The Desolate Region, the Stone Kingdom, the Martial King Manor.
It was a magnificent complex of buildings, with palaces clustered together, spiritual energy permeating the air, and the faint gleam of treasures flickering within. Auspicious beasts crouched outside the gates, keeping peaceful watch.
Morning came with a bright sun and radiant clouds.
In a courtyard, a little girl as exquisite as carved jade lowered her head and gently bit her lip, as though making a show of deep thought. Every now and then, her little brows furrowed.
Before waking, Shi Zhao had been merely a bright, quick-witted child. After waking, she had become a reincarnator who had broken through the mystery of the womb and recovered some of her memories from her previous life.
Once she understood who she was, she knew exactly what sort of world she had come to-a certain world whose name read "Perfect"...
As if!
This world was indeed wondrous and bizarre, its mysteries without end. All living beings could cultivate; flying through the heavens, burrowing through the earth, becoming immortals, and living forever were no empty fantasies.
But this era was called Chaotic Antiquity, and it would be the most sinister and terrifying epoch of all!
Shi Zhao shook her head, sending her ear-length hair flying. Her porcelain-doll face scrunched into a knot before gradually relaxing.
"Luckily, I landed a pretty good birth."
She had been born into the Martial King Manor, both parents were dead, and she had a house... and younger brothers, too.
Although she had not been born in the Upper Realm or the Immortal Domain, both the "four-eyed cub" next door and the not-yet-born fellow who loved beast milk most were younger brothers before her.
"If I remember right, Shi Yi is three years older than the milk-drinking baby, and I'm three years older than Shi Yi."
Shi Zhao reached up to scratch at her silky hair, a smile rising on her delicate little face. "How did that saying go again? Beat up your little brothers while they're still young?"
She had a good attitude about it. She was here already, after all. Whatever had happened in her previous life, dwelling on it would do no good. She might as well experience cultivation for herself and make this life worth the trip.
As for those future calamities and upheavals... she opened her left hand and gazed at the tiny red moles in her palm. Seven minuscule spots were inexplicably moving across it.
BOOM!!!!!!!
Her sea of consciousness shook, as though heaven and earth were first being born. Within that dim, boundless void, chaos energy surged, and seven great stars rose and fell amid it, vast and majestic, suffused with innate traces of the Great Dao.
The stars shifted and the constellations turned. The seven great stars moved into formation one after another, seemingly capable of drawing upon the mighty power of all heavens and worlds, holding boundless mysteries within them. At last, they manifested in her left palm.
Seven stars in her grasp!
This was the mark of a sovereign who commanded ultimate power.
It was not just her little brothers who had double pupils and the Supreme Bone. These days, who did not have some inborn extraordinary trait? The idea was simple: whatever you had, she had something too.
"When I go to the Upper Realm someday, I'll count as a first-generation prodigy myself." Shi Zhao smiled. With her awakening, she had already come to understand her own condition.
The so-called seven stars in her palm were merely an outward manifestation. The truly extraordinary thing lay deep within her sea of consciousness: a fragment that appeared to be cloth.
Seven dim star marks were branded upon that dingy scrap of cloth. They had transformed into the seven stars in her palm, granting her a certain innate gift.
Beyond that, the rag's presence had stimulated her sea of consciousness, causing some sort of mutation. As a result, her primordial spirit had been quite exceptional even before her awakening. Now, it had abruptly grown much stronger, and it was still continuing to grow.
And she had yet to truly begin cultivating.
Just then, a little girl came running over with quick, small steps, calling, "Miss Zhao! Today is the clan's medicinal-bath baptism. If you don't leave now, you'll be late!"
"Got it, A Man. I'm coming." Shi Zhao nodded, looking at the pretty young girl before her as she schemed about how to lure her into her own service.
Seeing her disheveled hair and casual attire, A Man hurriedly pulled Miss Zhao back into her room to tidy her up, afraid she might leave a bad impression on the clan elders later.
"I'm so damn cute!" Shi Zhao's eyes lit up as she looked at herself in the bronze mirror.
Unfortunately, her parents in this life had met with an accident, so she would have to rely on her short little legs to get there.
As luck would have it, the moment she stepped outside, she spotted a strikingly beautiful young woman nearby, holding an eight- or nine-month-old child as she boarded a carriage drawn by auspicious beasts.
"Oh, little Zhao. Come here. I'm taking Yi'er for his baptism too." The young woman noticed her as well and, after a moment's thought, beckoned her over.
"Hello, Sixth Aunt." Shi Zhao paused, narrowed her large eyes slightly, and climbed into the carriage.
The child in the young woman's arms sensed someone approaching and instinctively shifted. Thinking he wanted to get down, she had barely loosened her hold before Shi Zhao scooped him up from beside her and took him into her own arms.
"Little Eleven, did you miss me?" Shi Zhao blinked, her long lashes fluttering, and casually pinched the child's cheek.
The child glared at her, immediately revealing what set him apart from ordinary people.
He had been born with two pupils in each eye. Divine light faintly gleamed within them. These were the double pupils, said to be an extraordinary trait of the divine beings of antiquity.
Indeed, the child was Shi Yi.
Such an obvious feature as the double pupils had naturally been discovered at birth. It had caused a tremendous stir within the clan, leading many people to place great hopes in him.
In truth, he really was extraordinary. Otherwise, he would not have begun receiving baptisms at such a young age. Naturally, his was different from those of ordinary clan children; someone was giving him special treatment.
"Let go of me." Shi Yi could already speak and walk, and he could not help protesting.
Shi Zhao's large eyes rolled mischievously, and she chuckled. "So naughty. Call me big sister first."
"..."
The two stared each other down, six pupils meeting across their eyes. In the end, Shi Yi was the first to surrender.
"...Big sister."
"There, what a good boy."
You're still just a little brother! Shi Zhao laughed inwardly.
Although she knew what lay ahead, she would not harbor baseless malice toward a child, at least not before certain things had happened.
Heaven's Dao was impartial, yet always sided with the good.
If she could change that tragedy, she was willing to try. As for the supposed weight of karma... if she did nothing at all, what meaning would her existence have?
If she wanted to do something, she would do it. There was nothing to worry about.
Karma was nothing to fear, and destiny was nothing to put faith in. Having lived again, she ought to follow her heart!
In that moment, she seemed to gain an insight. Her mind became clear, like a mirror stand wiped clean of dust.
Shi Zhao could distinctly feel the change. Her primordial spirit was transforming, almost taking on a human form as it sat cross-legged upon the rag deep within her sea of consciousness, shining brilliantly.
Divine light suddenly flashed in Shi Yi's eyes. He stared unblinkingly at his older cousin, seemingly sensing something at such close range.
Unfortunately, never mind that his double pupils had yet to fully develop-even if he possessed heaven-reaching, earth-piercing strength in the future, he still would not be able to see through it.
And then his face was once again
caught between a pair of hands and kneaded into the shape of a bun.
"Ah, I'm going to..." Shi Yi seethed.
"Hmm?" Shi Zhao shot him a sidelong glance and suppressed him with one hand.
"..."
There was no helping it. The age gap was right there. She had the height advantage, and longer arms really were something.
Within the manor, lakes were clear, fine trees grew lush, and rocky hills stood scattered among vast stretches of gardens. The scenery was splendid.
Rare birds cried out above the palaces, tracing streaks of dazzling light.
While the two little ones tussled, their destination came into view.
"Bye, little brother. I'll come play with you again next time!"
Before leaving, Shi Zhao unleashed another head pat, vigorously rubbing Shi Yi's head. She even put extra emphasis on the word "play," smiling radiantly.
Tears glimmered at the corners of Shi Yi's eyes. Anyone who did not know better might have thought they shared a deep sibling bond.
Before you continue