Honor of the Imperium Battle

The young man trained his body with intensity and determination. Sweat ran down his face, but he looked determined and focused. He took a moment to breathe, taking deep breaths to calm himself.

"Hei!... Hei!"

It was clear that he was pushing himself to the limit, seeking to improve his physical strength. According to himself, he's a kid who doesn't give up so easily, and always does this every night or day. 

He tightened his grip of the wooden sword and start to hit the stiff boulder in front of him.

"Hei!" he grunted again.

He was tired, and until he couldn't keep up, he let himself lie on the ground. Looking at the shining stars above, he extended his left arm, the one marked by a birthmark that was truly a curse, as if trying to reach the top. This young boy's name is Xu Hanyu, he was a child that has an adorable charm with his round face and a small mole under his right eye. His long hair was neatly tied back, but a single streak of purple stood out.

Despite his youthful innocence, he bore a birthmark curse on his left arm extended from his chest, marking him as someone with a unique legacy. On his right hand, he wore a thin black cord bracelet, a heirloom from his father, featuring a beautifully intricate small pattern.

Suddenly, he felt a drop of water touched his nose. He lay there as he feeling the rain on his skin at the time.

"Power... Everyone has it... but I'm excluded," the young man whispered while letting the rain cleanse him.

He rises up and sobs as an innocent child would do. The young master couldn't stop thinking how different he was from other kids. The other kids had power, but he don't, and the fact that he felt like a disgrace to his family weighed heavily on him.

The leader of the Xu Clan, Lord Xu, who had raised Xu Hanyu since shortly after birth. Stood right next to the training ground's hugeway, keeping keeping an eye out on his son. Hiding in the shadows and being invisible, he watched Xu Hanyu's training with an overwhelming feeling of sorrow and despair growing within him.

Xu Hanyu, my son, I wish I could help you find the power you seek.. He thought to himself.

Lord Xu watched his son calmly for a minute, then turned his back and slowly retreated. He left without making any noise that might attract Hanyu's attention.

***

"sister, want to sit together?" Xu Hanyu asked the girl, one of the member of their clan. However, he was ignored, she slowly walk away from him.

A bitter smile was formed in his face while the little boy was standing awkwardly in the spot. The dark, thorn-like mark on his right arm stood out, a troubling sign. As he move forward, the other clan member around him looked at him with disgust, and their faces showing fear and dislike. Their stares weighted him down, making him more uncomfortable.

A young man passing by, the child smiled at him and said. "Brother Xu Rong... Can we sit together?"

With a roll of his eyes, he said,

"Go away! I don't want to sit with you!" and walked off.

After those words, he could sense that everyone was looking at him, mocking him. He could hear their laughter and the whispers of the other children.

"Look at him, what a useless fool!" one of them sneered.

Everyone was in the middle of meditation, but despite being a cursed crippled child, he still wanted to try.

At that moment, a girl's voice called his name from the right corner. She had on the clan's uniform, that same purple-plum color as everyone else.

"Hanyu'er ! Come here!" she yelled with those tiny voice.

It was his older sister, Xu Lian. Seeing her there, he walked toward her direction, feeling a wave of relief wash over him, grateful for her timely interruption that rescued him from the awkwardness of the moment.

His sister was the young lady of Xu Clan as well as one of the geniuses of their peers. She was always a cheerful young lady with a very soft heart. She always saw Hanyu as not just her brother but also her closest friend.

"Sister, thank you," he smiled softly.

"Hanyu'er, i'm glad you came..!" she said while tapping his head gently.

Later on, an Elder of Xu Clan, Elder Xu Bai showed up at the front.

"Greetings, Elder!" the young children said respectfully and bowed at the same time to the Elder.

Everybody was attentive all of the sudden and ready to hear the elder speak.

"Greetings to you as well," the elder replied with a nod.

"Today, we will be hosting a small competition to assess your abilities, pay attention and listen well to the rules and instructions that will be provided." the elder said with a solemn expression.

The elder's words echoed in the air, met with mixed reactions from the crowd. Some of the younger attendees, groaned in protest, and some are perked up with excitement, seeing it as an opportunity to showcase their skills and abilities.

As though he knew in his heart that the result was inevitable, Xu Hanyu's face was full of resignation and resolve, but he refused to give up.

His older sister, Xu Lian, gave him a reassuring smile on her face and said gently,

"Little brother, Don't worry, your sister is here and I'll beat them if anyone will bully you" Her words were spoken with a sense of warmth and genuine concern, offering comfort and strength to him as they braced themselves for the competition ahead.

As the elder looked around the area, he checked on everyone's cultivations. There were some people who had reached Xin Shi above level 6, almost most of them actually.

Xin Shi is a cultivation rank, normally for young kids like Xu Hanyu, while Zhong Shi's approximate age is 15-25 years old.

Xin Shi - consists of 8 levels and represents the first stage of cultivation. When one is close to reaching the next stage, they will need someone's wuqi or an energy essence that is a Gao Shi stage or higher stage than that to unlock the Celestial Wheel and breakthrough to Zhong Shi.

Celestial Wheel is where you can check your points, located on a person's back and it shows one of Ring of Light surrounding it. It sizes your palm, and it gets huge and complex as long as you upgrade to the next stages and level.

Zhong Shi - the second stage of cultivation, you need to accumulate 1-300pts to advance to the next stage. Has three levels; Initial: 1-100, Mid: 100-200, Peak: 200-300. First, there will be a first Ring of Light that appears around your Celestial Wheel as you reach it. Upon reaching 150pts in Zhong Shi, a second Ring of Light will appear around your Celestial Wheel. When reaching 300pts, you can breakthrough to the next stage which is Gao Shi.

Gao Shi - this stage requires a person to earn 300-900pts. This also consist of three levels; Initial: 300-500, Mid: 500-700, Peak: 700-900. At 300pts, and Aether Line will be embedded in your two Rings of Light, resembling the sun's corona but sharper. When you reach 450pts in Gao Shi, you will receive another Aether Line.

From level 8 Xin Shi to Initial level of Zhong Shi, it would take a lot of practices and efforts to upgrade your wuqi level.

There were only approximately five people who had recently just reached Zhong Shi, among them are Xu Rong and Xu Lian.

Xu Rong and Xu Lian were both geniuses in the clan. Xu Rong was the first to reach Initial stage of Zhong Shi first, then Xu Lian also reached Zhong Shi later that month.

The anticipation hung in the air, as everyone waited to hear the details of the upcoming competition.

The elder raised a stern finger, continuing to lay out the rules. "First rule, all participants will only battle in the designated area," he proclaimed, "Second, refrain from causing deliberate harm to any clan members of this clan.... Lastly, no cheating tactics during the competition, or you get disqualified immediately."

"Do you all comprehend the rules I have just laid out?" he asked once again.

In unison, the children responded with a respectful and obedient manner, "Yes, Elder Xu Bai."

Satisfied that the children had understood the rules, the elder nodded and indicated the commencement of the competition. He then stood back as his gaze fixed upon the participants as they prepared themselves to exhibit their skills in the designated area.

As the competition began, the first round was over quickly. None of the participants had managed to hold out for long in the small arena. Then, amidst the announcements, Xu Hanyu's name was called for the next round.

"Next round! Xu Liao and Xu Hanyu! Step forward!"

Xu Liao, a Xin Shi level 6

The little Xu Hanyu was consumed by a flood of anxiety and nerves as he stepped forward. Time and time again, he found himself gripped by a profound sense of shame and embarrassment when faced with the reality of being the youngest son of the clan head, Xu Dan.

Xu Dan, a Da Xuan - 2289pts!

It seemed that every time he contemplated being involved in such activities like this was enough to fill him with a complex mix of shame and embarrassment.

"Good Luck, Xu Hanyu!"

He turned towards the source of the voice, it was her sister Xu Lian's cheer coming alone in the crowd. Xu Lian knows how he feels right now, so cheering him up even when she's alone is not big deal for her.

The opponent is a Xin Shi level 6, and Hanyu had nothing. With this huge difference of their cultivation gap, how will a poor, coreless young boy fight a Xin Shi level 6 at this rate?

"Tsk! Easy!"

Even so, the boy is still determined to do it. He has been practicing day and night to improve his physical strength. To see the results, he have to fight the other members to check if there's any progress at all. If not, then he will still continue doing it, but it will be disappointing for him.

Thump! Thump!

The sound of wooden swords colliding echoed in the small arena, followed by heavy breathing and stomping footsteps. Even though its made up from wood, it's hard to break and very safe for small child like him to use. With this, he was able to take three hits from the opponent. Back then, he barely survived it. Right now, it seems like there's progress after all.

However, it was only a wishful thinking...

Getting slower, the opponent's strength is slowly getting stronger.

He figured the opponent was just not putting an effort at first, but now it seems that the opponent is getting serious and starting to gather his wuqi.

At the same time, he could also hear whispers from the spectators.

"How come he can take three hits now..?"

"Aiia.. that's just the beginning."

Every time Xu Hanyu collides with Xu Liao, he keeps falling as Xu Liao is using his wuqi to strengthen his body and abilities.

Then Xu Liao started to gathers his wuqi, a soft green illusionary bear's face forms before him.

This skill, one of the Xu Clan's teachings, is considered a low level technique, perfect for young cultivators like Zhong Shi, the young cultivators. Even though its ranking is low, it remains a powerful skill that can be effectively utilized in various situations.

"hei!" Xu Liao yelled in fury and launched a powerful charge towards Xu Hanyu.

When Xu Liao hits him with the technique, he knows he's on the losing side. However, he managed to escape from it because he knows Xu Liao don't master accuracy well when launching techniques, it was an advantage for Xu Hanyu.

The young man couldn't keep up as he already reach the limit of his body. At the same time, while the fight was on, he sees his father, Xu Dan, slowly walking up to the front where Elder Xu Bai is sitting.

Xu Dan's eyes follows the young lad's every movement as if checking something. He clearly could see the visible cursed birthmark on Xu Hanyu arms.

Upon seeing Xu Hanyu, his father gives him a soft smile as if sending some encouragement while he is resisting Xu Liao's powerful approach with the wooden sword.

Little did he know, during the competition, the young boy suddenly felt a sharp pain in his chest, which slowly spread to his arms, where the cursed birthmark was. He couldn't move his left arms, and slowly fell down on his knee while catching his breath.

"Ahhhhh!"

It hurts... It hurts... my chest...

The fight stopped as Xu Hanyu fell to the ground completely, clutching his arms in agony.

"What's happening to him?"

"Is he dying or what?"

"What a piece of shit! Faking it doesn't make an excuse.."

"So useless.."

"Xu Liao didn't even hit that really hard."

Xu Lian couldn't take their comments about Xu Hanyu and yelled, "Shut up all of you..! You don't have the right to talk like that about Hanyu'er!"

The other kids were shocked by her abrupt outburst and had to keep their lips quiet as she yelled. As they exchanged anxious looks and realized they had gone too far.

Seeing the chaos, Xu Rong moved forward and frowned.

"Why are you doing this, Lian'er? How come you're shouting at your own relatives? They're only making jokes."

"Han'er is also a member of our family," Lian said, her eyes glimmering with rage. "But why, Brother Rong, do you allow them to criticize him? Our protection, not their taunts, is what he deserves!" To reply, Xu Rong opened his mouth, but he was at a loss for words. He just rolled his eyes in frustration and became silent, letting the weight of her words hang between them.

Xu Hanyu could hear the whispers of the other children watching him slowly falling down to the ground, suffering in pain glad to hear those protective words of her sister Xu Lian. She quickly approached Xu Hanyu as she extend her arms preparing to support him.

"Hanyu'er! Are you all right?!"

Elder Xu Bai appeared shocked as he observed the scene unfolding before him, and so did Xu Dan, the clan head. The two exchanged a look of confusion and concern as they moved closer to Xu Hanyu because they were worried about what's happening.

"Han'er..?!"

"Lord Xu, the curse is attacking his body..!"

Xu Hanyu was in immense pain, and was struggling to cope with it. The last thing his eyes caught the sight of the eclipse right above them. The voices around him seemed to echo in his head, hearing them talking about the eclipse right above them excitedly.

"Look above!"

"What is that..?!"

"Is that an eclipse?!"

Slowly he started to lose consciousness, his surroundings became increasingly blurry and fuzzy.

It felt like a long night.

***

After five days later..

The young man lay on the bed, staring up at the ceiling. His eyes were still a little fuzzy, but he could hear people talking nearby. He recognize these voice, it his was father, Lord Xu, Elder Xu Bai, and Elder Xu Ting. Their conversation filled the air with tension.

"Han'er... his condition has been getting worse lately.." Lord Xu said, voicing his concern.

"Patriarch Xu, it was unexpected for the curse to break out so suddenly that day." Elder Xu Ting said.

"It was the first time that the curse triggered. I can't let him suffer... But things are beyond my control.."

"We can't do anything about it. It's not curable at all.." Elder Xu Bai's replied.

"We can, if we get more herbs... We need the highest quality ones. The Cleansing Jade Leaf from the Cloud Bazaar, I heard it can cure a curse..!"

"It's impossible! The Cleansing Jade Leaf is extremely rare and valuable. It would cost us half our clan's resources along with our small businesses to obtain it!" Elder Xu Bai countered.

As the young man listened to the conversation between his father and the two elders, he couldn't help but feel a pang of realization. Their words made him realize that his father's love and concern for him had its limits.

The sudden attack of the curse in Xu Hanyu's body was unexpected. As a child, he definitely knew something was wrong with his body, but he couldn't sense his core because he had none.

Despite his father's outward display of worry and desire to find a cure, the reality was that the curse had no cure, and the Cleansing Jade Leaf that might have helped were out of reach.

If I had no curse, I wouldn't be burden to the entire clan. I would have been able to develop my wuqi abilities like everyone else. The thought was bitter, and he couldn't help but feel a sense of inadequacy wash over him.

Xu Dan and the two elders, who were talking nearby, noticed Xu Hanyu rising up from his bed.

"Han'er, you're awake..!" Lord Xu approaches him with concerns, and putting his arms on Xu Hanyu's shoulder.

"Father... yes.." He stood before them as his face showing a sign of a guilty expressions. Finally, he told Lord Xu about his thoughts.

"Father, you don't have to purchase such an expensive herb for me. My life isn't important compared to the clan's. So please, Father, you don't have to worry about me. I am strong kid." Xu Hanyu says with a bitter smile on his face.

"Father, I hope you consider the clan first before me. I will be taking my leave first to go back on my training," the young lad respectfully bowed and turn his back.

"Han'er...I" Lord Xu wanted to follow his son, but Elder Xu Ting placed a hand on his shoulder, signaling him to stay and let give Xu Hanyu some space for now.