Year 114 of the Xia Calendar, Yuzhou, Shangjing City.
"Leader, what is that?"
"Huh, it's a fire meteor from the heavens, surely an auspicious omen! Hurry and report this to His Majesty!"
"But why does it seem like it's flying towards the imperial harem?"
...
Just after the New Year, a major event occurred in the capital of the Xia Kingdom.
A red flame fell into the imperial harem of Shangjing City.
The once lavish rear palace of the imperial compound had turned into ruins.
The entire harem—consisting of concubines, palace maids, and eunuchs—was devastated, nearly all losing their lives, their bodies shattered. The sight was filled with broken corpses and collapsed buildings, and the air was thick with the acrid stench of charred remains.
This event stirred a great wave of rumors, spreading rapidly throughout the Xia Kingdom.
One rumor claimed that the current emperor's bloodline was dubious, his ascension illegitimate, and the imperial harem was a den of vice, so Heaven had sent divine fire to cleanse the filth and restore righteous governance.
Naturally, the emperor, who narrowly survived, vehemently denied this, though he struggled to provide evidence to dispel the rumor. As a result, the Xia Kingdom's court was thrown into chaos, with political unrest growing.
...
The sky burned with fire, and the ground was littered with ruins. The scene froze at the moment the crimson flames exploded in the harem, and the memories of Bai Yichen's second life flashed before his eyes like a lantern show.
[At the age of 1, you were born into a poor family on the outskirts of Shangjing City. Your father named you Zhao Erniu. Before you were born, your family already had one older brother and two older sisters.]
[At the age of 8, due to your family's poverty, your parents sold you to a eunuch who was conducting errands outside the palace. You were taken into the palace, castrated, and given the name Xiaoniuzi. You then began learning 67 court etiquettes and rules.]
[At the age of 12, a new Imperial Pharmacy was established in the palace. Due to your delicate appearance and the intelligence and eloquence you displayed, you were recognized by the head eunuch, who arranged for you to be transferred there.]
[At the age of 13, you diligently studied the court's medical texts but were drawn into palace intrigue and demoted to the Cold Palace. Overwhelmed with despair and fear, you unlocked the mystery of your past lives and awakened the memories of your two previous lives, realizing that more than sixty years had passed since your last life.]
[At the age of 16, despite your incomplete body, you accepted reality and began using the talents granted by reincarnation to practice martial arts techniques from your previous life.]
[At the age of 20, you reached the Great Accomplishment in the acquired realm but lacked resources. Unwilling to remain trapped in the Cold Palace, you started seeking suitable allies.]
[At the age of 21, Noble Consort Xian was framed during court struggles and sent to the Cold Palace. Given her powerful family background and her childhood bond with the emperor, you chose to serve her attentively, offering her comfort.]
[At the age of 25, perhaps through divine favor or her family's influence behind the scenes, the emperor finally remembered his past affections for Noble Consort Xian and brought her out of the Cold Palace. As a result, you also escaped the Cold Palace.]
[At the age of 30, Noble Consort Xian gave birth to a prince and was granted the title of Imperial Noble Consort, becoming the most favored woman in the harem. You, in turn, rose to the position of head eunuch, gaining considerable resources and breaking through to perfection in the acquired realm ahead of your previous life.]
[At the age of 32, the Heishi organization, which had been a key player in your previous life, approached you, revealing that their leader greatly admired you. Already prepared for this, you smoothly joined the organization, only to discover that their leader was also a chief eunuch.]
[At the age of 43, you quickly ascended to the organization's upper ranks due to your deep understanding of its operations. During the fierce competition for the crown prince's position, you used the organization's power to skillfully manipulate the situation in favor of Imperial Noble Consort Xian's son. Meanwhile, you successfully broke through to the innate realm.]
[At the age of 46, as the emperor's health steadily declined, you employed increasingly ruthless means and the organization's power to successfully elevate Imperial Noble Consort Xian's son to the position of crown prince. You also became the chief eunuch of the imperial palace.]
[At the age of 50, the previous emperor passed away, and the new emperor ascended the throne. In recognition of your efforts, you were promoted to chief eunuch of the Directorate of Ceremonies, reaching the pinnacle of power, and earning the title "Lord of Nine Thousand Years," a figure who wielded authority over the court.]
[At the age of 53, using the unique advantages of your eunuch status, you became the leader of the Heishi organization. You then learned that the previous leader had been searching for immortal practitioners to restore a treasured item, revealing the existence of immortals in this world.]
[At the age of 64, you plundered various resources, aiming to break through to the legendary realm of Martial Grandmaster. You also expanded the organization's influence across the nation and began seeking immortals. You later learned from the empress dowager that the imperial family seemed to have ties to immortals.]
[At the age of 70, due to your incomplete body and lack of early care, your lifespan was shorter than that of an ordinary innate martial artist. Desperate to find immortals, you began plotting for the next life, even considering replacing the emperor with a more controllable, younger ruler.]
[At the age of 78, you witnessed a battle between immortal practitioners, where a fire meteor fell into the imperial harem, destroying everything, leaving no one alive.]
...
In the boundless void of the unknown, a Dao seed blossomed with infinite light.
"I am Zhao Erniu, but I am also… Bai Yichen, a transmigrator from Blue Star. This is the second life I have lived since crossing over."
Bai Yichen's thoughts suddenly cleared, and at the same time, Zhao Erniu's life gradually faded into black and white, his experiences and knowledge being stripped away and diluted, though his insights and wisdom would remain.
This was the profound wonder of the [Samsara Dao Seed], cleansing one's past obsessions and purifying the clutter of the mind.
It was as if he had been pulled out of an immersive, live-action film.
As for the origin of the Samsara Dao Seed, it dated back to his past life on Blue Star. Back then, he had been testing a new AI large model called the Samsara Simulator. However, just as he finished loading the data package, a sudden flash of white light appeared before his eyes.
When he regained consciousness, he found himself in this new world, reincarnated into a tenant farmer's family in a rural village. After awakening, his initial plan was to use the knowledge from his previous life to become wealthy, but he caught the attention of the family that owned the land, forcing him to flee.
During his wandering, he joined the Heishi organization. However, his martial arts talent was mediocre, and it took him twenty arduous years to barely rise to the rank of a top-tier assassin.
In the latter half of his life, he discovered that the organization held a major secret and began to explore it. Unfortunately, he died while pursuing a traitor.
To his surprise, after death, he realized that his transmigration had been caused by a treasure, the Samsara Dao Seed, which allowed him to inherit the achievements of his past life as talents in his next life. Even more importantly, he could choose an anchor point, allowing him to reincarnate endlessly.
As long as the anchor point remained, his true soul would continue to cycle through reincarnation!
The anchor point had to be a group or entity with which he had significant karmic ties and future potential. In his previous life, he had spent the majority of his time in the Heishi organization, knowing it was far from simple, so he set his anchor point there. After reincarnation, he chose "intelligence and cleverness" to avoid dying prematurely before unraveling the mystery of his fetal origins.
[Please choose one achievement from your third life to inherit as a talent in your next life:]
[In this life, you used your cunning and mastery of political intrigue to become the chief eunuch, a man of immense power. You can inherit the talent "Scheming Strategist."]
[Through hard work and diligence, you reached the Great Accomplishment in the innate martial arts realm, becoming a top martial artist in the world. You can inherit the talent "Martial Arts Prodigy."]
[You rose from an obscure young eunuch to the feared "Lord of Nine Thousand Years," whose story would be passed down through generations. Eunuchs would revere you as their ancestor. You can inherit the talent "Heavenly Eunuch Body."]
It was the classic three-choice scenario, and all the talents generated were based on the achievements of this life. Overall, they were better than those from the previous life.
However, when Bai Yichen saw the third option, he almost couldn't hold back his laughter. Did they expect him to experience the sorrow of being castrated once again?
Reflecting on how difficult it had been to reach the Great Accomplishment in the innate realm in this life, and how he had been limited by his talent and early lack of resources, he didn't hesitate in making his choice.
[You have chosen to inherit the talent "Martial Arts Prodigy."]
As for the anchor point, there was no doubt. The two forces most closely tied to him in this life were the palace eunuchs and the Heishi organization. However, there was no way he was going to become a eunuch again. If that were the case, he might as well have chosen the Heavenly Eunuch Body and saved himself from another castration.
In this life, many high-ranking officials had even privately acknowledged him as their adopted father, and their children called him grandfather. Even the emperor, before being elevated to the position of crown prince with his help, had recognized him as a surrogate father. Clearly, these connections would not work in the next life.
Unfortunately, in his first life, although he had indulged in pleasures and luxury, because he had been part of the Heishi assassin organization, he avoided leaving behind any descendants to prevent them from becoming leverage against him. This left him without the option of family as an anchor point.
Thankfully, while seeking immortality, he had made some arrangements within the Heishi organization, which might come into play in the next life.
[Your second life has come to an end. Do you wish to reincarnate?]
[Confirm.]
The surrounding scene shattered, and Bai Yichen's consciousness gradually slipped into sleep. Only the white light of the Samsara Dao Seed remained, bursting forth into the unknown void.