Purple Sun Sect, Outer Mansion.
In a bedroom filled with classic elegance, a young man lay on a bed made of purple sandalwood. Dressed in blue robes, his face was as handsome as jade. His brows seemed to twitch slightly.
Then, his unnaturally pale fingers twitched as well.
The young man did not open his eyes.
But his consciousness had already awakened.
The first thing he did was scan his own body through and through. When he discovered it was a living, breathing vessel—a body that was not under a Seal—excitement gradually began to swell within him.
He had finally come back to life.
And this time, it was not a sealed body, but an ordinary, even somewhat flawed vessel, yet one with limitless potential.
Overcome with excitement, he opened his eyes.
"Young Master, you're awake?"
The very moment the young man's eyes opened, a beautiful maid in a green dress cried out in joyful surprise.
She had been the one waiting on Yang Xiao for the past few days. Just moments ago, when she saw the Young Master's brow furrow and his finger twitch, she knew he might be about to wake.
She had immediately perked up, keeping her eyes fixed on him.
Sure enough, the Young Master had woken up!
Seeing the maid, the young man was momentarily startled, but then a faint smile crossed his face.
In that brief moment of surprise, he had already fully absorbed and integrated all the memories left behind in this body.
"Yun'Er, it's you…"
His voice was a little hoarse.
Without needing to be told, the green-clad maid named Yun'Er fetched a cup of water—not too cold, not too hot. With one hand, she helped her Young Master sit up, and with the other, she brought the water to his lips.
"Young Master, you've been unconscious for so many days, you must be thirsty. I brought you some water to soothe your throat. In a little while, I'll have the kitchen send over some medicinal soup. Oh, and the Master! The Master has been worried sick for days. I'll go tell him the good news that you're awake right away."
After setting the empty cup on a nearby table, the little maid Yun'Er hurried out of the room.
Watching her rush off in such a flurry, the young man couldn't help but smile.
'It seems that in this life, I have a father who adores me and an adorable little maid. No wonder this body's previous owner had such a lingering obsession, even in death!'
'So be it. Since I've taken over your body, from now on, I am Yang Xiao. Your father is my father. Your persistence, your ideals—I will fulfill them all for you.'
As he made this vow, Yang Xiao felt his body and spirit knit more closely together.
It was as if only at this moment did the original owner's nearly dissipated Soul finally begin to truly merge with his own.
Sensing this, Yang Xiao felt even more strongly that the Human Race was truly a species favored by the heavens. To think that occupying the body of a mere mortal was such a difficult and profound process.
'No wonder Master advised me to choose a Human Race body for my reincarnation back then.'
'It's a pity…'
'My first reincarnation into the Human Race was a complete setup!'
'The one who plotted against me was incredibly powerful, likely no weaker than Master. Otherwise, I wouldn't have been forced to borrow the power of a Divine Pill and self-destruct my Divine Format just to escape. But now that I have a new body, and after having spent a million years in the Void Dark Realm, that person probably thinks I died long ago!'
A cold sneer spread across Yang Xiao's lips.
In his first life, he was an Innate Fire God but chose an unyielding rock as his physical form. Though he stood at the Peak of the gods, he ultimately failed to achieve the Dao and had no choice but to sever his own existence. On his master's advice, he was reborn into the Human Race.
In his second life, he was meant to be a heaven-ordained Venerable of the Human Race, born with an Innate Daoist Body. However, he was plotted against and rendered unable to cultivate. Although he unexpectedly became the Human Race Medicine Ancestor and refined an Unparalleled Divine Pill, he still ended up self-destructing his Divine Format.
To say he felt no hatred would be impossible.
However, Yang Xiao also knew that, given the foundation of his first life, anyone capable of scheming against him had to be one of the most powerful Dominators in existence. He was absolutely no match for them now.
He needed to bide his time.
At the very least, he had to regain the Peak strength of his first life before he could even think about planning his revenge.
Just as Yang Xiao was lost in his memories, a flurry of urgent footsteps startled him back to the present. He looked up to see a formidable-looking man approaching, his face etched with anxiety and concern.
For some reason, the arrival of this man sparked a flicker of warmth in Yang Xiao's heart.
"Xiao'Er, how are you feeling? Does anywhere still hurt? Quick, tell Father!"
Yang Zhentian asked nervously, his voice laced with care.
Even if this son was the world's number one piece of trash in everyone else's eyes, in his own eyes, the boy was his precious treasure.
He was something to be held in the palm for fear of being hurt, to be held in the mouth for fear of melting away—the sole reason for his own existence.
"I'm fine, Father."
Yang Xiao shook his head slightly and smiled at Yang Zhentian.
As he said the word "Father," he immediately sensed his physical body knitting together just a little bit more. It wasn't much, but it was a definite effect, and his heart filled with joy.
But seeing his son smile at him, Yang Zhentian froze. Ever since the boy was ten, when Master Wang Qianhe had declared that his son could never condense Inner Qi and become a Martial Artist, this child had rarely ever smiled again.
At this moment, seeing his son smiling at him—and with such a pure smile—Yang Zhentian's nose began to sting, and he felt tears welling up in his eyes.
But as a father, and the distinguished Honored Guest Elder Chief of the Purple Sun Sect, how could he let a child see him make a fool of himself?
Yang Zhentian forced the tears back down.
He turned to Yang Xiao with concern. "In a little while, I'll go ask Master Liu to come examine you again. Your body is weak, we can't risk any lingering problems… On second thought, I'm not comfortable with your condition as it is. I'll go fetch Master Liu to treat you right now!"
With that, Yang Zhentian turned and left.
It happened so fast that Yang Xiao had no chance to refuse.
In truth, there was nothing wrong with him, but he was still warmed by this father's heartfelt concern.
'No wonder my predecessor valued his father's love so much. A father this doting is truly unforgettable.'
Memories of his predecessor's past flooded Yang Xiao's mind.
Since childhood, his father had cared for him in every possible way, acting as both a father and a mother.
When he turned six and started practicing martial arts, he showed remarkable progress. His father then set aside all his worldly affairs, brought him to the Purple Sun Sect, and went from being an authoritative Marquis to a subservient Honored Guest Elder of the sect, all just to provide him with a good cultivation environment.
Then at ten, when he was unable to condense Inner Qi, his father sought medical help from all corners.
At twelve, Wang Qianhe declared he could never become a Martial Artist, making him the Purple Sun Sect's number one piece of trash in name and in fact. But his father still didn't give up on him; on the contrary, he doted on him even more.
Later, when he got together with Tang Xiaoyu, his father said nothing, even though he was displeased.
It was as if any sacrifice was worth it, as long as he was happy.
How could Yang Xiao not accept a father like this?
...
"Master Liu, this way, please!"
In no time, Yang Zhentian had brought Master Liu—Liu Junyi, the Vice Medicine Peak Master and a Pharmacist at the Peak of Level 4 Grand Pharmacist—to his residence.
"Old Yang, leave your son's matter to me. It will be fine,"
Liu Junyi, a man in his fifties clad in a white robe with gold trim, said with a gentle tone.
This gentleness was not due to Yang Zhentian's status as Honored Guest Elder Chief. In comparison, although Liu Junyi was only a Vice Master on Medicine Peak, his standing was actually a notch higher than Yang Zhentian's.
The real reason for his mild manner was that Yang Zhentian treasured his son dearly. For this son, he was incredibly generous. Seeing the potential for a hefty consultation fee, Liu Junyi was naturally quite amiable.
Besides, he could always squeeze out a bit more during the examination.
If he put on a stern face from the start, it would be harder to make his move.
"Then I must thank you, Master Liu."
Yang Zhentian appeared somewhat subservient, bowing his head slightly.
If the other Honored Guest Elders were to see him like this, they would likely be shocked. When had Sect Leader Yang, a man who dared to stand up even to the chief of the Law Enforcement Hall, ever been so humble?
But if they knew it was because of Yang Xiao, every single one of them would find it perfectly understandable.
In this world, Yang Xiao was Sect Leader Yang Zhentian's Achilles' heel. Once you had ahold of it, this powerful man, who could contend with the strongest Elder in the Purple Sun Sect—the chief of the Law Enforcement Hall—would have to bow his head.
"Rest assured, rest assured!"
Seeing Yang Zhentian's attitude, Liu Junyi felt increasingly smug.
In just a few steps, the two arrived at Yang Xiao's bedroom.
But when he saw that the boy was already awake, Liu Junyi's brow furrowed. With head injuries, the greatest fear is that the patient won't wake up due to Qi stagnating in the brain, which is incredibly dangerous. Once they wake up, however, they are usually out of the woods.
'However,' he thought, 'I am a Fourth-level Peak Great Pharmacist. It would be all too easy for me to do a little something to make him pass out again.'
'Yang Zhentian, don't blame me for being greedy. If you must blame someone, blame yourself for doting on your son too much.'
With a faint smile, Liu Junyi stepped forward and placed his hands on Yang Xiao's wrist. A stream of True Qi entered his body, circled around casually, and then returned to its source.
Throughout this process, Yang Xiao remained perfectly still.
He currently lacked the strength to even truss a chicken. Besides, this was a Pharmacist his father had invited to treat him; there was no need to be on guard. In any case, there was no way the man could discover the Seed of Origin Flame within him.
But Liu Junyi's next words made his expression turn cold.