Stone Country, Imperial Capital, Martial King Manor
"My surname is Shi, my name is Yi, but I'm not the original Shi Yi. I come from a blue planet, a despairing world ravaged by global nuclear war."
"I don't know how I ended up in this world. All I remember is a terrifying light and heat from above, no time to react, and my consciousness fading instantly."
"When I opened my eyes again, I saw a little boy with a skyward braid tugging at my clothes, calling me gege and begging me to play house with him."
Shi Yi's expression was blank as he stared at his reflection in the water, his double pupils—chongtong—glimmering faintly. He understood who he had become: a supporting character doomed to be overshadowed and beaten down by his younger brother from start to finish.
So this is my fate? A side character in someone else's story?
As Shi Yi sank into his thoughts, a little boy with a skyward braid burst through the door, bouncing over to his side. His bright, unblemished eyes sparkled as he looked up at Shi Yi.
"Yi-gege, Big Aunt says you're taking too long washing your face!"
The boy was Shi Hao, Shi Yi's cousin. Their fathers were cousins, their grandfathers brothers, making them close kin within three generations.
"I got it," Shi Yi replied, ruffling Shi Hao's braid. His chongtong glowed softly, piercing through to the radiant Supreme Bone shimmering within Shi Hao's chest.
Unlike the original Shi Yi, this Shi Yi has kept his mouth shut. No one knew about Shi Hao's Supreme Bone, and without chongtong, no ordinary person could detect it also.
"Yi-gege, you seem kinda unhappy," Shi Hao said, tilting his head. At barely three years old, he only reached Shi Yi's waist. Shi Yi, at six, was already a spirited young boy, brimming with potential.
"Unhappy? How could I be happy when I'm being stewed alive every day?" Shi Yi's lips twitched.
Every day, he was tossed into a cauldron for a so-called "medicinal bath." The process left his body flushed red, absorbing every drop of the scalding liquid until he could finally climb out of the man-high cauldron.
It wasn't enjoyment—it was torture.
In his past life, Shi Yi wasn't exactly a paragon of willpower. A well-executed honey trap would've had him hooked without fail. To put it simply, he couldn't handle hardship.
Yet here he was, a six-year-old boy, far from the future Immortal King Shi Yi, powerless against the overwhelming "love" of Shi Hao's mother—his own mother, too. Her affection was suffocating, almost obsessive, as if she wanted to pour every treasure in the world into him alone.
Shi Yi had no doubt that if he ever let slip about Shi Hao's Supreme Bone, his deranged mother would seize the chance while Shi Hao's parents were away.
Though I share his name, I'm not him. Little brother, I know the future is dark, but I can't handle suffering. You'll have to look out for your brother from now on.
Shi Yi muttered to himself, a thought he kept buried deep. Despite crossing into this world, he lacked the original Shi Yi's ruthless ambition. Back on his blue planet, he'd been cautious, steady—but even the steadiest man couldn't dodge a nuclear bomb.
He didn't believe he could match the original Shi Yi's resolve. The original wouldn't have flinched at daily medicinal baths, but Shi Yi? He was already at his limit.
With my Double Pupil, I won't be weak, but surpassing Shi Hao? Impossible.
Shi Hao's life was a relentless cycle of battles, each one a brush with death. Shi Yi's cautious nature meant he'd never keep up—especially since he couldn't endure even a fraction of that hardship.
___
Martial King Manor, Rear Courtyard
In a clearing at the manor's rear, two bronze cauldrons—one large, one small—stood side by side. Fierce flames roared beneath, the water inside long since boiling.
A dozen gray-haired elders of the Shi Clan tossed herbs into the cauldrons, one after another. But anyone could see the large cauldron held ten times the herbs of the small one.
What made Shi Yi's scalp tingle was the elders' next move. Every so often, they'd toss in foot-long live centipedes or fist-sized spiders. The once-normal medicinal liquid turned inky black, like squid ink, utterly terrifying.
This… who'd willingly jump into that?
Shi Yi's instincts screamed to flee. He vaguely recalled that previous baths hadn't included such grotesque additions. Centipedes? Spiders? Since when did this become normal?
"burp, burp." Strange bubbles rose in the cauldron.
The corpses of centipedes and spiders floated atop the liquid, now thick and viscous like black porridge. Shi Yi's face paled. He wanted nothing more than to bolt.
He turned to run—but before he could take a step, a pair of jade-white hands pinned him in place.
"Where do you think you're going, Yi'er?"
The voice was enchanting, the figure curvaceous. A beautiful woman in a flowing red robe crouched down, pulling the rigid Shi Yi into her embrace.
"Mother, the usual baths are painful enough. Spiders? Centipedes? Can't we take it slow, maybe skip the creepy stuff?" Shi Yi swallowed hard, trying to reason with the woman whose controlling nature dominated his life. At the very least, he wanted those corpses out of the cauldron.
"Too much? Oh, Yi'er, we're not done yet."
With a wave of her hand, a dozen more Shi Clan elders brought forward ten clay jars. The leading elders carefully opened them, pouring crimson liquid into the cauldrons—nine jars into the large one, one into the small.
It was blood—true blood from slain ferocious beasts.
In this world, beasts deemed "ferocious" were either purebloods or their descendants. Purebloods, often dwelling in ancient divine mountains or the Upper Realm, had ancestors of at least Heavenly Deity rank. They were born powerful, naturally reaching the Venerable Realm upon maturity. Descendants, with diluted bloodlines, could still achieve Formation Arrangement Realm or higher, and with great fortune, even revert to pureblood status.
The Lower Realm's cultivation ranks were clear: Blood Transformation Realm, Heavenly Passage Realm, Spirit Transformation Realm, Engravement Realm, Formation Arrangement Realm, and Venerable Realm. Each was a heaven unto itself, and only peerless geniuses could fight across realms.
"Mother, regular beast blood is bad enough, but true blood?" Shi Yi struggled, his eyes wide. One jar for Shi Hao, nine for me? Just because I'm three years older, I get nine times the true blood? This'll kill me!
True blood, unlike ordinary beast blood, was rare and potent, capable of strengthening anyone's physique, adult or child. Alongside the blood, the elders sprinkled powdered beast bones into the boiling cauldrons, coating the liquid in a frosty sheen.
"Yi'er, you were born with double pupils, a mark of ancient saints. Your chongtong destines you to shake the heavens, a peerless genius. The true blood bath is a trial you must endure," the woman said, her voice tender yet firm. Though it pained her to see him suffer, she knew this was his path.
Plop, plop.
The cauldrons' thick, porridge-like liquid bubbled furiously under the flames, occasionally bursting with sticky globs. The leading elders nodded in satisfaction, glancing at Shi Yi and Shi Hao beside the cauldrons.
Everything was ready. All that remained was for the boys to plunge into the true blood bath.
Unlike Shi Yi, whose face screamed reluctance, Shi Hao exhaled sharply, rubbed his hands, and leapt into the smaller cauldron without hesitation.
"Gurgle, gurgle."
Perhaps because he was so young, Shi Hao yelped in pain, hopping in the scalding liquid. In his flailing, he accidentally gulped down mouthfuls of the black, viscous brew.
Half a minute later, grimacing through the agony, he called out, "Yi-gege, don't be scared! It hurts, but—ow—it'll stop soon!"
Shi Yi saw through him instantly. He's in agony but pretending it's fine just to trick me into jumping in. This little brat's got schemes already!
It was a blatant trap, and Shi Yi had no choice but to face it.
Fine, Shi Hao, you win this round. But don't think I'll forgive you for this.