1: Chapter 1 A Familiar Beginning

Qingyun City, Ye Family Martial Arts Field.

"Next, Ye Chen!"

The grey-robed deacon's voice was flat, as if he were reading an inconsequential name.

A few suppressed sneers rippled through the crowd, and many eyes fell upon the youth dressed in common cloth standing in the corner.

Ye Chen walked out with his head lowered.

He looked at no one, walking straight to the half-man-high Meridian Testing Stone in the center of the field.

Three years ago, he woke up as this person.

A branch disciple of the Ye Family in Qingyun City, his parents had died early, leaving behind a sickly younger sister.

His talent was notoriously poor; at sixteen, he was still stuck at the First Level of Meridian Opening.

In this world where martial prowess was everything, this meant he was destined to be at the very bottom for the rest of his life.

He pressed his palm against the cold stone surface.

The Meridian Testing Stone lit up with a faint glow, condensing into a thread so thin it was almost invisible. It wobbled upward for about an inch before completely dissipating.

"First Level of Meridian Opening, no progress."

The deacon didn't even lift his eyelids as he made a mark in the register.

"If you still haven't made a Breakthrough before next month's Family competition, according to clan rules, you will be sent to the mines."

The sneers in the crowd grew louder.

Ye Chen withdrew his hand, his fingertips slightly pale. He said nothing and turned to walk back.

"Yo, leaving already?"

A figure cut across, blocking his path.

Ye Hu, the Grand Elder's grandson at the Third Level of Meridian Opening, was one of the top disciples in the West Courtyard.

He was half a head taller than Ye Chen, with broad shoulders. He stood there with his arms crossed like a wall.

"I heard you went to the back mountain to scavenge for bird eggs again yesterday?"

Ye Hu grinned, revealing a mouthful of yellow teeth.

"What, is your sister's illness acting up again? If you ask me, that invalid—"

Before he could finish, Ye Chen suddenly looked up at him.

That gaze made Ye Hu's words falter for a moment.

He immediately became annoyed and reached out to shove Ye Chen's shoulder.

"What are you looking at? Was I wrong? You and that sister of yours are both burdens to the Ye Family..."

Ye Chen didn't dodge, taking the hit and staggering back two steps. A burst of laughter erupted around them.

"Trash is trash."

"Just like his deadbeat father."

Ye Hu felt it was boring, spat on the ground, and left with his lackeys.

The crowd gradually dispersed; no one spared Ye Chen another glance.

...

Ye Chen slowly walked back to the leaky side room in the West Courtyard.

Pushing open the door, he saw his younger sister, Xiaoyu, crouching before the stove, carefully adding firewood to the hearth.

In the pot, a thin rice soup was cooking, so watery it could reflect a person's image.

"Brother, you're back."

Hearing the sound, Xiaoyu turned her head. Her small face was a bit soot-stained, but her eyes were very bright.

"Yeah."

Ye Chen responded, walked over, lifted the pot lid, and took a look.

"This is all you're eating?"

"I'm not hungry."

Xiaoyu said quickly, but her stomach let out an ill-timed growl.

She blushed and lowered her head.

Ye Chen said nothing, turning to pull out a small cloth bundle from under the bedboards.

Inside were the three bird eggs he had found yesterday. He had wrapped them in several layers of cloth, afraid they might break.

"Boil these."

He handed them to Xiaoyu.

"Brother, you eat..."

"I said boil them, so boil them."

Ye Chen interrupted her, his voice a bit harsh. After a pause, he softened his tone.

"I might have some business to take care of today. Eat by yourself, don't wait for me."

Xiaoyu looked at him and said no more, silently taking the cloth bundle, her fingers gripping it tightly.

Ye Chen walked to the broken wooden bed and sat down.

The green jade pendant he had worn on his chest since childhood had been faintly burning since this morning.

He reached out and pulled it out. The jade pendant was made of ordinary green jade, with crude carving and edges that had been worn smooth.

At this moment, it was emitting a gentle warmth—not enough to burn, but clearly perceptible.

Was it an illusion? Or...

Just as the thought arose, his vision suddenly went black.

When he opened his eyes again, he was no longer in that leaky room.

All around was an endless Chaos, grey and misty, with no way to distinguish up from down or left from right.

Only a scroll hung before him, looking like a jade booklet, slowly unfurling.

The pages were blank, except for the very center, where several lines of golden characters floated:

[Heavens' Beauty Records System Activated]

[Low life level of host detected, energy deficient, System functions partially unlocked]

[Current Rank: 1]

[Newbie Mission Issued: Find and bind the first "Beauty"]

[Mission Description: A special individual meeting the collection criteria has been detected within a radius of three hundred zhang. The target's current state is abnormal and on the verge of collapse. Lend a hand to establish an initial bond.]

[Mission Reward: Cultivation Infusion (depends on bond level), unlock basic System functions]

[Failure Penalty: None]

[Hint: A forced melon is not sweet. The bond must come from the heart to be valid.]

Ye Chen was stunned.

System?

A transmigrator's benefit?

He had read a few web novels back on Blue Star; he knew what this was.

But after three years since transmigrating, he hadn't received any Golden Finger, so he had long since given up hope.

Now it suddenly appeared...

"A special individual meeting the criteria? Within three hundred zhang?"

Ye Chen forced himself to calm down and looked closely at those lines.

"The target's current state is abnormal and on the verge of collapse."

"Who? Who around here is about to die? And it has to be a woman?"

He quickly went through the people of the West Courtyard in his mind.

Among the female Family members, although some were in poor health, none seemed to be "on the verge of collapse."

"Lend a hand..."

Ye Chen looked at those words, his heart feeling bitter.

He could barely protect himself right now; what did he have to save anyone?

The golden characters on the jade booklet slowly dissipated, but the pages did not close.

In the bottom right corner, a line of small text slowly emerged, like a map annotation:

[Target: Profound Yin Body (Unawakened)]

[Location: Southeast, approximately 280 zhang]

[Status: Qi and blood backflow, cold energy eroding meridians, life hanging by a thread]

[Suggestion: Three mace of red sun grass, one Vermilion Fruit, three drops of earth core flame vine juice, supplemented by pure Yang spiritual power from the Third Level of Meridian Opening or higher to guide it; this can temporarily alleviate the crisis.]

Profound Yin Body?

Ye Chen frowned; he had never heard of such a thing.

But the phrase "life hanging by a thread" pricked him like a needle.

280 zhang to the southeast... that direction was the Lin Family mansion.

The three great families of Qingyun City: Ye, Wang, and Lin. The Lin Family was one of them, and its strength slightly surpassed both the Ye and Wang families.

The Lin Family's eldest Young Miss, Lin Qingxue, was a once-in-a-century Genius of Qingyun City. She had entered the Wheel Sea Realm at sixteen and was a figure looked up to by countless young disciples.

Is it her?

Ye Chen's heart skipped a beat.

If something happened to Lin Qingxue, how could the Lin Family show no reaction?

Besides, even if it were her, what could a trash like him at the First Level of Meridian Opening do?

He looked down at the jade pendant in his hand; the temperature seemed to have risen slightly.

The jade booklet still hung before his eyes, its small text shimmering as if urging him.

From outside the door came the faint sound of Xiaoyu boiling the eggs.

Ye Chen gripped the jade pendant tightly. His sister's illness couldn't wait any longer.

He had saved for three years to scrape together ten Spirit Stones.

A wenmai pill cost fifty stones. He had originally planned to try his luck in the wild forest outside the city to see if he could find some valuable medicinal herbs.

But now...

Ye Chen took a deep breath, walked to the broken wooden cabinet, and pulled out that iron box.

Inside lay eleven Low-Grade Spirit Stones and a few pieces of broken silver.

This was his entire fortune.

"I'm sorry, Xiaoyu."

Ye Chen tucked the box into his robe, saying silently in his heart.

"I might have to take a gamble. If I win, we'll have a way to survive. If I lose..."

He didn't think further and pushed open the door to walk out.

The South City Market was more bustling than Ye Chen had imagined.

On both sides of the street were crowded shops, their banners flapping in the wind.

Medicine sellers, blacksmiths, cloth merchants—their shouts blended together, and the air held a mixed scent of bitter herbs and the metallic tang of rust.

Ye Chen gripped the iron box in his robe, his palms a bit damp.

"How much for a Vermilion Fruit?"

He stopped at the entrance of a pharmacy, his voice not loud.

The shopkeeper behind the counter was a withered old man fiddling with abacus beads using small tweezers. Hearing the voice, he slowly looked up and sized Ye Chen up.

"Eight Low-Grade Spirit Stones, no bargaining."

The old man held up two fingers, then looked down to continue with his abacus.

Ye Chen's heart twitched.

He only had eleven in total.

He didn't take out the money immediately, walking forward a few more steps.

There were three pharmacies on this street; he asked at each one.

The cheapest was seven and a half, but the quality was noticeably worse, with shriveled skin.

Turning back, Ye Chen stopped again in front of the withered old man's shop.

"I'll take one."

He pulled out the iron box and opened the lid. Inside lay eleven dusty Low-Grade Spirit Stones and a few pieces of broken silver.

He counted out eight stones one by one and placed them on the counter.

Only then did the old man set down his abacus, slowly stand up, and reach for a small wooden box on the top shelf behind him.

Upon opening it, there was a layer of soft cloth on which lay a red fruit the size of a pigeon egg. Its skin was translucent, revealing the fine veins within.

A sweet fragrance wafted out. Ye Chen took a deep breath and felt the tightness in his chest dissipate slightly.

"Do you have earth core flame vine juice?"

He carefully tucked the Vermilion Fruit into his robe and asked again.

This time, the old man didn't look up, reaching directly under the counter to pull out a small porcelain bottle with its mouth stuffed with red cloth.

"Three drops for three Spirit Stones. Take it or leave it."

Ye Chen didn't bargain, counting out another three stones.

Only a solitary Spirit Stone and those few pieces of broken silver remained in his pocket.

The old man pushed the porcelain bottle over, then suddenly looked up at him again and said slowly:

"Kid, you're from the Ye Family, aren't you?"

Ye Chen's heart tightened; he didn't say a word.

"Don't be nervous."

The old man smiled, revealing a few yellow teeth.

"I'm just giving you a heads-up. That earth core flame vine stuff can only be harvested at Flame Mountain. It hasn't been peaceful there lately; the Fire Lizards are running wild. Last month, the Chen Family's herb-gathering team lost three experts, all at the fourth or fifth level of Meridian Opening."

Ye Chen gripped the porcelain bottle. "Thank you for the warning, Shopkeeper."

"If you really want to go look for it yourself,"

The old man picked up his abacus again, his voice lowering.

"Old Man Wang in the west of the city is putting together a team to go into the mountains these next few days. He has his ways and knows where to find things. However..."

He paused.

"It costs money."

Ye Chen said nothing, nodded, and turned to leave the shop.

The sunlight on the street was a bit blinding.

Standing at the pharmacy entrance, he looked at the small porcelain bottle in his hand. The three drops of crimson liquid inside emitted a warmth that could be felt even through the bottle walls.

Pure Yang spiritual power from the Third Level of Meridian Opening or higher...

He was only at the First Level of Meridian Opening.

Furthermore, the Ye Family practiced the most basic Green Wood Art, which was of the wood attribute, not fire.

Where was he going to find pure Yang spiritual power?

Just as he was thinking, a commotion suddenly broke out at the other end of the street.

Several snow-white horses turned the corner into the street. Seated on them were men dressed uniformly in green martial attire, with long sabers at their waists and sharp gazes.

The crowd automatically parted to both sides. Someone who recognized them whispered, "It's the Lin Family's guard unit..."

[Author's Note]: PS:

Realm divisions in this book:

Meridian Opening Realm, Wheel Sea Realm, Dao Palace Realm, Four Poles Realm, Dragon Transformation Realm, Venerable Realm, Saint Realm, Saint King Realm, Great Saint Realm, Quasi-Emperor Realm, Emperor Realm, Heavenly Emperor Realm, Transcendence Realm.