The road to the Imperial Capital stretched endlessly before Shen, a silver ribbon woven between mountains, forests, and river valleys. He moved swiftly, his steps light, his breath steady. Even without consciously drawing upon his cultivation, the profound power of the Void Fragmentation Realm hummed through his bones, tightening his muscles and sharpening his senses. Every few hours he would pause, meditate briefly, and let the faint threads of void essence circulate through his meridians. Ever since reaching the 10th realm, his body had undergone rapid changes—he looked older, leaner, sharper, like a youth on the cusp of adulthood rather than an eleven-year-old boy.
The sun dipped below the mountains, bathing the horizon in orange and gold. Shen continued on, his robes fluttering in the wind.
"It should be another three days until the Capital…" Shen murmured, scanning a map carved into a jade slip. "If I keep this pace, maybe one and a half."
The journey had been quiet, almost eerily so. Too quiet. His instinct told him something was coming. The system remained silent, faintly pulsing in the back of his mind as if gathering strength for what was ahead.
Just as Shen crossed a forest clearing, a wave of killing intent slammed against him.
He froze.
A presence dropped from the treetops like a falling star.
"Where do you think you're going, brat?" a voice growled.
A youth stepped into the moonlight—tall, sharp-featured, around fifteen or sixteen years old. His aura surged violently, a level most core disciples of major sects would envy. Behind him stood a middle-aged man in dark robes, silent, calm, and unbelievably dangerous. Shen recognized it instantly—a cultivator at the peak of the 12th realm.
Shen's pulse quickened. Not in fear—but in recognition.
The youth looked familiar. The slope of his eyebrows, the sharp chin, the way he held himself with pride that looked almost identical to Shen's father.
Shen didn't know why, but something deep inside him screamed, Brother.
But he had no memories to confirm it.
And the youth clearly felt nothing for him except hostility.
"You dared destroy my men's supply convoy earlier," the young man said coldly. "I don't care if it was an accident. You interrupted my mission. So you'll be teaching me how strong you are."
Shen raised an eyebrow. "I didn't even know they were yours."
"I don't care."
Before Shen could respond, the youth vanished.
He reappeared in front of Shen with a flash.
A fist crashed toward Shen's face.
Shen's instincts kicked in. He twisted, letting the punch graze his cheek, then swept his leg upward. The older boy leaped back, surprised.
"You're… fast," the youth muttered. "And your body—your cultivation… what realm are you?"
"Not telling you." Shen's expression darkened. "But if you want a fight, fine."
The clash erupted instantly.
Both moved like blurs, trees splintering and soil cracking beneath their feet. Shen held back, not wishing to reveal too much. He wanted to test the strange familiarity he felt—why did this stranger's presence feel so deeply connected to him?
The youth struck with a blade of condensed spiritual force. Shen countered with a palm infused with void essence. Waves of power rippled outward.
Their battle illuminated the forest.
Finally, Shen sensed something off—another aura approaching. Not the protector. Something else. Multiple people.
If they recognized him or captured him, he might lose his chance to reach the Capital.
He leapt back, then turned sharply.
"I'm done here."
"What—? Get back here!" the youth shouted, stepping forward.
But Shen was already gone, vanishing into the night like a phantom, moving through the treetops with practiced stealth.
The forest grew still again.
The older boy clenched his fists, frustrated.
"He ran…" His pride felt wounded. He turned to the man behind him. "Uncle Han. You saw that, right? How strong was he? He looked younger than me. He shouldn't be that strong."
Uncle Han's eyes remained fixed on the direction Shen had fled.
"He was suppressing himself."
"…What?"
"He did not fight seriously. If he had, you would already be lying unconscious."
The youth's face paled. "That's impossible. He looked eleven at most!"
Uncle Han placed one hand behind his back. "Young Master, consider this: only those with monstrous talent, ancient bloodlines, or unique systems grow at this pace. He is not normal."
The boy bit his lip, thinking deeply. "Can you track him?"
"I could." Uncle Han's voice darkened. "But I sensed something inside him—a power hidden deeply. A dangerous one. Chasing him blindly may not be wise."
The youth nodded reluctantly.
"Still," he muttered, "I will meet him again. That kid… I feel like I know him somehow."
Uncle Han looked at the moon with a strange expression.
"You do, Young Master. But the truth is not yet ready."
Shen's Journey Continues
Shen put distance between himself and the forest, traveling at full speed now. The fight replayed in his mind.
"Why… did he feel so familiar?"
His system hummed suddenly.
[Emotion Resonance Detected]
[Bloodline Recognition: 12%]
[Memory Recovery Threshold Near]
Shen stopped.
"Bloodline recognition…? Is he—?"
But before he finished the thought, the connection faded.
He exhaled slowly. "I need to reach the Capital. Something is waiting there. Something important."
And so he moved again, crossing mountain roads and long plains until, finally—
The mist parted.
The walls of the Imperial Capital rose before him—grand, towering, and unmistakably ancient. Soldiers in gleaming armor patrolled the gates. Carriages lined the roads. Cultivators flew overhead on swords and spirit beasts.
Shen took a single step closer.
And his world shattered.
A tidal wave of memories crashed into him—
His mother's worried smile.
His father's firm but gentle hand.
His older brother's laughter.
The day he disappeared.
The nights they searched for him.
The warmth of their home.
The moment his system awakened for the first time.
Everything flooded back.
Shen staggered, clutching his head.
His cultivation surged uncontrollably, void essence swirling around him like a storm.
The missing four years.
The lost identity.
His purpose.
His life.
When the torrent of memories finally settled, Shen straightened slowly.
His expression sharpened, his aura stabilizing into something older, colder, wiser.
"I… remember everything."
He looked toward the glowing city before him—the place where his family waited, unaware that he was still alive.
"I'm coming home."
But deep inside, his system pulsed again—stronger than before.
[Memory Restoration Complete]
[Main System Evolution Progress: 62%]
[My Descent: Beginning System Awaits Host's Next Breakthrough]
Shen closed his eyes, steadying his breath.
A new path was opening.
His family was close.
But so were dangers, secrets, and the truth behind his disappearance.
He stepped forward into the capital, fully himself for the first time in four long years.