Songtian University Campus, Songtian City, Huaxia Nation.

The bell signaling the end of class rang, and a male student in a faded gray shirt stepped out of the academic building. He strolled leisurely along the tree-lined campus path, heading toward the cafeteria.

"Wang Yuan, are you a hibernating bear or something? Sleeping through every single class!" A girl broke away from the crowd of students, catching up to him from behind. Her delicate face was flushed with anger, her bright eyes blazing with irritation.

"If I'm not sleeping in class, should I be sleeping with you instead?"

Wang Yuan turned his head slightly, fixing his gaze on Song Xueqing, his classmate from Freshman Class Three. A teasing smirk played on his lips.

Standing at an elegant 5'7", she wore a crisp white blouse and beige cropped pants, her skin as flawless as polished jade. Her lips, a luscious cherry red, looked irresistibly tempting—enough to make anyone want to take a bite.

Just a month into the semester, the number of guys chasing after her could already form a circle around the basketball court. Yet, the one she was closest to was Wang Yuan, the guy everyone jokingly called the poorest student at Songtian University.

At his words, Song Xueqing and the students walking behind them all froze in their tracks, shooting Wang Yuan furious glares.

"Did he just flirt with the Ice Queen?"

"This loser's getting more shameless by the day!"

"Did a donkey kick you in the head or something?" Song Xueqing had the grace of a fairy and the face of an angel, but her roar could rival a tigress.

"You skip class, sleep through lectures, and never study afterward. Keep this up, and you'll waste your entire college life!"

Her shoulders trembled with frustration, her expression a mix of disappointment and fury.

"With this kind of attitude, what future do you even have after graduation? Have you no shame?"

Her furious voice cut sharply through the quiet of the campus path.

Behind them, numerous male students were staring with their eyes practically popping out of their heads. While she would mercilessly scold other guys, her harsh words toward Wang Yuan carried an unmistakable tone of frustration mixed with genuine concern—like a disappointed parent urging their child to do better.

"If she yelled at me like that, I’d probably be too excited to sleep tonight!" one muttered under his breath.

"Man, if she scolded me just once, I’d eat two extra bowls of rice," another sighed wistfully.

"That lucky bastard!"

The boys exchanged envious glances, shooting daggers at Wang Yuan with their eyes.

Yet, Wang Yuan merely smirked, unfazed. "Your tongue’s so venomous, how are you ever going to get married? If you end up single, I’ll help you detoxify that poison of yours."

The classroom fell into stunned silence. All eyes locked onto Wang Yuan—some burning with jealousy, others wide with shock, a few brimming with admiration, and some barely suppressing gleeful smirks.

Song Xueqing was absolutely livid. She and Wang Yuan had been classmates since high school, and she had always taken it upon herself to nag him whenever he slacked off, acting more like his strict governess than a peer.

If not for her relentless pressure, Wang Yuan might have barely scraped by into a second-rate college at best—certainly not the prestigious Song University.

In the past, even when he talked back, he’d never dared to openly tease her like this. A comment about "detoxifying her tongue" would have been unthinkable.

*What’s gotten into him today? Did he take the wrong pills or something?*

For a brief moment, Xueqing wondered if she had been too harsh. But her expression quickly hardened again.

"No more sleeping in class! And absolutely no skipping!" she snapped, her tone sharper than any teacher’s.

Wang Yuan leaned back, his smile lazy but confident. "The whole point of attending class is to make money in the future. But I can earn money *right now*. So what’s the harm in catching a little nap?"

Of course, he couldn’t explain that his "nap" was actually him cultivating the Nine Revolutions Mystic Art—a secret he had no intention of sharing.

"What's the measly cash you earn from street vending compared to your future prospects?" Song Xueqing snapped, glaring at him with undisguised irritation.

Wang Yuan waved a dismissive hand. "I can make a million in a month."

Every classmate's gaze instantly locked onto Wang Yuan's back as if staring at a complete idiot.

A night-market peddler claiming he'd earn a million in a month?

More like a million in fake funeral money!

"How on earth would you make a million? That's utterly ridiculous!" Song Xueqing scoffed, her voice dripping with icy derision.

Tilting his head slightly, Wang Yuan narrowed his eyes with unshakable calm. "What if I do?"

"If you actually pull that off, you can sleep through every class for all I care." A cold smirk played on her lips, though a flicker of surprise flashed in her eyes.

There was something unsettling about Wang Yuan today—his composure, the way he carried himself. He didn't seem like a typical nineteen-year-old. His expression, the depth in his gaze, radiated the quiet authority of someone who had weathered life's storms, a man who had seen it all.

"Don't tease me now. You're really fine with me sleeping however I want?" Wang Yuan grinned, his lips curling mischievously.

The male students' jaws dropped, eyes bulging. What the hell was this guy implying?

Song Xueqing trembled with rage, her beautiful eyes frosting over like a winter lake. She bit back the vulgar curses bubbling up, forcing them down with sheer willpower.

She fixed Wang Yuan with a venomous glare and spat through gritted teeth, "If you actually manage it, then fine—do whatever you want with me!"

"Your words, not mine."

Wang Yuan chuckled softly, letting his gaze linger a little too long on her alluring figure.

"You seem like a different person now—no longer a coward, and you've turned downright wicked." Song Xueqing's expression was peculiar. The old Wang Yuan would never have dared to tease her, let alone stare at her with such brazen eyes.

Wang Yuan smirked nonchalantly. "How can I be wicked when I haven't even slept with you yet?"

"You're asking for a beating!"

In an instant, Song Xueqing's delicate face flushed with fury. She clenched her fist, poised to strike him.

But Wang Yuan was already sprinting down the path, glancing back with a grin. "Once I make my first million, I'll detox that venomous tongue of yours, and then we can have some real fun."

Song Xueqing shuddered in disgust, chasing after him. "You disgusting jerk, stop right there! I swear I'll kill you!"

"Pathetic. Since when do losers like you dare to flirt with the campus belle?" A mocking male voice cut through the air, stopping Wang Yuan in his tracks.

He lifted his gaze to see a guy blocking his path—basketball tucked under one arm, dressed in casual blue sportswear, legs spread arrogantly apart. His head was tilted, eyes dripping with disdain.

It was Ma Zhen, a freshman from a different class in the same major.

Wang Yuan's expression darkened, his eyes flashing with icy intensity as he stared coldly at Ma Zhen.

Ten years.

A decade ago, Ma Zhen's father, Ma Tianxiong, had forced Wang Yuan's father into bankruptcy, seizing his company's resources and catapulting himself to the top of Songtian's wealth hierarchy.

"Wang Yuan's father built his business from nothing, enduring hardship after hardship before achieving modest success. He dreamed of becoming one of China's elite tycoons, of finally bringing Wang Yuan's mother back from her family's home. But thanks to the Ma family, he lost everything—his reputation, his dignity, all of it."

Wang Yuan scoffed, his lips curling into a frosty smile as he regarded Ma Zhen with open contempt.

Just three days ago, on the basketball court, Ma Zhen had stormed over to claim the space for himself. Without a word, he'd slapped Wang Yuan twice across the face. And the old Wang Yuan—timid, spineless—hadn't even dared to fight back.

The current me is nothing like that coward Wang Yuan from three days ago!

As a student, Wang Yuan grew up in an orphanage after his father went bankrupt and disappeared.

To make ends meet, he often set up a stall at the night market near Song University, selling trinkets and accessories.

Yesterday, while scavenging for goods at a flea market, he stumbled upon a jade pendant engraved with his name. Feeling it was fate, he bought it without hesitation.

Back in his dorm, the student Wang Yuan threaded a cord through the pendant and hung it around his neck, idly toying with it. Suddenly, a wave of dizziness washed over him as his soul merged with the Wang Yuan hidden within the pendant’s mystical space.

For over three thousand years, Wang Yuan’s soul had lain dormant within the pendant, waiting for the perfect vessel—the legendary Xuan Yang Body.

Three thousand years!

Before his soul took refuge in the pendant, Wang Yuan had cultivated the Nine Revolutions Profound Art to the True Body realm, reaching the Tribulation Transcendence stage—on the verge of ascending to immortality. But his Daoist companion, the Radiant Fairy Yaoguang, betrayed him, conspiring with Qingliuzi to strike him down in a fatal ambush.

Fortunately, he possessed an ancient secret technique that allowed his soul to escape into the pendant.

Since then, he had formed soul contracts with each subsequent owner of the pendant. Upon their deaths, the pendant would be returned to the market, awaiting the next destined bearer.

Over the millennia, thirty-one chosen ones had held the pendant. Wang Yuan acted as their mentor—a "grandpa in their pocket"—imparting cultivation techniques and guiding them on the path of cultivation, all in hopes they would help him find the elusive Xuan Yang Body.

Yet, none succeeded.

For three thousand years, Wang Yuan’s soul endured within the pendant’s mystical space, barely clinging to existence. But even that resilience had its limits—time was running out.

Throughout those long centuries, those he had taught rose to become legendary figures, founding sects that shook the annals of history.

Yet, one by one, they too returned to dust.

Time is merciless, and the grand path of life stretches endlessly into the unknown. Even though many powerful figures of the past had once sought my guidance, they still couldn’t escape their fated demise.

Yet here I am—once their ever-present "grandpa in their pocket"—now reborn into a new life!

"What the hell? What’s with that look? You trying to scare someone?" Ma Zhen shot Wang Yuan a disdainful glare before turning his attention to Song Xueqing. "This loser’s dad owes my old man 200 million and vanished into thin air, leaving this waste of space to rot in an orphanage."

"A son pays his father’s debts. That means this loser owes my dad 200 million. In front of me, he better act like a damn obedient grandson! And you—gorgeous as a movie star—what’s wrong with you, hanging around this trash? Did you take a stupid pill or something?"

"That mouth of yours—does it do anything besides act as a substitute for your other excretory functions?" Song Xueqing sneered, her voice icy. The memory of Wang Yuan getting slapped by Ma Zhen three days ago still burned in her mind, fueling her venomous retort.

Ma Zhen stiffened. The title "Venom-Tongued Campus Belle" wasn’t just for show.

Song Xueqing might be stunning, but her words could kill.

Her critical spirit was sharper than the most ruthless cynic.

Her perfectionism was more unyielding than the most obsessive artist.

From high school to university, from Songda to rival campuses, countless guys had fallen for her breathtaking beauty, lining up one after another to confess their feelings.

Yet every single pursuit and love confession became nothing more than a cringe-worthy memory for those boys, their psychological scars stretching across their entire hearts.

Just a week into the semester, a guy from their department had stood outside the girls’ dormitory with a bouquet, shouting her name in a grand romantic gesture. Her vicious tongue lashed out so fiercely that he trembled, rolled his eyes, and collapsed on the spot. An ambulance had to be called to revive him at the hospital.

From that moment on, her reputation as the "Venom-Tongued Campus Belle" spread like wildfire across the entire school.

Ma Zhen knew better than to think he stood a chance in a war of words with Song Xueqing.

He disdained to lay hands on a girl, and his jealousy only grew as he watched Wang Yuan and Song Xueqing flirtatiously chase each other around. So he turned his hostility toward Wang Yuan instead.

"This loser never orders meat in the cafeteria and even hustles at night markets—probably the poorest guy at Songda University!"

"An orphan abandoned by his parents—what kind of man can he even be? Just the other day, I slapped him twice, and he didn’t even dare fight back. Total pushover."

Ma Zhen grew more and more animated, shooting Wang Yuan a disdainful glance as if looking at some pathetic worm. With a sneer, he added, "You’re ranked Songda’s top campus beauty—aren’t you embarrassed to be seen with this loser?"

Song Xueqing had finally had enough. Her delicate brows furrowed sharply as she snapped, "Your mom must’ve had a hard time giving birth to you—too bad she didn’t hire a vet to follow you around. At the very least, she should’ve strapped a few rabies vaccines to your belt!"

Boom!

The students who had just arrived were utterly stunned, their expressions twisting as they stared at Ma Zhen like he was some rabid mutt.

Out of everyone, why did he have to provoke Song Xueqing? He was just asking for trouble!

Wang Yuan shot her an amused glance. This girl had a wicked tongue—as long as she wasn’t using it on him, he didn’t mind.