Elder Brother Li Yue

The newcomer stood nearly seven feet tall, with a imposing build and dignified features.

His eyes shot forth cold light like stars, and his brows were as if painted on with thick ink. His chest was broad, exuding the might of one who could withstand ten thousand men.

He wore crimson armor, and at his waist hung a long sword. Though hidden in its scabbard, it still radiated an oppressive aura; the hilt was carved with a golden dragon design, lending it an air of immense authority.

This man was none other than the eldest son of the Li Mansion, Li Mu's elder brother, Li Yue.

"Brother Yue, weren't you leading troops to chase bandits on Black Dragon Mountain? Why are you back so soon?"

Lin Qingzhu, knowing that the two Li brothers had not gotten along for many years, quickly spoke to break the awkward silence.

"Those mere bandits are hardly worth mentioning. I've already cleared Black Dragon Mountain; from now on, the northern trade route of Qinglan City will be unimpeded."

Li Yue looked at Lin Qingzhu, his expression softening considerably. He had always cherished this girl who had grown up alongside him.

"Brother Yue is still so formidable. Ah, by the way, Qingzhu has been stuck on a sword technique lately and can't figure it out. Brother Yue, please give me some guidance."

Lin Qingzhu knew that Li Yue's sudden appearance meant he was surely looking to cause trouble for his younger brother, so she quickly walked over to Li Yue, grabbing his arm to try and prevent a conflict.

"Hold on, Second Brother. While I was out suppressing bandits, I heard that you were struck by lightning while drinking at Twin Phoenix Tower, and then lay unconscious for days. Now the whole of Qinglan City is buzzing with talk that the Second Young Master of the Li Mansion was so notorious for womanizing that even Heaven couldn't stand it anymore. Hmph, what a disgrace."

Li Yue stared coldly at his younger brother, his tone thick with displeasure.

"I think it's a sign of Heaven's favor. I may have slacked off in cultivation before, but I won't from now on. There's no need for you to worry about that, Elder Brother. One day, I will catch up to you, and even surpass you. When that day comes, I hope you'll be generous with your guidance."

Li Mu did not back down. He stepped forward, met Li Yue's gaze directly, and replied with a cupped-fist salute.

In the memories Li Mu had inherited, this elder brother had always looked down on him. The previous Li Mu had always avoided direct confrontation, hiding whenever possible. But now, Li Mu was a different man—not only reborn with two lifetimes of experience but also in possession of a cheat-like Simulation System. Naturally, he stood his ground.

"Good, good, good! That lightning strike has certainly knocked some backbone into you. But I still won't agree to you joining Qinglan Academy. No matter how much of a wastrel you are, you're still a son of the Li family. Going to the academy means representing the Li family's honor, and I won't allow you to go and make a fool of us."

Li Yue stared straight into his younger brother's eyes, calmly and flatly rejecting his request to join the academy.

"Me signing up for the academy myself—what business is it of yours?"

Li Mu frowned, not expecting that the very first step after his transmigration would be met with such obstruction.

"Brother Mu, Qinglan Academy was founded by your father, and Brother Yue is the academy's vice dean. If he wants to keep you out, it really is as simple as a single word from him."

Seeing Li Mu's strange expression, Lin Qingzhu quickly leaned in and whispered the details into his ear.

Li Mu was dumbfounded. He hadn't expected that his elder brother held the power of life and death over whether he could take the first step into cultivation.

"I won't make things hard for you. If you can master the third technique of the Li Family's basic sword style, I'll agree to let you join the academy. Otherwise, don't go and embarrass the Li family."

Li Yue still looked coldly at his younger brother as he laid out his terms.

"Ah, Brother Yue, the Li family's heirloom sword style is profound and extensive. While the first three techniques of the basic style don't emphasize flashy moves, mastering them completely requires solid foundational skill. It took me half a year to fully grasp them."

Although Lin Qingzhu was not a member of the Li clan, her father was Li Yubai's true sworn brother, so she had practiced the Li Family Sword Style since childhood.

"Three days. Give me three days, and I'll master the first three techniques of the basic sword style. When that time comes, I hope you won't stop me from joining the academy."

Just as Lin Qingzhu was about to plead on his behalf, Li Mu raised three fingers and said decisively.

"Fine. Three days from now, at the training grounds. I'll be waiting for you there. I hope your skills are greater than your boasts."

A flicker of surprise passed through Li Yue's eyes, but he quickly regained his composure. After setting the assessment time with Li Mu, he turned and left.

This younger brother of mine seems a little different, the thought flashed through Li Yue's mind.

"Brother Mu, don't be impulsive! There's no way you can master the three techniques of the basic sword style in three days. Let me go and plead with Brother Yue—maybe he'll agree to let you join the academy."

Lin Qingzhu naturally thought Li Mu was acting on impulse and quickly tried to dissuade him.

"Zhu'er, it's fine. You have to trust me. I'm not the same person I used to be. In three days, I'll earn the right to enter the academy myself and leave my elder brother completely speechless."

Faced with what seemed like an impossible task, Li Mu was brimming with confidence. A man should act on his convictions; if he didn't even have that much backbone, what was the point of cultivating immortality?

"Brother Mu, I know you're just angry with Brother Yue, but he's not what you think."

Lin Qingzhu looked at the spirited Li Mu, hesitated, and then spoke.

"I don't know if you remember, but when you were five, you got into a fight with General Wang's eldest son and accidentally broke his leg. Your father was furious and ordered fifty lashes for you. If those had actually been carried out, you'd have been crippled or dead. In the end, you never really got beaten. You always thought it was because your father was merciful, but actually, Brother Yue took the punishment for you. He was only twelve that year."

Lin Qingzhu finally revealed that long-buried piece of the past—a story the previous Li Mu had never known.

"You two were actually very close as children, but because of your mother's situation, Uncle Li always held some resentment toward you. Over time, you started to give up on yourself. That's the real reason Brother Yue is angry with you—he can't stand to see you throw yourself away."

Li Mu fell silent. His attitude toward Li Yue had been entirely shaped by the memories he inherited from the previous Li Mu, but now it seemed many things had been too subjective. From now on, he needed to form his own judgments about people and events.

"Zhu'er, don't worry. I'm not acting on impulse. I really am confident I can master the three techniques of the Li Family basic sword style in three days. When the time comes, I'll prove to my elder brother that I've turned over a new leaf."

Seeing Li Mu's unwavering confidence, Lin Qingzhu stopped trying to persuade him. After a few more casual words, she left the courtyard.

Carefully closing the door, Li Mu sat cross-legged on the bed and slowly closed his eyes.

The reason he had been bold enough to boast to Li Yue about mastering the three techniques of the Li Family Sword Style in three days was, in truth, because of the Simulation System in his mind.

Right when the two were locked in confrontation, that familiar electronic chime had sounded again.

Code
Simulation System activated. Talent System initialization begins. Initialization complete. Please choose whether to view the first layer of the talent page.

Then came the familiar options of "Yes" and "No."

Li Mu still didn't fully understand the conditions for activating the Simulation System. He only knew that once each function was unlocked, he could call up the interface at will with his mind. The shop had been like that before, and now this brand-new Talent System was the same.

His consciousness entered the system selection interface, and Li Mu chose "Yes."

A massive scroll slowly unfurled before Li Mu, golden flames burning along its edges as icons gradually emerged. Then came a second scroll, and a third—but clearly, like the Shop System, only the first scroll was active; the others remained dark and gray.

At the very top of the first scroll, a single large character was engraved: Immortal. The scroll displayed six tiers of icons arranged in rows, three per tier. Only the first tier was currently lit; the rest clearly hadn't met the conditions for unlocking.

"It's actually a Talent Tree, and three pages at that—isn't this just the design from that World of Something game?"

Li Mu recognized at a glance that the Talent System's design came from a role-playing game he'd played before. Recalling how he'd been struck by lightning and transported here, he remembered sitting right on top of his computer tower at the time. It seemed the Simulation System was modeled after the games on that computer.

He focused his gaze on the first tier of icons, which flickered with light.

Novice Immortal Body: Increases physical strength. Max level requires five Talent Points.

Novice Potential: Expands meridian width. Max level requires five Talent Points.

Novice Spirituality: Enhances comprehension ability. Max level requires five Talent Points.

What excited Li Mu even more than the content of these three icons was a line of small text beneath the scroll: Initial Talent Points: 5. For each stage ascended, reward 5 Talent Points.

"Haha, this Talent System is way more reliable than the Shop System. It actually gave me starting Talent Points. With these talent boosts, I should be able to master those Three Sword Techniques quickly."

Li Mu felt a surge of confidence and began considering how to allocate the five initial Talent Points.

Immortal Body meant physical enhancement—the foundation of cultivation. Without a strong physical frame, even with high cultivation, one's combat ability would inevitably fall short, not to mention the tribulation lightning that descended during the Tribulation Crossing Realm. If the Immortal Body foundation was insufficient, failure was certain—death and annihilation. Thus, the cultivation of the Immortal Body would run through the entire cultivation system; it was extremely important.

Potential referred to the width of the meridians throughout the body, which directly determined the upper limit of one's cultivation. Some people exhausted their entire lives, striving with all their might, yet could never form a Core. Others were born with extraordinary gifts, leaping over countless thresholds on the path of cultivation—this was the gap in potential. The wider the meridians, the more Heaven and Earth Yuan Qi they could contain, allowing one to form a Core, birth a Nascent Soul, expand the Immeasurable Sea, and then cross the tribulation to ascend.

Finally, Spirituality—that is, comprehension ability. The number of techniques, moves, and ultimate arts in this world was beyond count. For the same technique, some people needed three to five years just to enter the door, while others could master it in a few days. This was the difference in comprehension ability. However, the term "spirituality" was too ethereal; there was no standard to measure it. Yet it was undeniable that most of those who had made a name for themselves in the Immortal Realm possessed extremely high comprehension.

Li Mu carefully studied the three selectable talents. Since he had not yet formed a Core, he could set aside Potential for now. His agreement with Li Yue was about mastering the first three forms of the Li Family Sword Style, not a fight to the death, so physical strength could also wait for the moment.

Having made up his mind without hesitation, Li Mu chose to add five points to Novice Spirituality.

Talent learning successful. Enhancement beginning.

As the system's electronic prompt sounded again, Li Mu felt himself enveloped in a golden light. Then, with a buzz in his head, everything returned to calm.

"Uh... that's it?" His awareness retreating back to reality, Li Mu checked his body and found no change at all.

"Well, that makes sense. Comprehension can't be seen just by looking. I'd better start practicing the Three Sword Techniques first; then I'll know the effect of this talent boost."

Li Mu composed himself, greeted Chunxiang, who had been waiting in the side hall, and headed toward the Family Training Ground.