Wang Xiaolong, a boy from western Shandong, leaves his hometown with his parents and drifts south. Trying to make a living at the bottom of society, he endures scorn and hardship. His older brother, Wang Xiaohu, enters the underworld to protect the family. Through sheer grit and loyalty, he carves out a legend, but ends up with a life full of regrets, becoming the deepest thorn in Xiaolong's heart.
Once a notorious truant and brawler, he was a hopeless student known throughout the school. His wild energy had nowhere to go, until a tough, no-nonsense homeroom teacher saw his potential and pushed him to grow. Seeing his parents spend half their lives in hardship and his brother go astray, the boy's passion finally ignites. He vows: My brother weathered every storm for me. Now I'll hold up the family for him!
From juvenile delinquent to exam-cramming fanatic, he burns his bridges and fights with his back to the wall, overcoming countless hardships with unbending pride. At last, he earns a place at a top military academy. From the streets and alleys of a small southern city to the training grounds of a military camp, he uses his passion and resolve to become a beacon for his family and a proud military academy cadet devoted to protecting his country.
