Thus, without a doubt, as the old sage aged, the position of patriarch of the Gu family fell into the hands of Gordon Grant. Gordon Grant became the number one figure in the Gu family, arrogant and dismissive of others. After becoming patriarch, he provoked an extremely formidable enemy, which brought disaster upon the entire Gu family, resulting in a massacre that wiped out the whole clan.

Chad Grant was of mediocre talent, only 13 years old when the Gu family was exterminated, and his cultivation was merely at the third level of the Postnatal Realm. His father, Colin Grant, fled a hundred miles with Chad Grant, making them the only two who escaped the Gu family’s doom. However, they were soon pursued by their enemies. To save Chad Grant, Colin Grant perished together with the enemy, dying right before Chad Grant’s eyes.

This was the first pain, the first regret in Chad Grant’s heart. He wept at his father’s grave for three days and nights, wishing so much that his father could come back to life. But the cruel reality proved that he no longer had any family in this world—he was left all alone.

From then on, Chad Grant wandered alone, the sky as his blanket, the earth as his bed. He was a disciple of a cultivation family; although the Postnatal Realm was the lowest level among cultivators, it was still somewhat better than ordinary people. After years of wandering, though life was hard, he was never in mortal danger.

As for revenge, it could only remain a thought in his heart. The enemy was powerful enough to annihilate the entire Gu family; with Chad Grant’s third-level Postnatal Realm cultivation, he could be killed with a mere flick of a finger.

Chad Grant traveled north, and five years later arrived in the northeastern region of the Great Win Dynasty. Here was a major cultivation sect, the Xu Tian Sect, which happened to be recruiting disciples. Chad Grant was lucky enough to be accepted into the Xu Tian Sect, but by then he was already eighteen years old. Although his cultivation had reached the fifth level of the Postnatal Realm, he was still at the bottom among his peers.

Therefore, after entering the Xu Tian Sect, Chad Grant did not become a formal disciple, but was instead assigned to the Hundred Herbs Hall as an apprentice alchemist. Chad Grant became disheartened for a time.

However, in the Hundred Herbs Hall, Chad Grant met two other most important people in his life: the hall master Harvey Young, and his senior sister Violet Shaw. Violet Shaw was as beautiful as a celestial maiden, but was born with the Xuan Yin Severed Vein, destined not to live past thirty-three. Yet she was extremely passionate about life, never complaining about fate, and often comforted Chad Grant. With Violet Shaw’s help, Chad Grant regained his confidence and developed feelings for this tragically fated senior sister.

Harvey Young taught Chad Grant everything he knew. Although Chad Grant made little progress in cultivation, he showed great talent in alchemy and became a well-known alchemist.

But good times did not last. The young master of the Xu Tian Sect, Warren Smith, coveted Violet Shaw’s beauty and was determined to make her his own, wanting to enjoy her before her death. He used some despicable means, but was discovered by the sect master and expelled from the sect.

Unexpectedly, Warren Smith harbored resentment, defected to the Great Win Dynasty, and with the help of the dynasty’s crown prince, the peerless genius Gavin Clark, returned to the Xu Tian Sect and killed his own father, the sect master, wiping out the entire Xu Tian Sect.

Master Harvey Young, in order to help Chad Grant and Violet Shaw escape, died at the hands of Gavin Clark. This was the second pain, the second regret in Chad Grant’s heart.

Gavin Clark was far too powerful. In the end, Chad Grant and Violet Shaw could not escape and were captured by Gavin Clark. Unwilling to suffer humiliation, Violet Shaw took her own life before Chad Grant’s eyes.

This was the third pain, the third regret in Chad Grant’s heart.

Warren Smith poured all his hatred onto Chad Grant, not killing him outright, but capturing and torturing him in every possible way. Perhaps Chad Grant’s fate was not yet sealed, for he managed to escape during a moment of carelessness from Warren Smith.

Harboring a deep-seated grudge, Chad Grant fled the Great Win Dynasty, surviving countless near-death experiences. Relying on his alchemy skills, he maneuvered among the major powers of the cultivation world, but had no way to avenge his blood feud with Gavin Clark, only hearing news of Gavin Clark’s ever-increasing cultivation.

Occasionally, spiritual treasures and elixirs would appear in the world, but Chad Grant was powerless to compete for them and could only listen as a bystander. Thus, a hundred years passed in obscurity. With a life-extending pill, Chad Grant lived past a hundred years old, his hair turning white. Just then, fate played a trick on him.

A great opportunity fell into Chad Grant’s lap. During an expedition, Chad Grant unexpectedly obtained the supreme cultivation manual, “Ding Tian Zhan Di Jue,” from Tai Xu Palace, one of the three great ancient cultivation holy lands.

With this supreme manual, Chad Grant’s cultivation began to advance rapidly. He broke through the Postnatal Realm to the Innate Realm in one leap, then consecutively broke through nine levels of the Innate Realm, entering the Divine Sea Realm.

Over the next forty years, he broke through four more levels of the Divine Sea Realm—Foundation, Soul Summoning, Essence Cultivation, and Golden Core. Before reaching his natural lifespan’s end, he finally stepped into the Life Spring Realm, instantly increasing his lifespan by 129.6 years and entering the ranks of high-level cultivators.

When Chad Grant entered the Life Spring Realm, he heard that Gavin Clark had reached the fourth level of the Life Spring Realm, the Enlightenment Stage. Chad Grant was helpless and once again sought spiritual herbs, refined pills, and cultivated madly, hoping that one day he could catch up to Gavin Clark’s cultivation and avenge his hatred.

Every hundred years, Chad Grant would break through another level, his lifespan increasing by 129.6 years each time. At 140, he entered the Spirit Infant Stage of the Life Spring Realm; at 240, the Possession Stage; at 340, the Primordial Spirit Stage. Chad Grant’s cultivation stopped there. Over 500 years old, his end was near, and he ultimately failed to reach the final level of the Life Spring Realm, the Enlightenment Stage.

By this time, Gavin Clark had already transcended the shackles of the Life Spring Realm, entered the Void Crossing Realm, and stepped into the ranks of immortals. Chad Grant could never catch up to Gavin Clark, the peerless genius of the Ancient Wilderness Continent, seen only once in a thousand years.