Kao Dao Ji opened his eyes.
He turned to look at his surroundings.
But then.
His pupils widened as he glanced at the figure in the mirror.
A face unlike his own.
He had golden, beautiful long hair; there were also some hairs beginning to grow around the area of the cheeks.
His jaw was also very, very sharp.
He glanced further; the whole figure looked exceptionally beautiful. He had muscles but not excessively, akin to those of a boxer or a martial artist.
And there was also a depth in his gaze that words could not describe.
"I…Where am I? Why do I look like this?" He frowned.
"Wait, back then when Dreaming Gu was activated, it felt different somehow…"
He touched his cheek, rubbing it, feeling the sensation which was rather warm.
"Do not tell me, did I actually end up in a Dream Realm?"
"But whose?"
"Hui Gui Qian Hue, are you done admiring yourself?" From the reflection, Kao Dao Ji saw a middle-aged man.
The man looked very different from him, unlike his flawless skin, the other's looked covered in scar tissue, several parts of his face had been misshapen by many such hits.
Whilst even some of his hair was beginning to fall and had turned white.
And yet, despite how different they looked.
"Yes…Father." Kao Dao Ji instinctively replied.
The father closed his eyes. "Alright. I know you are nervous regarding your Aperture Ceremony, but you have shown outstanding qualities since your youth.
So, the ceremony should be a success…" Then he patted Kao Dao Ji's shoulders and added with a smile.
"Besides…With our Twin Method across our long lineage, not a single male from the main lineage has been born with an Aptitude beneath C."
"Twin…" Kao Dao Ji frowned as he muttered those words.
This time, however, he was far more deliberate; he said those words alone, as if to probe his so-called father's reaction.
"Are you afraid regarding the situation of your sister? Do not disregard the great picture.
This method, by decreasing a woman's aptitude, can increase the aptitude of the man drastically.
In what way could this be considered a loss?
Even if we assumed both had equal value, it's far more worth it to have one with an 80% aptitude and another with 20% than two mediocre people with only 50% each, wouldn't you agree?"
Then his expression hardened.
"Remember…Women will never be able to rule the Clan." As the man spoke those words, he finally sighed.
"Now follow me; you and your sister will have your awakening ceremony today." The man spoke with a cold, detached tone.
Kao Dao Ji bit his lips, still bewildered by what he was hearing.
"I guess this must be the dream of Hui Gui Yu? Two souls in one body…One male, the other female."
Then he chuckled.
"I wonder who drew the short stick and got turned into a woman…" Among all those souls, only one of them belonged to a woman, and of course, he doubted that she would face her own dream; if so, why the hell did he end up in somebody else's?
Of course, he merely thought this and dared not voice those thoughts.
Instead, he kept following his 'father.'
Even so, he kept staring as he walked through the house.
There were several servants, mostly women.
They all turned their glances towards him, feeling a mix of emotions; some even blushed on the spot.
"How realistic…" Kao Dao Ji thought whilst observing his surroundings.
While the circumstances outside were less than ideal, he wanted to take this opportunity.
He wanted to know a bit about Dream Path.
"Besides…Maybe if I learn a Dream Path method, I may be able to escape from my current predicament." As he considered this, his expression turned ugly.
"What the fuck was that? That prophecy….I got Star Constellation from Temu or something?
Not even halfway through, and yet her prophecy already got broken!" He cursed internally.
But then he frowned.
"And yet…This part fit like a glove…" Several ideas crossed through his mind as he kept walking.
Before, he had no time to ponder such frivolities, in the imminent sense of danger.
But now that he considered several things, things began to seem rather odd.
"There have been too many coincidences thus far. Initially, I attributed them to Star Constellation, but there are too many to count.
How does she know so much about the Dream Realm? And if she did know why the hell didn't she tell anybody? I mean, even if I assume that there are some rules that prevent her from sharing her knowledge, why could she share her knowledge with me, but not the people of Heavenly Court?
Just a Rank 8 Dream Path Killer Move, and maybe even that Spring Autumn Cicada would be forced to go to sleep…
Also, what's up with my Soul? A Rank 9 Killer Move? But…"
"How on earth was Spectral Soul unable to identify the source?" That is what astounded him the most.
If he had said 'Red Lotus', 'Thieving Heaven' or something, he would have felt much more certain.
So, there were three possibilities: the first that Spectral Soul was lying, be it because he was the one who put it there and was simply playing dumb or simply because he felt like it.
The second was that a Venerable put the Rank 9 Killer Move in such a way that it could not be identified, even by the founder of Soul Path, who had witnessed all the previous Venerables' arrangements.
The possibility, whilst seeming unlikely, was also rather frightening.
Finally, the third possibility was…
That none of the 'Venerables' wrote it.
Perhaps a Venerable that was not in recorded history made it, or perhaps a Venerable that had yet to appear.
"If I assume that it's a person from the future, everything fits. Their ability to grasp Dream Path, the fact that they could not be recognized, and so many more things.
The only odd thing is…How exactly did they bring a Rank 9 Killer Move to the past?"
But then his pupils widened.
"Wait, no, there is another possibility. Before I reincarnated, I read the novel. Which means that they have the ability to send things to other worlds. Or have affected my memory.
If I assume the latter case, nothing of my previous life is worth a thing as those memories could have been fabricated, but if I assume the first case...
It means that they truly can bring things from other worlds to Earth.
If so, would it truly be impressive to be able to send a Rank 9 Killer Move to me, then wait until I die? Or perhaps...Even cause my death?"
The possibility sounded frightening, but then he recalled the one man who could have done it.
One of the split personalities of Thieving Heaven.
He had both the motive to travel to other worlds and was the most likely to have the ability.
He kept pondering.
But as he kept doing so.
He kept walking.
Until they arrived at a certain room.
Without even bothering to knock, the father directly opened the door.
The sister looked frightened; she turned her gaze towards the father…And him.
Witnessing her gaze, Kao Dao Ji could not help but chuckle.
Most likely, she was one of them, and he was rather curious to see whom.
Even so, with the amusement still in his expression, he kept quiet.
The father stared at the woman and said directly.
"Follow me." His tone was cold and detached; unlike with the son, he did not even bother to put on a pretense.
The woman seemed confused; she tilted her head, staring at Kao Dao Ji.
And as she did, Kao Dao Ji walked towards her.
Then he whispered in her ear.
"I am Kao Dao Ji, and we seem to be stuck in some kind of Dream Realm. I don't know who you are, but to get out of here, we need to 'clear the dream.'
Which means fulfilling all the-"
"Who the fuck is 'Kao Dao Ji?'" The woman asked.
The eyelids of Kao Dao Ji trembled.
Had he guessed wrong? Was that woman truly unrelated to the dream realm? His expression changed once more as the woman grabbed him by the neck and began to strangle him.
"You no longer even have my fucking body, and yet you keep borrowing my identity? You shameless bastard!"
"Hey, sorry it's just a habit…When people call you that way for decades, it's hard not to feel identified with a name." Kao Dao Ji waved his hands as if in surrender.
Of course, he did not feel threatened. The body he had inherited was rather powerful, far more powerful than an ordinary mortal body had any right to be.
He even suspected that he had been tampered with a couple of Strength Enhancing Gu Worms or something.
In comparison, the sister…
She dressed almost like a maid.
And considering the words of the father, he almost pictured the reality.
Northern Plains.
Hell for women.
Kao Dao Ji stared at the sister once more; just like him, he had golden, lustrous hair, but hers was far longer.
She looked so…
Gorgeous.
The expression of Kao Dao Ji changed for the millionth time.
Gorgeous? Was he being influenced by the feelings of the original consciousness?
Also, what the hell? Why was he attracted to his sister?
He gritted down his teeth.
"Forget it. Let's just go, seems we are on the part of the dream when we awaken our apertures…"
The other Kao Dao Ji nodded and stood up.
The two began to walk side by side.
Stirring even more attention from the servants, but they did not dare to linger too much.
Focusing on their tasks.
The father, upon finding the twins, began to walk steadily with his arms crossed behind his back.
The two followed closely for several minutes.
Until finally.
They arrived at a cave.
The cave was shining brightly; several crystals of all colors and sizes could be seen.
Even precious materials like amethysts were abundant, shining ever so brightly.
Some even released a Primeval Essence which the two could feel in their bones.
Such a sight could have marveled an ordinary person, but truthfully.
Both of the duo had witnessed far more interesting sights.
Kao Dao Ji had even painted the skies in his aperture green, which made the current feat look very unimpressive.
Regardless.
The two finally reached their destination.
"Go on, you wo." The father said silently with his arms crossed.
The two stared at him somewhat in disbelief.
How could he be so cold, even now? Even if he truly did not care about his children, was it really a good idea to piss off somebody? Somebody whose innate talent you were awakening? For all you knew, either of the two could be monsters with a 99% aptitude.
While unlikely, why would anybody take that risk?
Regardless.
Kao Dao Ji did not mind too much.
Even if he had no aptitude, why would he even be bothered by this?
He had already seen the result, so whatever the road may be, it led him to become a Rank 6 Immortal.
Thus, with nonchalance, he walked towards a river stream.
Several blue particles could be seen floating in the air.
Hope Gu.
The first step in the river was very simple, and so was the second.
The laws regarding the awakening of an aperture were extraordinarily simple; for each step you managed to complete, you'd have an additional 2% of aptitude.
50 steps, 100% aptitude, 25 steps, 50% aptitude. It was that simple.
Things like half steps and the like also existed, but they usually meant the person was hovering within those ranges. For example, a person who could do two steps and pressed his feet a bit further had between 4% and 6% of aptitude.
Also. If a person could not walk 10 or more steps, an aptitude of less than 20% would be unable to sustain the foundation of an aperture, and it would crumble.
Tragic, but such was life.
As he had those thoughts, his body kept pressing forward.
15 steps, 16 steps, 17 steps…
Kao Dao Ji finally frowned; he began to feel a very powerful resistance.
Yet he persisted.
18 steps, 19 steps, 20 steps, 21 steps, 22 steps, 23 steps…
24 steps…
25 steps!
He gritted his teeth as he pressed his feet on the water; he tried to walk once more.
But an invisible barrier halted him.
On the other side.
The other seemed unbothered and kept walking normally.
30 steps.
35 steps.
40 steps.
45 steps.
47 steps.
48 steps.
And finally, she reached her limit.
48 and a half steps.
Even the father, usually calm and composed, could do nothing but have his lips tremble in bewilderment.
His eyes shone with a cold gleam, and resolve appeared in his gaze.
As the two returned, the father turned his gaze towards the woman.
"Hui Gui Xi Mei…You truly have impressed me." His fingers moved rapidly, then he turned towards the other.
"Hui Gui Qian Hue…" His expression did not look warm in the slightest, instead.
He sneered.
"So, it seems the tradition of our Clan will persist…" He shook his head bitterly before staring at the duo.
"Both of you…I am sure you are already aware of why all of the people of the main branch are born as such.
They always come in twins.
Always a man, always a woman.
In the end, by balancing Yin-Yang, it is possible to directly tilt the properties of one side towards the other.
Reducing somewhat the aperture of one side, and increasing the one of the other."
The man kept rambling and rambling, to be honest.
Kao Dao Ji was a bit confused.
Was that man just lore-dumping like a random NPC upon reaching the starter village?
"I am sure both of you have your doubts. Why am I telling you something you already know?
Well, it's because we omitted certain sections from what we told you.
Whilst it does tilt the balance, granting a portion of the Aptitude of one side to the other, it does so within reason.
Passing Grade, A, any further increase in aptitude is minimal, almost zero.
And secondly. It only works if the difference in aptitude between both sides it's not too dramatic.
If a person holds an 80% aptitude and their peer only a 40%, it's basically impossible for the lower party to extract the aptitude of the other…"
"But didn't you say that our Clan never held a direct heir with an aptitude beneath C Grade?" Kao Dao Ji tilted his head slightly, somewhat confused.
The man sighed.
"Indeed…And to accomplish that, this tool of mine is crucial."
From the fingertips of the man.
A strange device had taken shape.
It looked like a spiral of Yin-Yang intertwining, with the occasional golden particles surging through.
"What is the use of such a Gu? Does it increase aptitude in some sort of way?" Kao Dao Ji asked.
"In the eyes of the masses? It does. But from your point of view, the change will be even more drastic."
Kao Dao Ji listened patiently. Was this the so-called Golden Finger?
But then his expression froze as the man added.
"Your aptitude will remain unchanged; however, your identities will not…From this day onward, you will no longer be Hui Gui Qian Hue….You will be Hui Gui Xi Mei."
The pupils of Kao Dao Ji contracted.
What was that crazed old man rambling about?
Then it clicked.
"This Gu is called Two-Sided Transmutation. A Gu which can only be used when it is being wielded by two at once.
The man will use his Yang to transform the woman, the woman will use her Yin to transform the man…"
The pieces finally clicked.
The so-called reason why there had never been a successor with less than a C aptitude is that any who had such inferior aptitude were replaced!
And whilst his aptitude already qualified as 'C', it was ultimately far too inferior to the one showcased by the sister.
For a moment, he felt a surge of rage in his heart.
"You! You are crazy if you think I will comply!" He replied instinctively.
"Indeed…You will not keep quiet, on your own…But have you never considered...
Why are so many of our women sent for menial work, after their aperture ceremony, even those who awaken their apertures?" Then, he also added.
"Of course, that alone is not enough reassurance; we tend to use certain Gu to keep their mouths shut, and if even then they dare to defy…Well, you should know what I will do to you."
Kao Dao Ji's expression twisted.
"You hypocrite! Didn't you say countless times that women were inferior, and yet you rely on them to keep your prestige?"
The man sighed before shaking his head.
"Women are not truly inferior to men, and yet.
Most people do not think so, even those who do not believe in this.
Tend to rely on this fact as a political tool, or merely for convenience.
By then. Even if there is no such disparity, in practical effects, the gap between men and women is as vast as the difference between heaven and earth.
A Clan in the northern plains will never be able to be governed by a woman, let alone one of Huang Jin's Bloodline."
The man smiled bitterly.
But then his expression hardened.
With cold killing intent, he finally concluded.
"I told you what I had to, so you understand why this has to be done.
So will you listen to my orders and comply, or do I have to break all your limbs and force you to use that Gu?"
For a second, the heart of Kao Dao Ji turned cold.
Some of his words, whilst he had them in his heart, he did not dare utter them.
Yet it seemed that the dream was influencing him too drastically, forcing him to take the role of the other person, even more thoroughly than the novel described.
Was it because the nature of this Dream was entirely different from the others, or were there other factors involved?
Whatever the case may be, Kao Dao Ji sighed bitterly.
"Why did I have to appear in this shitty dream realm..."