"Crack!"
A shock as stirring as a daytime thunderbolt!
"Has the Emperor...been reborn?"
“The spiritual energy of heaven and earth here are so thin, even less than one-tenth-thousandth of that in the Ancient Divine Realm. Could it be that the Emperor descended to the lower plane, an insignificant little world?"
"No, that's not right!"
In an instant, a surge of memories flooded into his mind...
Jiang Xuan, a member of the Jiang family, one of the four major families in the Heavenly Snow region of the Northern Realm. Born with all eight meridians blocked, he was a rare useless body, even inferior to an ordinary person.
Two years ago, his father left the Jiang family and the Heavenly Snow City to find his mother, while his grandfather secluded himself to cultivate a mysterious skill. Something went wrong, thus causing his energy to exhaust, his cultivation fully lost, teetering on the brink of death and void of any combat power.
Jiang Xuan, although a direct bloodline in the Jiang family, lost status and treatment in the family due to his father's departure and his grandfather's mishap in cultivation.
Until two years ago, the Jiang family directly expelled him due to his physical condition, which was inferior to that of an ordinary person.
To avoid burdening his younger sister and grandfather, Jiang Xuan resolutely chose to leave the Heavenly Snow City.
Several months later, Jiang Xuan first reached the Muyang City in the state of Cangzhou thousands of miles away, and eventually, he became a menial disciple of the Heavenly Sword Sect, one of the four major martial arts sects in the Northern Territory.
However, due to his innate feeble physique, Jiang Xuan has been subject to everyone's contempt and exclusion, whether in the Heavenly Snow City or the current Menial Peak.
Even by now, he is still a weakling, so pathetic that he can't even sense Qi.
Today, one of his fellow disciples of the Menial Peak in the Heavenly Sword Sect, Han Li, is coercing him to pick spiritual herbs in a forbidden zone.
Jiang Xuan was physically weak, yet his determination was far beyond that of ordinary people, bordering on obsession.
Once he decided on something, nothing could waver him.
As a result, he was harshly beaten by several servant disciples, to the point of fainting.
Yet even so, just before he passed out, he could faintly hear threats still being hurled at him.
If he refused to collect spiritual grass in the forbidden area, he would no longer have a place in the servant's peak!
"No, that's not right."
Struggling, Jiang Xuan sat up, rubbing his brows hard and shaking his head continuously.
"The last remains of my primordial spirit was able to merge into this person's spirit without any rejection. This means, the mysterious jade charm that sealed my primordial spirit had blocked the heavens and the rules, allowing me to live in a second world…"
Thinking this, Jiang Xuan looked up at the blue sky. A powerful killing intent unbefitting of the moment was revealed in his eyes, causing chills.
"Empress Dantai, Emperor Yuan, when I return to the ancient divine realm, it will be your day of death!"
"I swear today, one day, I will suppress you in the abyss of death, make you suffer eternal reincarnation, make you wish for death but not die..."
After a long while, Jiang Xuan's mood gradually calmed down, a sarcastic smirk at the corner of his mouth.
"What's the point of being born fragile? What's the point of my father leaving? My grandfather becoming a madman, so what? Now that I have the memories of two lives, what do these things mean to me?"
Thinking this, Jiang Xuan assessed the state of his body, a bitter expression appearing on his blood and dirt-stained face.
"Despite merging the memories of two lives, this second life body's eight innate meridians are blocked. Worse still, I'm already sixteen and still have not opened a single meridian, nor have I even found my Qi sense. Truly pitiful!"
"Could it be divine punishment?"
"It seems that before finding the essence of qi, I'm bound to suffer some hardships again!"
With such thoughts, Jiang Xuan took a deep breath.
Then suddenly, he formed a sword gesture with his fingers, precisely pointing at one of his acupoints present on his chest.
"Pft!"
Just like that, Jiang Xuan's body violently shuddered. His blood and qi within his limbs surged wildly. Suddenly, bright red blood spewed from his mouth and nose, bright red and striking.
What was truly astonishing was when the red blood flowing out from his mouth and nose turned to carry strands of black blood towards the end. It was extremely terrifying.
"Thump! Thump! Thump!"
Gritting his teeth and enduring the immense pain engulfing his body, Jiang Xuan took a short break to catch his breath. He wiped the sweat off his forehead, took a deep cold breath and ferociously continued to pointedly stimulate his acupoints.
Unconsciously, evening had arrived.
In the most remote corner of Labor Peak, within a decrepit courtyard, a strong pungent smell of blood filled the air.
There saw a skinny figure sitting in the center of the courtyard.
As the sunset tilted, it also elongated the shadow of this figure, appearing somewhat solitary.
His long messy hair stained with blood draped upon his shoulders, his body was covered in blood. He seemed like a noble-blooded Phoenix that had just undergone Nirvana.
"Whoosh!"
Jiang Xuan's eyes were tightly closed, his face so pallid it was slightly terrifying.
In an instant, his chest heaved violently, nostrils flaring, mouth slowly opening, much like a whale engulfs a bull in a single gulp, furiously absorbing the vital energy between Heaven and Earth.
In a flash, gusting wind erupted in the courtyard, forming a faint mist around Jiang Xuan.
"I've finally found the sensation of Qi!"
Jiang Xuan suddenly opened his eyes. At this moment, his starry eyes shone brilliantly, his complexion and aura rejuvenated with an astonishing speed, much like a withered tree coming back to life in spring. A rich sense of life hit him directly.
A hint of joy appeared at the corner of his mouth, but those jet-black starry pupils were filled with a terrifying cold and profound depth.
"You dare treat me, Jiang Xuan, as your beast of burden? You have a lot of nerve!"
The corner of Jiang Xuan's mouth lifted slightly, revealing a charming yet carefree smile.
He had found his Qi sensation, and had already absorbed a portion of the Universal Qi into his body. Although his Eight Extraordinary Meridians were still as solid as before, there had been a radical change in his constitution compared to before.
“Phew!”
Jiang Xuan let out a heavy breath, which was mixed with a little blood.
With the expulsion of this foul air, the blood and qi in his limbs and bones surged dramatically, and his life force became particularly vigorous.
"Brother Jiang!"
As Jiang Xuan got up, a cold voice came from outside the small courtyard.
He turned his head and saw a tall and graceful lady in a purple dress with a beautiful face appear in his sight. She walked leisurely into the dilapidated courtyard with charming and graceful steps.
"Lin... Senior Sister."
Upon hearing the voice, Jiang Xuan turned his head and looked over, a hint of bitter and vague smile emerging from the corner of his mouth.
The approaching individual was Lin Xue, a small beggar Jiang Xuan had previously helped when he was still regarded as the useless young master of the Jiang family.
After being ousted from the Jiang family last year, Jiang Xuan left Tianxue City with the young beggar, Lin Xue, and both of them embarked on a journey that spanned thousands of miles to Muyang City.
From their investigations in Muyang City, they found out that every year at the end of winter and beginning of spring, the Tianjian sect would open its doors to select new disciples.
However, participation in this discipleship recruitment required an assessment fee of two hundred taels of silver, regardless of whether one succeeds or fails.
When Jiang Xuan was expelled from the Jiang family, he was penniless, and Lin Xue was just a small beggar. How could the two of them possibly afford such a large amount of silver?
With no other viable options, the two reluctantly chose to become menial disciples at the Zaxi Peak first.
As menial disciples of Zaxi Peak, as long as they served for two years, they would be granted an opportunity to participate in the selection process for free.
During this period, the Tianjian Sect would even provide a human-grade, lower-level cultivation method for the disciples of Zaxi Peak to practice.
But for Jiang Xuan, who was born with all eight meridians blocked, this cultivation method was futile. He had tried numerous cultivation methods while in the Jiang family, but none had worked. How could this lower-level human-grade method help him break free from his inherent constraints and set foot on the path of martial arts?
But Lin Xue was different!
After practicing this human-grade, lower-level cultivation method, in less than a month, she successfully tapped into her Qi sensation, then managed to open up one of the eight essential meridians needed for cultivation. Up until now, she had succeeded in opening up six of her eight meridians.
Her natural talent was nothing short of extraordinary, even amidst the geniuses of Zaxi peak. Furthermore, a senior elder of the Tianjian Sect had already taken notice of her and willingly bent the rules to take her under his wing.
Therefore, the disciples of the entire Chore Peak would now call her Senior Sister Lin.
Lin Xue, with her lotus-like steps, slowly entered the courtyard. Her gaze swept over Jiang Xuan with no particular expression on her fair face, and she calmly asked, "Has Han Li bullied you again?"
A wry smile appeared on the corner of Jiang Xuan's mouth, but a barely perceptible sharpness flashed in his eyes.
"In not too long, I will return all the humiliations I have suffered over the past year to them, a thousandfold, a hundredfold."
Upon hearing these words, Lin Xue was taken aback. A barely perceptible smirk flashed in her eyes as she thought to herself, "Now that you no longer have the support of the Jiang family, you are no longer the useless young master from before. How can you ever return a thousandfold, a hundredfold, to Han Li when you bear such a congenital disability?"
"Still refuse to admit your fate?"
A cryptic smile showed on Lin Xue's pure and fair face, and she slightly furrowed her fine eyebrows.
"You'd best not mention this again in the future, lest Han Li hears of it. He might indeed leave you for dead. After all, we're in Chore Peak where human life is no different from grass. Besides..."
"I'm nothing but a waste, am I?"
Jiang Xuan spoke the words that Lin Xue hadn't mentioned, a cold smirk on his face.
The Lin Xue of now was far from the simple bashful beggar girl of yesteryears. Although she possessed the martial arts talent that many Chore Peak disciples coveted, she lacked the backing that Han Li had.
Throughout this past year, in a bid to avoid disputes, Lin Xue had practically ignored Jiang Xuan, who suffered constant torment and humiliation due to her.
Rumors circulated that Lin Xue had even offered herself to Han Li to win his favor.
At this thought, Jiang Xuan couldn't help questioning the purpose of Lin Xue's visit to him after over a year.
"Knowing that you were born with a disability, doomed to be deprived of the path of martial arts for life; rather than bearing humiliations in Chore Peak, wouldn't it be better to accept Han Li's offer and go to the forbidden area to collect herbs?"
"Is this the purpose of your visit tonight?" Jiang Xuan coldly sneered with a question.
A hint of ambiguity flashed in Lin Xue's eyes.
"Jiang Xuan, in half a month, it will be the disciple selection day for the Heavenly Sword Sect. Han Li and I will become official disciples. If you can assist Han Li in obtaining the spiritual herbs, no one will be able to bully you in Tasker's Peak anymore..."
"Silence!"
Jiang Xuan gestured to cut off Lin Xue with a wave of his hand, mocking, "Lin Xue, let Han Li know, that although I, Jiang Xuan, may be a waste, I won’t be his dog. It's better for him to give up on this idea sooner."
"Moreover, it won't be long before I repay him a thousandfold for his kindness this past year!"
"Please leave!"
With this thought, Jiang Xuan gave the order to dismiss the guest.
The seemingly soft features on Lin Xue's face instantly turned icy cold, revealing her true nature. Her eyes frosted over, and she angrily said: "Jiang Xuan, you truly are as useless as mud!"
Jiang Xuan chuckled coldly. "Lin Xue, you should feel no resentment. No matter who was in your situation, I, Jiang Xuan, would have done the same."
"You!"
Lin Xue's face abruptly changed, chilling light flashed in her eyes as she glared fiercely at Jiang Xuan.
You must understand, her birth secret has always been her taboo. Even to this day, she hadn't been able to let go. However, since these words came from Jiang Xuan's mouth, if it were another disciple from Tasker's Peak, she might have attacked directly.
Jiang Xuan watched Lin Xue rapidly disappear into the darkness. The corner of his mouth imperceptibly curled up, his face wearing a mocking expression.
"On your tenth year, Lin Xue, you were a little beggar. Six years have passed but in my eyes, you remain nothing more than a groveling beggar, and that's it!"
Thinking so, Jiang Xuan's hand clenched tightly, saying coldly, "When I, the emperor, once reigned over thousands of worlds, the Gods and Devils of all heavens were merely like ants. Once again from the beginning, I will make you all understand that your so-called pride is nothing but sorrow!"
