Sixteen Years Later

The first light of dawn woke the small border town of Jiaqing County.

In the Lin family's little courtyard, beneath mottled brick walls and scattered blue tiles, the sharp thwacks of fists and feet striking a wooden post rang out, mingling with a young boy's tender, breathless gasps.

The boy's face was resolute. He landed each punch and kick on the post before him with steady, deliberate precision.

Time slipped by amid the crossing blows. Before long, the boy's blue robe was soaked through with sweat, and thick white vapor rose around him.

"Yi'er, it's time to eat," a man's hoarse voice drifted from the room behind him.

Thump! Lin Yi threw his final punch, leaving a clearly visible imprint on the wooden post.

[Technique: Corpse Kui Rebirth Method (First Layer)]

[Proficiency: 525/1000]

[Qi Refining Path: Corpse Puppet Path]

[Realm: Ninth Rank]

"Whew..." Lin Yi let out a deep breath, raised a hand to wipe the sweat from his face, and answered without turning around, "All right, Uncle."

He fixed his gaze on the empty space before him, and several lines of text gradually appeared.

[Destiny: Know Heavenly Fate, Jade Cicada Cocoon]

[Know Heavenly Fate: Avoid misfortune and seek good fortune, observe Aura of Fortune, understand oneself, and use Destiny Talisman Coins to activate Strong Luck.]

[Destiny Talisman Coins: 15,000]

[Jade Cicada Cocoon: Inherited from the mother's Destiny, [Molting Jade Cicada]. Once fully charged, it can break free from its cocoon and awaken its own Destiny.]

[Jade Cicada Cocoon Completion: 95%]

He had been in this world for sixteen years.

Lin Yi had possessed memories and awareness from a young age, but his memories of being born were hopelessly hazy.

He only remembered that after activating [Strong Luck], he had lost consciousness. When he awoke, he had escaped from his birth mother's hands.

Afterward, this Lin family had taken him in.

He had no idea what had happened in between, but at least he had survived.

Over the years, Lin Yi had gained a clear understanding of this world.

It was a world much like an ancient age of chaos, yet it possessed supernatural powers.

Cultivators here were known as "Qi Refiners," and the power they wielded was called "True Qi."

Qi Refiners' realms ranged from Ninth Rank to First Rank, with Ninth Rank the lowest and First Rank the highest.

Different paths of cultivation called for different ways of refining True Qi. The most common were the Gu Path, Sword Path, and Soul Path.

The Corpse Puppet Path Lin Yi practiced was one of the rare ones, a heterodox branch of Qi Refinement.

Each cultivation path had its own distinct method of entering the ranks of Qi Refiners.

The most mainstream path, however, was the Martial Way.

As for Destiny, it was an exceptionally rare gift in this world, found in perhaps one person out of tens of millions.

And Lin Yi had somehow defied the heavens and possessed two—though one was still gestating, its potential was already extraordinary.

Yet Lin Yi didn't feel especially fortunate. Gaining another Destiny had also meant losing something from the very beginning.

He raised a hand and swept his sweat-dampened hair back from his forehead, revealing the handsome, fair-featured face of a young man.

He glanced down at his reddened knuckles, gathered his thoughts, and turned to go inside.

Lin Yi's place in the Lin family was that of the son of Lin Hua's cousin.

When the Lin Clan had been wiped out, Lin Hua's cousin had indeed had an infant, but the child had later died in that same catastrophe.

That had given Lin Yi the perfect identity.

As long as the Lin family accepted him, outsiders had no way to tell the truth. It was the perfect cover.

Of course, aside from Lin Hua, no one else in the Lin family knew Lin Yi's true origins.

As Lin Yi came in, Lin Hua hurriedly grabbed a cloth he had just wrung out in hot water and went to meet him. "Yi'er, wipe off your sweat. Autumn's nearly here. Don't catch a chill."

"Thank you, Uncle." Lin Yi took the cloth in both hands and thanked him.

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"Tsk, he's practically a grown boy already. Why treat him like he's so delicate? Born in a chicken coop, yet you insist on raising him like a peacock. What good will that do?"

A woman's sarcastic voice rang out. Lin Yi turned to look and saw a full-figured, pretty woman with upturned eyes and a noticeable amount of white in them, leaning against a pillar with her arms crossed. Her expression was edged with disdain.

She was Chen Xu, Lin Hua's wife and Lin Yi's aunt in name.

"Madam!" Lin Hua furrowed his brow and barked.

"Hmph!" Chen Xu turned away with a scowl, grumbling, "It's mealtime, and you still need to be called three times before you'll come!"

With that, she stalked off, hands on her hips.

A trace of apology crossed Lin Hua's face as he looked at Lin Yi. "Xiao Yi, I've been busy with work lately, and your aunt's been in a bad mood..."

Lin Yi smiled. "Uncle, there's no need for formalities between family."

He knew perfectly well why Aunt Chen Xu couldn't stand him.

After the Lin Clan had been wiped out, Lin Hua had gone into hiding and later married Chen Xu.

Lin Yi had just turned one that year. Officially, he was the son of Lin Hua's cousin, but the neighbors kept gossiping. Chen Xu didn't know what had happened to the Lin Clan, so she began to suspect that Lin Yi was an illegitimate child her husband had fathered with some unknown woman. That was why she had treated him harshly.

As Lin Yi grew older, those suspicions finally faded.

There was no other reason: Lin Yi was simply too striking. Handsome as a carved jade statue, he bore not the slightest resemblance to Lin Hua. Aside from being male, he had nothing in common with him, so the rumors that he was an illegitimate son naturally fell apart.

But Lin Hua treated Lin Yi far too well, neglecting even his own son at times. That had given Chen Xu fresh cause for resentment.

That said, although Chen Xu spoke harshly to Lin Yi, she was scrupulous in her actions and had never secretly tried to harm him.

"Have you memorized that technique?" A flicker of unease crossed Lin Hua's face as he lowered his voice to ask.

The technique he meant was the Corpse Kui Rebirth Method Lin Yi had practiced that morning. He had given it to Lin Yi only half a month ago.

Lin Yi nodded. "I've memorized the entire technique, and I burned it as you instructed, Uncle."

Lin Hua relaxed slightly and nodded. "Good. Don't let anyone know about it. This is our Lin Clan's secret art."

He didn't ask how Lin Yi was progressing.

For one thing, the technique hadn't been meant for him to read. A veil had been cast over it, so it looked like a jumble of nonsense to him. He only knew it was a cultivation method; he had no idea what Lin Yi was practicing.

For another, what could Lin Yi have accomplished in half a month? Even Lin Hua's own younger brother, who had Grade A Bone Structure and was considered a martial arts prodigy, had taken more than two months just to enter the Martial Way. Asking too much would only burden the boy.

In the main room, Aunt Chen Xu and Lin Xiuwen, Lin Yi's twelve-year-old cousin, sat waiting at the table without touching their chopsticks.

Chen Xu was sulking, while Lin Xiuwen gazed longingly at the meat on the table.

Great Yan was in the midst of war, and taxes were high. Ordinary families rarely got to eat meat.

Today's meal was unusually lavish, and it made his mouth water.

Once Lin Yi and Lin Hua had taken their seats at the square table, Lin Hua said, "Yi'er, come on. Let's eat."

As he spoke, he gently moved one or two small plates of meat across the table to Lin Yi.

"Eat up. You're still growing."

Chen Xu snorted and pushed the remaining meat in front of her son. "Xiuwen, you eat more, too."

The atmosphere at the table grew awkward.

Lin Xiuwen sneaked a glance at Lin Yi, and they exchanged helpless smiles.

This happened so often that they were both used to it.

Seizing the chance to change the subject, Lin Xiuwen grinned. "Dad, what's the occasion? We've got such a feast. Did something good happen?"

Lin Hua smiled at that. "Good timing, Xiuwen. I was just about to tell you two pieces of good news."

"First, our Lin Family Restaurant opens tomorrow!"

Lin Xiuwen clapped excitedly and grinned. "Now that the restaurant's opening, does that mean we'll get meat every day?"

"You little rascal," Lin Hua said with an amused scold.

Lin Yi couldn't help laughing, too. The Lin family had originally run a teahouse, and after saving up some money over the years, they had decided to expand the business. The whole family had been busy with the restaurant lately, so he had already guessed as much.

But just then, Lin Yi's smile abruptly froze on his face.

[Know Heavenly Fate]

[Recent Fortune: Great Misfortune]

[...]