C1 A down and out Genius

Intense pain jolted Xiao Han awake from his deep sleep. He sat up, scanning his surroundings in disbelief. Was he truly not dead?

It seemed impossible. The lightning tribulation should have obliterated his soul. How could he possibly be alive and unscathed?

As Xiao Han grappled with his confusion, a flood of memories poured into his mind, revealing the truth. He hadn't died; he had transmigrated and been reborn in a different world.

He had come from the Arcane Continent, but this new place was known as Blue Star. Despite being a modern urban society, Blue Star had been thrust into a cultivation craze due to an invasion by the evilkind centuries ago.

The cultivation system here was vastly different from his own. Here, it revolved around weapons, and those who mastered the Blade Spirit, like the Spirit of Aquablade, could become Awakened and embark on the path of cultivation.

The teenager whose body he now inhabited had awakened his Blade Spirit at sixteen and should have been destined for greatness. However, a recent surprise attack by the evilkind left him gravely wounded, his cultivation gone, and his Blade Spirit shattered.

He had been set to attend a top-tier school, but following his injuries, he was expelled. His girlfriend left him, and even the Aquablade, his pride and joy, was reclaimed by the academy.

The expulsion notice he had just received was the last straw, shattering his mental state, and in a fit of rage, he met his untimely end.

"Such a minor setback and you couldn't handle it? If I had your fragile heart in the world of cultivation, I would have been infuriated to death over and over again," Xiao Han mused, a mix of amusement and pity in his voice.

Settling into a cross-legged position, he tapped into the scant remains of his soul power to assess the body's spirit root aptitude.

A water spirit root—no wonder the boy had grasped the Spirit of Aquablade. Yet, it was a pity; Xiao Han was no swordsman.

In his previous life, Xiao Han had risen to prominence in the Arcane Continent as the preeminent cultivator, undefeated in battle with his peerless spear technique.

This world's cultivation system was based on Spirit Energy, much like the Arcane Continent's, except here, the Spirit Energy was not compressed into vital essence. Instead, cultivators absorbed it directly into their dantian.

Xiao Han focused all the dispersed Spirit Energy within his dantian, and in a mere moment, his cultivation soared to the early stages of Qi Refining.

Rising to his feet, Xiao Han resolved to venture out in search of medicinal herbs to concoct pills, hoping to expedite his ascent to the pinnacle of Qi Refining.

Spirit Energy, Awakened, Spirit Weaver, High Sorcerer, Star Sovereign, Spirit Sage, Emperor of the Unseen.

This delineates the hierarchy of cultivation in this realm, starkly contrasting the tiers found on the Arcane Continent.

Qi Refining, Foundation Building, Golden Core, Nascent Infant.

Having reached the early Qi Refining stage, Xiao Han's prowess was on par with a Spirit Weaver. At the Foundation Building level, he could match a High Sorcerer, and with a Golden Core, rival a Spirit Sage. As for the Nascent Infant stage, Xiao Han was confident he would be the unrivaled champion in this world.

This world lacked a fundamental method for incorporating Spirit Energy into the body, thus one could only rely on awakening the Blade Spirit to embark on the path of cultivation.

In essence, Blue Star's cultivation system was a rudimentary version of the more advanced Immortal Cultivation system.

Upon reaching the bank, he withdrew his last bit of money. Nearby, there happened to be a traditional pharmacy. He entered and began purchasing herbs. Despite the different names from those on the Arcane Continent, the herbs bore the same appearance. The only drawback was the excessive amount of time spent in the selection process.

An hour later, Xiao Han had finally picked out his herbs, his pockets now empty.

...

With a whoosh, flames sprang to life in his hands. Although his current level of cultivation wasn't particularly strong, he was more than capable of refining a first-level pill using the fire as his crucible.

After a night of diligent effort, Xiao Han triumphantly produced ten Qi Refining Pills. Having ingested them all, he achieved a breakthrough to the peak of Qi Refining. Now, he could confidently face a Spirit Weaver in battle and be assured of victory. Previously, he was merely in the middle period of being an Awakened, which meant he had now far surpassed his former self.

It's truly a shame that he's no longer a student at the academy. Otherwise, he could have shown those who ridiculed him that Xiao Han is far from the worthless person they claimed he was.

Xiao Han had reached the pinnacle of Qi Refining, yet to the people of this world, his cultivation seemed to be merely at the early stages of Spirit Energy. The reason was that his Spirit Energy was highly concentrated, making it appear scarce.

Knock, knock, knock.

Suddenly, a series of knocks echoed at the door.

Upon hearing the sound, Xiao Han's brow furrowed. He was an orphan with no parents, having grown up in an orphanage with very few friends around him. Those friends he did have had severed ties with him after a certain incident.

Who could be looking for him so early in the morning?

Filled with curiosity, Xiao Han approached the door and opened it.

Standing at the threshold was a man Xiao Han was certain he had never met before—a middle-aged man.

"Who are you?"

"Son, I'm your father."

"My father?"

The words slipped out before Xiao Han could stop them. Having been raised in an orphanage, the concept of having a father was foreign to him.

"Are you out of your mind?"

He muttered to himself, ready to dismiss the visitor and close the door.

"I'm not insulting you; I truly am your biological father, Xiao Yunlong."

The middle-aged man offered a rueful smile and produced a white jade pendant from his storage ring.

It was half of a Pisces Jade Pendant, and the other half, Xiao Han realized, was in his possession.

"Huh?"

Xiao Han was initially taken aback upon seeing the jade pendant, but then he retrieved his own half and matched them together. Indeed, they were two halves of the same whole.

"I'm sorry, son. Due to certain circumstances, I had to leave you at the orphanage to ensure your safety."

Xiao Yunlong's voice was heavy with remorse. Xiao Han, having snapped out of his initial shock, replied with a frosty smile:

"And what brings you to me now?"

"I've learned about your ordeal at Starry Sky Academy. You've endured much hardship over the years. Please, come back home with me."

Xiao Yunlong extended his hand, but Xiao Han swiftly pushed it away.

"I don't need your pity. I can manage just fine without your help."

As Xiao Han moved to shut the door, Xiao Yunlong, quick as lightning, caught it before it could close.

"Here's a card with five hundred thousand yuan in it—no password needed. I've taken care of the issues at Starry Sky Academy for you. You can go back to school tomorrow."

Xiao Yunlong produced a bank card and offered it to Xiao Han, who eyed the card and, after a brief three-second pause, took it.

"I'll repay you for this money in the future."

With those final words, Xiao Han closed the door, leaving Xiao Yunlong standing outside, sighing in resignation.