"Hahaha! Look at that poor bastard's talent!"
"First Grade?! You might struggle to even become a cultivator!"
"I would kill myself If I were him."
A crowd of people laughed at Wade's rating. The Evaluation Stone barely managed to light up, proving that his talent was almost non-existent.
'Fuck!'
He cursed himself. His face lit up in bright red from intense shame. Even his closest friends looked at him as if he were a low-life.
"Ahem. Some people are just not meant to step on the path of cultivation."
An elderly man in a flowing white-blue robe tried to console him. However, his previously warm gaze had turned cold. Wade had already lost importance in his eyes.
"To think someone from the main family lineage would be so pathetic!"
"I bet his older brother will beat him to death to end his shameful existence."
"Damn! Those bastards from other clans are going to make fun of us because of this piece of shit!"
The voices of dissatisfaction and scorn got louder. Those branch family members relished in the fact that someone from the ruling lineage was so miserable.
"Get out of here!"
One of them shouted from the crowd and many echoed those words.
"Don't return until Patriarch allows it!"
"Go away you worthless shit!"
Wade looked at the ground. Just moments before, he was still being showered in praise and encouragement. Many from the younger generation even expected him to outshine his older brother, but here he was, not worth a dime.
'Those bastards wouldn't have said anything if it was a piss poor nobody. They are behaving like this because my grandfather had subdued them all. They want a reason to vent their frustrations.'
Wade was not a fool, he knew how the human mind worked and was taught such knowledge from a young age. Indeed, he was raised to be the next Clan Elder or even a potential Patriarch.
But now it was all dust.
He turned around and left, unwilling to listen to those insults any longer.
Many of the clan's attendants and servants gave him a cold look, even the guards looked less motivated to salute.
'...'
Unable to bear it and not wanting to face his parents, Wade simply left the clan grounds and strolled the open streets.
It was afternoon and the streets were lively with activity. Mortals enjoyed fine wine and gambling, unbothered that their lives could be snuffed out on a whim.
"I am starting to wish that I hadn't been born in the Ren Clan."
He fantasized about how it would have felt like to wake up every day just to plow the fields.
'Living without the drama and power struggles must be amazing…"
However, it didn't take long for the reality to set in as Wade saw an old, hunched man being forced to kneel in front of a snotty brat not even a decade old.
'Life is cruel.'
In his aimless journey, he had ended up on the market. It was extremely crowded and extra smelly with today's hot weather.
He passed by many stalls, trying to temporarily take the burdens off his mind.
'Hm? What is that?'
At one of the stalls, he spotted a fat merchant desperately waving a fan at himself. His belly rolls seemed to melt, soaking his clothes in sweat.
"Oh? Young man, what do you desire?"
The merchant put on a cheerful and professional expression, eagerly waiting for a fresh purchase.
Wade's eyes became glued to a particular book. It was old and seemed to be on the verge of falling apart.
'Why do I feel a strange pull toward it?'
Its most unusual aspect was its title. Despite the book being worn out, the title looked brand new as if freshly inked.
"Devourer."
Wade read it, his mind became hazy for a moment.
"Oh, this book!"
The merchant was quick to bring the book in front of Wade and present it with elegant hand movements.
"Just for a hundred copper coins, I will 'gift' it to you!"
Wade cringed at the merchant's failing attempt to appear sincere.
"Where did It come from?"
Wade couldn't explain the strange feeling when he looked at the book. Moreover, the longer he read its name, the more he felt his body become lighter and more invigorated.
"To be honest, I don't know. Someone else 'gifted' it to me in another city. That person got it from someone else and so on."
"However, nobody knows its purpose, some say it is an ancient martial technique or even a cultivation art! Others believe it to be just a bunch of useless breathing and physical exercises, but no matter who, everyone who looks at its pristine title becomes horrified to the core."
"Even I don't dare to look at it since I had a few unpleasant nightmares because of it."
The merchant shuddered, cold sweat ran down his back.
'Fear and dread? Why do I feel more energized while looking at it instead?'
Wade felt puzzled, but he knew what he had to do now.
"I will give you ten coppers."
He adamantly looked into the merchant's eyes. If anyone was following him, he would like them to believe that he wanted to buy this dilapidated book out of curiosity.
"Young man, I can't…"
The merchant became hesitant. Clearly, he didn't value this book but wanted to squeeze out as much as he could.
"Five!"
Wade didn't want this haggling to stretch out. His curiosity was practically burning him from the inside.
"Okay! Okay! Five it is!"
The merchant quickly handed over the book and received the payment. Meanwhile, Wade headed for the nearby inn.
'Let's see what this book is about.'