Years passed like drifting clouds.
By the time Shen Tian reached four years old, he already carried himself with a calm presence far beyond his age. His growth had accelerated due to the Eternal Human Guardian Physique, giving him the faint outline of defined musculature and sharper features than a normal child. His eyes, clear and dark, reflected a depth of focus that unsettled some of the villagers but fascinated others.
He lived in a secluded region called Misty Sun Village, a quiet place far from the great sects and empires. The villagers simply assumed he was gifted. They had no idea that a vast lineage slept inside him, waiting for the right catalyst to awaken fully.
He spent most of his days wandering the forests, touching ancient bark, studying the flow of qi through the air, and watching beasts move with instinct he wished to understand. His system rarely spoke, but it was always there, woven into the back of his consciousness like a second mind.
On his fifth birthday, it spoke again.
"Daily Draw System unlocked."
Shen Tian paused mid-step. The forest wind ruffled the leaves, yet he felt utterly still.
"Host may now draw once per day. Rewards scale with fate, effort, and legacy."
A quiet reel spun before his eyes, unseen by the world around him. When it stopped, a golden shimmer filled his consciousness.
"Reward obtained: Minor Spirit Root Refining Technique."
The words alone sent a rush through him. Even a minor technique, if cultivated from childhood, could set the foundation for future strength. He began practicing the method that very night, sitting beneath the glowing moon. The technique circulated gentle qi through his small meridians, strengthening them bit by bit.
Days passed. Then months. Then years.
Each draw gave him something minor—sometimes medicinal herbs, sometimes a memory fragment that felt strangely familiar in a way he couldn't explain. But nothing awakened the dormant lineage inside him.
Not yet.
Still, Shen Tian grew taller, sharper, more composed. By seven years old, he already understood qi circulation better than most adults in nearby villages. He felt an emptiness in his chest sometimes—a strange longing for a place he had never seen, a throne he did not remember sitting on, a palace he didn't know but felt painfully familiar.
He didn't know why.
But his bloodline did