The Wei Kingdom, Cyan Forest County, Cyan Mulberry City, the Zhaang Family of Three Rivers Town.
The sky stretched for miles without a cloud, though colorful birds occasionally flew past. By the river, the grass was a luscious green and flowers bloomed everywhere—a beautiful place with a brilliant sky and clear water. Zhaang Ye gazed at the scenery around him, then tilted his head to look up at the two suns. Taking a long breath, he muttered to himself, "They say there can only be one sun in the sky, yet here are two hanging right above me! Am I a person from the Desolate Continent, or am I from Earth? Is this a case of the man dreaming he's a butterfly, or the butterfly dreaming it's a man?"
As he spoke, a look of bewilderment crossed Zhaang Ye's face.
Zhaang Ye was twelve years old and a bastard son of the Zhaang Family of Three Rivers Town. As a bastard son with low innate talent, the family naturally paid him no mind. Zhaang Ye thus became an expendable figure, and the treatment he received was anything but good. He almost never received any of the Elixirs or Secret Manuals used for Cultivation, and no one was willing to waste time guiding him.
His poor treatment directly resulted in his poor Cultivation. The other youths of his generation had already entered the Second Layer Heaven of Martial Arts. A few with outstanding aptitude had even reached the peak of the Second Layer Heaven of Martial Arts, ready to break through to the Third Layer Heaven at any moment. Zhaang Ye, however, was still stuck in the First Layer Heaven of Martial Arts, unable to advance. He seemed to be only a paper-thin wall away from the Martial Arts Second Layer, but no matter what he did, he couldn't break through.
To speed up his Cultivation, Zhaang Ye had begun venturing into the mountains to gather herbs two years ago. He would exchange them for a meager reward to purchase the Elixirs he needed for his training.
A herb gatherer's life was arduous and dangerous. Half a month ago, Zhaang Ye had been scratched by a poisonous plant while out in the mountains. Although he immediately took an Antitoxic Pill, he still fell unconscious for a full day and night, nearly losing his life in the desolate mountains.
When he woke up, Zhaang Ye was shocked to discover that a strange yet familiar set of memories had appeared in his mind. In these memories, he had lived for a long time on a planet called "Earth." On Earth, he had gone to school, played video games, watched television, surfed the internet, fallen in love, and encountered all sorts of incredible things like airplanes, cars, and ships. He had experienced life's many joys and sorrows, right up until his accidental death.
The memories of Earth and the Desolate Continent conflicted, influenced, and merged with each other. For the past ten-odd days, it made Zhaang Ye feel as if he had schizophrenia. He suffered from splitting headaches and constant hallucinations, and would sometimes blurt out phrases in the language spoken on Earth.
These sudden memories caused Zhaang Ye immense pain.
But they also brought some benefits.
As the memories slowly merged, Zhaang Ye's perspective and way of thinking underwent a great Transformation. He still looked like a twelve-year-old boy on the outside, but his mind was that of a seasoned adult. A calm, steady demeanor that belied his age had unknowingly begun to settle over him.
In addition to the change in his demeanor, Zhaang Ye felt that his mind had become much sharper. Things he previously couldn't wrap his head around, he now understood in an instant.
Gazing quietly at the clouds on the horizon, Zhaang Ye's once-bewildered expression grew firm. He swung his arm fiercely and said in a low voice, "I don't care if it's Earth or the Desolate Continent—I am who I am! I am Zhaang Ye! Life on Earth in my memories was incredibly exciting, and I will make my life in this reality on the Desolate Continent just as wonderful! I will become a Martial Artist revered by all on the Desolate Continent! I will reach the peak of the Martial Dao and never be held back by anyone again!"
After shouting those words, Zhaang Ye felt his headache vanish without a trace. An indescribable sense of relief washed over his body, as if he had been reborn.
He vaguely realized that the suddenly awakened memories had now completely fused with his own, becoming indistinguishable from one another.
"Young Master, Young Master!" Just as Zhaang Ye was preparing to properly digest the memories in his mind, a young maid in long sleeves ran over. Zhaang Ye glanced over; it was the maid who tended to his daily needs, Cyan Lotus.
Zhaang Ye said slowly, "Cyan Lotus, what is it?"
Cyan Lotus had served Zhaang Ye since childhood and knew him very well. She had a faint feeling that her young master seemed a little different, but she couldn't put her finger on exactly what had changed.
Pushing the thought aside, Cyan Lotus said hurriedly, "Young Master, this is bad! The Madam just took the Body Tempering Pill the family issued to you! I heard she took it to give to your older brother!"
"What? She took the Body Tempering Pill?" Zhaang Ye's brow furrowed.
The Body Tempering Pill is one of the essential elixirs for those who cultivate the Martial Dao. When one is just starting out, the power of this pill can be used to quickly purge some of the impurities from the body. This elevates one's physical constitution to the next level, creating a better foundation for Cultivation and making one's training twice as effective for half the effort.
The Body Tempering Pill is very useful for a Martial Artist, but it is also incredibly valuable. Measured in Gold, a single Body Tempering Pill is worth several hundred taels, and much of the time, it's unavailable even if one has the money. As the preeminent family in Three Rivers Town, even the Zhaang Family could not procure many Body Tempering Pills over the course of a year. The family only issued one to its youths when they turned twelve, to aid in their Cultivation.
Zhaang Ye's talent and Cultivation both lagged behind others, so now was the crucial time for him to catch up. The Body Tempering Pill was, without a doubt, extremely important to him. His mother taking the pill meant his Cultivation path would become even more difficult.
Zhaang Ye took a deep breath, suppressing the anger in his heart. He asked slowly, "When she took the Elixir, what did my mother say?"
Cyan Lotus said, "She said that your aptitude is poor and you aren't suited for martial arts, so it would be useless to use any more Elixirs on you. She said that rather than wasting this one on you, it would be better to give it to your brother. That way, he'll have a better foundation for his Cultivation so he can distinguish himself in the future family competition and win the family's favor..."
Zhaang Ye was silent for a moment, then waved a hand and said, "I understand. You're dismissed."
Watching Cyan Lotus leave, Zhaang Ye let out a long sigh. A flicker of sorrow crossed his eyes, and he shook his head in resignation. Ever since his aptitude was tested at age five and discovered to be low, his mother couldn't be bothered with him. It was true that he had moved out to live alone in a small courtyard at five and rarely saw her. 'But she is my mother, after all,' he thought. 'There are still some feelings there. My own birth mother took my Elixir—am I really going to storm over there and force her to give it back?'
Although he knew full well she favored his older brother, and though he seethed with resentment, Zhaang Ye rationally suppressed the urge to go and confront her. He silently clenched his fists and muttered, "Mother, oh Mother, my aptitude may be low, but I am still your son! Is there truly no place for me in your heart? I can understand you favoring Big Brother; his aptitude is outstanding. But this Elixir was supposed to be mine, yet you took it and gave it to him. That's just too biased!
"Perhaps the Elixir would have had only a limited effect on me. But without it, don't I have even less hope? How could you personally sever your own son's path of Cultivation?"
After standing there silently for a while, Zhaang Ye suddenly clenched his fist again and said softly, "Mother, no matter what, you are one of the people I'm closest to, so I will let this matter go. I believe that heaven never seals off all paths. One day, I will become an expert stronger than anyone else. I will shock all of you and make you regret what you did today..."
As he said this, Zhaang Ye suddenly recalled the memories that had awakened in his mind. He had a vague feeling that within this vast trove of memories, there might be something he desperately needed...