“The Entry Sign-In System is activating. One hour remains before sign-in…”

Inside a shabby thatched hut.

When Evan Mercer heard that, he drew in a long breath. “Still one hour…”

“As the system said, once I sign in, I’m guaranteed a high-tier entry!”

“And if I kill enemies, entries can drop at random!”

“The place marked for sign-in right now is this Mercer Estate!”

“The first sign-in is guaranteed to give an Epic-tier entry! And the system made it clear—it will be tied to a martial vein! Just what grade of martial vein will it be?”

His heart burned with expectation.

“As long as I get a martial vein, I can finally step onto the martial path!”

In this life, the one thing he had wanted most was to practice martial arts.

In Great Qin, strength ruled all.

And in this world, demons and fiends lurked everywhere. Danger sat in every shadow.

With that thought, Evan Mercer looked off into the distance.

That place was drowned in black mist, grim and eerie, like something breathing in the dark.

“Young master! The master wants you.”

An old steward had walked up beside him and spoke in a flat tone.

Evan glanced at him and said nothing. He stepped out of the hut, his eyes cold as iron.

He had once been the legitimate heir of the Mercer family—Evan Mercer.

His father, Victor Mercer, had been the mighty man who built this vast Mercer Estate with his own hands. His name once shook the whole region.

But heaven gave him too few years. He died in the prime of his life.

Before he died, thinking of brotherhood, and grieving that Evan was still so young, Victor had handed the whole Mercer Estate to his sworn younger brother Roland Mercer to manage for the time being. He had even made Evan acknowledge him as a godfather.

All he wanted was for Roland to keep Evan safe, then return the family inheritance intact once Evan came of age.

Back when Victor was still alive, the husband and wife Roland Mercer had both been saved by him more than once. They had doted on Evan beyond measure, dearer than their own son.

Who would have thought that once Victor died, everything would change?

It all started with one casual line from Owen Mercer. He said he liked peace and quiet, and did not want to be disturbed.

Roland Mercer did not hesitate for even a breath. He took Evan Mercer, the true firstborn heir of the family, and cast him out like refuse. He sent him by force to the countryside and threw him into the care of a peasant household who had never even met him.

To outsiders, he dressed it up nicely—said the heir was being sent away to experience hardship and temper his character.

Ten years.

A full ten years.

Evan lived half-starved in the countryside, one meal full, the next empty. He endured sneers, beatings, and endless grinding misery. He lived worse than a servant.

Only a few days ago had they finally allowed him to come back.

And even then, the couple did not personally go bring him home. They merely sent word by pigeon in lazy fashion, telling him to rush back overnight for a funeral.

On the way back, Evan had nearly starved to death.

When he woke, the wisdom of his past life had awakened within him. And by chance, he had gained this sign-in-and-kill entry system.

“I knew it. If they called me back, it sure as hell wasn’t for anything good.”

Evan muttered to himself, not caring at all about the old steward’s attitude.

In the ten years he had vanished, everyone in the Mercer Estate had forgotten that he was the rightful legitimate heir here.

No one remembered that this great Mercer Estate had been carved out by his father Victor Mercer with his own hands.

In their eyes, there was only Owen Mercer.

They believed only Owen could lead the Mercer Estate further.

A magpie in the nest, stealing what was never his.

Evan walked down the corridor. Before long, he entered the main hall of the Mercer Estate.

The moment he stepped in, a voice rang in his ears.

“Father, Mother, your son had rotten luck. I drew a conscription order for the Ten Thousand Demon Cavern. I have to leave for the Ten Thousand Demon Cavern tomorrow!”

That was his younger brother’s voice.

Owen Mercer.

“Brother!”

Owen turned and looked at Evan, his gaze flickering.

“After I leave, I’ll have to trouble you to look after Father and Mother. Once I go to the Ten Thousand Demon Cavern, I’m afraid I may never return. They’re getting old. From here on, it’ll all be on you…”

He spoke with deep feeling, as if every word came from the heart. Anyone who did not know better would surely praise him—filial, sensible, full of brotherly affection.

But Evan looked at that false face of his and felt only a bone-deep sneer in his heart.

Ten years ago, because of one sentence from Owen, he had been cruelly abandoned in a remote village.

And sure enough—

Owen went on, “But, Brother, you’ve only been back for a year. You still don’t really know Father and Mother that well. Their habits, what they eat, what they avoid—you may not understand all that.”

“And Master Sun said I have excellent bones. Once I open my veins and become a martial artist, I’ll enter Qingshen Academy. Then you’ll be able to hold your head high too, Brother.”

“So… Brother, could you make the trip to the Ten Thousand Demon Cavern in my place?”

Evan looked at Owen once, then said coldly, “Why should I?”

Bang!

Roland Mercer, sitting in the seat of honor, had been wearing a sour face from the start. He suddenly smashed the cup in his hand onto the floor.

“You little bastard!”

He slammed his palm on the table and shot to his feet, eyes wide with rage.

“How dare you speak to Owen like that? Have you lost your mind?”

“You’re the elder brother. Owen is the younger. If I tell you to go to the Ten Thousand Demon Cavern in his place, isn’t that only natural?”

“Enough, enough.”

At his side, Lady Mercer shot Roland Mercer a look and said,

“Zhenhai, Chen’er isn’t a bad child. In this past year, he’s been quiet and obedient in the estate. He hasn’t caused any trouble.”

As she spoke, she lifted a hand and smoothed her robe. Then she looked at Evan.

“Chen’er, why are you still standing there? Pour tea for your younger brother. Brothers should help each other. In the years ahead, you must look after Owen even more.”

At his side, Evan’s fingers curled ever so slightly.

Help each other?

It had always been him helping his younger brother.

When had he ever seen his younger brother help him?

The teapot on the table still let off thin threads of steam.

Owen sat there on a brocade stool, hands folded on his knees. He did not even raise his eyelids, as if Evan were nothing but a servant fit to wait on him.

Roland Mercer sat high in the main seat and naturally understood what Lady Mercer meant.

She was worried Evan would refuse to go to the Ten Thousand Demon Cavern in Owen’s place.

And the Ten Thousand Demon Cavern was a place where nine out of ten died.

He lowered his voice and said, “Your mother is right. If Owen becomes a martial artist, then in the future he’ll enter Qingshen Academy. His future will be broad and bright. As his elder brother, you ought to serve him more. Once Owen rises high, there will be benefits for you too.”

Qingshen Academy was the foremost academy in all Great Qin.

Any who could enter it were heaven’s favored sons.

Anyone who walked out of Qingshen Academy would become a standout figure in their region.

The reason Roland Mercer was so certain Owen could enter Qingshen Academy was simple enough.

The Mercer Estate held a token—Qingshen Order.

With the Qingshen Order in hand, one could enter Qingshen Academy directly, without any examination.

The laughable part was this—

That Qingshen Order had never belonged to Roland Mercer in the first place.

It was the relic left behind by Evan’s birth father, Victor Mercer.

Back then, Victor had roamed Great Qin with unmatched force, building the Mercer Estate’s foundation through his own power alone. With towering military merit, he had exchanged for that Qingshen Order from Qingshen Academy.

It had always been meant for Evan.

“Enough. It’s settled.”

Roland Mercer continued, his tone hard as hammered iron.

“You are the eldest son of my Mercer family. You should know how to consider the bigger picture. Stay in your place and assist your younger brother. Do not let stray thoughts grow in your heart and ruin the future of the Mercer family. This matter is decided.”

“You—do you have any objections?”

That tone. That attitude.

Did that sound like a question?

Seeing no response from Evan, Roland Mercer frowned. His face darkened further, and he barked,

“Chen’er! I’m talking to you! Didn’t you hear me? Are you deaf?”

“Heh.”

A cold laugh cut through the dead silence in the hall.

It was sharp. Icy. It scraped like a blade on bone.

At that moment—

Evan slowly turned his head.

All restraint had drained from those black eyes. What remained was only edge and frost.

Like a divine sword sealed in dust for years, now suddenly drawn from its sheath—cold light flashing, fierce and biting.

That gaze was too sharp. So sharp that Roland Mercer froze for a beat without knowing why.

Lady Mercer and Owen both went still as well.

They stared at Evan, shock all over their faces, as though for the first time in their lives, they were seeing who this person really was.

Evan lifted his chin slightly. His back stood straight as a spear. He looked right at Roland Mercer in the hall and spoke one word at a time, each one hard enough to strike the ground.

“Godfather? You think you deserve that title?”

“You threw me into the countryside for ten years and left me to live or die!”

“You severed my path of cultivation and stole my birth father’s relics!”

“And now you call me back only to make me take Owen’s place in the Ten Thousand Demon Cavern!”

“When there’s something good, you never think of me. When there’s something bad, I’m the first one you remember!”

“So I’ll ask you this—”

“Why?”