In Battle Through the Heavens, Three Years Already Gone

The northwestern corner of the Dou Qi Continent.

The Jia Ma Empire.

Wutan City.

A rarely visited courtyard in the Xiao Clan estate.

In the courtyard, a young man sat cross-legged in meditation. Countless surging streams of invisible Dou Qi gathered around him and poured madly into his body.

A moment later, the Dou Qi settled, and the young man opened his eyes. Staring blankly ahead, he murmured to himself.

"Three years, and I'm only at the peak of a nine-star Dou Shi. Who knows when I'll be able to shatter the void and leave this place..."

"I wonder what Earth is like now. Have three years passed there too?"

"At this rate, it'll take decades to reach the Dou Di realm."

"And even after decades, I might not be able to get back."

"This damned place is so boring. My phone, my computer, my delicious food, and my terabyte of torrents..."

The young man's name was Zhou Yu, an "utterly ordinary" member of Qidian's vast host of transmigrators. For some unknown reason, after watching a single episode of the Battle Through the Heavens anime, he had transmigrated before even waking up the next morning.

His current identity was Xiao Yu, son of Xiao Ping, the elder brother of Xiao Clan leader Xiao Zhan.

The original Xiao Yu had never appeared in the original story. There had not even been the slightest mention of Xiao Ping. After transmigrating, Zhou Yu had once seriously questioned whether this was really the world of Battle Through the Heavens.

But in the original owner's memories, his second uncle was indeed named Xiao Zhan. He also had two older cousins and one younger cousin: Xiao Ding, Xiao Li, and Xiao Yan.

That more or less confirmed that he had transmigrated to the Dou Qi Continent.

After Xiao Ping's death, Xiao Zhan had raised Xiao Yu. When he was four, the other children of his generation began cultivating, and naturally, Xiao Yu was supposed to do the same.

Yet for some unknown reason, Xiao Yu simply could not condense Dou Qi. He remained unable to enter Dou Qi Stage One.

At five years old, Xiao Yu was still an ordinary person. The clan had already branded him a useless good-for-nothing and planned to send him out of the inner clan's residential compound to one of the outer clan's businesses.

Keeping an ordinary person who could not cultivate in the inner clan would damage the Xiao Clan's reputation if outsiders found out. At that point, all of Wutan City might start saying things like, "Have you heard? The Xiao Clan leader's nephew can't cultivate. He's a cripple." Much as, ten years later in the present day, Xiao Yan's reputation as a good-for-nothing had spread throughout Wutan City and even reached the imperial capital.

Besides, if Xiao Yu, who could not cultivate, continued living in the inner clan and some accident occurred-for instance, a conflict with another clan member-even an unintentional blow could kill him.

Thus, the clan intended to send him to an outer clan business and have someone else raise him. This would keep the matter from spreading, while his birth in the inner clan would also ensure that no one in the outer clan bullied him. (The outer clan consisted mostly of people with other surnames, along with a small number of inner Xiao Clan members who had failed their coming-of-age assessment.)

But Xiao Zhan had stood against every objection and kept Xiao Yu in the clan. He did not want Xiao Yu to leave. Though the clan meant well, he still could not rest easy. Once Xiao Yu was outside, he would be unable to look after him. What if something happened? Was he supposed to let his elder brother's line die out?

This had also displeased many elders and influential figures. Most cared deeply about the Xiao Clan's reputation; otherwise, Xiao Yan would not have endured so many contemptuous looks during the three years after losing his Dou Qi. As a result, Xiao Zhan's position as clan leader had become precarious.

Many elders were essentially waiting for Xiao Zhan to make a mistake so they could band together to impeach him and drag him down from his position.

This had also laid the groundwork for the unrestrained mockery and belittlement Xiao Yan suffered from his peers after his Dou Qi was drained and he became a good-for-nothing.

No matter what, the clan leader's son should never have been treated that way. After becoming a good-for-nothing, even his cultivation resources were nothing like what they had once been.

No one would believe the elders had not encouraged it behind the scenes.

Xiao Zhan knew that many people wanted to see him fall. Thus, however difficult it was to secure resources for Xiao Yan, he could not afford a mistake. Otherwise, if he lost his position as clan leader, Xiao Yan might have an even harder life than he did now.

Xiao Zhan treated Xiao Yu extremely well, never neglecting his food, clothing, or other needs. Before Xiao Yu could live independently, he had also assigned servants to tend to his daily needs, only withdrawing them after he turned twelve.

It was also at twelve that Xiao Yu died for some unknown reason, allowing Zhou Yu to transmigrate into his body.

Originally, transmigration was just transmigration-nothing special. So many people were transmigrating these days that he was barely a drop in the ocean, nowhere near worth ranking.

But shortly after arriving, Zhou Yu discovered from the original owner's memories that Xiao Yu was actually a good-for-nothing who could not cultivate!

Was this some kind of joke?

At first, Zhou Yu thought he was destined for the useless-prodigy storyline. A transmigrator without a cheat was like the West without Jerusalem.

So Zhou Yu looked this way and that, but still found no cheat. After investigating for a long time, he confirmed that he really had no system or anything of the sort.

But Heaven never barred every path. Amid his despair, Zhou Yu began his first attempt at cultivating Dou Qi with a glimmer of hope, trying to find a tiny ray of light in the darkness of desperation.

And, sure enough, he found it. He could actually cultivate!

After thinking it over from every angle, Zhou Yu could only attribute it to his transmigrated soul causing a mutation in Xiao Yu's body.

But things were far from as simple as he imagined. As he continued cultivating, Zhou Yu discovered that his cultivation speed was absurdly fast.

After half a year, the Ninth Stage of Dou Qi.

After one year, a four-star Dou Zhe.

After two years, a Five-Star Dou Master.

After three years-now-he was at the peak of a nine-star Dou Shi, and that was only because Zhou Yu had neglected his cultivation once his initial enthusiasm wore off.

Had he cultivated as diligently as he had during the first two years, he might already have become a Da Dou Shi.

His utterly outrageous talent shocked even Zhou Yu himself. He had read Battle Through the Heavens many times and had kept following the anime afterward, yet he had never seen cultivation talent more ridiculous than this.

Xiao Yan had reached Da Dou Shi in three years thanks to his diligent cultivation, an uninterrupted string of fortuitous encounters, and the assistance of medicinal pills.

Those ancient Dou God Clans in the Central Plains also relied on their clans' resources and their Dou Di Bloodline to achieve astonishing cultivation speeds.

Other geniuses, such as Nalan Yanran, benefited from Yun Yun's wholehearted support and training (as was evident when Yun Yun fought the Amethyst Winged Lion King to seize purple spirit crystal for Nalan Yanran).

Even she had needed three years to advance from Dou Zhe to Da Dou Shi. How could she compare to Xiao Yan, let alone Zhou Yu?

And Zhou Yu? Aside from his "utterly ordinary" good looks, he had nothing. No pills when he needed pills, no fortuitous encounters when he needed those, and no teacher either. He had never even laid eyes on Cultivation Methods and Combat Skills.

He had reached the peak of a nine-star Dou Shi purely through this body's monstrous talent, without relying on any cultivation method.

It was common knowledge on the Dou Qi Continent that, after breaking through to Dou Zhe, one needed to practice a cultivation method. That method determined both cultivation speed and the speed at which one replenished Dou Qi. It was indispensable.

Yet Zhou Yu seemed to have no need for one at all. Without ever encountering a cultivation method, he had soared straight to Dou Shi. It was as though Xiao Yu's body came with a built-in cultivation method, or resembled those idle cultivation games, automatically absorbing Dou Qi to cultivate.

This was getting stronger while AFK, plus edition.

It also made Zhou Yu feel as though his soul were a key that had opened the Pandora's box of Xiao Yu's body, releasing the terrifying talent within.

So I was my own cheat all along?

That thought had popped into his head from time to time afterward.

This was also why Zhou Yu had stopped cultivating diligently in his third year. First, his enthusiasm for cultivation had faded. Second, he could grow stronger even while lying down.

As a homebody, he naturally stopped making an effort and only wanted to coast. Even without a phone or computer, he would stare into space rather than cultivate, much like all you readers back in your school days, who would daydream rather than listen in class even when you had nothing else to do.

As for his earlier babbling about "only" being at the peak of a nine-star Dou Shi, that was pure showing off, bragging for his own ears. Reaching Peak Dou Master in three years was enough to let him puff himself up.

By now, he had accepted the fact that he had transmigrated, as well as his identity as Xiao Yu. After all, three years had passed, and he had grown accustomed to it. (From now on, the name Zhou Yu will no longer appear except under special circumstances. The protagonist will always go by Xiao Yu.)

Having just finished cultivating, Xiao Yu was still staring into space. His unprecedented little bout of cultivation today had only happened because he felt he could not keep sinking into such decadence. His sense of shame had stirred.

Ever since discovering that his cultivation speed was getting faster and faster, Xiao Yu had barely cultivated. Advancing too quickly was not necessarily a good thing. Entering the next realm before he had properly understood his current one clearly was not a good thing.

Of course, that was his own opinion. Whether reality agreed was another matter.

Nine-star Dou Shi, at the peak. That should be enough. It's time to go out and have a look. If I stay in this little courtyard forever, sooner or later I'll go stir-crazy.

Xiao Yu glanced around the courtyard where he had lived for three years as he thought.

Three years was no short time. Even a homebody like him had grown tired of staying home. There was nothing wrong with going out to take a look. Since he had accepted reality, he ought to properly become part of this world and get on with his life.

Whether his future held hardship or happiness, he had to take the first step.

"Dou Qi Continent... here I come..."

Xiao Yu murmured as he pushed open the courtyard gate and took a step outside, filled with both resolve and anticipation.

No one knew what experiences this step would bring Xiao Yu, or what impact it would have on the Dou Qi Continent.

Enough babbling. This is about as good as my writing gets, so please go easy on me, dear readers. Your author is delicate and tender and cannot withstand rough treatment.

Thank you.