Lin Ye woke to the low murmur of traffic and the distant echo of a public cultivation broadcast drifting in from the street below.
"—all cultivators are reminded that private duels within residential districts are prohibited under Silverreach City regulations—"
The voice faded as his consciousness fully settled.
He lay still for several breaths, eyes fixed on the ceiling above him. Pale concrete. Hairline cracks. The faint smell of disinfectant and old bedding. This was not the shattered battlefield burned into his memory, nor the collapsing sky of his former timeline.
This was the Linyuan Orphanage, located in the eastern residential sector of Silverreach City, a core metropolitan hub on the Veridian Continent.
A modern cultivation world.
Lin Ye slowly sat up.
Beyond the window, the city was already alive. Spirit-powered trams glided along elevated rails, their motion nearly silent. Skyscrapers etched with glowing runes rose into the sky, stabilizing ambient qi flow across entire districts. Cultivation academies, beast management bureaus, and government-supervised sect branches were as common as hospitals and schools.
Here, cultivation was not hidden.
It was public knowledge. Law. Infrastructure.
A familiar presence stirred within his consciousness.
The Nameless Oath unfolded, its interface appearing without sound or spectacle.
[Name]: Lin Ye [Age]: 16 [Realm]: Body Tempering — Early Stage [Physique]: Supreme Origin Physique — Sealed [Bloodline]: Primordial Beast Sovereign — Dormant [Inheritance]: Forgotten Epoch Inheritance — Sealed [Beast Contract]: Locked — Requirement: Qi Condensation Stage — Limitation: One contract per two major realm advancements
No rewards, no instructions, only truth.
Lin Ye exhaled slowly.
So this world had already reached this level—where cultivation and civilization had fused completely. Compared to his previous timeline, it was more structured, more controlled.
But structure had never prevented collapse.
He rose from the bed and rolled his shoulders, testing the responsiveness of his body. Young. Unscarred. Yet beneath the surface, he could feel it—the pressure of sealed potential, vast and restrained.
The Supreme Origin Physique remained bound. As it should.
Rushing power had destroyed his last world.
After changing into simple training clothes, Lin Ye left the dormitory and made his way underground to the orphanage's training hall. Linyuan Orphanage specialized in housing spiritually viable children—those without clan backing but with measurable cultivation aptitude. It lacked prestige, but not legitimacy.
Several teenagers were already training inside. Standardized Body Tempering routines played across holographic displays while monitoring arrays tracked posture, muscle strain, and internal circulation.
Lin Ye took an empty space near the back.
Then he began.
No advanced techniques. No explosive movements. Only controlled stances, precise breathing, and deliberate muscle engagement. His bones aligned, tendons tightened, and qi flowed just enough to nourish—never enough to accumulate.
The Nameless Oath observed silently.
Minutes passed.
Sweat traced down his spine as subtle changes took place beneath the skin.
[Body Response]: Optimal [Internal Circulation]: Stable [Foundation Integrity]: High
Good.
Lin Ye adjusted his stance, refining angles by fractions no instructor would notice. Body Tempering was crude in the eyes of most cultivators, but he knew better. This realm determined everything that followed.
During a brief pause, his gaze drifted toward the reinforced windows overlooking the orphanage courtyard below.
A fox-like beast rested near the edge of the trees, its fur faintly shimmering as it absorbed ambient qi—a regulated urban beast, harmless under supervision.
The interface responded instantly.
[Detected Beast]: Urban Vulpine [Compatibility]: Moderate [Contract Status]: Locked
Lin Ye looked away.
Observation only.
Beast contracts would come at Qi Condensation, and not before. Even then, the Oath would enforce restraint—one beast, then patience, then progress.
Training resumed.
By the time the session ended, his body burned with controlled strain, not exhaustion. That distinction mattered. It meant growth without damage, progress without instability.
As Lin Ye left the hall, the skyline of Silverreach reflected across the glass ahead of him—modern, radiant, and saturated with qi.
Silverreach City, Veridian Continent, world where cultivation was common knowledge.
And beyond this continent—beyond structured realms and regulated power—higher thresholds still waited.
Immortal realms, Unforgiving laws.
Lin Ye clenched his fist.
This time, he would reach them properly.