The northern region of the Spirit Realm, Crow's Cry City.
The late autumn wind was like a blade, sweeping through the filthy streets of this barren border town. Dead leaves and dust swirled through the alleys, a stark contrast to the steaming heat rising from the bun shop.
In front of "Liu's Bun Shop," a broad-shouldered, thick-waisted owner was hawking his wares. His plump white meat buns gave off an enticing aroma that made passersby stop, and made the throat of the small, thin figure in the shadows by the wall bob uncontrollably.
Hong Longxiang huddled in the corner, his tattered single layer of clothing no match for the cold. A burning hunger in his belly threatened to devour his very reason. He hadn't eaten a proper meal all day.
"What are you looking at! Get lost, you little beggar!"
"Stop scaring away my customers!"
Boss Liu waved a greasy rag, driving him off with vicious words.
Hong Longxiang lowered his head, his dirty little hands clenching tight.
He was no ordinary little beggar.
He was Hong Longxiang, a reincarnated one from the Lower Realm, bearing the weight of helping the Lower Realm win the grand game of heaven and earth—with the Spirit Realm as the chessboard.
By all rights, he should have grown rapidly over these five years, becoming a crucial piece in the game.
Yet fate had played him a cruel joke.
Five years ago, he descended upon Crow's Cry City with a shooting star, born to the Hong family, a mid-tier merchant household.
He'd expected to rise quickly using his foreknowledge, but right after his birth, the Black Tortoise broke its covenant, and disasters both natural and man-made came one after another.
Worse still, when he was born, a meteor happened to crash into the Hong family's backyard, destroying half their storehouse.
And so, still in swaddling clothes, he was labeled a "calamity star" who had killed the family's fortune. His cruel parents abandoned him on a snowy night at the mass grave outside the city, leaving him to fend for himself.
If an old beggar hadn't happened to pass by and dig him out of the snowdrift, he would have frozen to death on that cold winter night, achieving a first blood for the opposing side without even trying.
For these five years, he had hidden his identity, wandering with the old beggar, enduring endless scorn and abuse.
Other reincarnators started as geniuses with no shortage of resources. But him? He scraped by every day just for a bite to eat, living worse than a dog.
"What a catastrophic start," Hong Longxiang muttered under his breath, a fierce glint flashing through his eyes that belied his age. He clearly remembered his mission, and the importance of this game.
Just then, an opportunity presented itself.
A donkey cart loaded with dry hay happened to stop in front of the bun shop, blocking Boss Liu's line of sight. Several customers crowded around the stall picking out buns, the noise of their chatter filling the air.
Now!
A sharp gleam flashed through Hong Longxiang's eyes as his scrawny body exploded with astonishing speed and precision. He shot forward like a hunting leopard, streaking past the stall in a flash. His small hand darted out and snatched three steaming buns, stuffing them instantly into his ragged shirt before turning to flee.
"You little bastard! You dare steal my buns!"
Boss Liu's furious roar came from behind.
"Catch him! Break his dog legs!"
Hong Longxiang didn't look back. Relying on his familiarity with the alleyways and precise control of his body, he zigzagged through the narrow passages like a slippery eel. The hot buns scorched his chest red, but he clutched them tight, his speed not diminishing in the slightest.
As a reincarnated one from the Lower Realm, though he lacked resources, he had never stopped tempering his body over these five years. Every muscle was pushed to its limit, every movement precise and efficient—this was the only cultivation he could manage while starving and freezing.
The cursing and pounding footsteps behind him gradually faded. Boss Liu was as fat as a pig and couldn't catch him at all.
After weaving through several streets, Hong Longxiang ducked into a dead-end alley. He deftly pulled aside a pile of debris, revealing a dog-hole-sized gap, and squeezed through. This was a secret passage he'd discovered, leading straight to the ruined temple outside the city.
Certain no one was pursuing him, he finally let out a breath and leaned against the wall, panting heavily. His chest stung from the scalding buns, but an icy smile crept onto his face.
With a mission on his shoulders, how could he die of hunger here?
...
Three li outside Crow's Cry City stood a dilapidated Mountain God Temple.
The temple had long fallen into ruin. Doors and windows were askew, the roof let in the wind, and the deity statue was chipped and peeling. This place had become Hong Longxiang and the old beggar's shelter.
Hong Longxiang crawled through the hole in the back of the temple and made his way to the main hall with practiced ease.
In the corner lay a pile of dry straw, where a white-bearded, white-haired old beggar in tattered clothes was curled up, shivering. The late autumn wind poured through the broken windows, freezing the old man's lips purple.
"Old man, time to eat." Hong Longxiang kept his voice low as he pulled the three somewhat flattened but still warm buns from his shirt.
The old beggar's cloudy eyes suddenly lit up, and he reached out with trembling hands.
Hong Longxiang handed over one bun and kept two for himself.
The old beggar took it and wolfed it down, eating so fast he nearly choked but still refusing to slow down.
Watching the old beggar's eating habits, Hong Longxiang felt a complicated mix of emotions.
He bit fiercely into his own bun. The savory meat flavor spread through his mouth, but he couldn't taste a hint of enjoyment.
"Five years... Sister... that woman probably can't even imagine how miserably I'm doing," he thought bitterly.
"The other nine have surely made their mark by now, while I can't even complete Body Tempering."
As a proud scion of the Lower Realm and the legitimate son of a noble house, he possessed countless top-tier cultivation techniques and training experiences in his mind.
Coupled with the Heaven- Penetrating Holy Body that had accompanied him into this world, if he'd had sufficient resources, five years would have been enough to succeed at Object Control and even make a push for the Profound Connection Realm.
But now? He couldn't even complete the most basic Body Tempering.
On the path of immortal cultivation—wealth, companions, method, and land—wealth came first. Without adequate nutrition and resources, he couldn't even finish the foundational Body Tempering, let alone draw qi into his body.
For five years, most of his energy had gone toward finding food. Occasionally, when he managed to steal something good, he still had to set aside a portion for the old beggar—this old man had saved his life, after all.
Thinking of the gravity of this game of heaven and earth, Hong Longxiang's heart grew even heavier.
The Upper Realm's forces were vast. If they chess pieces from the Lower Realm couldn't grow quickly, how could they possibly stand against the Upper Realm?
"I have to break through this situation as soon as possible..." he silently clenched his fists.
"Otherwise, I'll not only fail that woman's expectations, but I might jeopardize the entire game."
After the old beggar finished eating and curled up in the straw pile to sleep, Hong Longxiang moved to another corner of the temple, sat cross-legged, and attempted to cultivate.
He was running the Hong family's foundational technique, which could maximize the body's potential even when resources were scarce. But even so, his progress remained despairingly slow.
The meager spiritual qi he'd managed to gather was mostly consumed just sustaining his malnourished body. Only a negligible trace was converted into cultivation progress.
After cultivating for roughly two hours, Hong Longxiang opened his eyes in frustration.
The improvement was infinitesimal. Even the late stage of Body Tempering remained far out of reach.
"I can't even temper my body on an empty stomach... how am I supposed to cultivate immortality?" he thought with a furrowed brow, feeling an unprecedented anxiety for the first time.
The cold wind swept through the ruined temple, making a sound like whimpering, as if echoing his helplessness.
Hong Longxiang curled up tighter, feeling the faint gnawing of hunger in his belly. He stared at the darkening sky outside the temple, but an unyielding fire burned in his eyes.
He knew he had to break free from this predicament soon. Not just for himself, but for the Lower Realm, for...
"Hmph!" he sneered, psyching himself up.
"A dragon trapped in the shallows will someday soar into the sky!"
The night deepened. In the ruined temple, the old man and the boy huddled together for warmth, shivering in the cold wind.
No one knew that within the body of this little beggar who couldn't even fill his stomach lay power and determination enough to change the entire Spirit Realm's landscape.
And no one knew that far above the Nine Heavens, a pair of eyes watched this ruined temple through endless void, filled with helplessness and anticipation.
The game had begun. The pieces had been placed.
When would Hong Longxiang, this hidden dragon, finally break free from the shallows and soar into the heavens?
...
[
Dear Readers,
I am currently posting two chapters every day across two active fictions, along with bonus and extra chapters. The workload is steady, and I am putting in the effort to keep the schedule consistent for everyone. In total, that comes out to 56 chapters per month normally, plus random bonus and extra chapters on top of that.
Right now, the financial situation is not great. Patreon support is what keeps this translation work sustainable. If you have been following the stories and want to help, joining a tier makes a direct difference.
Here is what membership offers:
$6 per month
10 chapters in advance for all works
$8 per month
20 chapters in advance for all works, plus random bonus and extra chapters
$10 per month
30 chapters in advance for all works, plus access to character images and random bonus and extra chapters
Important note: Subscribing through the Apple App adds an extra 30 percent fee because of Apple and Patreon policy. Subscribe through your browser to avoid the extra charge. Apple also processes payments very late, around 2 to 3 months, which makes it much harder to receive money quickly after you subscribe.
If you can support, it would genuinely help continue the daily releases and early access content. If you cannot, reading and sharing the work is also appreciated.
Thank you for your time.
Patreon: patreon.com/Alex_Cruise
]