Chapter 1 — Lin ye
Dou Qi Continent, Jia Ma Empire,
Wu Tan City, eastern corner.
Morning light entered the room on the second floor of the small house.
Lin Ye sat cross-legged on his bed, quietly cultivating.
His long hair, dark purple with a shadow of black, fell behind his back. A few loose strands rested near his calm face. His features were sharp but not eye-catching. His silver eyes were closed, his expression steady and peaceful.
He slowly opened his eyes.
Peak Eight-Star Dou Shi.
Only one step away from Nine-Star Dou Shi.
He remained still, breathing evenly.
Almost there…
A faint sigh passed through his mind as his thoughts drifted.
His previous life felt distant now. A world filled with tall concrete buildings and people chasing money from morning to night. He had lived a full life there and died like everyone else.
Then he was born again.
This world was different.
Here, the strong stood above all.
He had been born to a pair of Dou Zhe mercenaries. His father often went into the mountains for missions and eventually died from his injuries after one such trip when Lin Ye was only two years old. His mother was gentle and ran a small herb store on the east side of Wu Tan City. She raised him alone and did everything she could for him. She supported his early training and let him begin cultivating at the age of four. But the grief of losing his father never truly left her, and she passed away when Lin Ye was five.
After that, he lived alone.
Fortunately, he had been reborn. His soul was stronger than normal, and his talent was good. He reached Dou Zhi at nine and Dou Shi at twelve. With no clan and no resources, he still cultivated all the way to Peak Eight-Star Dou Shi using only a low-level Qi Method.
His talent was too good for a small place like the Jia Ma Empire.
If he exposed it, he would die early.
So he never spoke of it. Never showed it.
In Wu Tan City, no one knew his strength.
To them, he was only the quiet young owner of an herb store.
Nothing more.
Recently, he often heard people in the city talking about a child from the Xiao Clan.
A five-year-old genius.
Lin Ye knew who that child would become.
In the future, Xiao Yan would stand at the peak of this world and become a Dou Di, walking a path few could even imagine. He would have guidance, backing, and opportunities that others could never touch.
Lin Ye felt a trace of jealousy.
But that was all.
There was no hostility, and no intention of getting close.
To someone like Xiao Yan, he was just a commoner without background.
Not someone on the same level.
Lin Ye opened his eyes and let out a quiet sigh about his current level.
He stood up, washed his face with fresh water, then ate a simple breakfast.
After that, he left his room and went downstairs to open his herb store.