On the sixteenth of the first month, the chill was intense, and it was time for the annual trials at Starwind Academy.
For the students of the academy, this was the most important assessment of the year, and failure meant nothing less than being swept out the door.
Early in the morning, a total of one hundred seventy-six students all stood on the playground, waiting for the test to begin.
The academy was divided into three branches: Heaven, Earth, and People, and today was the People Character Courtyard's test day.
In the crowd, the sixteen-year-old boy, Shi Hao, had a slender figure that stood a good half head taller than his peers. His facial contours were sharp and well-defined, excessively handsome.
Even though everyone knew this genius was now half-crippled, admiring glances were still thrown his way, subtly or directly.
This naturally made the male students quite jealous, but previously they could only swallow their resentment, whereas now they dared to speak out.
"After this year's test, this guy is going to get expelled, right?"
"Ah, last year he still represented the academy in the martial arts competition in the Imperial Capital and was the pride of the academy. But this year, he's about to lose even the qualification to stay in the academy."
"Defeated in the final battle, and even crippled by someone, he can't cultivate anymore. Not to mention making progress, it's already good enough if he can maintain his strength."
"According to the academy's rules, during the annual trials, if one's strength hasn't increased by thirty percent from the previous year, one has to be swept out the door."
"Hehe, who made him so arrogant before? Now he's fallen straight from the clouds into the mud, totally deserves it!"
The boys talked among themselves, ruthlessly revealing Shi Hao's shortfalls.
What use is good looks, just a cripple after all.
Shi Hao remained cold. He had heard enough of such mocking and ridiculing in the past nine months and had learned to ignore them, but he could not help but clench his fists a bit tighter.
Just as these people were discussing, last year he represented Starwind Academy in the martial arts competition for fifteen-year-olds in the Imperial Capital, forging his way to the final but not securing the ultimate victory.
However, it was not that he lacked the ability, but rather, on the eve of the final, the food he had eaten was poisoned. It was not lethal but significantly weakened him the next day.
In that match, his opponent, Luo Chen, not only defeated him but also left him crippled, ruining the meridians in one of his legs and an arm.
And while Luo Chen stood over him, victorious, he revealed a secret—the one who had poisoned him was none other than Luo Chen himself!
The opponent was so arrogant, displaying not a hint of guilt or unease, just cold disdain.
Why did Luo Chen resort to such ruthless measures?
Because winning the final meant direct admission to Imperial Capital Academy, the best academy in Hua Yuan Nation, a cultivation Sacred Land every young person dreams of entering.
When Shi Hao returned to the academy, the once Heaven's Proud Son was now a half-crippled man unable to cultivate further. Those who used to crowd around him changed their expressions, mockingly scorning him, stepping on him whenever they could, letting him taste the coldness of human relations.
In the following nine months, although Shi Hao strived daily, both his hands and feet's meridians were ruined, making it impossible to practice Body Technique, his strength not only didn't improve but actually regressed.
Therefore, this was likely his last time participating in the annual trial, and once the results were out, he would leave the academy with regrets.
However, while Shi Hao didn't retaliate, the female students jumped out like mother hens protecting their chicks.
"How do you know Shi Hao won't recover?"
"You all are just jealous!"
This made the boys even more resentful. It's just that he looked a bit better, right?
Pah!
"Eh, what's that?" someone who happened to look up at the sky exclaimed.
Whoosh, a white light fell, disappearing into the crowd at an incredibly fast speed.
What was that?
Everyone was curious as the white light flashed by and then disappeared.
However, Shi Hao felt a shiver run through his body, his fear creeping up as if something inside him was trying to forcibly extinguish his spirit.
He frantically struggled, although he didn't know how to resist.
"Kid, don't resist, obediently let this lord take possession of your body!" a voice suddenly echoed in Shi Hao's mind, "Your frail Soul Power can't withstand a single blow, this is pointless!"
"Relax, and let this lord take control of your body."
"There's no need to be afraid, although your soul will vanish forever, your physical body will become this lord's shell and its future will surely shake the world, becoming a ruler among peers!"
Shi Hao was completely unable to resist, only feeling a powerful and ancient soul forcibly occupying his mind and pushing him into a corner, completely robbing him of his ability to control his body.
What was even more terrifying was that his soul was slowly being eroded away. At this rate, it wouldn't be long before he disappeared from this world completely.
"No!" he roared unwillingly in his mind.
"Rest assured, this lord will avenge you, and this lord will fulfill your lifelong wishes!" The soul was unmoved and cold-hearted, yet a moment later, it became incredibly frightened.
"How is that possible! You are—damn it! No! No! No!"
It seemed to encounter something terrifying, screaming chillingly in Shi Hao's mind before the soul instantly shattered, and a massive flood of memories surged toward Shi Hao, indescribably vast.
Shi Hao grunted, and passed out.
"Hahahaha!" This caused the boys around him to burst into laughter.
"He's really timid, fainting from fear."
"Look, he's even sweating profusely."
"Such a person, once called the pride of our academy, even represented our academy in the martial arts competition in the Imperial Capital, is truly shameful!"
However, they soon couldn't laugh anymore, because one by one, the girls were clustering around him, their faces full of concern and care.
"It's not like you're his parents—what for!"
...
Shi Hao had a dream, in which he became another person, called Yuan Chengmie, who had a remarkably long life filled with countless experiences, yet all were extremely blurry.
As Yuan Chengmie, he had learned many things, including medicine, talisman technique, and alchemy technique, and he had quite some accomplishments.
Eventually, he ventured into an ancient relic and obtained a Cultivation Technique known as the Nine Revolutions Sky-Plundering Scripture, only to trigger the restrictions and his physical body was directly annihilated, with only his soul managing to escape.
Even so, his soul was severely damaged and had to immediately find someone to possess.
Thus, Shi Hao saw a familiar scene, a beam of white light descending from the sky and entering "himself."
Whew!
Shi Hao suddenly sat upright, and when he saw the familiar environment around him, he finally breathed a sigh of relief.
Was it a nightmare?
It was not.
Many memories had been added to his mind, all from Yuan Chengmie, including knowledge of martial arts, medical research, and insights on talisman and alchemy techniques, diverse and multifaceted.
However, Yuan Chengmie was severely injured, and the memories were incomplete. Regarding this person's life events, Shi Hao didn't receive any clear images.
It wasn't a dream, everything was real.
Shi Hao felt a strong confidence rise within him, as he had received the martial arts legacy of a powerful figure.
"Trash, you woke up!" someone sneered nearby.
Shi Hao looked over; this person was Bu Bowen, who nine months ago, was still his underling, constantly hanging around him, trying incessantly to please.
But once he became useless, Bu Bowen was the quickest to turn against him, immediately switching his allegiance to Shi Hao's former rival, Song Tianming from the Heaven Character Courtyard, becoming a loyal dog, in a manner so real it was hard to believe.
Was this really just a sixteen-year-old boy?
"Hehe, just sixteen more people, and then it's your turn," Bu Bowen said with a contemptuous smile, leaning close to Shi Hao's ear and whispering, "Once you're expelled and lose the protection of being a disciple of the academy, Brother Tianming can deal with you without any scruples, even... kill you!"