Southern Wilderness Domain, Xuanzhou City, Xiao Clan.
"Another three years?"
"We clearly agreed on three years!"
"Three years, then another three years, and another three years after that. It's already been nine years, Dad!"
Inside the antique study, a handsome young man in white slammed both hands onto the desk in agitation.
As he stared at the golden words condensed from Mana, much of the light faded from his eyes.
His name was Xiao Yao. He was twelve years old, and currently the Young Clan Leader of the Xiao Clan, one of the Eight Great Families in Xuanzhou City.
At first glance, he seemed like quite an impressive figure.
In reality, though, he was a good-for-nothing who still couldn't cultivate.
The only reason he could be Young Clan Leader was that his father was the Xiao Clan Leader.
Furthermore, his father was the strongest person in the Xiao Clan, both in strength and cultivation.
As a result, the clan members coveting the position of Young Clan Leader had never dared to make a move openly.
As for why Xiao Yao still couldn't cultivate, that required a look back at what had happened when he was still in his mother's womb.
As a powerful cultivator, his father naturally had plenty of enemies.
One of them had ambushed his pregnant mother, leaving him severely malnourished and born prematurely.
Whenever Xiao Yao thought about it, he cursed that man's ancestors for eighteen generations.
What kind of skill was it to ambush a pregnant woman? If he had the guts, he should've ambushed his brawny father instead!
But this was a world of cultivation and fantasy. With enough luck, even an ordinary person who couldn't cultivate at all might still be able to do so.
So his father had taken his mother away from the Xiao Clan and traveled across the Southern Wilderness Domain, searching for a way to help him begin cultivating.
They had originally agreed to return after three years, but it seemed they had found another lead, and the delay had dragged on and on.
Now it had already been a full nine years. If they delayed another three, he'd be nearly fifteen!
If he still couldn't cultivate by then, the Xiao Clan's rules would strip him of his right to inherit the position of Clan Leader, along with his title and standing as Young Clan Leader.
That was why the Xiao Clan's elders all seemed so calm.
They even went out of their way to show him care and kindness, making it easier for their own children to take his place.
Of course, that all depended on his parents being unable to have another child.
He wasn't worried about his father, but his mother's health had been as frail as a willow in the wind ever since that ambush. She was no longer able to become pregnant.
If things continued this way, the next Xiao Clan Leader would most likely be one of the elders' children.
But just moments ago, a girl's voice, like a machine powering on, had sounded beside his ear.
There was no need to think twice. Xiao Yao knew the perk that came with being a transmigrator had arrived—his system!
From this very moment on, his fate would change dramatically.
"A system? So I'm a transmigrator with a system too!" Xiao Yao's eyes grew misty.
[Beep! Host, please don't get excited. You're destined to become the ruler of the world.]
The system's voice still had a mechanical edge, but it sounded much sweeter than before, like heavenly music.
Xiao Yao had calmed down a little. "Is the ruler of the world a woman? When can I make a move on her?"
[Beep! Host, you are the ruler of the world. It's not someone else.]
Xiao Yao rolled his eyes and grumbled, "Tch! I thought I'd get to cling to some powerful backer and reach the pinnacle of life!"
[Beep! Host, are you looking down on this system?]
Xiao Yao fell into thought. The systems in the novels from his previous life had all been incredibly powerful.
But this system hadn't appeared right away. Maybe it was defective.
Otherwise, it wouldn't have taken ten years to show up.
That had to be it!
Sensing Xiao Yao's scornful gaze, the system realized he was underestimating it!
[This system is called God-Tier Sign-In. You can become stronger just by signing in, and your first sign-in is guaranteed to grant an Emperor Tier item.]
"Emperor Tier?" Xiao Yao's voice suddenly rose.
In the Southern Wilderness Domain, aside from spirit stones, all things were divided into the following tiers.
Mortal Transformation Tier, Transcendent Tier, Mana Condensation Tier, Sea Splitting Tier, Dao Beginning Tier, Dao Integration Tier, King Tier, Emperor Tier, Sect Tier, Venerable Tier, Saint tier, and Emperor Tier.
As for tiers above those, Xiao Yao had no way of knowing about them yet.
It was worth mentioning that replacing "Tier" with "Realm" gave the cultivation realms of this world, each of which had nine levels.
[Beep! Host, please sign in.]
Xiao Yao immediately thought, Sign in!
[Beep! Sign-in successful. Congratulations, host! You've obtained an Emperor Tier bloodline: Chaos Body.]
"Holy crap! A Chaos Body!" Xiao Yao was stunned.
This was a bloodline known as the Banished Immortal Body.
Whether in the novels from his previous life or in this world, it was unquestionably the strongest bloodline of all.
Other Emperor Tier bloodlines only gave their owners a chance to cultivate to the Emperor Realm.
But as long as someone with a Chaos Body didn't die young, they were guaranteed to reach the Emperor Realm and become an Ancient Great Emperor whose fame resounded throughout the world.
[Beep! Host, it's only a Chaos Body. As long as you keep signing in, you'll be able to obtain rewards of a higher tier than Emperor Tier in the future.]
Just a Chaos Body...
Rewards of a higher tier than Emperor Tier...
For a moment, Xiao Yao's heart filled with hope and anticipation for the future.
Thump, thump, thump!
The sound was faint, but Xiao Yao could hear it clearly.
He could even feel his previously blocked meridians opening, and the tiny amount of spiritual energy he had once been able to absorb now rushing into his body. His limbs and bones grew increasingly suffused with strength.
At that moment, he felt light as a feather, as if he were the darling of the world.
A little while later, Xiao Yao was completely transformed.
His features were more handsome, and his body sturdier and better-proportioned. He looked far healthier and stronger than before.
His skin was fairer, smoother, and more delicate, enough to make young women in their prime envious and jealous.
But none of that was the point. The point was that he could cultivate now!
[Beep! The apprenticeship selection assembly is about to begin in Xuanzhou City. System mission issued: Take a master.] [Mission time limit: By the end of today.] [Mission reward: Saint Artifact—Taiyan Sword.]
"Just what I wanted!" Xiao Yao said.
His parents were both away from the Xiao Clan at the moment.
If he cultivated inside the Xiao Clan, he would inevitably leave traces behind, and someone might discover them.
At that point, the elders, who had originally planned to wait quietly, would directly cripple him.
So if he wanted to cultivate, he had to go out and find a master.
Besides, he couldn't reveal that he had a Chaos Body during this apprenticeship selection.
Otherwise, he'd have to face a mad scramble among all sorts of factions and powerful cultivators.
Unless the master he chose was someone incredibly powerful, capable of suppressing any faction or powerful cultivator.
"System, can you hide my Chaos Body for now?"
[Beep! Chaos Body hidden.]
The system really was powerful!
The corners of Xiao Yao's mouth lifted slightly. Now all he had to do was find someone relatively reliable to take as his master.
Judging by the mission reward, the ideal candidate would be a Saint Realm powerhouse who cultivated the sword.
That way, the Saint Artifact, Taiyan Sword, would finally have a use.
Before you continue