In the northwest of the Dou Qi Continent there lies Wu Tan City, located in the northern region of the Jia Ma Empire. Thanks to its advantageous position near the Magic Beast Mountain Range, Wu Tan City is one of the more prominent cities in the empire.
Besides the City Lord's Mansion and the Miter family, the most influential powers in Wu Tan City are the three major families: the Xiao Clan, the Ao Ba Clan, and the Jia Lie Clan. However, due to the death of the older generation of Dou Ling (Dou Spirit) from these families and the current patriarchs being stuck at the level of Dou Grandmaster, Wu Tan City has rapidly declined in status over the past decade. It now ranks among the lowest of the empire's major cities.
"Hurry up, you useless bunch! Do you think I'm paying you two gold coins a month to slack off?"
Early in the morning, outside a business in the southern part of Wu Tan City, a dozen freight carriages stood parked at the gates. A middle-aged man in a luxurious yellow robe stroked his round belly, shouting at a group of porters busily loading and unloading goods.
"This yellow-skinned bastard is just like the capitalist overlords back on Blue Star," Lin Feng thought to himself bitterly, watching the man in yellow, who seemed far more relaxed than the porters struggling under heavy loads. Despite his complaints, Lin Feng knew his place and kept quiet. He couldn't help but reflect on his situation: "Why is it that other people who get transported to other worlds end up in noble families or receive some sort of powerful system to help them? Meanwhile, I was sent to the Dou Qi Continent in the body of a six-year-old. If I hadn't had strong vitality, I would've starved on the streets long ago."
Yes, Lin Feng was a traveler from Blue Star. He had been an ordinary worker, living the daily Life of a ordinary person. But after going home from work one night, showering, and going to bed as usual, he woke up to find himself in this strange new world, with the body of a child. Worse, he had no money and couldn't even speak the local language. He narrowly avoided starving by begging, relying on his thick skin.
At thirteen, two years ago, he had finally secured this porter job, which provided him some stability.
Later that evening, after finishing work, Lin Feng approached the yellow-robed man, who was preparing to leave. "Excuse me, shopkeeper. I have something important to attend to tomorrow. Could I take the day off?"
"A day off? How much cargo would you move if you weren't here? Is it worth the two gold coins I give you each month?" the man in yellow replied, clearly annoyed.
Lin Feng held his tongue, thinking, "Other people earn five gold coins. If I weren't so young, no one would want to work for you." But instead, he smiled and said, "I really have no choice this time. I hope you can be understanding and allow it."
"Fine, but just this once. Don't think there'll be a next time," the man grumbled, patting his belly before leaving.
"Thank you, shopkeeper," Lin Feng replied.
The next morning, under the cover of a faint white mist, Lin Feng made his way to an unnamed mountain a few miles from Wu Tan City. Hidden under a cliff, he sat cross-legged in a narrow cave. This was the secret spot he had carefully chosen for cultivation. The cliff overlooked a bottomless abyss, and the only path leading to it was obscured by branches and rubble, ensuring no one would disturb him.
Lin Feng had reached the peak of the ninth level of Dou Zhi Qi a year ago, and now he was determined to break through to the Dou Zhe. He had delayed this breakthrough for months because he lacked Qi into a cyclone, which would have decrease his chances of success. But with time running out, he knew he had to act now. After all, Xiao Yan, a character the same age as him, was already fifteen, and according to the novel, Yao Lao was about to appear. Lin Feng needed to advance before Xiao Yan to have a chance at acquiring the treasures in Jia Ma Empire.
When he felt his condition was at its peak, Lin Feng murmured to himself, "I must succeed." He took a deep breath and began cultivating the technique to absorb Dou Qi. As the air around him stirred, traces of pale Dou Qi seeped into his body, gradually filling his meridians.
As he continued to absorb the energy, his body reached its limit, and his meridians swelled painfully. Lin Feng knew he had to act quickly or risk damaging them. Following the instructions he had learned, he forced the Dou Qi in his meridians toward his cyclone. Suddenly, all the energy in his body rushed to his lower abdomen, transforming from pale to a milky white gas, close to liquid—a sign that Qi was becoming real Dou Qi.
After a tense moment of focus, Lin Feng successfully condensed a Dou Qi cyclone in his dantian, marking his advancement to the Dou Zhe. His eyes shone with satisfaction as he surveyed the swirling energy inside his body. Though small, the cyclone's power far surpassed his previous abilities at the ninth level of Dou Zhi Qi.
However, Lin Feng knew that he wasn't a true Dou Zhe yet. He still had to transform the attribute less Dou Qi in his body into Dou Qi with specific attributes. This could only be achieved through cultivating advanced techniques, which were beyond his current reach. Without a system, powerful family, or wealth to purchase martial arts techniques, Lin Feng found himself at a crossroads.
"Jia Nan Academy?" he thought. But he dismissed the idea. The academy was too far from the jia Nan Empire, and by the time he returned, Xiao Yan would have already claimed most of the treasures. Joining a sect also seemed too complicated, especially with Misty Cloud Sect's involvement with the Hall of Souls.
Unable to find a clear solution, Lin Feng sighed and began his journey back to Wu Tan City.