Qi, formless and unseen, is the foundation of martial arts.

In the Nine Provinces Continent, martial artists refine Qi to strengthen themselves—capable of wielding force that crushes mountains and armies alike. Some even transcend, entering the Dao through martial prowess, splitting rivers, shaking heaven and earth, commanding wind and storm itself.

South of East Province, within Qingshan County, Yucheng City.

At the grand Yàn family manor, inside the martial arts class, a sixty-something elder sat cross-legged on the high platform. His palms faced each other, guiding streams of true Qi between them until they formed a sword of condensed energy.

Below the platform, dozens of youths aged between their teens and twenties stared intently, eyes gleaming with longing for the elder’s skill, the sword held between his aged yet steady hands.

“Qi, the source of a martial artist’s strength,” the elder began, his voice sharp and seasoned. “Sensing the existence of the world's elemental Qi—that’s Qi perception, the first step toward entering the Refining Qi stage. Condensing Qi into tangible form? A mark of those in the Sea of Qi level. Drawing it into your body to awaken your innate soul weapon—that is the essence of martial cultivation.”

At the mention of Qi perception and soul weapons, all eyes turned to a corner at once. There, sprawled half-asleep across the desk, was a boy in blue robes. He seemed blissfully indifferent—smacking his lips mid-slumber, utterly unaware of the gaze boring into him.The muscles on several faces twitched slightly, quickly replaced by expressions of disdain. Some even sneered faintly.

"Hmph!" The elder on the platform frowned slightly and cast a cold glance at the sleeping boy before addressing the family disciples. "A warrior’s skill isn’t just about cultivating Qi but also about mastering martial techniques. So, when two warriors with similar Qi cultivation face off, what determines victory in martial technique?"

"Clan elder! I know the answer!"

The boys and girls below clamored to respond eagerly.

The elder ignored them, locking his gaze onto the young man in green who was sleeping soundly. "Ethan Vaughn! You tell us, what is the key to victory?"

"Huh?" Ethan Vaughn blinked groggily, his sleep disturbed. His eyes landed on the elder's sharp, icy stare. His lips twitched as he stammered, "Uh... the key? The key is, uh..."

The crowd erupted in laughter.

"Clan elder, what do you expect him to know?" sneered Adrian Vaughn, his mocking tone unmistakable. "Our good-for-nothing young master here doesn’t even understand what Qi senses are. Hah!"

"Adrian, don’t be so harsh. He is the son of the matriarch, after all. Wouldn't want him running to cry to her now, would we?"“What kind of so-called ‘Young Master’ is he? How many in the Vaughn family even recognize his status? Disappeared out of the blue at six, then showed up nine years later—who knows if he’s even the same person? I reckon the Family Head is just afraid of losing his position and dragged some faker out of the backwoods!”

“Well said.” Adrian Vaughn smirked, his voice dripping with contempt. “Tell me, when has the Vaughn family ever seen someone so useless they can’t even sense elemental energy? Can’t even touch the basics of the Qi Refinement Realm. While the rest of us focus on absorbing the lessons from the elders during martial class, what does he do? Sleeping like a dead fish, making a fool of himself!”

“Enough! Watch your words!” The elder swept a cold gaze across the room, instantly silencing the chattering disciples. Yet the mocking grins on their faces remained untouched.

The elder repeated his question, his tone sharp. “Ethan Vaughn, answer me. As the Young Master, you can’t afford to be a complete failure. If you drag the Vaughn family’s name down, what do we have left?”

“Ugh, this is pointless. A child could figure this out.” Ethan lazily stretched and yawned. “In combat, a warrior needs three highs: high speed, high power, and high precision.”

“Absurd nonsense! Three highs? Never heard of such rubbish. Honestly, it’s laughable!” Adrian shot back, his face twisted in scorn.“Are you an idiot?” Ethan Vaughn shot Adrian Vaughn a sidelong glance and said, “Do you even understand the principle of ‘unbeatable speed’? If you’re fast enough, your opponent can’t block, parry, or dodge. That’s the first thing. The second is, your attack better pack a punch. Otherwise, if you're just scratching at your opponent like a flirtatious maiden, they might think you’re trying to seduce them.”

Pfft!

The room erupted in laughter.

“Shut up! All of you, shut your mouths! No one is allowed to laugh!” Adrian Vaughn’s face turned crimson, his expression dark. He glared at Ethan fiercely and spat through gritted teeth, “And what about precision? What do you have to say about that?”

“Are you genuinely stupid?” Ethan replied with a deadpan look, as if talking to a fool. “Precision means hitting the target, obviously. What’s the point of smashing your technique down in a flashy move, creating a massive crater next to your enemy? All you’d do is startle him. Useless, isn’t it?”

Some young girls couldn’t hold back and burst out laughing. For the first time, they found the long-absent family heir slightly interesting, despite his inability to cultivate.

“You! You’re all talk! Do you think I don’t know something this basic?” Adrian Vaughn bristled, trying desperately to save face.

“Well, Ethan Vaughn,” the elder interjected with a shake of his head, his earlier intent to humiliate Ethan backfiring, “your perspective is unique, I’ll give you that. Still, what you’ve said only holds water if you can cultivate in the first place.”

The elder’s expression stiffened slightly, embarrassed by how effortlessly Ethan had cut through the lesson. With a dismissive wave, he concluded, “Enough for today. Class dismissed.”The disciples dispersed one after another. As Adrian Vaughn passed Ethan Vaughn, he leaned in close and hissed coldly, "You worthless rat! Your luck must be heaven-defying if even Heartbite Powder can't kill you!" With that, he strode off, smug and unperturbed.

"Adrian! So it was you!"

Ethan stared at his cousin's retreating back, fists clenched and fury burning in his chest. A flicker of icy light flashed in his eyes. Adrian’s arrogance was unbearable. Failing to poison him wasn't enough—he even had the audacity to boast about it openly.

Returning to his quarters, Ethan slumped into the worn-out lounge chair beneath the old locust tree. He chewed idly on a piece of straw, his gaze sharp, his thoughts colder still.

Not long ago, his life had been in a different realm—a place called China. He had spent twenty years there. At fifteen, he'd been specially recruited into the military, excelling in every skill imaginable and earning a spot in an elite, classified special forces unit. Later, due to unforeseen circumstances, he left military service and became an undercover narcotics officer.

For four long years, he infiltrated drug cartels, surviving in the lion's den. But when his cover was blown, more than a hundred criminals swarmed him. Fighting tooth and nail until his last bullet was spent, his twenty-six years ended in the chaos of blood and gunfire.

And then, inexplicably, he woke to find himself poisoned, thrust into a bizarre world, his body inexplicably rewound to fifteen years old. It was unfathomable.Ethan hadn’t expected Adrian to admit to the poisoning himself. It just confirmed one thing—there were plenty in the family who wanted him dead. Adrian alone wouldn't have dared act so recklessly if he didn’t have others backing him.

"I need strength, and I need it fast. Enough to protect myself, even fight back. I can't keep relying on Mother. She's already swamped with managing family affairs. I should start training… maybe it's time."

He focused inward, gazing at his dantian—the small lotus floating there with its nine petals. Once a pendant around his neck, the jade lotus was a keepsake from Miranda Eastwood, his fiancée back in the modern world. It was meant to keep him safe but had somehow fused inside him when he woke here.

A wave of longing washed over him as his eyes lifted to the endless stars above.

"There's no going back…"

This world felt foreign, yet fragments of his life before the age of six had begun pouring back into his mind. Memories he'd spent twenty years in modern China trying to uncover. Now they were resurfacing, leaving him shaken.

Turns out he was always meant to be Ethan Vaughn, heir of the Vaughn family. Yet one night at six years old, he woke to find himself in a completely different world, living two decades as someone else.

The absurdity of it all gnawed at him. How could his life take such a bizarre twist? It defied explanation, beyond science, beyond reason. He had asked Aileen Collins for answers once, but she'd kept silent.“This... what a bizarre life. Even novels would shy away from such a plot. Hmm, guess I’m born to be a protagonist!” He couldn’t help but joke to himself.

“Twenty years lived... and someone out there was waiting for me in silence. Wonder if she’s heard of my death by now? I hope she never does...”

Ethan Vaughn shook his head. The past was truly unreachable now. The vastness of the stars made it seem hopeless—yet no amount of space could dilute the longing in his heart.

“Back in this world, I’m the Vaughn family’s heir. I’ll be damned if I become a pawn for those scheming against Mother! Those fools wanting me dead—every one of them will pay for that illusion!”

He stopped wallowing in the past. There were immediate problems staring him down. Setting aside distracting thoughts, Ethan began channeling energy into his body.

There it was—the qi sensation he felt. Much stronger than most warriors could even dream of, but he’d been too distracted lately to practice.

Threads of vitality poured into him, seeping through his skin, gathering in his dantian. Within the lotus of nine petals there, a single petal shimmered with silvery lightning, arcs coiling and dancing wildly.

“This... a spirit soul? Knew there was more to this lotus—it wouldn’t just end up in my dantian for no reason! And now it’s my spirit soul, a rare lightning-attribute one at that!” Ethan Vaughn was both shocked and thrilled. Though he often dozed off during the family’s martial lessons lately, the memories from before he turned six had already etched the basics of a warrior's cultivation deep in his mind.

The types of martial souls varied. There were the basic elemental souls like gold, wood, water, fire, and earth. Then there were rare elemental souls—wind, lightning, ice—and others beyond elements: weapon souls, plant souls, beast souls, and more.

A martial soul was a warrior’s innate talent. The grade of one’s awakened soul determined the strength of their energy perception, cultivation speed, comprehension, and even the unique traits of their true essence. Martial soul grades were divided into Common, Rare, and Super, with God-tier souls—the pinnacle—standing above them all. Dubbed the “Soul of the Divine,” this tier didn’t refer to a specific soul but rather a universal classification. For instance, a soul encompassing three fundamental forces would undoubtedly qualify as God-tier.

“My energy perception is growing sharper by the moment. It’s like every fiber of my body is undergoing some grand transformation…”

Ethan marveled at the sensation coursing through him. For someone who had lived 20 years in the modern world of Huaxia, this mystical, inexplicable feeling was utterly beyond imagination.

The surrounding vital energy converged toward him with overwhelming force, as if the heavens themselves were feeding his body. He felt like an endless ocean, absorbing the torrent of energy. Dense white mist coiled around him, a visible manifestation of the immense power entering his frame.

“Where’s that useless Ethan Vaughn hiding?”

“He’s been in the main courtyard of the family estate. Hasn’t come out since.”

“Adrian Vaughn, what’s that in your hand…?”Ethan Vaughn froze in place, his ears catching the hushed words exchanged between Adrian Vaughn and another member of the family’s minor branch. Shock rolled through him like a rogue wave.

He stood within the main courtyard of the family’s estate, far removed from the entrance. The gap between him and them had to be at least fifty meters—possibly more. Could he truly hear their whispers over such an insane distance? A hundred meters, if not more.

"My hearing has sharpened this much? Rare Soul Spirits don't normally enhance senses to this degree... Could it be a Celestial Martial Soul?" Surprise bubbled alongside a strange sense of excitement within him.

That thrill was short-lived as Adrian Vaughn's cold, serpent-like voice snaked its way back into his ears. "This is Death Incense. No color, no scent. It's a deadly poison sent by my brother Lucas Vaughn himself! Just slip it into that waste's incense burner. By morning, he'll be nothing but a cold corpse."

"But, Adrian… if the Lady of the house…" came the hesitant response, tinged with unease.

"What are you scared of? Aileen Collins is just a temporary head of the family. My father and uncle have wanted her ousted for a while. They would’ve handled it at the annual gathering, using her lack of heirs against her. Then she dragged her son back into the picture, messing everything up! But if that good-for-nothing dies, her position will crumble soon enough. She's powerless. I’ll make sure my father and uncle keep you safe. She can’t touch you!"

“…Alright. But you better remember to take care of me after this, Adrian.”"Don't worry, once it's done, you'll be rewarded."

...

Ethan Vaughn's rage surged as he overheard the conversation, his eyes flashing with an icy killing intent. His uncle and second uncle's ambitions were insidious, and their sons, Lucas Vaughn and Adrian Vaughn, were treacherous to the core. They had tried to poison him before, but failed. Now, they were shamelessly at it again, determined to end him once for all. All for power—twice they've tried to murder their own kin!