Darkness. Endless, icy darkness.
Lin Chen felt his consciousness slowly rising from the abyss. His body ached—every cell screamed with searing pain, as if thousands of red-hot needles were piercing his muscles and bones.
"Am I… dead?"
Memories surged like a tidal wave.
He was Lin Chen—the unparalleled genius of the Heavenly Flame Sect. At just twenty-three years old, he had reached the peak of Qi Condensation and stood on the threshold of Foundation Establishment. A glorious future awaited him. But on the very day he was to undergo the Heavenly Tribulation, his own senior brother—Lin Hao—betrayed him.
Poisoned wine. A dagger through the heart. The last thing he saw was his brother's sneer and those final words: "Your Pure Yang Body is far too valuable. It will belong to me now. Forgive me, little brother… but the sect needs a strong leader."
Death.
And yet… he was alive?
Lin Chen's eyes snapped open.
The ceiling above him was old and cracked, cobwebs hanging in the corners. The stench of mold, sweat, and cheap wine assaulted his nostrils. He lay on a hard wooden bed in a tiny room—clearly not the luxurious quarters of a sect's young master.
"This is… someone else's body?"
He tried to sit up—and immediately coughed up a mouthful of blood. His chest burned as though a fire raged inside.
At that moment, a semi-transparent screen appeared before his eyes:
[Ding!]
[Supreme Dual Sovereign System activated!]
[Host: Lin Chen (Reincarnated into the body of Lin Yue, the trash of the Lin Family)]
[Current Status: Severely injured, meridians blocked, cultivation level zero]
[Special Talent Unlocked: Pure Yang Sacred Body (100% compatibility)]
[Initial Rewards: Yang Qi Essence x1000, Dual Cultivation Technique — «Yin-Yang Harmony Scripture» (Level 1), System Points: 500]
Lin Chen froze.
A system? Reincarnation? Pure Yang Sacred Body?
He recalled the legends. The Pure Yang Sacred Body was one of the rarest heavenly gifts. Its possessor could absorb a woman's yin energy and convert it into pure yang energy, accelerating cultivation dozens of times over. But the drawback was brutal: without regularly "harvesting yin," the body would eventually self-destruct from an excess of raging yang fire.
In his previous life, he hadn't possessed such a physique. It seemed the heavens had decided to toy with him in a brand new way.
"Good… very good." The corners of Lin Chen's lips curled into a cold smile. "Betrayal? Death? All of it… is merely the beginning. This time, I won't just survive. I will stand at the pinnacle of this world… and make everyone who dared stand in my way regret the day they were born."
He mentally opened the system inventory.
Yang Qi Essence—concentrated yang energy that could be absorbed directly. Without hesitation, he selected "Use."
Instantly, warmth flooded through his body. The pain receded, the wounds on his chest began to close. The blocked meridians burst open like a dam—energy surged through them.
[Cultivation Level Increased: Qi Gathering Layer 1 → Qi Gathering Layer 3]
[Breakthrough Reward: +200 System Points]
Three layers in a single minute!
Lin Chen took a deep breath. Now he could sense the qi in the air far more clearly. This body was weak—a sixteen-year-old youth, the laughingstock of the Lin Family, despised for his lack of talent. But with his experience from his previous life and this system…
The door slammed open with a crash.
A fat young man in silken robes barged in—Lin Fan, his cousin. Two servants followed behind.
"Hahaha, look at this trash!" Lin Fan pointed at Lin Chen and laughed. "They said you tried to force yourself on Third Uncle's maid again yesterday and got your face smashed? Now you're even coughing up blood? Maybe it's time for you to just die and stop embarrassing the Lin name!"
Lin Chen slowly stood up. His eyes were calm, but inside, flames roared.
In his previous life, he would have endured it. But now…
"Lin Fan." Lin Chen's voice was quiet, yet it carried the ring of steel. "You've always been talkative. But you only open your mouth when your servants are around to protect you."
Lin Fan's face turned purple with rage.
"What did you say, you worthless scum?!" He stepped forward and swung a fist.
Lin Chen didn't dodge.
He simply raised his hand—and in that instant, yang energy erupted around him in a golden glow.
BOOM!
Lin Fan's fist slammed into an invisible wall. Bone cracked. The fat youth howled as he was sent flying backward, crashing into the wall and leaving a dent.
The servants froze in terror.
[Ding! First face-slap completed!]
[Reward: +300 System Points, Random Technique — «Yang Flame Palm» (Low-grade)]
Lin Chen glanced at his palm. Golden sparks danced across it.
"Get out," he said calmly. "And tell elder brother Lin Hao… that I've returned."
Lin Fan, clutching his broken arm, crawled toward the door. His eyes were filled with dread.
The door slammed shut.
Lin Chen sat back on the bed and opened the «Yin-Yang Harmony Scripture».
This was a supreme-grade technique. To truly begin cultivating it, he needed his first partner—a woman with powerful yin energy.
And in this Lin Family…
He already had someone in mind.
The maid named Su Mei—the very one the previous Lin Yue had supposedly "offended" yesterday. In truth, that trash had tried to force himself on her, only to be beaten back and nearly killed by the girl.
Su Mei possessed the rare Hidden Yin Physique. That was exactly why Lin Hao had been eyeing her.
Lin Chen gave a faint smirk.
"Looks like it's time to start the harvest."
He stood up and headed for the door.
Tonight… everything would change.