The Legend of Innate Mage

At the very beginning of time, the whole universe was in chaos. It was only a pitch black, piercingly chilly immeasurable expanse.

It stayed like that for millions and millions of years until one of the gods decided to act again, came to this world, and opened up land. At long last, the earth took shape with an abundance of light, spirit and even life. Afterwards, the god acted again, choosing to divide the earth into four parts and spreading our ancestors across the continents.

Once settled, the industrious ancestors of modern men soon embarked on one of the most ambitious explorations, which in due time would lead to breakthroughs in cultivation methods. At last, they developed land enough for the species to flourish and not simply exist.

From that time on, the species began to live and spread across the four continents, namely the Pure East, the Bleak West, the Misty South, and the Vast North. .

The Misty South included all the territory of the Stone City, which was inhabited by several prominent clans, including the Nan Clan.

The Nan Clan's dominance was in part due to its success in martial arts among the top three clans across the city. Besides, the clan's way of life also favored large families. In general, their section of the city was always abuzz. But tonight, the atmosphere was far more charged after the announcement that Nate would be crowned their next leader today. Nate was loved, both for his talent and charm among the people.

Compared to the bustling Nan Clan, the small shabby yard in the west appeared to be a little ill-adapted. A fair-skinned young man, who was somewhat troubled out of sorts, was sitting on the roof of the small yard. Looking at the bustling Nan Clan, he knitted his eyebrows tightly, a tinge of hatred slightly reflected from his glassy eyes.

With a sneer, he blurted out what was going through his mind. "Brotherhood? Clan? It is utterly ridiculous!" As he grumbled, he flatly smiled on impulse. Beneath his skinny, feeble frame, anger consumed him like a big, terrifying beast. As if under a spell, violent current jolted him, leaving his hands clasped so tightly that the fingernails cut into the flesh. He only realized it when blood began dripping on his palms.

This was Ricky Nan. Like Nate Nan, he was also a young talented master from the Nan Clan. In any way, he was much as Nate. Moreover, they had been bosom buddies, almost like blood brothers. The two young talented masters of Nan Clan enjoyed as much respect as those at the sixth grade of Skin Refinement.

However, everything was completely different now. Ricky had lost all his cultivation base and was now merely at the first grade of Skin Refinement. Thus, he was not a young talented master anymore, but a jerk in everyone's eyes.

All this was Nate's fault. Despite their close friendship right from childhood, Nate, set as the successor of Nan Clan, now treated Ricky like a stranger. And Gilbert, Nate's father, currently the Dominant Top Elder, was no better either.

Previously, Ricky's father had as well served as Dominant Top Elder. But one year ago, while on duty for the Nan Clan, he was raided by masked men. In that heinous attack, the clan suffered untold loss, including the deaths of dozens of outstanding disciples and almost a third of the clan's property.

The head of Nan's clan was infuriated so much that he immediately deposed Ricky's father as Dominant Top Elder and dumped him into prison on a life sentence.

Just as the saying went," When a tree falls, the monkeys scatter." Those who had avidly followed Ricky's father crossed over to other camps in Clan in succession hierarchy. To serve their new masters, the defectors had even deprived Ricky of something even more precious - his accumulated cultivation base at the sixth grade of Skin Refinement. Once they had emasculated him, they also took away his inferior three-star spiritual meridian.

Every cultivator had a spiritual meridian implanted in his body. Spiritual meridians ranked from one-star to nine-star in ascending order. At each star rating, spiritual meridians were subdivided into inferior, intermediate and top.

After Ricky's father was imprisoned, his followers fell subordinate to Nate and his father Gilbert.

But before Ricky's father went to prison, the old man had whispered a secret to his son. Nate and Gilbert were no doubt the people behind that damnable attack.

Now, Ricky had realized how unfair life could get in his clan. No matter how significant your contributions for the good of the clan, only one mistake could erase your name and send you to disgrace. For Ricky and his father, their lowest moment was made worse by the fact that Nate - a once close friend, had turned to betrayal and malice. Despite the previously sworn brotherhood, Nate was now the worst enemy, with his insatiable appetite for power and the clan's leadership.

"Father, I will take revenge for you and get back everything we should have deserved!" Ricky, still perching on the roof, solemnly swore to himself when he heard the endless bustling and celebration of Nate's coronation.

Thump! Abruptly, Ricky leaped off the roof and landed on the ground of the yard with a thud. Then, he straightly walked towards a wooden pile, swinging his fist back and forth towards the pile, in practice.

Although his three-star inferior spiritual meridian had been taken away, leaving him no cultivation base, he had worked hard in honing his skills back again. By now, he had recovered enough to reach the peak of the first grade of Skin Refinement. Not an easy task, the achievement came through a full year's efforts, sweat, and sheer persistence.

Diligence redeems stupidity. Ricky was just a diligent guy. Although he had lost his spiritual meridian, he believed there was hope for him if he cultivated hard enough.

Hooyah! Hooyah! A faint whiz sound followed Ricky's every move as he wielded his fists back and forth in front of the pile. In particular, he concentrated on perfecting his Whiz Fist, a Yellow Level intermediate cultivation method. The louder the whiz sound, the stronger the force produced.

Cultivation methods were absolutely necessary for warriors. Those who mastered skills had great advantages in battles.

Ricky knew cultivation methods were divided into varying levels, including Yellow Level, Black Level, Earth Level and Heaven Level methods. The Yellow Level was the lowest, while the Heaven Level was the highest. Ricky had no idea if there was any level higher than the Heaven Level. But he knew that cultivation methods at each level were classified into inferior, intermediate and advanced stage.

Every time when he made a fist move, he was contemplating how to raise enough whizzing to enhance his power.

Through years of arduous cultivation, Ricky, in fact, had figured out how to bring the might of his fists into full play for quite a long period. But now, the might of his Whiz Fist appeared quite weak. Of course, he knew it was because that he almost didn't have any blood vitality inside his petite body.

Blood vitality was essential for a cultivator to give his power into play. However high the level a cultivator had reached, a warrior's physical strength depended on blood vitality.

For someone with Ricky's ambition, it was needful to have blood vitality replenished by cultivation and food, especially meat and blood. However, it was also reported among the more spiritually inclined that a powerful master could directly restore their blood vitality by absorbing nimbus from the universe. Such a master would not have to rely so much on cultivation or nutrition.

Unfortunately, Ricky was but a humble, less spiritually endowed young master. Even worse, after his father's fall from grace, it was even impossible for the clan to offer him cultivation resources and nutrition for his advancement.

Could Ricky hunt beasts on mountains by himself? This would be more impossible. Since he was only at the first grade of Skin Refinement and physically weak in his current situation, there was no hope in sight that he would get anything. At this rate, it was likely he would end up neglected, ostracized and left to die a slow painful death from hunger. If not, then there was the chance of a beast mauling him to an even more painful death.

At the mere thought of the grim realities ahead, his anger, like a pot of brew, began to boil. In his eyes, vicious hatred took over. He pounded the wooden pile more ferociously until his fists began to bleed.

"Ahh! There's never a chance that I'm going to be reconciled!"

Soon, he bounced against the reaction force of the wooden pile, until at long last, he fell to the ground.

Deep in him, he knew that he almost had no blood vitality. He knew it all along. The real question was, what could he do about this? Sadly the answer was absolutely nothing!

The whole situation left him feeling helpless.

"Unless you enter the tiger's den, you can't catch its cub," he shouted at the top of his voice. By now, he had been lying there on the ground for quite a while, his eyes being as cold as snow.

While he lay on the ground, he had decided to go hunting for food in the mountains, the next day. If he only stayed and cultivated inside this small yard, he would reach a higher level. But for peak physical strength, he had no other way, but to take the risk and go hunting for blood vitality.

In addition, blood vitality was the only ticket for his return to form.

Whichever way, it was better for him to do something than to sit around in a pity party.

Entranced in what his next move should be, he didn't notice the blood on his palms flowing along his arms. He had forgotten about it all after he fell down. For a moment, he looked at the white bracelet around his right wrist. But he had never known which material the bracelet was made of.

As the blood flowed down his palm to the wrist in rivulets, the white bracelet arrested the flow by completely absorbing every trace that reached it.

Gradually, the white bracelet turned blood red. Not just that. It also began to heat up.

"What's wrong?" Ricky asked, startled at the burning sensation on his wrist. Then, he lifted his arm up to take a look.

What he saw was even more alarming. Slowly, the blood soaked bracelet was fusing into his wrist.

"What the..." Ricky stammered, scared out of wits by what was happening. What would he do?

In a short time, while worried and wondered, he found that the bracelet disappeared, fusing completely into his wrist.

"No! Don't! Stop it! Now!"

Ricky roared as soon as he came to his senses. He quickly grabbed his right wrist with his other hand and tried to prevent the scarlet bracelet from entering his body. Because his father told him that the bracelet was the only thing his beloved mother left him.

But time was not on his side --- it was too late for Ricky.

The chain attached itself into his wrist and he even felt the chain's power wander around inside his Soul Sea after reaching the depths of his body, even the tiniest of his nerves.

Bang! When the chain circled round, Ricky felt his frail body shudder at the unexpected impact. His entire body was suspended in a state of palsy, which strangely made him feel comfortable as though he was protected by the chain from its impact.

Ricky felt that his entire body --- bones, flesh and blood seemed to be reformed in an instant, overfilling with endless power hidden within himself waiting to be unleashed.

During the transformation, the chain attached to him changed its appearance, and it somehow made a connection with the meridian center of his brain and meridians all over his body.

"What is happening..."

Ricky felt the change within his body and became aware that his hands kept trembling. There was a panic, yet joyful and unbelievable expression that you could see in his eyes. Ricky was overjoyed with tears. He had forgotten to take out the chain left by his mother from his body.

The warrior's mystic spiritual meridian was circling round and round in his Soul Sea and connected with the very meridian center of his brain. The spiritual meridian absorbed the spiritual energy of the heaven and earth which went through the skull and planted itself to Ricky's medial being. The spiritual energy flowed into every part of his body and scoured every inch, every fold, and every nerve, flesh and blood and the soul. At last, it returned to the elixir field to make a breakthrough.

And that was the process of cultivation.

And now, the stuff made from the chain transformed exactly the same as the spiritual meridian. It was impossible for Ricky not to be excited or nervous. The power from the spiritual meridian he had lost for a long time finally came back.

Subconsciously, Ricky pushed this newly acquired spiritual meridian to absorb the spiritual energy of heaven and earth.

Clatter...

Immediately, Ricky sensed that the spiritual energy of heaven and earth around him was rushing to get inside his body crazily, like the flowing water bursting to flow open. In a flash, every part of his body was filled with spiritual energy.

"Aha! This must be the spiritual meridian! The spiritual meridian... I knew it!"

At the moment, without thinking about anything else, Ricky stood up and roared up to the sky with a thrill of exultation.

However, all the members of the Nan Clan went to the central courtyard to congratulate the new chosen successor. There was no one else around Ricky's small shabby courtyard to witness his transformation.

Crack!

In tune with Ricky's excited laughter, a sound of a film breaking appeared from his belly.

While being covered with the invisible spiritual energy of heaven and earth, Ricky's aura changed and was promoted to a higher level. Without a doubt, it was the sign of breakthrough.

After Ricky regained the spiritual meridian, he made a breakthrough and quickly reached the second grade of the Skin Refinement.

Of course, after having the spiritual meridian back, the change was inevitable. Ricky was once a powerful warrior at the sixth grade of the Skin Refinement. Although his cultivation base was destroyed, he still had the physical form of someone in the sixth grade. Because Ricky had worked hard for the past years, he had a very solid foundation for his form.

He now understood why he couldn't break through before. He was unable to do it because he lacked the necessary blood vitality for the breakthrough. And also, most importantly, because he didn't have the spiritual meridian back then.

Now his spiritual meridian was back, like a blocked river bursting open, even better than before. Naturally, he could break through effortlessly.

"Aha. Father, did you see it? I now have the spiritual meridian and can cultivate again," Ricky said excitedly when he realized that he had reached the second grade of the Skin Refinement.

He reopened the door to the martial arts world.

"Nate, Gilbert, and all the bastards who have betrayed me, just you wait and see. All of you will repay for what you have done to my father and me," Ricky stated coldly with his fists clenched.

...

It took a long time for Ricky to finally control his excitement and calm down.

'Father said that the bracelet was given to me by my mother. Is my mother giving me her blessing?' Ricky thought as he felt the spiritual meridian that was in his body and made his skin glow with ethereal aura.

When he was a little boy, Ricky's father barely mentioned his mother and just promised to tell him everything about her when he reached adulthood. And when Ricky grew up, his father changed his mind and told him that he would tell her story when he became the most powerful man in Stone City.

'Mother, what kind of person is you? You cannot be just some ordinary person since you have left such a magic bracelet to me, can you?' He thought of everything that might be related to the magic chain passed down from his mother.

Crack!

However, before he thought too much, the courtyard door was shattered open to pieces. Three men dressed in guard's uniform from the Nan Clan walked in with disdain.

The one leading the group was a middle-aged man, older than the other two. He had the mustache and furtive eyes like a rat's, with a wretched appearance.

Ricky couldn't be more familiar with the evil group's leader, whose name was Hunter Wang. Hunter was at the fifth grade of the Skin Refinement and used to be a subordinate of Ricky's father. He was also one of the people who had taken out Ricky's spiritual meridian.

Behind Hunter were two fat and burly men who carried a raw head of a wild beast. Ricky stared at it carefully and found that it was a skull of a Pig Monster with Bloody Eyes. The skull was so big that it took two big men to carry it.

"What are you worthless people doing here?" Seeing Hunter, Ricky felt his hatred toward him surged and cursed through his veins and flowed all over his body. He was anxious to kill Hunter immediately.

But his mind was still clear and he told himself to calm down and endure it. Otherwise, if Hunter found out that he had the spiritual meridian back, the consequences would be unimaginable.

"Fuck. You are already a lowly loser, but how dare you speak so crossly to me?" Seeing the killing intent in Ricky's eyes, Hunter sneered. He could not believe that this powerless being would dare talk to him like he was still the proud prince with everything at his command.

In an instant, Hunter rushed towards Ricky and pounded his shoulder. Ricky spit blood directly and fell on the ground.

"Loser, don't even stare at me. Or else, I will dig out your eyes, and crush your skull in an instant." Hunter clapped and shouted angrily.

Feeling the pain all over his body, Ricky didn't say anything but clenched his fists and stood up with difficulty.

Bang! The two burly men threw the big pig's head on the ground.

"Hey loser, Young Master Nate sent this pig's head for you. He wants to share the happiness with you. Ahahaha." Hunter then kicked the pig's head to Ricky and laughed so loud that the yard boomed with his laughter.

"Haha, Young Master Nate is so kind. He is the successor of the Nan Clan but still remembers his loser brother. He was afraid that his brother would starve to death and die quickly, so he told us to send a big pig's head. Aha!" The two burly men also joined into laughter.

Nate's real intention of sending a pig's head was clear to Ricky. He meant say that Ricky was a fool, just like a pig.

Crack! Crack!

Ricky looked at the pig's head on the ground and then the men who were laughing hysterically. Humiliation and fury almost drove him crazy as he dug his nails deep into his palms.

But now, what could Ricky do? Would he risk his life just to get back at these people?

His father's former subordinate and two cooking servants dared to speak rudely and laugh recklessly at him. There was only one reason. Ricky had lost his power and fallen from grace --- because he was now a loser without strength.

He had to endure everything they did to him! He had to endure all the humiliation and suffering that Nate and his crew dealt at him.

For now, Ricky could do nothing but endure everything, including the endless anger and humiliation. He had to wait for the day to come when he could explode his strength and avenge himself.

The slick, disgustingly sticky saliva fell on Ricky's trembling form.

The mistreatment and humiliation was a menace he had to endure; he was no longer their respected genius young master. Now, he was nothing more than a frail boy at their mercy, one that had lost even his cultivation base. Ricky couldn't help but let the vulnerability he felt show on public display. It was an exploitable weakness that led Hunter's group roaring with laughter.

Ricky was an insignificant pest in their spiteful gaze. Someone-no, something that didn't even deserve a beating, as the savages harbored an arrogant thought that killing him would only dirty their hands in the process.

"Oh! Right, I almost forgot," Hunter exclaimed in a cheerful tone. The two men he was with looked down on Ricky, exchanging knowing glances between each other while smirking. "There's an order from the Dominant Top Elder. They said that all disciples in the Nan Clan who had failed to reach the third grade of Skin Refinement in the next three days-" Hunter paused, smiling jeeringly at Ricky. "-shall work as miners in the clan's mine."

He gauged Ricky's expression upon hearing the news, but the boy remained unnervingly silent. Hunter scoffed before he and his men chuckled at him scornfully. As they prepared to leave, he called out to him for the last time to deliver an ominous threat. "So, loser Ricky, my 'Young Master', don't be late to the mine. If you're not there on time, we'll be the ones sending you there in person!"

...

"AHH!" A scream full of hate and loathing shook the old, thin walls of the shabby hut Ricky was living in. He refused to accept this miserable fate he was in; he wanted to deny his lack of power before the people who abused him.

He cursed as he sat with his legs crossed on top of his creaking, wooden bed, and glared at the half-cooked head of the Pig Monster with Bloody Eyes placed in front of him.

It was sent to him by his enemy, Nate, as a satirical move meant to tease and mock his current circumstances. Ricky felt ashamed; itching with the desire to burn the abominable thing into ashes. However, he knew that his pride came second to his need for the pig's blood vitality.

He had to absorb it together with the function of the renewed spiritual meridian in his body, so that he might soon be able to reach the third grade of the Skin Refinement.

Otherwise, he would be taken to the mine to do hard labor work, and be forced to come to a dead end.

Gritting his teeth, Ricky swallowed his indignity and gobbled the pig's head after tearing it into pieces.

During the remainder of the night, Ricky poured his all into refining his body and flesh. Perhaps, the joy of regaining his spiritual meridian also helped in retaining his focus during his rigorous training.

He didn't stop until the first telltale signs of dawn broke through the early morning sky. Yet, Ricky remained unbothered as he continued to persevere until he heard the satisfying crisp clicks sounding all over his body.

It was, without a doubt, an indication that Ricky had made a breakthrough in his cultivation base.

One night-only in one night, had he managed to jump from second to the third grade of the Skin Refinement.

"This... this was way beyond what I had expected!" He regarded his newfound strength in astonishment. "What grade is this new spiritual meridian? Its speed of inhaling the spiritual energy of earth and heaven is ten times more than that of my previous one."

He was quite aware that the reason for his breakthrough was mostly due to the regain of the spiritual meridian in his Soul Sea.

"Could it be a five-star spiritual meridian?"

Ricky murmured to himself with great excitement.

In all of Stone City's history, a five-star spiritual meridian hadn't appeared yet.

This granted him a chance to sit on top of the hierarchy, seeing as those who possessed a high caliber of power were regarded as praised geniuses among the region's ruling force, the Snow Sect.

"Father, please wait for me. I will come to save you soon!" With fists closed tightly in unwavering will and determination, Ricky exclaimed his promise with confidence. The thought of being able to wield this ability with great prowess made him feel more thrilled and encouraged than ever.

...

"The Miraculous Medicine Pavilion of the Nan Clan is accessible to any disciple who had successfully reached the third grade of Skin Refinement. From there, they may also receive three Body Refining Pills," Ricky mumbled. After spending half the day for reinforcing his current level, he became lost in his thoughts again.

The three Body Refining Pills were a valuable cultivation resource; given his unfavorable situation, he needed them to survive.

'They probably won't give me the Body Refining Pills that easily. I'll have to fight them, ' He deduced, frowning in disdain. 'No, even if I win, there's no guarantee that I'll get the pills. After the fight, I have to escape from this clan. Otherwise, after Gilbert and his son know that I have reached the third grade of Skin Refinement, they definitely would try to ruin my cultivation base again-all to make me work at the mine.'

"I'll have to escape," he whispered to himself in contemplation.

Despite his musings, his feet unfailingly carried him towards the Miraculous Medicine Pavilion.

It was a quick journey that took him less than fifteen minutes to arrive, with the site located on the west side of the Nan Clan's courtyard that was only a small distance away from Ricky's run-down hut.

His entry to the esteemed property went far from unnoticed, as he had already expected.

After all, he was infamous among the whole Nan Clan. His nicknames such as "Loser Ricky" and "Traitor" were ones that spilled from gossiping mouths every time someone had caught sight of him wandering around.

Sneers and words of ridicule flitted through the tense atmosphere; all aimed directly at his unwelcome presence.

"What the hell is he thinking? Is the loser here to get the Body Refining Pills?"

"You're talking nonsense! Our 'Young Master' Ricky came here to...smell the fragrance of the Pills!"

Guffaws and endless mockery from the disciples of Nan Clan felt akin to shrieking hyenas in his ears.

Still, he pretended to be oblivious and went straight inside the Pavilion.

"Look, the former genius is really going inside!"

"Let's bet on how the Traitor will get kicked out!"

"I'm telling you, he'll be beaten and thrown away like a pig head! Haven't you heard that our current young master, Nate, considering their former brotherhood, sent him a big pig head last night? Isn't it hilarious?"

A shadow fell over Ricky's face as he continued on his path. For now, he was useless against their sarcasm and judgments, but he believed that he would someday be able to avenge himself.

...

"I am here to get the Body Refining Pills!"

Ricky declared with conviction to the two burly men who were responsible for distributing the coveted item.

He estimated the men's spiritual meridian grade, and assumed that they both possessed a one-star. A low grade, and as a result, they were both stuck in distributing the pills despite their ages being over thirty years.

"You're just a piece of garbage without a spiritual meridian! Don't you come here just to mess around, otherwise I don't mind teaching you a good lesson in accordance to the rules of our Nan Clan." The guard closest to Ricky snarled at him threateningly.

Without warning, Ricky had raised his hands and choked the man tightly like a ferocious tiger's claws enclosed on its prey's neck.

Then, with a loud thud, he dropped him directly on the ground.

He stepped hard on his ugly, fat face without any hesitation hindering his movements and retorted menacingly, "If I'm a loser, what are you?"

The pressure of his foot increased, and the man screamed in pain. "You've survived for more than thirty years, yet you're here being trampled underfoot by youth like me."

The burly man wasn't able to utter a single word as his eyes betrayed his prominent fear for the boy above him.

How could he have thought that the renowned loser had the power to defeat him? He didn't even have any resistance to fight against the dishonor the one-sided battle was giving him.

"Give me the damn Body Refining Pills, or I'll kill him now!"

Ricky demanded, regarding the man's other companion with a cold anger brewing behind his frightening glare.

"Alright! I'll get the pills immediately!"

The other burly guard scurried to find the bottle hastily, shivering upon sensing the former young master's steely gaze watching his back as he did so. After reaching for a bottle of pills behind the counter, the man passed it to Ricky without a second thought.

The bottle had ten Body Refining Pills, and according to the rules of Nan Clan, Ricky could only take three. Though, he could only keep that fact whispering at the back of his mind, having lost the nerve to even speak to the young boy.

After having accomplished his initial mission, Ricky kicked his captive away and walked out of the Miraculous Medicine Pavilion. His main priority now was leaving the Nan Clan, and he had to do it as soon as possible.

As for the disciples around them, they were completely dumbfounded.

The power that Ricky briefly displayed was one that could only be attained by someone reached the third grade of the Skin Refinement. They were at a loss, wondering how a loser without a spiritual meridian could have achieved such a feat.

Still, their disbelief was meaningless. With no courage to even muster, the crowd, overwhelmed by Ricky's prowess, was left gaping.

If it weren't for their curious sights settling on another subject of interest, their prying eyes would've never left Ricky's receding figure. Because there, in the distance, came a good looking couple of a young male and female, walking hand-in-hand as they slowly approached the Miraculous Medicine Pavilion.