C1 Rebirth

Late at night, a fresh snowfall had cast a hush over Castlebury.

In a quiet corner of the Lee estate on South Street, candlelight flickered through the darkness. Inside, a striking young boy of about thirteen or fourteen sat cross-legged on a bed, his upper body bare, dotted with silver needles.

Flames leapt in the brazier beside him, yet he sat motionless, as serene as an old monk in meditation, until the last bit of candle had burned down. He then opened his eyes, furrowed his brow, and said in a deep voice, "What a terrible body! But even with its weak constitution, I have the power to make it undergo a complete transformation!"

This boy was actually Nie Yu, the top earth-level Alchemist of the Vruthurenth Empire. As the Supreme Elder of the Imperial Hospital, he was granted the rare privilege by the emperor to meet with anyone without having to kneel.

With the Celestial Flame Embodiment Spell and the Purple Earthfire at his disposal, he had created countless rare spirit pills for the royal family. His status was exceedingly high, and he enjoyed the utmost glory. Even his disciples were powerful enough to overthrow dynasties.

However, Nie Yu's life took a devastating turn when he was caught up in a dispute over the throne and was killed by a martial expert with a single strike during a chaotic battle.

In his last moments, his noble clothes stained with blood and his body trampled upon, the reputation and glory he had built shattered in an instant. The humiliation of being defeated so easily filled him with bitter anger.

Nie Yu's life had ended as if it were nothing more than a brief dream. When he awoke, he discovered that he had become Lee Mo, the young heir of the Lee family in Castlebury.

It was rumored that Lee Mo had a close call while out enjoying himself; he accidentally fell into the water and was not breathing when rescued. Miraculously, after coughing up some water, he came back to life.

Nie Yu was certain that Lee Mo had died when pulled ashore. However, filled with resentment at the time of his death, Nie Yu's spirit traveled to a neighboring town in the Spirit World and inhabited Lee Mo's body.

From that moment on, the top earth level Alchemist of the Vruthurenth Empire was no longer in this world. He was now Lee Mo of the Lee family, ready to live anew and refine his alchemy skills!

His tragic demise in his past life made him acutely aware of the importance of martial arts.

He practiced the Celestial Flame Embodiment Spell for alchemy. While the world recognized it as a pyrokinesis technique, they were unaware that it was actually a sophisticated offensive skill.

Yet, he devoted himself to alchemy, neglecting martial arts training.

Despite this, in his lifetime, he had attained the eighth layer of level nine in martial arts, ranking him among the world's elite.

However, he met his end at the hands of a Spirit World minion of the prince, defeated in a single blow—a blatant insult to his legacy.

This time, he was determined to seek vengeance!

Mastering the Celestial Flame Embodiment Spell required exceptional bone root and a formidable physique.

Lee Mo, however, was inherently frail with an inferior root bone, rendering him incapable of martial arts practice. Moreover, he lacked any interest in martial arts, preferring to roam mountains and rivers. At thirteen, his frame was slight, devoid of Vital Energy.

He was years behind his peers in starting martial arts training.

Nevertheless, Lee Mo was the preeminent alchemist of the Vruthurenth Empire, known for transforming the worthless into the valuable. He was resolved to alter his bone root and ascend to the pinnacle of martial prowess.

In recent days, Lee Mo had attempted numerous techniques. That very night, he employed ancient silver needle acupuncture to regulate his meridians, only to confront the severity of his deficient bone root.

Thus, he resolved to concoct the Abyss Pill.

Starting anew, without the Purple Earthfire and yet to begin the Celestial Flame Embodiment Spell, he could only produce Yellow Level pills of the lowest grade.

Still, the Abyss Pill, while insufficient to fully reverse his bone root, promised to enhance its quality.

With an improved bone root, he could practice the Celestial Flame Embodiment Spell, and eventually, refining Profound Level and earth level pills would become more feasible.

Crafting the Abyss Pill required a substantial sum to procure the necessary herbs—dozens of taels of silver.

Despite the Lee family's assets, the cost was considerable, and securing funds from his parents proved challenging.

Amidst his recollections, Lee Mo thought of a man named Lee Gaoyuan.

The Lee family of Castlebury, a prominent collateral branch, was renowned for their substantial business ventures, including the well-known Lee's Drugstore, which was quite large.

Lee Gaoyuan, a childhood friend of Lee Mo, was part of this affluent family.

Early the next morning, Lee Mo left his home and headed to the Lee estate on North Street. As he entered the courtyard, he saw a chubby boy sitting on a stool, gasping for air. His face was flushed, and he was sweating profusely, clearly having just finished his morning exercise.

When the boy caught sight of Lee Mo, he exclaimed with great exaggeration, "My goodness! Lee Mo, you're notorious for sleeping in. What has you up at the crack of dawn today?"

Lee Mo smiled faintly and replied, "I've got some things to take care of, so I got up early."

"What on earth could get you out of bed at this hour?" Lee Gaoyuan asked, his voice filled with curiosity and a hint of excitement.

"I'm planning to refine some pills," Lee Mo said casually.

"Pills? You're going to refine pills?" Lee Gaoyuan stared at him in disbelief before bursting into laughter. "Lee Mo, I wouldn't tease you if you said you were going to study literature, but alchemy? That's not for just anyone."

Lee Mo was prepared for this skepticism and had his explanation ready. "My bone root is weak, which is exactly why I've chosen alchemy. I want to use pills to cleanse my meridians and improve the quality of my bone root."

Lee Gaoyuan's laughter subsided as he saw the seriousness in Lee Mo's eyes. He slapped his thigh and said, "You've had quite the epiphany, Lee Mo. You have my full support with your pill refining! You'll need herbs, right? Let's go to the drugstore."

Lee Gaoyuan was always straightforward, and Lee Mo nodded in agreement. He always believed in returning favors and planned to offer Lee Gaoyuan some advice on martial spells when the chance came up.

They soon reached Lee's Drugstore, marked by two large red pillars and a shining golden signboard. Inside, the shop was bustling with activity as doctors attended to a line of patients.

Upon recognizing Lee Gaoyuan, an assistant hurried to inform the shopkeeper. Meanwhile, Lee Mo examined the medicine cabinet to ensure all the necessary herbs were available.

Just then, he overheard some shop assistants whispering to each other.

One said, "I can't understand what our young master is thinking, associating with that ne'er-do-well."

Another chimed in, "Exactly. The Lee family is renowned for its martial prowess. Yet Lee Mo, despite being the young master, is incapable of learning martial arts. It's utterly preposterous."

A third added, "I bet he's just sucking up to our young master."

Lee Mo remained unfazed. He neither had the interest nor the time to engage with their chatter. His attention, however, was captured by something in the corner of the counter, and his eyes subtly brightened.

There lay a large basket of Dark Lancewood, short, stout, and unassuming. But his sharp eyes spotted a rare piece of Crimson Lancewood among the lot.

Dark Lancewood was inexpensive—a large basket cost merely half a tael of silver.

Crimson Lancewood, on the other hand, was a rare variant. Although this particular piece was valued at only a hundred taels of silver, its rarity made it precious.

Apart from his passion for alchemy, Lee Mo's sole interest was in amassing treasures.

The mansion where Lee Mo had resided was home to a treasury brimming with countless treasures. In days gone by, many had presented their ancestral Mystic Manuals and spiritual treasures to him in exchange for his pills.

Now, after having hoarded so many treasures, they had ended up in the hands of others.

But he was not about to let his possessions be taken so easily. Once his cultivation was complete, he was determined to reclaim what was his!

He promptly informed Lee Gaoyuan of his desire for the Crimson Lancewood. Lee Gaoyuan summoned a servant to retrieve and package the wood.

At that moment, a man in his fifties rushed out from the back room—it was the shopkeeper, Lee Songchi.

Lee Gaoyuan presented the prescription given by Lee Mo and said, "Fourth Uncle, please prepare several doses of the herbs listed on this prescription."

Lee Songchi glanced at the prescription and curiously remarked, "This is the formula for the Abyss Pill. Are you looking for someone to refine it?"

"No, it's for Lee Mo's use. Just gather the herbs, that's all. And get me some extra," Lee Gaoyuan replied.

Upon hearing this, a look of disdain immediately crossed Lee Songchi's face. He glanced at Lee Mo with contempt and even snorted heavily through his nose.

The Abyss Pill was notoriously difficult to refine among Yellow Level pills. Even a second-grade Yellow Level alchemist wouldn't dare attempt it.

Yet here was Lee Mo, a man considered to have no real talent or knowledge, aspiring to refine such a pill. He was surely overestimating his abilities!

Even if he were given dozens of doses of herbs instead of just a few, he would undoubtedly squander them.

Nevertheless, Lee Songchi didn't press the issue further and turned to gather the medicine.

The few doses of herbs were worth only a handful of silver taels—a mere pittance for Lee Gaoyuan, a member of the wealthy Lee family.

Once Lee Mo had the ingredients, he borrowed a furnace from Lee Gaoyuan, took the Crimson Lancewood, and returned to his home.

As soon as he arrived, Lee Mo closed the door and immediately began the pill refinement process.

In less than an hour, the Abyss Pill was ready.

This batch resulted in four pills: three of top grade and one of supreme grade.

Lee Songchi would never have believed such a feat possible had he not seen it with his own eyes.

Yet, Lee Mo was far from satisfied. Shaking his head, he sighed, "The beginning is always the most challenging. If I were still an earth level alchemist, all four of these pills would be of supreme grade."

After that, he casually picked up the supreme grade pill and swallowed it.

As soon as the pill touched his tongue, it exploded with a flood of energy, like a burst dam, rushing through Lee Mo's meridians.

Those with superior bone roots have clear and unobstructed meridians, while Lee Mo's inferior root bone meant his were twisted, causing his Vital Energy to flow erratically.

Now, the immense power of the pill was forcefully straightening out his convoluted pathways.

The process was excruciating, as if knives were scraping along his meridians. Such pain would test even the most hardened warrior, let alone Lee Mo.

Knowing the pill's powerful effects, Lee Mo clenched his teeth and, with sheer willpower, persevered.

Fifteen minutes later, the overwhelming force of the Abyss Pill finally eased.

Soaked in sweat, Lee Mo took a deep breath and allowed a small smile to appear on his face.

Since his rebirth, his breathing had been irregular. But now, with each breath flowing smoothly, he experienced a newfound sense of relief.

Just one Abyss Pill had significantly improved his bone root. He was confident that taking three Abyss Pills would give him the potential to develop a martial root bone, allowing him to practice the martial arts.

Lee Mo, burdened with an inferior root bone, found his Vital Energy pathways twisted and his energy flow chaotic. Now, the immense power contained within the spirit pill was forcefully straightening his convoluted meridians. The process brought not only an intense surge but also excruciating pain that was almost unbearable for him.

With purpose, Lee Mo picked up the Crimson Lancewood and stepped into the courtyard. He meticulously cleaned the mud from its surface, revealing the unique red striations that the Dark Lancewood lacked, now gleaming in the sunlight.

The Dark Lancewood's interwoven red and black lines formed a delicate and flawless pattern, except for a protruding anomaly in the middle that disrupted its perfection. As Lee Mo's fingers absentmindedly traced over it, he noticed a slight depression in the wood. "Could this actually be a secret compartment?" he pondered.

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