1: The new face of Wutan City

The mornings in Wutan City were always awakened by the gradually rising sounds of carriages and horses on the bluestone roads and the early market's bustle.

The slightly damp air was mixed with the unique scents of medicinal herbs, ores, and various magical beast materials, forming the distinct vitality of this large border city of the Jia Ma Empire.

A young man dressed in ordinary gray linen stood somewhat bewildered in a corner of a noisy street.

He appeared to be about fifteen or sixteen years old, with a slightly thin build and delicate features, but his dark eyes were filled with a shock and daze that belied his age.

Xiao Chen.

He pinched his thigh hard, and the clear pain confirmed that this was no dream.

As far as his eyes could see, there were ancient-looking buildings, people dressed in various outfits, with strong or weak auras, hurrying along, and occasionally, he even saw people riding strange-looking low-level magical beasts parading through the streets.

All of this indicated one fact—he, an ordinary young man from the 21st century, had truly transmigrated.

And, as luck would have it, he had transmigrated into the world of “Battle Through the Heavens,” a novel he had stayed up all night chasing updates for and was all too familiar with.

“Dou Qi, third stage...”

Not far away, in front of a simple magic testing stele, a young man in black with a tender face but a hint of stubbornness was pressing his hand on the stele.

Five large, glaring, and even somewhat mocking characters lit up on the stele, causing a suppressed murmur of whispers and low laughter to erupt from the surroundings.

“Tsk tsk, this genius of the Xiao Family is really becoming more and more ‘promising’.”

“Last year he was still at the fourth stage, but this year, he’s dropped directly to the third stage. He’s really shamed our Wutan City.”

“Keep it down, he used to be...”

The young man in black, Xiao Yan, bit his lip tightly, his fingernails digging deep into his palm, oblivious to the discussions around him, but in his dark eyes, the flames of unwillingness and anger burned.

He suddenly turned, pushed through the crowd, and rushed out without looking back.

Xiao Chen’s heart pounded.

Xiao Yan! It really was Xiao Yan! And, at this point in time, it was the early stage of his most desolate and humiliated three-year period of being a ' 廢物' (waste)!

The massive amount of information overwhelmed Xiao Chen’s brain, making him dizzy.

The shock of transmigration had not yet subsided when the impact of witnessing the protagonist’s famous scene from the original novel came one after another.

He knew that at this time, Xiao Yan’s body contained that powerful soul from another world—Yao Lao, and it was precisely Yao Lao who was secretly absorbing his Dou Qi, causing his cultivation to regress and him to suffer all sorts of scorn.

And it wouldn't be long before Yao Lao would appear and reach an agreement with Xiao Yan, officially beginning a legendary path of a ' 廢柴' (waste) rising against the odds.

“What should I do?” Xiao Chen’s mind was in turmoil.

In this world where Fighter were revered and the strong preyed on the weak, he, an ordinary person with no power and not even a trace of Dou Qi, let alone pursuing the path of a strong person, would probably struggle to even survive.

Wutan City seemed calm, but in reality, undercurrents surged, with the three major families openly and secretly contending, and any small disturbance could crush an “ant” like him.

Just as his heart was consumed by immense fear and unease, a cold, emotionless mechanical voice suddenly sounded deep in his mind:

“Ding! Detecting host’s strong desire to survive and cognitive fluctuations... The Myriad Replication System is binding...”

“10%... 50%... 100%!”

“Binding successful! Host: Xiao Chen.”

“Welcome to the Myriad Replication System. Theoretically, this system can help you replicate all things in the world: cultivation techniques, Dou Techniques, pills, divine weapons, 异火 (Heavenly Flames)... and even living beings’ bloodlines, and the rules of heaven and earth, all are possible!”

A turn of events! A light at the end of the tunnel!

Xiao Chen almost jumped up in excitement, an indescribable ecstasy instantly dispelling all gloom.

A system! It really was the standard golden finger for transmigrators!

And it was a “replicate all things” system that sounded incredibly powerful!

Heavenly Flames? Heaven-tier cultivation techniques? Divine artifacts? Wouldn't they be easily obtainable?

Dominating the Dou Qi Continent, marrying... ahem, it was just around the corner!

He forcibly suppressed his excitement and eagerly called out in his mind: “System? Are you there? Quick, do you have a novice gift package? How about a Burning Art to try out first? Or a Bone Chilling Flame?”

“Ding! Detecting host command. Analyzing replication target Burning Art / Bone Chilling Flame...”

“Analyzing... Warning! Insufficient energy, unable to perform high-dimensional rule-level item replication!”

“Please prioritize charging energy for the system, host, to unlock corresponding replication permissions.”

Xiao Chen’s smile instantly froze.

“Charge... charge?” He thought he had misheard. “Charge what? How do I charge?”

In his mind, an extremely simple, even somewhat crude, translucent interface unfolded.

At the top were large characters: [Myriad Replication System], and below were several option boxes: [Scan], [Replicate], [Inventory], [Energy Pool].

His attention focused on the [Energy Pool], where he saw a long progress bar, almost entirely gray, with only a faint, almost negligible glimmer at the very bottom.

Next to the progress bar was labeled: Current Energy: 1 / 10000 (Unit: Basic Energy Unit).

And below the energy pool, there was a glaring button—[Recharge].

Clicking the [Recharge] button brought up a description:

“System energy can be replenished by absorbing energy-containing substances, including but not limited to: pills, monster cores, cultivation techniques and Dou Techniques (requires host’s cultivation to generate energy feedback), natural treasures, etc.

Energy purity and quantity determine charging efficiency.”

“Hint: The first recharge reaching 100 energy units will unlock the basic permission for the [Replicate] function (limited to low-level mortal items).”

Xiao Chen: “...”

He felt as if a basin of ice water had been poured over him from head to toe.

He had a treasure mountain but was told he needed to buy a ticket first?

And this ticket, it sounded like he couldn't afford it right now.

Pills? Monster cores? He didn't have a single copper coin; his pockets were emptier than his face.

Cultivation techniques and Dou Techniques? He wasn't even at the first stage of Dou Qi; where would he get cultivation techniques?

Natural treasures? Don't even think about it.

The huge disparity made him feel suffocated.

This broken system was simply an energy-devouring beast!

“It seems I need to find a way to get my ‘first pot of gold’ first...” Xiao Chen forced himself to calm down and began thinking rapidly.

His gaze involuntarily turned once again in the direction Xiao Yan had disappeared.

When fellow countrymen meet, tears fill their eyes.

Although Xiao Yan was in a difficult situation himself right now, he was, after all, the future Flame Emperor of this world, a child of destiny.

And, most importantly, he had a super treasure by his side—Yao Lao!

Even a little something that leaked from Yao Lao’s fingertips would be enough for him to complete his initial accumulation.

Attach himself to him! He must firmly attach himself to this future thickest golden thigh!

But how to attach was a technical skill.

Should he just rush up and say, “Brother, I see you have extraordinary bones; you will surely achieve great things in the future. I'll invest in you now, and you can take me with you later?”

He was afraid he would be beaten to death as a madman.

There had to be a suitable opportunity, and... capital.

Xiao Chen took a deep breath, his eyes once again firm.

He touched his growling stomach; the most urgent task was to survive first.

Relying on his vague memories of Wutan City from reading novels in his previous life, and carefully asking around, Xiao Chen arrived at the market outside the Mittel Auction House, the largest trading market in Wutan City.

It was even livelier here than the street earlier, with a constant flow of people, numerous stalls, and an endless din of hawking and haggling.

He moved through the crowd like an ordinary wandering youth, his gaze sharply scanning each stall.

He had no money to buy anything, but his system had a [Scan] function!

The [Scan] function had no energy restrictions and could be used for free.

Xiao Chen tried to Scan a low-level medicinal herb called “blood coagulation grass” at a stall.

“Item Name”: blood coagulation grass

“Grade”: Low-level Mortal

“Composition”: Contains weak blood energy, 73% impurities

“Replicable”: Yes (Requires energy: 5 units)

“System Evaluation”: Common goods, better than nothing.

Indeed! Although he couldn't replicate it, Scan could provide detailed information!

This was simply the strongest treasure-identifying eye!

Xiao Chen’s spirits lifted, and he began to frantically Scan.

From medicinal herbs to ores, from low-level monster cores to those broken pieces of metal that claimed to be “ancestral treasures.”

Most things were unremarkable, with the system evaluating them as either “trash” or “waste material.”

Until he walked up to a stall in a corner.

The stall owner was a seemingly honest middle-aged man, mainly selling various scraps he had picked up from the outskirts of some Magical Beast Mountain Range—animal bones, broken weapons, strangely colored stones, etc., all ignored by passersby.

Xiao Chen’s gaze was drawn to a palm-sized, dull black, inconspicuous iron piece.

The iron piece had irregular edges and was covered in rust, looking like a fragment of some broken weapon.

Out of intuition, he used Scan on the iron piece.

“Item Name”: Fragment of a Deficient Heavy Xuan Iron Ruler (Extremely faint information residue)

“Grade”: Material roughly equivalent to a third-tier monster core weapon (Current state: energy almost depleted, spirituality annihilated 99.9%)

“Composition”: Xuan Iron, trace amounts of Mo Steel... Extremely faint Soul Imprint residue detected (unidentifiable, on the verge of dissipating)

“Replicable”: No (Insufficient energy, and incomplete rules. Replication requires consumption of rule energy, system level insufficient)

“System Evaluation”: The remains of a powerful weapon completely destroyed, having endured a long time, with only a trace of its original material properties remaining.

The internal residual information is too fragmented to have practical value.

However, the material itself can be recycled and converted into approximately 50 energy units.

Fifty energy units!

Xiao Chen's heart gave an involuntary lurch! This unassuming, broken iron piece could actually convert fifty points of energy? That was enough for him to activate the replication function, with even a little left over!

He feigned composure, crouched down, and pretended to casually browse other items on the stall. Finally, he picked up the black iron piece and asked in as calm a voice as possible, "Boss, how much for this?"

The middle-aged stall owner was yawning boredly. Seeing a customer, and a mere teenager at that, he didn't pay much attention and casually said, "Ten gold coins."

Ten gold coins! Xiao Chen's mouth twitched. He was penniless right now; let alone ten gold coins, he couldn't even produce a single copper coin.

He put down the iron piece, stood up, and sighed, "Too expensive, I can't afford it." With that, he made to leave.

The stall owner clearly hadn't expected the item to sell. Seeing Xiao Chen about to leave, he hesitated, then called out, "Hey, kid, since you seem to really want it, five gold coins! That's the lowest price!"

Xiao Chen stopped, turned around, his face showing just the right amount of embarrassment and sincerity. "Boss, I... I only have three silver coins on me. That's all my worldly possessions. I see this iron piece is black and looks quite sturdy, so I thought I'd take it back to use as a whetstone. What do you think..."

Three silver coins was a world apart from five gold coins. The stall owner frowned, clearly displeased. But looking at Xiao Chen's faded clothes and clear (feigned) eyes, and then at the broken iron piece that had sat on his stall for half a year without a single inquiry, he finally waved his hand as if shooing a fly. "Alright, alright, three silver coins it is. Take it, consider it my loss!"

Xiao Chen was overjoyed internally, but on the surface, he looked tearfully grateful. He quickly pulled out the only three silver coins he had (which he had 'found' on the road earlier; perhaps some kind person had dropped them?) and carefully handed them to the stall owner. Then, as if he had found a treasure, he clutched the black iron piece tightly in his hand.

With the transaction complete, Xiao Chen didn't dare to linger. He immediately turned and melted into the crowd, finding a quiet, secluded corner.

"System, recycle this iron piece!" he commanded urgently in his mind.

"Ding! Detectable recyclable item: Fragment of Xuan Tie Heavy Ruler (incomplete). Estimated energy conversion: 50 units. Confirm recycling?"

"Confirm!"

The black iron piece in his hand instantly vanished. At the same time, in the system in his mind, the almost entirely gray energy pool progress bar suddenly jumped forward a small segment, and the value became: [Current Energy: 51 / 10000].

Although still minuscule compared to the total of ten thousand, those 51 points of illuminated energy gave Xiao Chen infinite hope!

"Recharge! Immediately recharge 100 energy to unlock the replication function!" Xiao Chen couldn't wait.

"Ding! Insufficient energy. Unable to recharge 100 units. Current energy: 51 units."

Xiao Chen was startled, then realized that 50 from recycling, plus the original 1 point, indeed made 51 points. And unlocking the basic replication function required a recharge of 100 points, meaning he needed to invest additional items worth 100 energy, not just have the total energy in the pool reach 100.

In other words, he still needed to acquire items worth at least another 49 points of energy!

After hope came even greater frustration. This damn system had so many rules!

Just as Xiao Chen was worrying about the remaining energy and aimlessly continuing to "Scan" for treasures in the market, a somewhat familiar figure caught his eye.

It was Xiao Yan, whom he had seen before!

At this moment, Xiao Yan's complexion was still not good, and an unresolved gloom hung between his brows. He was standing in front of a stall specializing in low-grade medicinal herbs, holding a few pale green leaves, seemingly haggling with the stall owner.

"Alfalfa Spirit Leaf, twenty gold coins per stalk, no bargaining," the stall owner, a lean man, said coldly.

Xiao Yan's hand, holding the leaves, tightened. A flicker of pain and struggle crossed his face. Twenty gold coins was nothing to him when he was once the Xiao Family's genius, but for him now, with family resources drastically cut, it was a considerable sum. And this Alfalfa Spirit Leaf was a necessary ingredient for a medicinal liquid he was trying to concoct to nourish his meridians.

Xiao Chen's heart stirred. An opportunity!

He quietly approached, using the system's Scan function to look at the Alfalfa Spirit Leaf in Xiao Yan's hand.

[Item Name]: Alfalfa Spirit Leaf (Inferior Quality)

[Grade]: Mortal-tier Low-grade

[Composition]: Contains weak wood-attribute energy, impurity content 65%, severe loss of active ingredients.

[Replicable]: Yes (Energy required: 3 units)

[System Evaluation]: Substandard product due to improper cultivation, medicinal effect less than 30% of the genuine article.

It was indeed a substandard product! Xiao Chen's eyes darted, and a plan formed in his mind.

Just as Xiao Yan seemed to have made up his mind and was about to pay, Xiao Chen pretended to pass by casually, muttering in a voice that was neither too loud nor too soft, just enough for Xiao Yan and the stall owner to hear, "Tsk, these leaves are yellow, the veins are shriveled, and the spiritual energy is dispersed. They're probably considered substandard even among street vendor goods. Twenty gold coins? Only a fool would buy them."

The voice wasn't loud, but it was like a needle, precisely piercing the stall owner's facade, and making Xiao Yan's hand, which was about to pull out money, suddenly freeze.

The stall owner's face changed, and he glared fiercely at Xiao Chen. "Where did this little brat come from, spouting nonsense? If you don't understand, don't talk rubbish! Get lost!"

Xiao Yan also looked at Xiao Chen in confusion. Seeing a strange, handsome young man, he frowned slightly. But he had lived two lives, after all, and was cautious by nature. He looked closely at the Alfalfa Spirit Leaf in his hand again. After Xiao Chen's "reminder," he indeed found that the leaves didn't seem as vibrant and plump as described in ancient texts, faintly exuding a withered aura.

"Kid, are you looking for a beating or what?" The stall owner, seeing Xiao Yan hesitate, became even angrier and stood up to drive Xiao Chen away.

Xiao Chen, however, was fearless. Meeting Xiao Yan's scrutinizing gaze, he said frankly, "Big Brother, although I am young, my family used to be in the medicinal herb business, so I have some discernment. Your Alfalfa Spirit Leaf was harvested at the wrong time and improperly preserved. Its medicinal effect is less than thirty percent; it's worth at most five gold coins."

He then pointed to a seemingly even more inconspicuous, somewhat withered red small grass in the corner of the stall. "On the other hand, that 'Crimson Flame Root,' although not aesthetically pleasing, has plump roots and stems, and contains internal fire-attribute energy. It's one of the auxiliary ingredients for refining the 'power storing pill,' and its value is actually higher."

These words were half-truths and half-lies. The family medicinal herb business was made up, but the judgment of the herbs came from the precise information of the system's Scan. The system evaluated that Crimson Flame Root as [Mortal-tier Low-grade, full of energy, slightly damaged, worth approximately 30 gold coins].

The stall owner's secret thoughts were exposed, and his face alternated between green and pale. Especially when Xiao Chen pointed out the Crimson Flame Root, which he had deliberately placed in the corner, intending to fleece a gullible customer, he was utterly speechless.

Xiao Yan looked deeply at Xiao Chen, his heart filled with doubt. This young man seemed ordinary, yet his discerning eye was so sharp? He put down the Alfalfa Spirit Leaf, walked to the corner, picked up the Crimson Flame Root, and carefully sensed it. Indeed, he detected a faint fire-attribute energy fluctuation. Although weak, it was much purer than that of the Alfalfa Spirit Leaf.

"How much for this Crimson Flame Root?" Xiao Yan asked.

The stall owner stammered, and finally, under Xiao Yan's gaze and Xiao Chen's "you know what I mean" look, he reluctantly quoted an honest price: "Fifteen... fifteen gold coins."

Xiao Yan paid directly and put away the Crimson Flame Root. Then, he walked up to Xiao Chen, cupped his fists, and though his tone was still somewhat cold, it lacked the previous aloofness. "Thank you, little brother, for the reminder. Xiao Yan is deeply grateful. May I ask your name, little brother?"

It worked!

Xiao Chen was secretly delighted, but on his face, he maintained a calm and collected demeanor, returning the bow. "Big Brother Xiao is too kind; it was merely a small favor. My name is Xiao Chen."

"You also have the surname Xiao?" Xiao Yan was slightly surprised.

"It's just a coincidence," Xiao Chen said with a smile. "I'm new to Wutan City and have no relatives here. I just can't stand unscrupulous merchants bullying people."

Xiao Yan nodded, feeling a greater fondness for this young man of similar age. In his most desperate times, most people offered ridicule and indifference. This young man's kind reminder was especially rare.

"Brother Xiao Chen, are you new to Wutan City? If you don't mind, may I offer a little hospitality as a local?" Xiao Yan invited. Although he was down on his luck, he still maintained basic etiquette, and he had also developed a hint of curiosity about this discerning young man.

Xiao Chen was worried about not having an opportunity to get closer, so he naturally didn't refuse, readily agreeing, "Then I shall trouble Big Brother Xiao."

The two left the market side by side. Xiao Chen, using a bit of cleverness and the system's information advantage, successfully took the first step in aligning himself with a powerful figure. What he didn't know was that shortly after he and Xiao Yan left, in another corner of the market, a mysterious figure shrouded in a black robe slightly raised his head. The gaze beneath his hood seemed to thoughtfully glance in the direction they had departed, then vanished back into the crowd.

The winds of Wutan City seemed to be subtly shifting due to an unexpected variable. Xiao Chen's journey on the Dou Qi Continent officially began amidst this calculated and opportune start. What kind of waves would his path of replicating all things ultimately stir up in this vast world? Everything had just begun.