Chapter 1: Ye Chen

In a dimly lit room, a young man lay lazily on the bed, muttering to himself, "I never thought the owner of this body would also be named Ye Chen, and his appearance is about three or four parts similar to mine. Could it be specially prepared for me?"

In his previous life, Ye Chen was a physics student at a university in the 21st century, with a fairly smart head and keen observational skills. An accident in the laboratory caused all the machines to explode, sending his soul to this world.

If an ordinary person suddenly found themselves in a strange environment, with their soul entering a strange body, they would certainly go crazy. However, Ye Chen felt nothing, just a bit surprised.

Thinking about this, Ye Chen wondered if he was a psychopath, feeling nothing about such a big event. What could he possibly feel about anything else!

After a brief fusion of memories, Ye Chen had already digested all the memories of this body, which belonged to a young man from a prominent family. He joined the Flowing Cloud Sect at the age of twelve and officially became an outer sect disciple at fourteen, marking the end of his hardships.

The only criticism was that from the age of twelve to fourteen, the original owner had only advanced to the fourth level of Inner Qi cultivation, with little progress in other areas. He had only learned the third form of the basic Flowing Cloud Sword Technique.

"Looks like to survive in this world, I need to get rid of the label of being a fool first," Ye Chen was unhappy that the original owner was called a fool. After all, they were now one, and he, who had never been foolish, was unwilling to bear the disgraceful label.

Making up his mind, Ye Chen's eyes flickered, and he couldn't help but recall the events before he was twelve.

The Flowing Cloud Sect is located in the northern part of Tianfeng Kingdom and is one of the 'One Valley, One Manor, Three Sects' alongside four other sects. Apart from these five strongest forces, the eight major families control the martial arts of Tianfeng Kingdom, and even the royal court mainly seeks to ally with them, trying not to provoke them.

The family Ye Chen belonged to was one of the eight major families, the Ye Family.

The Ye Family developed over two hundred years ago, primarily dealing in tea and silk, accumulating vast wealth. As the saying goes, no matter how much wealth one has, one must have the strength to protect it; otherwise, it's just a defenseless piece of meat that anyone would want to bite.

After countless setbacks and extortions, the then head of the Ye Family, after much reflection, decided to use their substantial wealth to transform the family into a martial arts family, standing on equal footing with other forces. This is how the Ye Family became one of the eight major families.

As a member of the Ye Family, one would walk with their head held high, and others would be eager to curry favor. However, Ye Chen was an exception because his cultivation talent was extremely poor, causing great disappointment.

Fortunately, his father was the current head of the Ye Family, and his mother was an outer sect elder of the Nanluo Sect, one of the three major sects. Therefore, others did not dare to openly mock or disrespect him.

Despite this, Ye Chen still faced a lot of bullying.

The most vivid memory was of his eldest uncle's eldest son, second son, and his third uncle's son frequently causing trouble for him, even finding secluded places to humiliate him. His maidservant, Xiaoju, was often looked down upon by other maidservants and would often come to him to cry and complain about her grievances.

"… This grudge must be avenged." Ye Chen's eyes turned fierce, and he clenched his fists tightly.

His anger was not without reason. He was now a fusion of two Ye Chens, possessing both the memories and emotions of his past life and the present. In other words, both Ye Chens were him, inseparable and without barriers.

Whether it was the past Ye Chen or the present Ye Chen who was insulted, it would make him furious.

Struggling to control his emotions, Ye Chen continued to recall—

The children of the Ye Family began cultivating Inner Qi at the age of ten. Those who reached the second level of Inner Qi cultivation before the age of twelve would be selected by the five major sects of Tianfeng Kingdom to become their nominal disciples. However, to become an outer sect disciple, one must at least reach the fourth level of Inner Qi cultivation.

Perhaps it was the pressure that generated motivation, or perhaps it was the desire not to disgrace his parents, but Ye Chen managed to cultivate to the second level of Inner Qi within two years, and then to the fourth level, barely crossing the threshold to become an outer sect disciple of the Flowing Cloud Sect.

However, compared to other children of the Ye Family, he was far behind. His eldest uncle's eldest son, Ye Feng, and his third uncle's son, Ye Ming, reached the fourth level of Inner Qi at the age of twelve. The most outstanding were his eldest uncle's second son, Ye Tang, and his fourth uncle's daughter, Ye Xuan, who both reached the fifth level of Inner Qi at the age of twelve, making them rare geniuses in the Ye Family in the past fifty years.

Based on their different talents, they joined different sects.

Ye Chen, with the worst talent, joined the ninth-grade sect, the Flowing Cloud Sect. Ye Feng and Ye Ming joined the eighth-grade sect, the Ziyang Sect. Ye Tang joined the seventh-grade sect, the Northern Snow Mountain Manor, and Ye Xuan, who was equally famous, joined the seventh-grade sect, the Jade Valley.

"There is only one year left until the Ye Family's triennial clan meeting. I cannot disgrace myself." Flipping off the bed, Ye Chen washed up briefly and then picked up his sword and went to the courtyard.

The Flowing Cloud Sword Technique has nine forms. The first six forms have no specific names, while the last three are 'Finding the Gap,' 'Flowing Clouds and Running Water,' and 'Night Light Movement.'

Closing his eyes, the mental image of the Flowing Cloud Sword Technique flowed through his mind. Ye Chen extended his right hand, holding the steel sword diagonally, and began practicing from the first form.

Unlike the usual awkwardness, Ye Chen now wielded the sword without any obstruction, feeling a sense of smoothness and ease.

Swish!

A flying leaf was cut in half, but Ye Chen felt nothing and continued to practice.

First form, second form, third form… seventh form.

Gradually, Ye Chen's sword techniques became free and unrestrained, not only swift and agile but also fluid and natural. He then smoothly transitioned to the seventh form, 'Finding the Gap.' In an instant, the sword light, like a nimble loach, easily passed through several leaves in different positions.

Sheathing his sword and standing still, Ye Chen was somewhat surprised himself.

For beginners, even the most basic martial techniques are difficult to master. This is not just due to the level of talent but also the ability to adapt to new things. For example, when learning to swim, the initial fear of water makes it difficult to learn, but once fully adapted, one can perform high-difficulty actions and even create new techniques.

In short, it's not hard to go from low to high, but it's difficult to go from nothing to something.

Taking a deep breath, Ye Chen cleared his mind and performed the Flowing Cloud Sword Technique with ease and grace.

First form… seventh form.

First form… seventh form.

After practicing the Flowing Cloud Sword Technique dozens of times, Ye Chen finally grasped the eighth form, 'Flowing Clouds and Running Water.'

The steel sword, reflecting the morning sunlight, emitted a hazy white light, like clouds in the sky and water in a stream, continuous and unbroken.

Correspondingly, the Inner Qi in his body also flowed like water, gradually accelerating, completing small cycles, and finally returning to the dantian, from which it flowed out again, in a continuous cycle.

Buzz!

The dantian swelled slightly, waking Ye Chen up.

"Mid-level of the fourth level of Inner Qi cultivation? So easily." Ye Chen was self-aware. He knew that advancing from the early stage to the mid-stage of the fourth level of Inner Qi cultivation would normally take at least a week, but he had achieved it in just an hour.

When something unusual happens, there must be a reason. Ye Chen understood that something must have caused this change.

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(End of Chapter 1)