Zhao Yuande stood in the void, staring blankly at a huge gaping maw in front of him.
It took him ninety-nine days and eighty-one nights, going through hundreds of vicious battles big and small before he finally broke through the Chaotic Barrier.
Just as he excitedly rushed into the barrier preparing to explore the rumored Chaostic Secret Realm, he found a gargantuan, sky-reaching mouth within the chaos, leading to a world obscured in darkness, as if it was another world itself.
His face paled greatly, and he tried to retreat. However, a strong irresistible suction force suddenly hit him.
Zhao Yuande exerted all his cultivation, unleashed all his power and even summoned his Chaotic Treasure, the 'Eternal Tower.'
But no matter the effort, it was all in vain as he was swept away by the powerful force and sent crashing into the gaping maw.
Suddenly, his consciousness blurred, and he slipped away, falling into a deep slumber.
"Hungry! Hungry..." a deep voice echoed in the dark void.
Unsure of how much time passed, Zhao Yuande opened his eyes again to a sight that left him stunned.
"Where am I?"
He found himself in a luxurious private room, surrounded by several familiar faces indulging in drinks with him.
The scenario seemed so familiar, as if...
Memories, buried for hundreds of years, suddenly flooded into his mind.
It was a memory from his sixteenth year, where he, together with his drink-loving friends, were having a feast at Xiangyun Tower!
What happened after that, was something he would never forget as long as he lived!
I was clearly just exploring the Chaotic Secret Realm. How did I end up here all of a sudden after being swallowed up by that gaping mouth in the realm?
Did I have a hallucination?
No!
This feeling!
There's not a bit of spiritual power left in me. I can't even sense the aura of the Eternal Tower. Even my soul feels extremely weak, like a candle flickering in the wind!
Feeling the weakness coursing through his body, Zhao Yuande gradually came to his senses. Did I go back to my youthful days?
In his memory, there was such a legend, a primordial deity called Zhou, controlling the powerful ability to travel back and forth in the river of time. He could resurrect the dead, rewind time, and wander in the long river of time.
Could it be this primordial deity who made a move? Zhao Yuande shook his head firmly, rejecting this possibility.
It must be that enormous mouth’s mischief! But why did the mouth send me back? Was it mere coincidence, or…
After pondering for a long time to no avail, he simply stopped thinking about it.
“This is not so bad. Though I have lost all cultivation and am just a common man now, I have a plethora of cultivation experiences and countless cultivation methods. I can start all over again, start cultivating again!”
"In my past life, my personality was too timid, leading me to make mistakes that pleased enemies and pained loved ones. These things will never happen again!"
"Father, Mother, I will never let you suffer any humiliation in this life!”
There was as if a fire burning in Zhao Yuande's heart!
He suddenly held his head high, his eyes sparkling with a cold, lethal intent!
The dissolute young man sitting across from him inadvertently shivered at his gaze, nearly dropping the wine glass in his hand onto the floor.
Feeling a sudden thud in his heart, the profligate youngster found that the fool in front of him seemed to have turned into a different person. Was he seeing things?
"I'm so hungry!"
Zhao Yuande suddenly felt an unbearable surge of hunger, as if a large hand was stirring madly in his belly.
"Hungry..." A faint voice echoed from within out of nowhere.
Seeing the food and wine on the table, Zhao Yuande pounced on it right away!
The other youths at the table gaped at Zhao Yuande, who had turned into a beggar starving for three days. In just a dozen or so breaths of time, he had completely wiped out the full table of food and drink.
"Opening Gluttonous Inheritance, obtaining inherited skill, Gluttonous Appraisal Technique!"
As Zhao Yuande contentedly patted his belly, a feeble voice echoed in his mind, like an old bellows pulling back and forth.
Eating Path? In my previous life that spanned several hundred years, I had heard of the Heavenly Path, the Human Path, the Yin and Yang Path, and the Five Elements Path, but never of an Eating Path!
Zhao Yuande wondered from where this voice came, what in the world was this Eating Path?
And what about this inherited skill, the Gluttonous Appraisal Technique? Is it used to identify food ingredients? What use was that?
"You can't go in!" Just as he was pondering over this, a childish voice came from outside the private room.
"Get out of the way!" A rough voice yelled, "Believe it or not, I will slap you to death!"
"But our young master..."
"Bang!"
The private room's door was abruptly pushed open, and a small, thin figure flew in from outside the room.
It was a weak and thin youth, around thirteen or fourteen years old. His face clearly bore five vivid and red palm prints—pitiful and miserable.
Zhao Yuande's eyes were filled with rage. He rushed over to help the frail figure up.
This was Adong, his servant whom he had grown up with since childhood!
Although they were technically master and servant on the surface, they shared an extremely good relationship privately.
"Young master...ugh!" Adong's eyes were filled with grievance just as he tried to speak, he vomited a mouthful of fresh blood.
"Don't say anything!" Zhao Yuande had foreseen such an event, but was too late to stop it, his heart filled with immense anger and regret.
"What has happened? Who is it that dares to..." The young gentlemen who were drinking with him also appeared displeased by this scene, one after another they were ready to rise and defend their friend.
A group of people walked into the room from outside. The man at the front was tall, and on his face there was a scar like a centipede—appearing so ferocious and terrifying.
Seeing this man, all the young gentlemen's faces turned white, and they bowed their heads.
"Little bastard, you dare to stop the big man, you're really seeking death!" The scarred man threw a contemptuous look at Adong, and then turned to the others in the room.
"You all get out for me, our young master has booked the entire tavern for today to entertain esteemed guests!" The scarred man's face revealed a smug look. The young master's words, how many in Tianhuo City would dare to disobey!
Zhao Yuande instantly remembered the young master the scarred man was referring to, Chen Tianchao!
Son of Chen Dong, the Left General of Tianhuo City, he was arrogant and domineering within the city. It was indeed because of an incident involving him that the Zhao family had provoked a major calamity!
To quell the fury of the opposition, his family had used Adong as a scapegoat. Adong was ruthlessly beaten to death in front of him!
He bore a deep-seated hatred stemming from the abhorrent act of murdering a friend!
Although he began to practice fervently in the humiliation of that time, soaring to unprecedented heights which were inevitably unstoppable.
Even after he had achieved mastery in his discipline and purged the entire Chen family upon returning to Tianfire City, it failed to quell the flames of his hatred.
An inferno raged within Zhao Yuande's heart. Since he was already back, he would not allow history to repeat itself.
"Get out!" Zhao Yuande's voice was icy cold, penetrating the bone like the chilling winds of the extreme north.
Faces of a few young masters instantly paled. They thought, 'This here is Scarred Liu, Chen Tianchao's right hand man. We can't afford to cross him!'
Stunned, Scarred Liu picked at his ears, unable to believe what he just heard.
A look of ferocity appeared on his face as he took steps towards Zhao Yuande. The intimidating approach of his towering stature amplified an oppressive aura.
The young masters stepped back in haste, hiding in the corner to avoid being caught up in the imminent brawl.
"Did you just say... to kick me out?" Scarred Liu's facial scar twitched menacingly, an aura of pure belligerence radiated off him.
"Master..." Utterly frightened, Adong shivered but still clung to Zhao Yuande's arm, attempting to appease the stranger with a forced grin, "My dear sir, my young master is merely drunk..."
"Not to worry, Adong!" Zhao Yuande patted on Adong's shoulder, looked at Scarred Liu, a fierce and savage gleam flashed in his eyes. If the other man insisted on walking down the path of death, who was he to feel remorse for cruelty?
He had just returned from his past life, and although his current cultivation was only at the later stage of the first major realm "Bone Tempering and Flesh Refining", his combat experience was immense. More than enough to deal with the likes of Scarred Liu.
"If you won't leave, don't blame me for not giving you a chance!" Zhao Yuande sneered, extending a finger, gesturing provocatively at his opponent. "Come on then, let me send you on your way."
"Haha! You little brat, are you joking around!? Are you sending me to my death?" Scarface Liu burst into mad laughter. However, the more he laughed, the colder his face became. He then turned around and shouted at his subordinates behind him, "You bastards, what are you waiting for? Kill this boy for me right now!"
Several burly men, like starving wolves, charged towards Zhao Yuande, their eyes full of ruthless lights.
"Well, well! Nothing but a bunch of country bumpkins!"
With a sneer, Zhao Yuande took a mysterious step forward and pointed his finger at the first burly man rushing towards him.
The man's body went numb, and he fell to the ground with a 'thud', his face twisted in extreme pain. He then began to scream in agony.
Soon, 'thud' sounds were heard one after another, and in the blink of an eye, a group of men lay on the ground, wailing in pain.
Scarface Liu, who had been expecting to see fear on Zhao's face, was now dumbfounded by what just happened.
A sudden realization dawned upon him—this boy was much stronger than he seemed. Even he himself wouldn't be able to take down these men so effortlessly. Could it be that the boy was playing possum?
Instinctively, he took a step back, but the next moment, a silhouette flashed before his eyes, and a slap was heading his way.
"Slap!"
With a loud and crisp sound, Scarface Liu was sent flying by the slap.
"What's happening? Has Brother Zhao been possessed by a deity?" A young master, hiding in the corner, exclaimed in shock, his hand covering his mouth.
The others too gaped, their eyes wide in disbelief.
From the start, Scarface Liu's show of force had been tremendous, and by now, a crowd had formed outside the room.
Many of them had been berated by Scarface in the past. Now, seeing his misfortune, they couldn't help but reveal expressions of schadenfreude.
Scarface Liu felt a burning pain on his face, coupled with countless pointing fingers around him, he almost suffocated from mortification, almost dying of anger.
Zhao Yuande stepped directly onto Scarface Liu's face, a cruel smile spreading across his own.
"Do you think I'm joking around?"
With force, he then started to grind his foot back and forth on Scarface Liu's face.
Fresh blood gushed down Scarface Liu’s cheeks, and he could feel his teeth being crushed under the opponent’s stomping.
"Ah, stop it! Stop it! Please, stop stepping on..." Scarface Liu, the throbbing pain on his face stimulated his nerves from time to time. Tears, snot, and blood mixed, staining the ground red. He began to plead painfully.
Being publicly humiliated by Zhao Yuande stepping on his face was worse than killing him, how could he continue to mix in Skyfire City!
His hatred for Zhao Yuande was bone-deep.
"Get lost!" Zhao Yuande kicked Scarface Liu in the belly, sending him flying out of the room.
All Scarface Liu heard was a 'pop' sound, as if a balloon has been punctured. With that kick, Zhao Yuande had destroyed his dantian, ending any future chance for him to cause further harm.
"You…" Scarface Liu hadn't even finished his sentence when he fainted.
"Good job!"
The surrounding audience clapped and cheered, their eyes on Zhao Yuande becoming somewhat peculiar.
Many of them knew Zhao Yuande. They did not expect the indulgent heir of the Zhao family, who was usually lost in drunken dreams and had no desire for progress, would possess such skills.
Could his previous attitude have been fake? That doesn't make sense!
"Let's get going!" Zhao Yuande, with a dazed Adong by his side, made his exit from the private room under the puzzled looks of the crowd.
"Chen Tianchao, who is this man?" Not far away, a tall and imposing middle-aged man watched Zhao Yuand's retreating figure, turning to ask a respectfully standing young man beside him.
"He is Zhao Yuande! From a minor family clan – the Zhao clan..." Chen Tianchao hurriedly bowed in response, his face full of reverence.
Despite his calm exterior, he was seething with anger inside, hating Zhao Yuande to the core.
But the person next to him held a highly distinguished status - he dare not show any disrespect in front of him, otherwise, he would've rushed forward to kill Zhao Yuande long ago.
"Zhao Yuande..." The middle-aged man stroked his long beard under his chin, a look of interest emerging on his face.
