Second Life Settlement

An endless darkness.

Li Tui's "consciousness" hovered within it, like something sunken to the bottom of the deep sea.

There was no body, no senses, only the core "self" still existed.

"The second life... has ended."

There was no sound; this thought merely rippled through his mind.

As soon as the thought arose, a faint light ignited in the darkness.

The outline of the Octagonal Bronze Mirror shifted from ethereal to solid, slowly rotating as it appeared at the core of his consciousness.

[Reincarnator: Li Tui]

[Hundred Lives Reincarnation Progress: 2/100]

[Current Life Concluded: Physical shell destroyed, soul retrieved]

A cold stream of information poured directly into his consciousness, devoid of any emotion.

Immediately following, light flowed across the mirror's surface, and lines of ancient seal script began to emerge.

[Record of Current Life Trajectory:]

[Born into a tenant farmer's family, aptitude negligible.]

[Utilized legacy from previous life to alter spiritual roots, entered Zhao Mansion as a retainer.]

[Served as a study companion to the legitimate son, navigated treacherous waters, obtained rudimentary cultivation techniques.]

[Encountered a monster, acquired an evil object, foundation damaged yet mutated.]

[Pierced through the aristocratic family's scheme of raising gu, stirred the Three Star Fates.]

[During a life-or-death struggle, backstabbed an ally, plundered a sliver of the "Seven Killings" Star Fate origin.]

[Ultimately obliterated by a Foundation Establishment cultivator, physical shell completely destroyed.]

The lines of text appeared one by one, then faded away. Finally, the faint light on the mirror condensed, transforming into a new settlement:

[Samsara Mirror settlement commencing]

"Plundered a faint sliver of Star Fate origin, Fate Points +4"

"Unlocked talent for the first time, Fate Points +3"

[Fate Point settlement complete]

[Commentary on this life: Seeking skin from a tiger, eventually devoured by the tiger; yet having stolen a wisp of starlight, one may be called a despicable owl.]

[Available Fate Points: 7]

Seven Fate Points.

More than double the three points he received after dying of old age in his mediocre first life.

Li Tui's "consciousness" stared at that number without joy, suddenly recalling the look on Zhao Hao's face before he died.

The thought flashed for only an instant before being suppressed. On the path of reincarnation, there is only moving forward, never looking back. Whether there were gains or losses no longer mattered. What mattered was how far these resources could take him in his next life.

The information on the mirror changed again, displaying his current status:

[Reincarnator: Li Tui]

[Available Fate Points: 7]

A despicable owl?

Li Tui was indifferent. The commentary was nothing more than a passing breeze to him. He was more concerned with the tangible seven Fate Points, and... a new line of flickering light characters appearing below:

[Detected that the Reincarnator achieved a special encounter in this life, triggering the talent derivation mechanism...]

[Unlocked Talent: Blood Fiend Affinity (Ding)]

[Talent Description: Due to the unique experience of symbiosis with the evil object "Blood Bodhi," you returned with some of its origin characteristics upon death. Your soul possesses an extraordinary perception and initial affinity for blood energy, fiendish energy, and other yin-attributed, violent energies.]

[Talent can be carried across reincarnations and can be upgraded by consuming Fate Points.]

Blood Fiend Affinity...

Li Tui's consciousness swept over the description. This was likely the last bit of "inheritance" he had torn from that wicked Blood Bodhi. It was useful, though marked as "Ding" grade, the lowest level.

He temporarily set the new talent aside, his attention returning to the seven Fate Points and the "+" signs behind the five basic attributes.

How should he allocate them?

In his previous life, he had invested all three points of destiny into "Physique," forcibly carving a gap into his crippled spiritual roots to earn the possibility of cultivation in this life. Facts proved he had chosen correctly. Without those slightly improved spiritual roots, he wouldn't even have been able to step through the gates of the Zhao Mansion, let alone speak of anything that followed.

In this life, he had personally experienced the hardships of cultivation. Bone structure and physique were the true cornerstones. Without a vessel, no amount of opportunity or scheming was merely empty talk.

Strength was the foundation. The most direct way to convert into strength was through "Physique."

With his mind made up, there was no more hesitation.

Li Tui's consciousness tapped firmly onto "Physique."

[Consumed 2 destiny points, Physique: Grade C-Low → Grade C-Mid, remaining distributable destiny: 5]

[Consumed 2 destiny points, Physique: Grade C-Mid → Grade C-High, remaining distributable destiny: 3]

On the surface of the Samsara Mirror, the description of the "Physique" attribute shimmered and changed rapidly. A warm, gentle power, far more vast and pure than what he had felt at the end of his first life, surged from the depths of the Samsara Mirror, washing over his ethereal soul.

This time, he clearly "felt" the change.

That power permeated every inch of his soul's "composition," as if it were reshaping some essence of his being.

Grade C-High physique.

The description of his physique had also changed, shifting from "Ordinary Spiritual Roots" to "Slightly Gifted."

With three destiny points remaining, and four required to push his physique into Grade B, it was clear he could no longer invest points into "Physique."

Li Tui's gaze swept over the other categories.

"Spirit" and "Wisdom" were both ruled out; he lacked the points. The only ones he could move were "Luck" and "Wealth."

Finally, his gaze landed on "Wealth: Grade D-Mid."

He had been destitute.

In his previous life, he was born to tenant farmers, starting from the very bottom. He had spent all his energy just to obtain a bit of spiritual rice. Even the scraps that fell from the Zhao Family's fingers could change the fate of someone at the bottom.

In the path of cultivation, wealth, companions, methods, and land—wealth came first. This was no empty saying. Without resources, even the best talent was like trying to cook a meal without rice. How much time spent struggling could a good background and sufficient starting resources save? How many risks born of poverty could they help him avoid?

In the next life, if he wanted to gain a foothold faster and come into contact with cultivation earlier, a relatively affluent starting point was crucial.

No longer hesitating, he tapped his consciousness onto the plus sign next to "Wealth."

[Consumed 1 destiny point, Wealth: Grade D-Mid → Grade D-High, remaining distributable destiny: 2]

[Consumed 2 destiny points, Wealth: Grade D-High → Grade C-Low, remaining distributable destiny: 0]

Seven destiny points, all allocated.

The updated panel was as follows:

[Reincarnator: Li Tui]

[Talent: Blood Fiend Affinity (Grade D)]

[Distributable Destiny: 0]

[Remaining Reincarnations: 98]

Descendant of a cultivator, slightly gifted.

Li Tui's consciousness brushed over those two new comments on the panel. He felt no ripples, merely weighing them in his heart. What did "Descendant of a Cultivator" imply?

According to Li Tui's estimation, it likely meant there was an elder in the family at the first or second level of Qi Refining, or perhaps even more destitute, with only some old connections that barely touched the fringes of cultivation. Still, it was better than the peasant background of his previous life, though it was likely far from being a true cultivation family.

The dim light of the Samsara Mirror began to recede, and that familiar sensation emanated from the depths of the mirror.

The third life was coming.

Before he was pulled away completely, he took one last look at the mirror.

In this life, he had forcibly snatched a wisp of starlight from a desperate situation.

Though faint, he had obtained it nonetheless.

The next life.

The starting point was a bit higher. The road might be a little smoother.

Immediately after, the darkness tightened violently, and Li Tui's consciousness plummeted along with it.

Before closing his eyes, he had only one thought.

Ninety-eight lives.

Continue.