C1 The First Genius Reborn!

In Azure Connection City, within the ramshackle confines of a wooden hut belonging to the Yang family, Yang Xiao found himself reeling from dizziness. It took him quite some time to come to his senses, and when he did, he was met with the reflection of an unfamiliar face in the copper mirror before him.

"Is this... me?" Confusion clouded Yang Xiao's eyes as he began piecing together the jumble of memories in his head, some foreign, others strangely familiar.

Several hours passed before Yang Xiao managed to slowly untangle his thoughts from the initial shock. Despite the ludicrous and inconceivable nature of his situation, he had no choice but to accept that he had been reborn.

"I never dared to dream of it! The heavens have actually granted me a second chance at life! Haha..." he whispered to himself, his expression a bizarre mix of laughter and tears that would surely seem eerie to any onlooker.

"Those debts! What I owe others, and what is owed to me, I will resolve in this lifetime!" With a resolve as fierce as the trembling of his frail frame, a fiery hatred sparked in his eyes.

In his former life, Yang Xiao's prowess reigned supreme across the Eight-wasteland Continent. He had ascended from the Bright Dao Stage to the Magic Heaven Stage in a mere fifty years—a feat nearly unheard of. There were only seven individuals on the entire continent who had attained the Magic Heaven Stage, all of whom were venerable figures who had lived for centuries. They had relied on centuries of cultivation, a variety of extraordinary pills, and the backing of powerful families to reach the Magic Heaven Stage. Thus, Yang Xiao's reputation as the foremost genius of the Eight-wasteland was well deserved.

Yet, when Yang Xiao sought to achieve the Three-purity Wonderful Stage Great Completion—a level never before attained—he found himself at an impasse, even after centuries of dedicated cultivation.

Despite his prodigious talent, the bottleneck proved insurmountable.

Unwilling to resign himself to a hopeless existence, Yang Xiao set out alone to the ruins of the Immortal Realm, in search of the fabled Seven-page Celestial Book that might aid him in breaking through to the Three-purity Wonderful Stage.

After another century of tedious search, Yang Xiao finally unearthed the legendary tome, the Seven-page Celestial Book!

But as the saying goes, the tree that stands out in the forest is often the first to be brought down by the wind. In a cruel twist of fate, just as Yang Xiao was on the cusp of grasping the secrets of the Seven-page Celestial Book, he was blindsided by a coordinated attack from the seven Magic Heaven Stage elders.

As the memory flooded back, Yang Xiao pounded his fist into the bed beneath him, the wooden boards creaking under the force of his rage. He was consumed by the recollection of that earth-shattering battle that had once shaken the Eight-wasteland. His heart was a maelstrom of fury, impossible to quell.

Yang Xiao's prowess had been exceptional, towering above the various sects, even surpassing the seven old monsters in strength. Yet, even with extraordinary abilities, he was no match for the combined assault of seven Magic Heaven Stage experts.

The conflict raged for four relentless days and nights. Ultimately, Yang Xiao was vanquished. His physical form was obliterated, his Divine Sense shattered by the seven old monsters, and he vanished within the ruins of the Immortal Realm.

"The sects were merely frightened that I would attain the Three-purity Wonderful Stage, an achievement unprecedented, and disrupt the equilibrium of the Eight-wasteland. How malevolent those seven old monsters were. I wonder, those who once vowed to follow me unto death, where are they now? Do they still live?" Yang Xiao sighed, the sound tinged with desolation.

Closing his eyes, he inhaled deeply, the visage of anger that once marred his face now gone, replaced by a steely resolve. When he opened his eyes again, they were filled with profound depth.

"In my past life, you feared me. In this life, I vow to shake you to the core of your being!" Yang Xiao's gaze was piercing as he leapt from the wooden bed, his shadow flickering in and out of sight within the confines of the small cabin.

"The Four-dragon Ring's power is beyond what I imagined!" Yang Xiao paused, reflecting on the secret scripture he had stumbled upon in the Immortal Realm ruins in his past life. At the time, his focus had been on the Seven-page Celestial Book, neglecting to fully explore the scripture, which he had inscribed into his Divine Sense almost carelessly.

"The Four-dragon Ring, a battle for each ring, to slay and fortify an undying body, to forge the path of Immortal Dao..." Yang Xiao murmured solemnly, "I never imagined that the Four-dragon Ring would surpass the Divine Demon Technique I practiced in my former life. Truly, the relics of the Immortal Realm are wondrous beyond compare!"

With a mere thought, Yang Xiao's once indistinct silhouette became clear, returning to his normal state. He was about to test the limits of how much Vital Spirit he could now harness...

A series of violent knocks erupted outside the wooden cabin, the sound of Bang! Bang! Bang! reverberating incessantly, accompanied by a few venomous curses.

"Yang Xiao, you bastard, what time do you think it is? Still lying there playing dead? Get your ass out here right now!"

"Heh!" Yang Xiao let out a derisive snort upon recognizing the voice. His expression turned icy, but he made no move to open the door.

The knocker was none other than E Tiangan, the son of the Yang family's Third Steward, who had reached Small Completion in the Spirit Gathering Stage.

Over the past few hours, Yang Xiao had been assimilating the memories of his body's previous owner, who also bore the name Yang Xiao. He was the son of the former patriarch of the Yang family from Azure Connection City, and was just nineteen years old.

His father, Yang Yi, had been dispatched on a secret mission by the family elders when Yang Xiao was only ten. Nine years had passed without any word, leaving his fate unknown.

Since his father's departure, Yang Yi had been stripped of his patriarchal title by the Yang family's great elder, and another had been appointed in his stead. Yang Xiao's status had plummeted, and because he remained at the Essence Condensation Stage with meager strength, he was looked down upon even by servants within the extensive Yang family, making his life increasingly difficult.

Half a month ago, Yang Xiao's sister fell gravely ill and needed expensive herbs for treatment. Despite being the son of the former patriarch, with his father's whereabouts unknown and his own lackluster cultivation talent, he was deemed less valuable than a servant and unable to contribute to the family. In a world where power was paramount, who would waste resources on someone considered worthless?

As his sister's condition worsened, Yang Xiao swallowed his pride and borrowed a considerable sum of silver from various elders and uncles. But repeated requests led to irritation, and he was eventually dismissed with a myriad of excuses. Desperate, he turned to E Tiangan, the Third Steward's son, with a deal: defeat him in combat and earn silver, lose and still receive silver. However, for Yang Xiao, barely breaking through to the Essence Condensation Stage, facing E Tiangan, two levels his senior in the Spirit Gathering Stage, was tantamount to being a human punching bag.

Clutching onto a sliver of hope, Yang Xiao believed that whether he won or lost, he could earn enough silver to purchase medicine for his sister's illness. With the thought that the worst outcome would be sustaining a few injuries, he agreed to the challenge.

However, E Tiangan proved to be merciless, beating the naive Yang Xiao to the brink of death. Despite his body being covered in wounds, Yang Xiao managed to make it back to his place. Tragically, before he could acquire the medicine for his ailing sister, Yang Xiao succumbed to his severe injuries and passed away.

After many years, Yang Xiao's Residual Soul, through a series of fortunate events, found its way to a new body and was reborn.

"We share the name Yang Xiao. Now that I've inherited your body, I'll also take on the task of resolving the karma you left behind," Yang Xiao murmured with a sigh, his eyes growing cold as he steadily approached the door.

Outside the small cabin, several people were growing restless with impatience. Leading the pack was E Tiangan, flanked by his cronies, all wearing expressions of irritation. "Mr. Tiangan, there's been no noise from inside for quite some time. Don't tell me this kid is so frail that a few punches from you could have killed him," one of them remarked.

"It's only been two days. Considering how Yang Xiao was beaten, I bet he can't even leave his bed!" Liu Zhou, a young man with a pockmarked face, commented.

Wuu Yuehua, a young man with a sharp chin and simian features, chimed in, "Exactly. Mr. Tiangan is a martial artist at the Spirit Gathering Stage, while that waste Yang Xiao barely made it to the Essence Condensation Stage. A few dozen punches from you, and he's probably been bedridden and unable to move for the past couple of days! Haha!"

The two speaking were servants tasked with managing the Yang family's affairs, sons of servants themselves, and of very low status. Yet, they had the audacity to lord over Yang Xiao, which speaks volumes about the hardships he must have faced in life.

These two, by aligning themselves with E Tiangan, the son of the Yang family's Third Steward, had secured a position of favor. E Tiangan, still young with a cultivation at the Spirit Gathering Stage, had the potential to become a significant asset to the Yang family. As such, he was greatly esteemed by the family's main line.

E Tiangan took advantage of his position to wreak havoc in the Yang Mansion, bullying those weaker than him and cowering before the strong. Even his entourage, low-ranking servants themselves, felt emboldened to mistreat those even lower in status. Now, they had gone so far as to disregard Yang Xiao, a clear display of their unchecked arrogance.

"What's the big deal if he was beaten to death? He challenged me first, and we even signed a Life-death Contract!" E Tiangan said with contempt, his greasy, chubby face squeezed into a sneer, his tall and burly stature adding a menacing air. "I kept my word, though. Even after he lost, I gave him some silver—enough for his sister to buy the medicinal herbs she needs to save her life."

"But if you killed Yang Xiao, he's still a member of the Yang family. If Sect Master Yang decides to hold someone accountable, you could be in trouble too, right?" Wuu Yuehua and the others weren't as confident, feeling uneasy since their fathers were mere servants without any influence. They knew they couldn't afford to take the fall if the Sect Master and the elders decided to investigate.

"Trouble? What trouble could there be? Yang Xiao's father is probably long gone. Who would stand up for a talentless nobody? He's become a burden to the Yang family. The fact that his sister is dying and no one cares is proof enough!" E Tiangan was dismissive, convinced that even if Yang Xiao died, the Yang family wouldn't hold him accountable, especially with his father being a powerhouse at the Great Completion Stage.

"My father is not dead!" A frail voice suddenly interrupted.

Turning toward the sound, E Tiangan and his group saw a little girl slowly approaching from a nearby wooden house. About eleven or twelve years old, she clutched the hem of her worn dress, her face ashen, lacking the liveliness typical of a child. Whether out of anger or fear, her small frame shook uncontrollably.

It was Yang Xiao's sister, Yang Weiyue. She had learned that her brother had dared to challenge the son of the Third Steward to gather money for her medicine, despite the vast gap in their abilities. Overwhelmed with worry and ignoring her own sickness, she had forced herself out of bed only to collapse after a few steps. Fortunately, some compassionate female slaves had come to her aid. Now, having regained consciousness, she rushed over, terrified that her brother might have been harmed.