“Mother, didn’t you just see a blood-red light shooting up into the sky?”

The old lady said, “You’re talking nonsense, what blood-red light? Hurry up and take the little baby out to let your father have a look.”

The young man carried the infant outside, happily calling out, “Father, it’s a boy.”

The old man said, “Quick, take him to your mother’s and my room. The dampness is heavy at night, be careful not to let it harm him.”

The young man and the old man entered another thatched hut, and soon the old lady came in as well.

The little baby’s big, bright black eyes darted around, constantly observing the three people.

The old lady said, “Look at this child, how adorable! He can already recognize people right after being born, and he doesn’t cry or fuss.”

The old man’s expression was grave. “Old woman, when the little baby was born just now, did anything strange happen?”

“What’s gotten into you two today, saying all these inexplicable things?”

The old man said, “You don’t know, something strange just happened.”

Then the old man recounted everything that had just occurred in detail.

The old lady listened, dumbfounded, and only after a long while did she say, “Nothing at all happened in the room just now, I didn’t see any red light at all.”

The old man said, “Let’s not worry about it for now. As long as mother and child are safe, that’s what matters.”

Just then, the young man suddenly cried out in alarm, “Ah, there’s blood on the baby’s hands!”

The old couple hurried over to look, and saw that the baby’s hands were clenched into little fists, with traces of blood between the fingers. The old man quickly opened the baby’s tiny fists. On each palm was a bloody character. The left hand read “defy,” the right hand “heaven.”

The old man muttered to himself, “Left hand ‘defy,’ right hand ‘heaven’—the name shall be Ryan Smith. So bold, so arrogant. Little one, just who are you, to be born with blood congealed in your hands?”

“Father, what are you talking about?”

“It’s nothing. Old woman, you and Eric Smith hurry and pack up our things, we’re leaving here tonight.”

“Old man, are you crazy? Olivia Smith just gave birth, and the child is so small—how could they possibly endure the hardships of travel?”

“Mother, father is right, we must leave immediately. The strange phenomenon just now will surely attract the attention of various powers, and soon many people will come to investigate. If we stay here, our lives will no longer be peaceful.”

The old lady said, “Alright, I’ll go pack up.”

“…Ryan Smith… born with blood congealed in his hands… Heaven-defying battle soul… Heaven-defying battle soul…”

The old man stood alone in the courtyard, gazing up at the sky, murmuring almost inaudibly.

The next day, Changsheng Valley returned to its former tranquility. Yet less than three days later, it welcomed a large number of visitors once again.

Chapter Two: Such a Youth

Ryan Cooper was born into a declining martial arts family. His ancestors had once enjoyed a glorious history, and were once a legend in the martial world of the continent. During a massive foreign invasion, even the mighty patriarch David Cooper, once the number one in the world, died with regret, and the family was nearly wiped out. Who were the invaders? It can no longer be verified; the truth has long been buried in history.

Ryan Cooper’s father was an honest, minor figure in the martial world, with no great enemies or vendettas—in fact, he didn’t have many friends either. The once illustrious Dugu family had long been forgotten by the martial world; even in the eyes of the people of Changfeng Town, it was just a prominent household at best.

The family’s martial arts had not been lost. A piece of black jade had been passed down from the patriarch, serving both as the clan leader’s token and the family’s secret manual. In the eyes of previous generations, the black jade was undoubtedly a priceless treasure, for it was not only a symbol of power but also the hope for the family’s return to glory. However, in recent generations, the black jade was seen as no different from ordinary jade. Ryan Cooper’s grandfather, in his destitution, once pawned it for wine; his father used it as a whetstone; in Ryan Cooper’s eyes, it was an essential weapon for brawling with street thugs—a brick.

Within the black jade was a spiritual imprint from the patriarch: “Master all the third-rate martial arts of the continent, and you will eventually achieve greatness.”

Because of this phrase, the family’s elders traveled the world, learning every third-rate martial art, which ultimately led to the family’s decline.

Strictly speaking, the Dugu family was no longer part of the martial world.

Changfeng Town was famous in the Han-Tang Empire, not because the town had any special products, nor because of its prosperity, but because a martial arts family lived here. A martial arts family whose very presence could make the martial world of the Han-Tang Empire tremble—a family known as the The Carter Family.

For nearly a hundred years, the The Carter Family had been full of experts. Whenever the older generation had yet to retire, the young talents of the family were already showing their prowess.

The declining Dugu family lived across the street from the The Carter Family, and the two families had a good relationship, often visiting each other. The current head of the The Carter Family, Jason Carter, and the head of the Dugu family, Eric Cooper, called each other brothers, and the elders of the The Carter Family were also very close with Eric Cooper’s father, Ethan Cooper.

Ever since a hundred years ago, when the The Carter Family moved here, there had been no more bandit raids. Even during the war between the nine kingdoms, the defeated bandit armies did not dare to act rashly in the town. After a day of standoff with the The Carter Family, they quietly withdrew. The The Carter Family had become the guardian deity of the town.