Chapter 1 (Eight Desolate Sword God)

Chapter 1, Ye Chenfeng

The first threads of daylight broke over the horizon from the east, scattering over the jagged mountain peaks, past the foothills and onto the town of Baidi. The ancient city of long history, Baidi, began to come to life.

“Bang! Bang! Bang!”

Within the martial residence, a youth of around ten years old stood beneath a black pine tree looming over 10 meters in height. His revealed upper body was gaunt and his fists were covered with carelessly bundled thick cloth as he practiced his boxing.

The heavy sounds of fists against tree thudded out repeatedly. After a length of continuous striking, the black pine tree had caved in. The fresh air was stained with the slight tang of blood.

Scarlet blood seeped from his torn fists. It was a ghastly sight, but the expression on the boy’s face was callous.

“Not enough strength. I’ve bitterly trained for over a year, but my strength still stagnates.” His eyes were as dark as ink and the sharp edges of his face seemed like they had been cropped by a knife. The young boy chewed on his lips. “Don’t tell me I don’t have a soul beast and am destined to be trash.”

“No, I can’t give up. I don’t believe that I’m still unable to break through the limits of the physical body even after squeezing out all the potential of the human body,.” The grief in his heart grew as he remembered the unconditional love his late foster faster had showered on him. The boy gripped his bloodied fists for a few moments, before he went back to practice.

The diligent young boy at practice was Ye Chenfeng. He was a disciple from the Ye family, one of the four big families of Zijin nation. However, he was not a directly related disciple of the Ye family, but instead a child that the Ye family picked up from somewhere.

Although Ye Chenfeng had relinquished his special title, he had previous brought the Ye family pride and honour. When his innate talent was tested at six years old, his results had shown him to possess shocking 6 grade innate talent. The entirety of Zijin nation's imperial city was shocked.

Within Zijin nation, the overwhelming majority of people did not have cultivation talent. As for grade 6 innate talent, that was a spectacle Zijin nation had not seen for a hundred years.

If everything had went without a hitch, Ye Chenfeng, with his grade 6 innate talent, would have easily sailed into some good sect and began cultivation. Then grow into a man above men with unmeasured potential.

Because of Ye Chenfeng's astonishing innate talent, the Ji family, one of Zijin's four greatest families, willingly jumped the gun. They set up an arranged marriage between their 'little princess' of the Ji family, who possessed grade 5 innate talent with Ye Chenfeng. Her name was Ji Qingxue.

But the heavens had pulled a great prank on Ye Chenfeng; when he was thirteen and about to awaken his soul besat, he discovered that his soul was unable to take the shape of a soul beast. A phenomenon like that was rarely seen, even in a hundred years.

A grade 6 innate talent ensured Ye Chenfeng a glorious future. However, in this continent where everything was battled with souls, simply possessing a cultivation talent was not enough. Only when cultivation talent and the soul worked together would one form his soul beast, then begin cultivation, something that in defiance of the natural order. Only then would one become a Soulist.

Talent only determined the speed of soul beasts absorbing soul power and maturing. If one did not have a soul beast, a high talent would amount to nothing.

Ye Chenfeng's life plummeted into the lowest hearts of the valleys. He had turned into the laughingstock of the Zijin imperial city. His adoptive father which had raised him from young had bizarrely lost his life to an illness. He was removed from the Ye family and driven from the door of the family.

Time tarried away. Ye Chenfeng madly practiced his boxing, his teeth tightly gritted. His complexion was deathly white. The fog and his sweat mixed together until it was difficult to tell them apart.

When he felt almost all strength leave his body, Ye Chenfeng stopped swinging at the tree. He gasped for breath.

"Ye Chenfeng, you're actually still madly cultivating? Do you still not accept your fate? By squeezing out your all your potential like this, you think you can exchange it for false reputation? For one without a soul beast, you're destined to be an ordinary person."

A female fitted in a white one-piece dress with flowers embroidered on them appeared in front of him. Jet-black hair loosely spilled over both her shoulders and her skin was fair and exquisite. Her tone was frigid as she spoke to Ye Chenfeng.

"I'm already not part of the Ye family. My life or death does not need your concern." Ye Chenfeng faintly spoke. He lightly raised his head and stared her in the eye.

The female chiding Ye Chenfeng was Ye Ziling. She possessed grade 3 innate talent, and her soul beast was a ferret. Within the tender age of 16, she had already cultivated to the realm of level 4 soul beast. She was a talent entirely deserving of Baidi's martial residence, and the beloved pearl of the Ye family of the imperial city.

Coupled together with her beautiful features and her cool temperament, she seemed to steal away all other brilliance in the area where she stood. The sleeves of her clothes lightly fluttered as a breeze passed.

"You've already grown up. How dare you speak to me in this manner?"

Ye Ziling's eyebrows slightly creased with Ye Chenfeng's cold retort. Her tone carried slight anger.

"I only hope that you do not waste time on rubbish like me." Ye Chenfeng let out a short bark of self-deprecating laughter. He left without looking back.

Watching the lonely back of Ye Chenfeng, all anger dissipated. She sighed in her heart, feeling pity for both Ye Chenfeng and the Ye family.

"I still have 52 silvers on me. I can still purchase a few cheap medicinal herbs for recovery."

Ye Chenfeng directly headed to the Baidi martial residence's medicine workshop. He needed to purchase a few cheap medicinal herbs for recovery to avoid old injuries accumulating and damaging his meridians.

Ye Chenfeng entered the medicinal workshop and spotted Qiao Jingyuan purchasing medicinal herbs too. Light makeup, charming features, a perfect body. Fitted in a black openwork dress, her appearance was lovely.

Qiao Jingyuan was the eldest daughter of the rich and powerful Qiao family in Baidi. When things were still smooth-sailing for Ye Chenfeng, Qiao Jingyuan had been particularly close to him. But when it was discovered that Ye Chenfeng's soul was unable to materialise a soul beast, she had gradually drifted apart from Ye Chenfeng. They were no longer in contact.

"Oh, isn't this the great talent of Baidi's martial residence? Why have you done yourself into bruises and scars?" Just as Ye Chenfeng decided to take a detour around Qiao Jingyuan, purchase a few cheap stumps of medicinal herbs and quickly leave, a peculiar voice rang out from behind him.

Draped in gorgeous garments with a tall and straight frame, he had an eccentric appearance. Di Wanxian gripped a folding fan in his hand as he walked in. Two attendants followed him obediently from behind. His gaze became heated as he noticed the tall and willowy figure of Qiao Jingyuan.

"I say, you really love abusing yourself. If so, I can help you with that." Di Wanxian loudly taunted. He wanted to get Qiao Jingyuan's attention.

Qiao Jingyuan who had just selected two stumps of expensive medicinal herbs swivelled her head. She shot an icy gaze at Ye Chenfeng before sliding her gaze to the officious Di Wanxian who was slowly approaching her.

However, Ye Chenfeng and and Di Wanxian failed to rouse her interest. She returned to selecting her medicinal herbs.

But the second she turned her attention back to the medicinal herbs, Ye Chenfeng swiftly snatched away the folding fan in Di Wanxian's hands and forcefully smacked it across Qiao Jingyuan's rump.

Di Wanxian's eyes turned as round as saucers. Shock filled his face. Before he could compute anything before him, Ye Chenfeng stuffed the folding fan back into his hands and took off.

Qiao Jingyuan jolted as she felt her rear firmly smacked by an object. She paused in her selection of medicinal herbs, her mind blank. She flushed, a deep shade of red rising from her fair neck to her lovely face.

She whipped around angrily. Her eyes went to the folding fan in Di Wanxian hands. Red, hot anger rocketed within her mind and clouded it. Without thinking, she raised her delicate hand and heavily slapped Di Wanxian across the face twice. She seethed between gritted teeth, "Di Wanxian, do you have a death wish? Do you really think I can't mince off your dirty paws and cripple you?"

"No-no, Jingyuan, don't misunderstand. The person who just smacked your behind isn't me — it's him! I was set up."

A shiver tore through his heart as Di Wanxian stared into her burning eyes of anger. He babbled, barely incoherent as he tried to explain.

"Di Wanxian, when a person does something, he ought to admit it. Although I am no longer friends with Qiao Jingyuan, I would never commit an act as filthy as this." Ye Chenfeng paused in his steps, as he sternly rebuked Di Wanxian.

"Motherfucker, this was done by you! Can you swear that you didn't smack Jingyuan's butt, can you?" Di Wanxian almost vomited blood when he heard Ye Chenfeng criticise him with a righteousness-filled tone. A sudden urge to throttle him rose within Di Wanxian.

"Di Wanxian, putting aside the matter of whether you did it or not, could you not speak so loudly as to make her look unsightly? Even if you don't want face, she does." Ye Chenfeng ignored Di Wanxian's glare as he poured more oil into the fire.

"You..."

Just as Di Wanxian moved to take action, a murderous look on his face, Qiao Jingyuan, further incensed by the looks of ridicule from bystanders, exploded. Soul power burst forth from her mind as her soul beast began to condense. A golden-winged bird materialised, glowing with white light.

"Xiu~"

A ear-piercing whistle from air friction shrieked as Qiao Jingyuan's soul beast turned into a golden beam, striking the pit of Di Wanxian's stomach. The crack of several ribs snapping was audible.

"Pu!"

A stream of blood spouted from Di Wanxian's mouth. Di Wanxian, a level 1 soulist,* was severely wounded by Qiao Jingyuan's soul beast. He heavily collapsed to the ground, his eyes glazing over. Di Wanxian died immediately.

*It mentioned that he was in the realm of level 1 soul beast.

Chapter 1, END

First chapters always have crazy wordcounts. Jesus. Story looks good though. Guess it isn't popular for nothing.