you… you let a dog bark at you like this?" Hei Xuan sneered, his anger piercing Chen Tian's mind.
"I have no strength to retaliate." Chen Tian answered inwardly, his voice hoarse.
"That's untrue," Hei Xuan said with a more serious tone. "You have 'me.' And I dislike my vessel being insulted. Next time, use your brain, boy. Speed. Not strength."
Night crept in, bringing a bone-chilling cold. Chen Tian's stomach gnawed at him. He saw a baker abandon his stall, leaving only a few crumbs and a single, hard, moldy bun beneath the counter. Instinct took over. With a flash of speed, he snatched the bread.
"Hey! Thief!" a shout shattered the night's silence.
A corpulent thug with a rusty knife pursued him. Chen Tian ran, his skinny legs churning through the mud. He felt slow, weak.
"Idiot! Not like that! Use speed! Your brain! I told you to use your senses!" Hei Xuan roared within Chen Tian's mind.
Suddenly, Chen Tian felt a subtle push on his legs. As if an unseen force accelerated his pace. His body felt lighter, the mud no longer so restrictive. He shot through a narrow alley, leaving the thug gasping for breath.
"Hah! I told you you were better than mere trash," Hei Xuan grunted with satisfaction. "That's your Martial Soul. I've attuned it to your speed. Use it! If you don't use it, I'll use it to kick you to death!"
Chen Tian finally found a hiding place: a crevice in an old wall, behind a putrid heap of garbage. He slipped inside, hidden from view. The bread in his hand felt like a treasure.
He devoured the bun ravenously, though it tasted like sawdust mixed with mold. Every bite was a small victory.
"Disgusting," Hei Xuan commented. "I once ate the heart of a Primordial dragon. It tasted far better."
"I've never eaten one," Chen Tian retorted, his voice dry.
"Of course. In this world, you can't even get a fat rat," Hei Xuan scoffed. "But don't worry, boy. I'll change your palate. Sooner or later, you'll feast on ancient Gods as dessert."
Chen Tian leaned against the damp wall, staring into the darkness. For the first time, he felt a little… not entirely alone. There was something within him, something cruel and ancient, yet something that promised to alter his fate. His hatred for this world hadn't lessened, but now, there was purpose. To survive, and to prove that even trash like him could kick fate in the face.
He closed his eyes. Steel-Gloom City hummed around him, chanting songs of misery. Yet, in the darkness of his mind, an ember began to glow brighter, no longer a dying spark, but one ready to ignite.
The next dawn broke, bringing a mist thicker and more repugnant than before. Chen Tian emerged from his hiding place, his body still ragged, yet his eyes sharper. He observed the passersby, no longer with fear, but with calculation. His survival instincts were now honed by Hei Xuan's whispers.
"Look at them, boy. They are all blind. They think they are strong. But they know nothing of true darkness"
Hei Xuan said, his voice like the whisper of wind through ancient ruins.
"This world is a labyrinth. And you must know how to find the shortcuts."
They headed toward the black market, where stolen goods and shady transactions occurred. Chen Tian felt a strange urgency within him—a thirst for something more. Not just food, but something that could change his destiny.
In a squalid corner, a shabbily dressed cultivator negotiated with a merchant. The cultivator possessed a Martial Initiate aura, stronger than anything Chen Tian had ever sensed. At his waist hung a short sword emanating a faint glow—a Grade River sword.
"Hei Xuan, that sword... is it valuable?" Chen Tian asked inwardly.
"Hmph. Decent for a mortal child like you. A Grade River sword. Not bad for a pathetic Martial Initiate," Hei Xuan replied. "But why do you care? You can't even wield that weapon."
"I need money," Chen Tian said.
"Money? For what? To buy more goat droppings?" Hei Xuan scoffed. "If you want money, steal. Take what you need. That is the law of this world. Strength is truth."
Chen Tian felt hesitant. Stealing from a Martial Initiate cultivator? That was insane.
"You dared to steal from a dog that barked at you. But you don't dare steal from someone who doesn't even notice you?" Hei Xuan pressed him. "What's worse? Starving to death or taking your fate into your own hands?"
Hei Xuan's words sank into his mind. Starving. Being humiliated. That was the fate he wanted to avoid. A cold sensation crept up his spine, not from fear, but from resolve.
He began to move. Not hastily, but with fluid motions, blending with the crowd. He exploited every gap, every shadow. He recalled Hei Xuan's lessons on speed and observation. He saw the cultivator's coin pouch, bulging at his belt.
Chen Tian's hand moved. Fast, smooth, almost imperceptible. The coins felt cold in his palm.
"Hey!"
The cultivator spun around. But Chen Tian had already vanished into the crowd, like a ghost dancing in the mist.
"Hah! Not bad, boy. Not bad at all," Hei Xuan's voice sounded satisfied. "Perhaps you're not as useless as I thought."
Chen Tian offered no reply. He simply kept walking, the coins clutched tightly in his hand. He had stolen. This was his first step on a new path, one dictated by survival and the guidance of an ancient demon.
He was a wolf among sheep, and Steel-Gloom City was his new pasture. The morning mist still lingered, but for Chen Tian, the world began to appear clearer, crueler, and somehow, more full of opportunities. He no longer begged. He took.
Chen Tian eventually reached the more squalid part of the city, an area filled with dilapidated shacks and narrow, reeking alleys. This was where low-level cultivators and criminals hid. This place was his new home.
"What shall we do with these coins?" Chen Tian asked Hei Xuan.
"Cultivation pills. The cheapest ones. We must start with something that can ignite a spark in your body," Hei Xuan answered. "Then, weapons. Not for use, but for sale or trade. We must build something from nothing."
Chen Tian found a small, almost hidden shop in an alley. Inside, a scrawny old man with sly eyes weighed herbs. The walls were lined with bottles of strange liquids and suspicious-looking piles of pills.
"I need low-grade cultivation pills," Chen Tian said, his voice flat.
The old man scrutinized him from head to toe, his eyebrows raised. "A village brat? You have coins?"
Chen Tian showed the coins. The old man grinned, revealing his toothless gums. "Only two silver coins for one Qi Formation pill. That's the cheapest you'll get."
Hei Xuan snorted. "Trash. That pill will only give him diarrhea. But for now, it will suffice."
Chen Tian handed over two coins. The pill felt warm in his hand, its color murky, smelling of damp earth. This was a beginning.
"Now, find a safe place to cultivate," Hei Xuan commanded. "Don't die in this narrow alley. That would be an embarrassment to the great Demon Emperor's name."
Chen Tian nodded. He knew he had to find a truly hidden spot, where he could focus without interruption. He stepped out of the shop, the pill in hand, his Three-Eyed Moon Wolf Martial Soul faintly flickering on his wrist.
He decided to search for a small cave or a hidden crevice on the outskirts of the city, perhaps in a more secluded and rarely visited area. Each step felt heavy, yet a new purpose burned within him.
Under the still-gray sky, and amidst the reeking alleys of the city, Chen Tian knew his journey had just begun. He was a tiny ember, now, with the guidance of the ancient demon within him, ready to ignite his own destiny. He would stain this city, step by step, until his name was carved upon the corpses of forgotten gods.