"Young master, you're finally awake!"
In an old-fashioned room, a boy of about sixteen or seventeen lay on the bed, his eyes fluttering open.
His face was deathly pale, and his mind hadn't yet cleared.
Just then, a young maid's delighted voice rang by his ear. She quickly opened the door and ran out.
As the door opened and shut, a cool breeze blew in from outside, clearing Fang Yuan's head a little.
"So I've transmigrated. The original owner was a young master from a great family, highly talented and already chosen as the next head of the household."
In an instant, scattered fragments of memory surfaced in Fang Yuan's mind, flashing by like slides.
"I suffered so much in my past life. At last, I can enjoy myself in this one."
In his previous life, Fang Yuan had worked hard to get into a prestigious university and leave the mountains behind. He'd landed a respectable job, only to be stabbed in the back by a coworker.
In love, too, he'd been betrayed by his girlfriend and repeatedly manipulated until he'd nearly leaped into a river to end it all.
Just as Fang Yuan had finally begun to recover, the merciless wheels of fate turned, and a sports car plowed into him.
Fortune and misfortune were intertwined!
"I'll do my best to fulfill what you left unfinished."
Fang Yuan could sense lingering attachments in this body. After silently making his vow, those attachments faded considerably.
Before long, the door opened again, interrupting Fang Yuan's thoughts.
A middle-aged man came into view. He wore a splendid brocade robe and had a stern expression. He strode forward with the force of a dragon and tiger.
He came to the bedside and placed two fingers on Fang Yuan's wrist. The deep furrow in his brow slowly relaxed.
"Yuan'er, what's past is past."
"Just focus on recovering now. Don't think about the Azure Cloud Sect anymore. You don't need to join a great sect to become a mighty expert in your own right!"
Fang Zhongwu comforted him without waiting for a reply. He knew how stubborn his son could be.
Fang Yuan's injuries were severe, and he couldn't speak, so he could only answer with his eyes.
A moment later, more and more people crowded into the room. They were all senior members of the Fang Family, their faces full of concern.
Fang Zhongwu stood and swept his gaze over them, silently noting who was absent.
"Go back, all of you. Yuan'er needs to rest."
At Fang Zhongwu's insistence, only the physician and the maid stayed behind. Everyone else filed out.
Half a month later.
Fang Yuan had recovered considerably and could walk again, thanks in large part to the maid's meticulous care.
He'd been living a life where food was placed in his mouth and clothes were laid out for him. While he was bedridden, his lips had never once been allowed to grow dry.
"That cheapskate of a father was right. Even if I didn't join a great sect, I'd still have a bright future."
The Fang Family was one of the Three Great Families of Clear Sea City. It was still on the rise and was quietly becoming the foremost of the three great lineages.
Fang Yuan was exceptionally talented. At just fifteen, he'd broken through to the Xiantian Realm and become the leading figure among the younger generation of the Fang Family.
The path of martial arts began with Body Refining, followed by the Houtian Realm.
Across Flowing Cloud County, anyone in the Xiantian Realm was already a powerful figure with a respectable standing.
Talent, resources, and connections—he'd started with every card in his favor!
But the original owner hadn't been satisfied. He'd sought to climb a higher peak and entered the Azure Cloud Sect's trial to recruit new disciples.
The Azure Cloud Sect was a true cultivation sect, filled with countless experts. Any elder they sent out could decide the fate of a dynasty.
Many self-proclaimed geniuses took the Azure Cloud Sect's disciple trial when they turned eighteen.
"If that bastard hadn't interfered, I might already be a disciple of the Azure Cloud Sect."
Fang Yuan's performance in the trial hadn't been bad. He'd done respectably and was fully qualified to become a disciple of the Azure Cloud Sect.
Unfortunately, before the trial, he'd offended a member of the Royal Family. They'd maliciously joined forces to attack him, and he'd ultimately failed.
They'd gone for the kill. If Fang Yuan hadn't had a life-saving measure, he'd probably already be dead.
"The physical injuries are easy enough to treat, but repairing my damaged Dantian will be a little troublesome."
The Dantian stored true qi. When Body Refining martial artists broke through to the Houtian Realm, they had to open a Dantian, or else their qi couldn't be contained within the body.
Fang Yuan was troubled. Repairing his damaged Dantian would come at a considerable cost.
The Fang Family could afford it, but a repaired Dantian wouldn't be a perfect foundation. It would leave a hidden weakness that might cause trouble in the future.
"There's another way: choose a new inner art, cultivate it from scratch, and condense a new Dantian. But that would take a long time."
Inner arts were nothing like fist and foot techniques. The former took years, sometimes even more than a decade, of hard cultivation.
Even with Fang Yuan's talent, starting over would take at least three years to condense a Dantian.
"I can afford to spend three years."
Fang Yuan's eyes gleamed with confidence. Still, when he remembered that he hadn't gotten the golden finger that came standard with transmigration, he couldn't help feeling disappointed.
Right at that moment,
a virtual panel suddenly appeared before Fang Yuan, displaying his detailed information.
[You have successfully awakened the talent Heavenly Origin Earth Realm. Source Point +1]
[With the Heavenly Origin Earth Realm talent, you gain a Source Point every day. Source Points cannot be accumulated.]
[By using a Source Point, you can gain the cultivation progress of one year of hard training.]
Fang Yuan's eyes flickered. His heart leaped with joy, and the corners of his mouth unconsciously lifted.
"What's there to hesitate about? I'll start cultivating a new inner art right now!"
Fang Yuan glanced at the maid. His expression turned stern, and he said in a low voice, "I'm going to cultivate in a moment. No one is to disturb me!"
"But the head of the household said—"
"Can't you understand what I'm saying?" Fang Yuan's voice grew sharper.
The maid didn't dare offend him. She could only nod timidly.
Back in his room, Fang Yuan made some simple preparations. His eyes narrowed as he focused his mind, took control of the true qi within him, and decisively shattered his Dantian.
Crack!
The instant his Dantian shattered, a stabbing pain surged through him, so intense it seemed to bore into his bones.
Fang Yuan gritted his teeth and barely managed to steady himself.
A vast amount of true qi spilled from his body. Fang Yuan had to endure the pain.
His damaged Dantian was like a leaking balloon, constantly affecting his condition.
What Fang Yuan had just done was the equivalent of popping that balloon.
After an unknown stretch of time, Fang Yuan had completely exhausted his true qi. He swallowed a Rejuvenation Pill to tend to his injuries.
"My cultivation has fallen straight to the Body Refining Ninth Layer."
Fang Yuan took a deep breath. He didn't care that his cultivation had fallen. As long as he had Source Points, he'd soon return to his peak!
Starting over with a new inner art mainly took time. The process itself wasn't difficult.
After all, Fang Yuan had long since gained a thorough understanding of the Fang Family's Mysterious Bright Inner Art.
"Add points!"
Once he'd recovered, Fang Yuan tapped the "+" on the panel and carefully sensed the changes in his body.
In an instant,
a powerful aura erupted from within Fang Yuan. The air around him rippled outward in wave after wave.
The process was quick, lasting less than a quarter of an hour.
[You cultivated for one year and comprehended the Mysterious Bright Heart Method. Mist-like true qi has begun to form within your body, but your cultivation has not yet made a tangible breakthrough.]
Fang Yuan quieted his mind and sensed the changes within him. To his astonishment, he discovered that dense "mist" now swirled around the spot where his Dantian had once been.
Fang Yuan knew that the "mist" was true qi, liquefied within his body, but it had yet to condense into shape.
This sign usually meant that Body Refining martial artists were on the verge of stepping into the Houtian Realm!
Before you continue