Apotheosis

It was a late autumn morning. As the dawn chased the dark shadows, the sun added some warmth to the chilly air.

An oil lamp in the cellar of Luo's House lit up. A young man named Zen Luo sat upright in front of a table, shading most of the light of the oil lamp. Quietly he pulled out a battered thread-bound book.

Zen Luo was a lean, average-looking young man who had just turned 17. However, there was something mellow about him. In contrast, his eyes were so radiant that even in the dim light projected by the oil lamp, they glowed with charm.

"It has taken me a month to finish Heavenly Principles. Its arguments are all very well, but, what I find most revolting are those four words, repaying cruelty with kindness," Zen Luo whispered as he stared at the bean-sized flame of the oil lamp. Melancholy was written all over his face. "Had my father not been so kind-hearted as to believe those four words, I, the direct descendant of my Clan, would not have ended up like this, and father would still be alive..."

The sudden noise of the cellar door being unlocked interrupted his flow of thoughts. Zen Luo replaced the melancholy he was feeling with a solemn expression. He promptly blew out the oil lamp and covered himself with the shabby cotton quilt.

The door of the cellar flew open and footsteps began drawing close. The man in charge stepped forward and stomped his foot on Zen Luo's bed before shrieking at him, "Still in bed? Dreaming about being the young master of the Luo Clan? Get the fuck up!"

The man was a steward in the Luo Clan. He looked rather wretched. He had a wart on his forehead that often invoked disgust from people.

Zen Luo sat up and rubbed his eyes. He pushed off the quilt, before turning and planting his feet on the ground. Silently, he slid on his clothing, socks, and shoes. Although his clothes were old, Zen Luo kept them neatly. He was very meticulous by nature.

The steward rolled his eyes, criticized Zen, and then waved his hand. Several men surrounded Zen and forcibly put a thick leather armor and shackles on him.

After they were done, Zen Luo followed the servants as they walked out of the cellar and toward Luo's Martial Arts Hall.

The Luo Clan owned hundreds of mines and millions of acres of fertile land. As a big and powerful Clan, they were well-known in C County.

However, the entire Eastern Region had thousands of county cities, including countless wealthy families and the Luo Clan was almost insignificant in the Eastern Region.

Zen Luo was escorted by some men as he climbed out of the gloomy cellar. This was a daily ritual with which Zen was quite familiar. The walk to the Martial Arts Hall meant navigating through numerous pavilions, bridges, and galleries.

The Martial Arts Hall was an open area. It was a place where the children of the Luo Clan would come for practice. The entrance was decorated with white marble sculptures of a male lion and a female lion. The ground was one large, black basalt slab. Standing at the entrance of the building, one could feel the power emanating from the Hall.

In the middle of the Martial Arts Hall, dozens of children from the Luo Clan practiced martial arts under the guidance of a teacher. They were all dressed alike, in gray robes.

They bawled and their boxes whirred again and again.

In order to win a position in the family, every child needed to study diligently and practice hard. These children looked like they were more than 10 years of age.

On this late autumn day, the wind began to howl around the training children. Nevertheless, sweat beaded on their foreheads. The contrasting heat and cold filled the Hall with steaming white mist.

On the other side of the Martial Arts Hall stood over a dozen men who were dressed like Zen Luo, in leather armor and shackles. These men were dejected, bleeding, and wounded all over their bodies.

Zen Luo was escorted into the Martial Arts Hall. The guard placed him amongst the injured men.

Since most of these men had been bought by the Luo Clan from local prisons, they were now the slaves of the Luo Clan. These slaves played the roles of live targets for the Luo Clan children for the purpose of training and testing their own strength. These children could assault these slaves arbitrarily. Several live targets were killed or disabled during such assaults. Over time, the number added up and it was difficult to gauge how many had lost their lives in the Hall.

Zen Luo was not a death row inmate and thus, was not bought by the family. He was the eldest child in the eldest branch of the Luo Clan. The rest of the Clan used to call him the young master. He was once noble, and his peers would bow and salute him with respect. Even the family elders were polite to him.

However, something disastrous happened in C County two years ago. Zen Luo's father, the head of the Luo Clan, had been poisoned by his brother. He died on the spot.

Immediately after, the eldest branch of the Luo Clan was set up by the other three branches. They framed a case against Zen Luo's father. According to their accusations, Zen's father was a rebel. The family didn't survive the allegations, and the eldest branch became no longer powerful.

Zen Luo, the former young master, was also labeled a rebel and became a slave of the Luo Clan. He became a tool, and was beaten up at the whim of the other children in the Luo Clan as part of their martial arts practice.

Zen Luo had lived like this for two years. He had lost count of how many fists and insults he had endured during this time.

"Today's boxing practice is over. You can select a slave for the next practice now! Hitting the human body allows you to fully understand actual combat skills, get familiar with the weaknesses of the human body, and the body structure!"

After the teacher had finished speaking, the children started selecting their slaves. Soon, the sounds of slaves begging and pleading for mercy could be heard in the Hall. The Luo children did not treat slaves as humans. They were trained to hit the flesh without mercy.

Many of them tried to find Zen Luo. The act of beating up a former young master with as much aggression as they could muster gave them a greater sense of accomplishment!

When being used as a sandbag, Zen Luo protected vital parts of his body with calmness. Since it had been two years, he was now quite used to it.

Before long, a few people came through the entrance of the Martial Arts Hall. A young man who was dressed finely led this group of newcomers.

"The young master is coming!"

"Young master, your practice has finally come to a halt. You seem to feel refreshed in spirit. You must have progressed greatly in your ability and power!"

"Our young master is intelligent. He is the talent of our Luo Clan. He must have grown stronger and has surely entered the higher level of bone refining."

The children who noticed the young master entering stopped their practice and began patronizing. Some even walked up to the young master as they generously threw praises his way. It was obvious that they all wanted to flatter the young master.

Zen Luo's eyes fell on the young man, and his imperceptible anger rose quietly. The young teenager being called the young master by the Luo children, was Perrin Luo. He was the oldest son in the second branch of the Luo Clan. He was the same age as Zen Luo.

Zen Luo was relegated to slavery and Perrin Luo replaced Zen as the young master of the Luo Clan.

Zen Luo had heard that Perrin Luo had been staying in a secluded place to practice some time ago. He had disappeared for a long time. It seemed as though he had improved a lot after the practice.

Perrin Luo was very sensitive and he turned to look at Zen Luo when he became aware of his cousin's hate-filled glare. He smirked as he walked straight toward Zen Luo and said," Zen Luo, I practiced for a long time. I didn't expect to see you alive when I returned."

"Thanks for caring about me. I'm fucking alive." Zen Luo answered in a muffled voice.

"How dare you! What kind of tone is that? How dare you speak this way to the young master?"

"You are just a slave here, kneel! Fall to the ground quickly and apologize to our young master or you will regret being alive."

Several children of the Luo Clan shouted as though Zen Luo had done something very unforgivable to them.

Zen Luo looked around indifferently. These people used to behave like little dogs in front of him in the past. They were too scared to even breathe in his presence when he was the young master. Once he lost power, their attitudes changed. It had been so sudden. Now, they were Perrin Luo's dogs.

Perrin Luo waved his hand to stop the excited Luo children from defending him. He spoke to Zen Luo with a triumphant smile," Zen Luo, do you know why I left for the practice?"

Zen Luo did not speak. He just looked at Perrin Luo expressionlessly.

"You should know that our family has two Magical Pills. Well, I took one of them some time ago." Perrin Luo said with pride, "This pill is really extraordinary. The pure magical power empowered all my flesh, and helped me to improve from the flesh refining level to the bone refining level. And to think the efficacy of the pill works only one-tenth! The rest remains in my body and supplies my flesh endlessly. I just need to cross a fine line to get to the organ refining level, and the marrow refining level will be just around the corner!"

Zen gritted his teeth when he heard Perrin Luo. These two pills were the most valuable treasure of the Luo Clan. They were holy pills left by Luo's ancestors. They were stored carefully in a sacred place only known by a handful of people in the family. Most people were not allowed to see or use these pills.

According to the old doctrine, only those who reached the bone refining level before the age of 16 were eligible to use the Magical Pills.

The practice of the body includes five levels starting with the skin refining level. Those who mastered it would move to the second, the flesh refining level. Bone refining was the third level. The final two levels were organ refining and marrow refining. Each of the five levels was different, and it was incredibly difficult for most people to master each level without decades of practicing.

It was a miracle if a person reached the third level before he turned 30. The entire Clan would recognize such a person as being talented.

According to the doctrine, only those who reached the third level before turning 16 were eligible to use the Magical Pills!

People who reached the bone refining level before that age were undoubtedly strong. In all these centuries, no one in the entire C County had seen someone like that. That was the reason why the Magical Pills hadn't been used in the past three hundred years.

Before the adversity, Zen Luo had been recognized as a promising child.

At the age of 14, he entered the top of the flesh refining level. For his talent and efforts, he had been praised by the king of C County. The king had said that Zen was the hope of Luo Clan's prosperity, the one favored by God, and the talent amongst talents!

However, it was a pity that at such a crucial time, the family suffered from internal strife and his father had been killed by his own brothers. Zen Luo had been banished to slavery, and had become a sandbag and a prisoner. Since he couldn't practice any more, he had lost the chance to take the pill.

Perrin Luo was ordinary and didn't have any talent. He had just reached the level of flesh refining at 16. He was not eligible to use the Magical Pills but he still took one.

This Magical Pill rightfully belonged to Zen Luo. Unexpectedly, it was taken by this moron who had no talent. Even though Zen Luo had two years to calm himself and accept the fate of his family, his heart wasn't at peace. He could not help but get angry. "Perrin Luo, you son of a bitch! How dare you ignore the ancestors' doctrine and take the holy pill without permission?"

"Well, you are as insignificant as the insects in the crevices. A good-for-nothing! I have stepped into the peak of the bone refining level. I can hold a thousand pounds in one hand! You are a slave. I can crush you with one hand. Today, I finished the practice, and in order to congratulate myself, I want to find a sandbag for me!" Perrin Luo ignored what Zen Luo had said and pointed at someone randomly. "Okay, I choose you!"

He did not choose Zen Luo, but found a middle-aged man. The middle-aged man saw Perrin Luo pointing at him and trembled. Although he wore a thick leather armor, which could resist a lot of damage, the man was fearful for his life. Perrin Luo had reached the bone refining level, and the armor would not protect him. The man could not help shivering and peeing.

Then Perrin Luo took a deep breath before assuming the unique posture of the Purple Light Fist. This was exclusive Kung Fu of the Luo Clan. He was trying to show off, and used his inner strength to the best, which covered his body in purple light.

"Please... Please...young master! I beg for your mercy!" When the slave saw Perrin Luo's momentum, his eyes revealed a desperate look. He would die if smashed by Perrin's fist. He fell to his knees as he continued groveling for mercy.

"Boom!"

Perrin Luo would never listen to the begging of a slave. He punched his chest. The leather safeguarding his chest collapsed abruptly. The man flew back with the impact and hit a wall in the Martial Arts Hall. His lifeless body fell to the ground with a dull thud.

One punch by Perrin had killed the slave.

"Your fist is very powerful! Young master! Nobody from among our Clan's youngsters can be stronger than you."

"Our young master will ensure that the Luo Clan thrives, and he will carry the whole family forward."

Impressed and even fearful, the children patronized the young master.

Perrin Luo seemed to be very satisfied with the effect of this punch. He then turned to look at Zen Luo viciously.

Zen Luo stepped back. Although he was much stronger than the middle-aged man, he could not take Perrin Luo's punch.

Perrin Luo laughed and reached out to fiercely tap Zen Luo's shoulder twice. "Relax, I will not kill you so quickly. I want you to watch me, and know that I, Perrin Luo, am much stronger than you!"

Perrin Luo stopped talking and turned to leave. Just then, he remembered something and turned around and said, "Yeah, I forgot one thing. I heard that my genius cousin isn't doing well in Cloud Sect because she offended an influential person. She has been sent to Hell Mountain as punishment. I will rescue her when I reach the organ refining level, ha ha ha..."

Upon hearing these words, Zen Luo's chest tightened and his heart beat quickened.

Zen didn't care about being relegated to a slave, or being a punchbag for children of the Luo Clan, or even losing the Magical Pill, which he was robbed of by Perrin.

His biggest weakness was his sister, Yan Luo!

Yan Luo was the only hope for the oldest branch of the Luo family. Extraordinarily talented, she left home at the age of thirteen when Cloud Sect selected her as a disciple. She survived the coup within the Luo Clan for this reason.

In the past two years, Zen, as a slave, was unable to learn anything about his sister's whereabouts. Now that Perrin had commented about Yan's current situation, Zen found himself feeling anxious about her well-being.

Lost in thoughts of his sister, Zen was vulnerable and took several devastating blows from the Luo children. He finally gained control of his mind after several whacks.

In the evening, Zen returned to the cellar. He limped as excruciating pain flooded through his body.

"This drug will help you recover!" The steward for the Luo Clan threw the drug at Zen before turning to leave.

After all, human punchbags were not made of steel. If they didn't get the wound healing medicines, they would die from internal injuries after a few days. So the steward distributed drugs to the slaves to help them recover as soon as possible.

However, these healing drugs were not very effective.

Zen opened the paper bag and was astonished to see only one pill inside. "Darren Fang! Why do I only have one pill today?" Zen asked.

"You should be grateful for what you have now. What's the issue? Is it not enough for you?" The steward mocked.

"It is stipulated that three healing pills be distributed to each slave every day. But now there is only one. Obviously, you are embezzling the pills. It's a felony to embezzle from the Luo family. How dare you do that, Darren Fang? Aren't you afraid of death?" Zen shouted as he fixed his eyes on Darren Fang.

"Hey! Of course, I am afraid of death, but I'm not afraid of you. You are just a slave. What can you do? You want to rebel? I hate your attitude. Do you still think of yourself as the young master? Look in the mirror and face your reality, Zen. Ha ha ha!" Darren didn't quite like Zen and took this opportunity to inflict insult on the former young master.

After hearing these words, Zen calmed down instead of getting angry. Zen composed himself before glaring at Darren Fang. He intended to convey his hate through his clear eyes, unflinching glare, and expressionless face.

The effect was achieved as Darren Fang felt uncomfortable when he saw Zen's reaction. When he noted the fire dancing in Zen's eyes, he got scared. Instead of backing off, Darren walked up to Zen and poked Zen's chest as he said, "What are you staring at? You want a piece of me? Do you think you can take me?"

Zen emitted an intense power from his chest all of a sudden. Darren's body trembled as the power spread throughout his whole body. It wasn't long before Darren Fang's knees gave way and he staggered before falling to the ground.

"You ... You ... you are a slave. Do you want to rebel?" Darren Fang stood up and tried to be authoritative. However, his panicked expression conveyed his true feelings.

Zen took two steps forward, cracked his knuckles, and snapped back, "A steward who isn't even a member of the Luo Clan dares to be so arrogant? Do you think I will not beat you?"

Darren Fang did not want to stay in this situation any longer. So he turned and fled as soon as possible. He glared at Zen as soon as the cellar's iron gate snapped close.

"Villainous behavior!" "Villainous behavior?" Zen sneered as he shook his head. He didn't feel as though the steward was worth his time.

He sat down quietly, took out the fire starter to ignite the oil lamp, and turned a few pages of the book hastily. Zen was frustrated as he couldn't focus. His thoughts kept drifting back to his sister, Yan and what Perrin had said.

'I cannot stay here anymore.' Zen frowned as he thought about his dilemma. 'I have just reached the flesh refining level. It will be hard for me to leave this cellar, let alone go to Cloud Sect to rescue Yan.'

Zen paced in the small cellar. His chest tightened and his heart beat quickened. He looked like a restless beast trying to find a way out.

Over the past two years, Zen had come to accept his fate. He had not been motivated to think of alternatives. As time passed, he felt stripped of his talent and confidence.

This eventually led to complete disbelief in his powers. Zen stood in the center of the room rationalizing with himself. 'I'm a slave now. Years of being forced to be the human punchbag for children in the Luo Clan has weakened me. What's worse is that my daily injuries have prevented me from practicing when I return to the cellar. But if I stay here, I will be killed by one of these children sooner or later. I need to take drastic measures.'

The more he thought about it, the more anxious Zen became. He cast his gaze toward the table where the dreadful book, Heavenly Principles lay quietly.

"This damn book is nothing but a bunch of life theories. And so far, none have worked out for my father, nor me. Reading it does me no good. Why should I keep reading it?" Anger and helplessness consumed Zen. He stomped toward the book, grabbed it from the table, and held it over the lamp till it began to sizzle and crackle.

A smile grew on Zen's lips as the book was ignited.

However, a moment later, Zen regretted his action. He whispered in despair, "Zen, Zen, why did you bother to get angry at a book?" Looking at the burning book, Zen regretted, complaining, "This book teaches people to be good. It tells people what is shameful and wrong, as well as what is wise and right. The book cannot be blamed for adversities. You should blame yourself for not being strong enough, for being like a little lamb that is easily controlled by others."

Unfortunately, by then the book had become a pile of ashes.

Suddenly, Zen saw a ray of golden light flash from the ashes. For a moment, Zen was dumbstruck.

"What is that?"

Zen pushed the ashes aside, and picked up the small piece of gold that had emitted the ray of light. Zen studied the thin gold foil.

He hadn't come across this gold foil when he was reading this book. Presumably it had been hidden in the inner-layer of the book.

'What is the use of a piece of gold foil?

For a great family like the Luo Clan, gold is as worthless as clay.'

However, when Zen focused on the gold, a strange vision appeared!

The gold foil was engraved with countless words, shaped like tadpoles. Zen didn't understand any of them.

As his eyes swept across the gold foil, it disintegrated in his hands. Thousands of small pieces of gold, each carrying a word came flying toward him.

Face, eyes, neck, arms, body, legs ...

Every part of Zen's body was covered by these small gold fragments.