Mark Carter's home was outside Thunderlight City. His parents were both farmers, living each day with sincerity and diligence. They were happy that their son actually possessed a cultivator's life mark, but not overly excited; all they wanted was for Mark Carter to live a healthy and happy life, to do what he wanted to do. Happiness was the most important thing—having more didn't necessarily mean being happy, but they supported Mark Carter.

Mark Carter's personality was very different from his parents'. There seemed to be a fire burning inside him; he was restless from a young age, and fighting was an everyday occurrence. Life wasn't about its length, but about living it with passion. Entering the Sanctuary and finding a bigger stage—that was his happiness.

Carrying his special training tools, Mark Carter went to the back mountain not far from home to begin his "seclusion." Here, he had his own cultivation cave... which was actually just a pit, with nothing in it. After discovering his life mark, Mark Carter had found this place himself. For cultivation, you always needed a place that looked the part.

In Mark Carter's words, cultivation relied on spirituality, on feeling.

The Foundation Cultivation Technique, as the name suggests, was about strengthening one's foundation. It was the entry-level technique for low-level cultivators. Cultivation could indeed grant power beyond ordinary people, but it was also very dangerous.

The goal of cultivation was simple: to raise the level of one's life marks and master their use. The more life marks, the better—especially after the tenth layer. With each additional layer, the combinations of life marks increased geometrically, and the powers that could be used became more complex and powerful.

But if the cultivation method was improper and the combinations were random, it was easy to go astray, with tragic results—at best, becoming a cripple; at worst, losing one's life.

Of course, Mark Carter didn't have to worry about that at all. With only two life marks, he couldn't even form combinations. Cultivation below the fifth layer was extremely monotonous and boring. The so-called Foundation Cultivation Technique was just repeatedly using life marks to channel primal energy for the simplest attacks—a way to build a foundation.

But for Mark Carter, this was undoubtedly a secret manual. It was his first time learning the correct way to use primal energy.

It wasn't as complicated as he had imagined. Mark Carter almost understood it at a glance. Basically, it just taught cultivators how to use primal energy. With two layers of life marks, he could only enhance his strength.

After reading it five times and pondering for a while, Mark Carter began his persistent training. Since he was going to do it, he would do it seriously.

Mark Carter's method was simple and direct, even a bit rough: he punched the stone wall, using primal energy with every punch, one after another, until his energy was exhausted. According to the Foundation Cultivation Technique, the process of constant depletion and regeneration could consolidate life marks and might even give birth to new ones.

If he had three life marks, he could form the simplest spell. Just thinking about it made Mark Carter feel hot all over, and his fists no longer hurt.

Somewhere in the outskirts of Thunderlight City, dull thuds echoed every day. But in such a deserted place, who would care?

A month wasn't too long or too short, but for some people, it was definitely dull and grueling enough.

Jason Bolton could hardly believe the person in front of him was his buddy Mark Carter.

The chubby boy opened his mouth. "Damn, Mark, you're almost a wild man now. That hairstyle is fierce! So, so, any progress?"

Mark Carter had asked him to call him out of seclusion at this time. To stay focused, Mark Carter brought nothing but food.

Mark Carter ran his hand through his messy hair and shook his head helplessly. "Still at the second layer. Sam Bolton, is it that I really have no talent?"

In the last few days, Mark Carter himself had become a bit anxious, but he still forced himself to stay calm and kept training persistently. If you want to succeed, you must have confidence.

Jason Bolton looked at the bloodstained, pitted wall, then at Mark Carter's hands. Even the chubby boy's flesh couldn't help but tremble. "No need to torture yourself like this. We're brothers for life—if anyone bullies you, I'll shoot his little pecker off!"

Bang~~

Sam Bolton got a loud flick on the forehead. "Get lost! If I relied on you, I'd be doomed. Let's go. No matter what, I'm out of seclusion now. Even if I can't get into the Sanctuary this year, I'll come back in three years. An older genius is still a genius!"

Sam Bolton immediately gave a thumbs up. "Savage!"

Chapter 3: There's a Kind of Talent Called Perseverance

The two of them left with their arms around each other's shoulders. Of course, before leaving, Mark Carter carefully tucked the handwritten copy of the Foundation Cultivation Technique into his chest. For his first magical tool and first technique, Mark Carter cherished them greatly.

"Tonight, we don't go home until we're drunk!" Mark Carter shouted boldly, finally seeing the light of day again.

"Celebrating Mark's return from seclusion!"

"Nonsense, we should be celebrating you getting into the Sanctuary's Arrow Sect. That bow sect is getting another chubby sharpshooter!" Mark Carter laughed.

Jason Bolton's parents weren't cultivators either, but compared to Mark Carter, his family was much better off. Still, that didn't stop the two from being best friends. Mainly, when they were kids, whenever someone bullied Little Sam, Mark Carter always stood up for him. That kind of childhood friendship was the most special. But even though Jason Bolton was chubby, his talent was even better than Mark Carter's—he was born with four layers of life marks and was directly admitted to the Arrow Sect of Thunderlight Sanctuary's branch. It was said he had excellent eyesight.

Maybe in three years, it would really be Jason Bolton looking out for him. Mark Carter felt a little down, but quickly adjusted. It was good for his brother to have a bright future, and he still had time—hard work could change everything!