In a barren field within a desolate valley, the girl opened her eyes.
When she lifted her gaze, she found herself wrapped in coarse cloth. Not far away, a man was crouched by a fire, roasting a piece of giant python meat.
She jolted awake and quickly sat up, staring at the man with open vigilance.
“You’re awake.”
Li Changsheng noticed her movement and smiled faintly, handing her a freshly roasted piece of giant python meat.
The girl’s large eyes fluttered. Her irises were silver-gray, faintly shimmering with a cold, ghostly glow. She studied Li Changsheng warily for a long moment before finally accepting the meat.
The rich fragrance drifted through the air. Her delicate brows knit slightly as nausea rose in her throat.
She stared at the giant python meat in her hand in silence.
“Eat.”
Li Changsheng urged her gently. She trembled, then lowered her head and began eating.
“What’s your name?” Li Changsheng asked as he took another piece of giant python meat and ate while watching her.
The girl remained silent.
“Where are you from? Do you have family?”
“……”
“A mute girl?”
“……”
The girl nodded.
Li Changsheng felt a flicker of surprise. How had he once again encountered someone who could not speak?
Looking at her, he could not help but think of Ya Yue.
Ya Yue had never spoken a single word in her life. He had not expected this girl before him to also be unable to speak.
After living with Ya Yue for 88 years, he had long grown accustomed to guessing thoughts from subtle expressions.
“You were resting in a ruined temple with a group of people,” Li Changsheng said slowly. “Then you encountered a giant python. It swallowed you whole in one bite.”
“Your family fought desperately to save you. In the end, they perished together with the giant python. You alone survived. Is that right?”
He spoke as he pieced the story together.
The girl remained silent, her silver eyes drifting toward him. After a long pause, she nodded.
“How pitiful.”
Li Changsheng sighed softly, surprised that his guess had been correct.
“Kneel. Bow three times and take me as your master. I will adopt you and teach you the rules of survival.”
He stood up calmly.
He could feel it. This was what he called fate, the opportunity to accept a disciple had arrived.
He already had experience.
Taking a disciple was far simpler than marrying a wife. Marriage required years of time and brought no longevity reward. Accepting a disciple, however, came with rewards and required far less time.
The girl froze briefly. She studied the seriousness in Li Changsheng’s eyes, then slowly knelt.
She bowed three times, her forehead striking the ground with clear, resounding knocks.
“Good disciple. As your master, I will pass down all my martial arts to you. One day, you will have the strength to protect yourself in this world.”
Joy surged through Li Changsheng’s heart. “Since you are a mute girl, I will give you a name. From now on, you are called Xinru.”
Two hundred kilometers from the Imperial Capital stood a small city named Jiuluo City.
With a population of several million, and because of its proximity to the Imperial Capital, it was relatively stable and prosperous.
“If you want to survive in this world, the best way is to find work. Preferably the kind that includes food and lodging.”
“You’re a girl. You can’t handle heavy labor. Working as a server in a restaurant is suitable. Carry dishes, wash plates, things like that.”
On a street in Jiuluo City, a tall man and a shorter girl stood in front of a small restaurant.
Xinru had changed into coarse hemp clothing and stayed close beside Li Changsheng. Her silver eyes flickered as she watched the bustling crowd with unhidden curiosity.
Hearing his words, she nodded seriously.
Li Changsheng led her inside. “Boss, are you hiring?”
“We are. Food and lodging included. 100 copper coin per month.”
“I’m a cook. I’ll bring an apprentice. We need lodging.”
“Cook gets 200 copper coin. If you don’t stay here, add 20 copper coin.”
“Deal.”
Just like that, Li Changsheng secured a wage of 220 copper coin per month, and Xinru earned 120 copper coin per month.
Li Changsheng did not care much about the wages. Having food and lodging was enough.
Xinru washed vegetables and carried dishes. Li Changsheng handled the cooking.
The restaurant’s business was mediocre. Li Changsheng did not put much heart into his dishes. He had no intention of exhausting himself by cooking too well. Earning enough to eat was sufficient.
He later rented an old house with a small courtyard in the city’s slum district for 200 copper coin per month.
“In this world, you must guard against others, but never harbor the heart to harm.”
“We won’t harm others. But we can’t guarantee others won’t harm you.”
At dusk, as they walked home, Li Changsheng pointed toward a richly dressed young man in the distance. “See that wealthy young master?”
Xinru nodded seriously.
“Pick his money pouch.”
She froze, staring at Li Changsheng as if she had misheard.
Li Changsheng glanced at her calmly. “Those wealthy brats aren’t short of money. In times like these, you can’t be too honest. The overly honest end up like the beggars on the roadside, begging their entire lives.”
Xinru fell into thought.
This man seemed to understand her heart effortlessly. Even a single glance was enough for him to grasp what she was thinking, answering questions she had not spoken.
That was thanks to Li Changsheng having lived with a mute for 88 years. He had long developed a sensitivity like fine silk threads.
Communicating with someone who could not speak had trained him to read unspoken words, as if silent subtitles followed every expression.
Since following Li Changsheng, Xinru had learned many survival techniques. Most of what he taught was not constrained by the laws of the Great Shang Empire.
He acted as he pleased, unconcerned with legality. In his eyes, the laws of the Great Shang Empire were worthless feudal nonsense.
Those laws only restrained the poor. The poor lived their entire lives shackled by regulations, obeying strictly, yet ending up impoverished and exhausted, with no escape.
Xinru possessed extraordinary talent. Whatever she learned, she grasped quickly. After learning once, she understood. After learning twice, she mastered it.
In just one year, she could roam the city alone. Every day, she brought back some food and bits of money.
Every household’s door lock could be opened with nothing more than a hook and a thin pick. Aside from being unable to speak, she had already accumulated survival skills equivalent to decades of experience. No matter where she went, she would not starve.
Of course, petty theft was only a minor path.
The true path was practicing martial arts daily with her master, Li Changsheng. Though exhausting, Xinru felt an incomparable happiness in it.
“Young Master, it’s her.”
“Hehe, she really is cute and delicate.”
One day, a young master arrived at the restaurant, accompanied by two thugs.
“Gentlemen, what would you like to eat?” the boss asked obsequiously.
“Have that mute girl serve us. You old fool, get lost.”
“Hurry and bring good wine and fine dishes.”
The boss’s face turned pale. He rushed into the kitchen and spoke to Xinru urgently.
Xinru glanced at Li Changsheng, who was stir-frying twice-cooked pork. After a brief hesitation, she carried the dishes out.
Now grown into a graceful young woman, Xinru possessed delicate beauty. Her long hair flowed freely, and her silver eyes held a faintly cold, mesmerizing light.
She had become the restaurant’s attraction. Many customers frequented the place just to see her, watching her move about with dishes, filling the establishment with liveliness.
Some had pursued her. Others had tried to introduce suitors. She had refused them all with a simple wave.
“Little beauty, don’t leave. Come sit beside me and serve me properly.”
At the table, the debauched young master stared at her, eyes gleaming. She was not overwhelmingly beautiful, but her faintly melancholic aura carried a fragile charm that stirred pity.
The two thugs stepped forward, blocking her path.
Xinru’s heart turned cold. She almost reacted, but in the next instant, she forced herself to appear timid and frightened.
“Come on, sit here. I’ll treat you well,” the young master said with a lewd grin, reaching to grab her arm.
Xinru’s brows furrowed slightly. She swiftly turned aside, panic flashing across her face.
“Hahaha. The more shy you are, the more excited I get.”
The other diners watched in anger but dared not speak. They were only here to eat; they could not afford to offend a young master accompanied by thugs.
At that moment, a figure stepped forward.
Xinru saw him and immediately ran to his side, hiding behind him.
“If you’re here to eat, then eat. If not, get out.”
“You dare speak to…”
Li Changsheng cut him off coldly, “What, you worthless trash raised without discipline? Did your mother give birth to you so you could harass decent women in broad daylight? Or was she once harassed the same way by your father before you were born?”
The entire restaurant fell silent, eyes wide with shock.
The young master’s face turned red with rage.
The boss was horrified. “Li Si, stop talking.”
He hurried forward. “Young Master, Li Si meant no offense. Please calm down. This meal is on me. I…”
Before he could finish, he was kicked and sent flying.
“Kill this bastard!”
With a furious roar, the young master flipped the table. The diners screamed and fled in panic.
The two thugs grabbed stools and charged.
Li Changsheng shoved Xinru into the kitchen, then seized a cleaver and rushed forward.
In a few swift moves, he knocked both thugs to the ground, leaving them writhing.
The young master stared in terror as the cleaver pressed against his neck.
“Y-You know who I am? I’m the Luo Family’s young master of Jiuluo City. If you dare kill me, my father will exterminate your entire clan…”
Li Changsheng replied calmly, “Kill you? I wouldn’t dare. As long as you promise never to cause trouble here again, I’ll let you go.”
“Alright, alright. I won’t cause trouble. I won’t.”
The man agreed repeatedly. Li Changsheng released him, and he fled in a sorry state with his thugs.
“It’s fine now.”
Li Changsheng was unconcerned, but the boss wailed in despair. The restaurant closed early that day.
Li Changsheng took Xinru home. Early the next morning, the restaurant was completely smashed apart.
After making inquiries, Li Changsheng learned that the Luo Family’s young master had brought several hundred men overnight and torn the place down. The boss had been beaten half to death.
“There they are! Brothers, kill the man! Capture the woman and send her to the young master!”
Suddenly, a hundred voices responded at once. More than a hundred thugs poured out onto the street. Some carried nets, others knives, chains, iron forks, and clubs.
Seeing this, Li Changsheng grabbed Xinru and ran in one direction.
He kicked several burly men flying aside. The two sprinted wildly, weaving through streets and alleys. After half a day of desperate evasion, they finally shook off their pursuers.
By then, the city had been locked down. More and more people were surrounding them.
Notices were posted throughout the city, branding them as wanted criminals.
Xinru hid in a corner. Panic and worry showed on her face, yet deep down she felt no fear.
She looked at Li Changsheng, her silver eyes seeking his decision.
For ordinary citizens, this would have been enough to terrify them to death. Being wanted by the authorities meant certain doom.
“If they won’t leave us a way to live, then we kill. Do you dare?” Li Changsheng asked quietly.
Xinru nodded without hesitation. Her heart burned with anticipation.
Li Changsheng smiled knowingly and immediately led her toward the City Lord’s residence.
The City Lord of Jiuluo City was named Luo Ce. He oversaw all matters large and small within the city. The young master was merely one of his many sons.
Late at night, inside a bedchamber of the City Lord’s residence, several women lay sleeping beside a man.
Half-awake, one woman slowly opened her eyes and saw a figure standing by the bed.
“Why aren’t you sleeping?” she murmured drowsily. In the moonlight, she saw the figure was a woman.
The figure did not answer. She stepped closer to the bed, her gaze fixed on the deeply sleeping man.
With a flick of her hand, a flash of cold light appeared.
The woman froze at the sight of it.
A soft slicing sound cut through the room.
There was no prolonged scream. The man’s pupils contracted violently. Instinctively, he clutched his throat, trying to struggle, but another flash of cold steel pierced straight through his heart.
“Ah! Murder! Murder!”
The woman screamed in terror.
The figure ignored her and vanished from the chamber in an instant.
On the rooftop, Li Changsheng watched calmly. It seemed the martial arts he had taught had already been fully mastered by Xinru. She killed cleanly and decisively, without a trace of hesitation.
He had not expected her to possess such extraordinary talent as an assassin.
Chaos erupted inside the City Lord’s residence. Moments later, Xinru vaulted over the wall. Li Changsheng beckoned to her, and the two left swiftly.
In a distant corner, they could faintly hear the residence in turmoil. Large numbers of household guards and soldiers were mobilized. Under the dark sky and rising wind, all of Jiuluo City descended into panic.
Inside a hidden, dilapidated house, Xinru’s face was pale with shock. Her entire body trembled. This was the first time she had killed someone.
“It’s fine. As long as it’s to eliminate harm for the people, it’s right,” Li Changsheng comforted her. Killing good people pricked the conscience. Killing the wicked required only a reason.
Xinru had already grown into a first-rate martial artist. From now on, she could survive independently anywhere. Li Changsheng had already begun preparing to part ways with her.
Her heartbeat quickened as she looked at him. For some reason, as long as she was by his side, she felt no fear at all.
Her trembling was no longer from fear, but from excitement. Her blood surged and boiled. An indescribable feeling rose within her, and she gazed at the middle-aged man before her with something close to infatuation.
Suddenly, Xinru lunged forward.
Li Changsheng’s expression changed sharply. He quickly blocked her.
Her brows furrowed slightly. Her eyes were unfocused, still lacking clarity.
Li Changsheng’s heart jolted. Had she been poisoned?
“What’s wrong?” he asked anxiously.
Seeing his confusion, Xinru wiped the blood from her hand and wrote a single character on his palm.
Love.
Feeling the intensity of that emotion, Li Changsheng was utterly shaken.
When had Xinru fallen in love with him?
Her silver eyes shimmered, mesmerizing and soul-stirring. For a moment, Li Changsheng lost himself in them.
Just as the two were about to lose themselves in the moment, disaster struck.
A deafening explosion erupted.
An overwhelming wave of energy pressed down upon them.
Two streaks of cold light shot down from the rooftop.
Li Changsheng froze. The house exploded with a thunderous crash, and the shockwave sent them flying.
“You mere mortals, how dare you kill my son within my city! I see you are tired of living!”
In the sky stood a figure suspended in midair. Fierce winds whipped his robes.
Several flying swords linked by hooked chains danced in the air around him.
City Lord Luo Ce stared down at the two mortals with dark fury.
A man and a woman, mere mortal martial artists, had dared to assassinate his son in broad daylight. They truly did not know the immensity of heaven and earth.
Spiritual power surged within him. Two immense waves of spiritual pressure locked onto them instantly.
In the distance, large numbers of soldiers rushed forward, quickly surrounding the area.
Below, Li Changsheng’s expression was grave. He glanced at Xinru in his arms. She had regained her composure.
“Kill!”
The soldiers charged again. Xinru immediately met them head-on.
Fierce combat erupted. She seized a broadsword, her figure swift and agile as she darted through the alley. In little more than a dozen breaths, several soldiers had already fallen by her blade.
Li Changsheng fought while retreating, even more ferocious. Snatching a spear, he hurled himself forward, smashing through guards. Heads rolled. He left no one standing in his path.
Above, Luo Ce frowned slightly. These two mortals were indeed formidable in combat. In the army, they would have been valuable assets.
But no matter how strong a mortal might be, before a cultivator, they were still ants.
Luo Ce did not care how many soldiers he lost. Even if it meant sacrificing the entire city’s troops, he would not hesitate.
He wanted to see how long these rebels could endure.
More and more soldiers poured in.
The citizens had already fled. All of the city’s forces converged on this location.
The slaughter continued from night until early dawn. When daylight broke, the entire street was a river of blood, corpses strewn everywhere.
Yet the fighting continued.
Xinru was utterly exhausted. Her body was covered in blood, trembling uncontrollably. Several wounds marred her frame.
To have lasted this long already proved she was a first-rate martial artist.
But no matter how high one’s skill, physical strength had limits. She had changed swords countless times. Each blade was chipped and battered.
Finally, she could no longer endure. She remained standing only through sheer willpower.
Li Changsheng stood behind her, his face darker than ever.
He himself was not yet exhausted. Born with immense strength, his stamina far surpassed ordinary people. Even after fighting through the night, he remained vigorous.
Blood covered him, masking the fatigue etched beneath.
Seeing his figure, guilt and regret flooded Xinru’s heart.
It was because of her that Li Changsheng had been dragged into this. If they had endured and fled the city earlier, perhaps none of this would have happened.
“Kill!”
The soldiers surged again, fiercer than before.
Xinru was struck by a flurry of blades. Blood and flesh flew. She stumbled and fell to the ground.
Only then did despair truly seize her. She knew she would surely die.
Yet Li Changsheng suddenly flashed forward, scooped her up, and broke through the encirclement.
Blood poured from her wounds, unstoppable. Her consciousness began to fade.
In the final moment before she lost awareness, Li Changsheng carried her into a corner of a house. With his back against the wall, he guarded the only exit. It was a dead end. They had nowhere left to escape.
Under the soldiers’ assault, Xinru did not see the final moment. She fainted.
“Longevity True Flame…”
In the sky, Luo Ce watched the desperate struggle below. The two figures were cornered with no way out.
He had suffered heavy losses. There was no way he would let them go easily.
Just as victory seemed assured, a sudden invisible energy spread outward.
In an instant, more than a hundred soldiers at the front collapsed. Like bubbles bursting, life vanished from them completely.
“What’s happening? Seize those rebels!” Luo Ce roared.
Then his expression stiffened.
In his vision, a figure engulfed in invisible flames appeared.
As their eyes met, Luo Ce felt a strange energy draining rapidly from his body.
With a wave of the figure’s hand, another group of soldiers fell limply like broken kites.
At the same time, invisible flames began to burn across Luo Ce’s own body.
His hair turned white at an alarming speed. His face aged rapidly. The energy within him drained away. In less than a single breath, scenes of his life flashed before his eyes.
Before he could comprehend what was happening, his body lost all support and fell straight from the sky.
Even in his final moment, he did not understand what had occurred.
Li Changsheng stared coldly at the field of corpses. His face was pale beyond measure. His mind spun as if all blood had been drained from him. His entire body trembled with exhaustion.
Yet sheer willpower drove him onward. He lifted Xinru again and fled toward the city gate.
…
When Xinru awoke once more, the corpses were gone.
She sat up abruptly. Pain tore through her reopened wounds, forcing her brows to knit tightly.
“Xinru…”
A weak voice sounded beside her.
Her heart jolted. She turned and saw Li Changsheng lying nearby, his face drained of all color, pale as death.
Xinru’s face lit up with joy. They had escaped.
She had just begun to rush toward him when Li Changsheng suddenly coughed violently.
Cough, cough, cough. Spurt.
A mouthful of blood sprayed onto Xinru, freezing her where she stood.
“I’ve been poisoned. It’s incurable…”
Li Changsheng looked at her weakly. Xinru stood there in stunned disbelief.
Blood trickled from the corner of his mouth. The blood carried a pitch-black tint. It was unmistakably a sign of severe poisoning. There was no saving him.
Xinru recognized the deadly toxin in the blood. The joy on her face vanished, replaced by fear and helplessness.
Silent tears slid down her cheeks. She fumbled desperately, wanting to do something, anything, but Li Changsheng gave a bleak smile.
“Don’t bother. I don’t have much time left.”
Xinru shook her head in grief, unable to accept what she was seeing.
“As long as you live, my death won’t be in vain. If even one of us survives, that is already heaven’s mercy…”
Her sorrow deepened. She could not accept this reality. Tears blurred her vision. He had fallen into this state because he saved her. The pain in her heart was unbearable. It should not have ended like this.
“When I die, bury me here…”
“From now on, you must wander the world alone. Remember, never seek needless bloodshed. Martial arts are for self-protection. Never flaunt them or grow arrogant…”
“If others do not provoke you, do not provoke them. Be kind where you can. Stay low. Endure…”
“And your appearance is beautiful. Traveling the world will bring you many troubles…”
“Don’t grieve for me. From now on, you must learn to live on your own…”
Li Changsheng spoke at length. Xinru could only shake her head as she listened. She could not speak. Looking at the man before her, she had countless words in her heart, yet it was too late.
She had never imagined she would one day lose the man she admired most, the man she had been prepared to devote her entire life to, dying before her eyes.
After Li Changsheng breathed his last, Xinru held his body and wept through the night. Endless sorrow and memories overwhelmed her. She could not face this reality.
The next day, forcing herself through the agony, she dug a grave on the spot and buried him.
“Master… actually, I can speak.”
Standing before the grave, Xinru’s red lips parted softly. Clear syllables fell from her mouth for the first time.
…
Ten years earlier, a group of humans had barged into a ruined temple. Beneath it, they discovered a giant python cultivating underground.
The giant python was at a critical stage of transformation. The humans’ intrusion disrupted it, causing a backlash of inner demons that greatly weakened its strength.
Using a buddha statue, the group smashed the giant python and launched a merciless attack.
Within the python’s body, a new life was being nurtured.
That life was Xinru.
In the end, the giant python perished together with those humans. Before dying, it transmitted the entire inheritance of the serpent clan and its lifetime of demonic power into Xinru’s mind. That allowed her to quickly transform into human form.
Just as Xinru was about to tear open the python’s belly and escape, Li Changsheng appeared.
He mistook her for a human girl and carefully raised her, allowing her to experience the human world deeply.
She learned many things. Gradually, she developed feelings for Li Changsheng. She had planned to confess everything when they were finally together.
But she never had the chance.
She feared that if Li Changsheng learned she was not human, he would abandon her. She feared that the moment she spoke, he would believe she had deceived him and cast her aside.
So she continued pretending to be mute, silently learning, watching, and listening.
Even without words, Li Changsheng always seemed to understand her. He cared for her attentively in every detail.
But it was all too late.
A soft hissing sound echoed nearby.
Not far away, a small crimson snake slithered out.
Xinru looked at it and raised her jade-like hand. The little snake obediently climbed onto her palm.
In an instant, the snake transformed into a stream of red energy that enveloped her.
Slowly, a serpent-pattern mark appeared at the center of her brow.
Her eyes were no longer silver. They became vertical scarlet pupils.
Red energy wrapped around her body. Her wounds healed miraculously. The blood on her body evaporated and vanished. Within the crimson glow, her figure underwent transformation, becoming more radiant, proud, and breathtakingly beautiful.
Terrifying demonic power spread from her body.
When she was seen again, Xinru had become an exquisitely alluring and ethereal woman.
After one last look at the grave, she sighed softly and turned into a streak of crimson light that drifted away and vanished.
…
Bang.
In the pitch-black night, cold and silent, a grave piled with stones suddenly trembled.
Moments later, a figure crawled out.
“I almost suffocated…”
Breathing fresh air once again, Li Changsheng exhaled deeply.
He quickly climbed up, restored the grave to its original state, and fled the area.
[Ding~ Congratulations. You have raised Xinru to adulthood and perfectly concluded a false life. Reward: 1 point of Immortal Power.]
[Ding~ Congratulations. You have raised Xinru to adulthood and perfectly concluded a false life. Reward: Divine Ability — Longevity Spirit Sea.]
[Longevity Spirit Sea]: By continuously consuming lifespan, you may convert it into simulated divine consciousness and soul power, becoming a cultivator.
The system notifications sounded.
A faint smile appeared at the corner of Li Changsheng’s mouth.
As expected, as long as he cultivated a disciple, he would trigger a longevity reward.
And this disciple had only taken him a little over a decade.
He had gained new insight into accepting disciples.
First, one could not simply choose anyone. It required fate.
Once encountered, it must not be missed. After accepting the disciple, he would teach all martial skills.
Once the disciple matured and became independent, he could fake his death and withdraw, obtaining the longevity reward.
Recalling the first time he used the Longevity True Flame divine ability, Li Changsheng still felt lingering fear.
This ability consumed his own lifespan equally to drain the enemy’s lifespan, ignoring cultivation level entirely. It was truly heaven-defying.
It had no time limit and could be used continuously, without cooldown.
Its only flaw was that excessive lifespan consumption caused dizziness and a sensation like extreme blood loss.
If he consumed too much at once, he could lose control and collapse on the spot.
Thinking back, it had truly been a narrow escape. He would need to carefully test how much lifespan he could safely expend, lest he embarrassingly faint mid-use.
To perfectly fake his death, Li Changsheng had deliberately consumed a deadly poison while Xinru was unconscious.
After taking it, he would temporarily appear poisoned to death. However, due to his longevity physique, as long as he was not cut down by blades, decapitated, or killed by external force, he was immune to poison and would recover fully.
Thinking of Xinru, Li Changsheng sighed inwardly.
He had felt her affection.
But he possessed an immortal body. It was impossible for him to spend a lifetime with a mortal.
No matter how beautiful she was, she was still a mortal woman.
He did not wish to relive a life like the one he had shared with Ya Yue.
To him, it had no meaning. It would only burden Xinru and waste her life.
Brief beauty and fleeting emotion no longer tempted him, nor could they bind him.
He only hoped Xinru would emerge from the shadow, live peacefully for decades, grow old, and eventually die naturally.
He had already obtained the longevity reward he desired.
Whether she married, had children, where she went, how she lived, it no longer concerned him. Nor did he wish to know her future.
In a hidden place, Li Changsheng focused his gaze.
A faint strand of divine consciousness swept outward.
He could feel his lifespan evaporating, like a stream of life essence rising within him.
Lifespan transformed within his body into what cultivators called soul power.
He felt his divine consciousness extend outward. The surrounding environment seemed to reflect within his mind, forming a sea of awareness.
Was this the sensation of cultivation?
He could now generate divine consciousness like a cultivator.
Though this soul power came from converted lifespan, and he knew no immortal techniques, it did not matter. He had mastered another divine ability.
With a slight raise of his hand, a stone in the distance trembled.
His gaze sharpened. The stone shot toward him through the air.
He caught it in his palm. With a crisp crack, he crushed it.
“So that’s how it works…”
He was astonished.
Divine consciousness could be used this way. Manipulating objects at a distance was a basic function of soul power.
With this divine ability as disguise, he could present himself as a Spiritual Practitioner and participate in the imperial examinations of the Great Shang Empire, earning official rank.
His gaze turned toward the distant direction of the Imperial Capital.
He had never forgotten his hatred.
He would never forget his daughter’s death.
Too much time had passed.
This time, he would completely overthrow the rule of the Great Shang Empire.
He would become the greatest corrupt official in the Great Shang Empire.
He would become its greatest parasite.