What's happening… could it be that I haven't died? I distinctly remember falling from Cloud's End Cliff—how could I possibly still be alive! And there's no pain in my body… not even a hint of discomfort. What is going on?
Yun Che's eyes flew open, and he quickly sat up, shocked to find himself on a plush bed with crimson curtains hanging above, exuding an atmosphere of celebration.
"Ah! Little Che! You… you're awake!"
A delighted, youthful voice sounded beside him, and a girl's face appeared in his view.
She looked no older than fifteen or sixteen, dressed in a flowing green gown. Her delicate face glowed with a gentle beauty, her lips as vivid as fresh blossoms, and her dainty nose slightly upturned. Her wide, shining eyes, filled with deep surprise, resembled crystal-clear springs—pure, transparent, and captivating. Her entire face radiated a soft charm and vivid elegance. Even at such a tender age, her beauty foreshadowed the breathtaking allure she would one day possess.
Gazing at the girl so close to him, Yun Che was momentarily dazed, instinctively blurting out, "Little Aunt?"
The girl lifted her fair, slender arm, and her jade-like hand rested on Yun Che's forehead. She seemed to relax a bit as she said with relief, "Your temperature is nearly back to normal—thank goodness! I was so worried just now. Little Che, are you feeling unwell anywhere?"
Under her gaze, brimming with sincere concern, Yun Che shook his head absently… his mind completely adrift.
"Rest here for a while; I'll go inform your grandfather. Today is your wedding day, and when you suddenly fainted, your grandfather nearly panicked. He even went out himself to summon Master Situ."
In her haste, the girl didn't notice the peculiar expression on Yun Che's face. She gently eased him back onto the bed, then quickly left the room.
As the door closed, Yun Che sat up once more, clutching his head in his hands.
This was Floating Cloud City, a small town on the easternmost edge of the Blue Wind Empire on the Heavenly Profound Continent. And he… he was Xiao Che, the sole grandson of the Fifth Elder of the Xiao Clan in Floating Cloud City, who had just turned sixteen.
This was his identity now.
His memories suddenly intertwined with those of more than twenty years on the Azure Cloud Continent, leaving him in a daze.
I am Xiao Che… but what are these memories of the Azure Cloud Continent?
Could it be that after dying on the Azure Cloud Continent, I somehow crossed over into this body?
No, I am Xiao Che! Every part of this room feels so familiar; from childhood to now, every memory is vivid and real. It's impossible that I've stolen someone else's memories!
Was everything on the Azure Cloud Continent merely a dream? Did that dream end when I fell from Cloud's End Cliff?
But those memories of the Azure Cloud Continent are equally vivid… twenty-four years of entangled emotions and conflicts—how could that be just a dream!
What is truly happening?
Yun Che—or perhaps now Xiao Che—stood lost in thought for a long time before his gaze gradually steadied, his mind clearing.
It was dawn outside, and the sky was still dim. Today was the day he was to marry Xia Qingyue. Two quarters of an hour earlier, his Little Aunt had woken him to dress in wedding attire. After drinking a bowl of porridge she had personally prepared, he suddenly felt his strength drain away… and remembered nothing until now.
Now, a faint, unfamiliar taste lingered on his lips. Xiao Che pressed his lips together, and his face changed slightly.
This is… Heart-Shattering Powder!In those years on the Azure Cloud Continent, Yun Che, bearing the Sky Poison Pearl, held mastery over all poisons in the world. No toxin was unknown to him; with just a faint sniff, he could instantly discern its name and composition. Moreover, possessing the Sky Poison Pearl rendered him immune to all poisons, no matter how deadly—they simply could not harm him.
Heart-Shattering Powder, crafted from Soul-Breaking Grass and Purple Veined Begonia, is colorless and tasteless when dissolved in water. Within moments of ingestion, it robs one of life, leaving no trace of poison in the body.
Xiao Che's eyes darkened as sudden clarity struck him.
It wasn't that he had fainted just now—the porridge he drank had been laced with Heart-Shattering Powder, killing him instantly! He had died, reincarnated on the Azure Cloud Continent, fallen from Cloud's End Cliff… only to be reborn in the very body that had just perished!
Though it seemed beyond belief, this was the only plausible explanation Xiao Che could grasp.
But wait… if that's the case, then my body shouldn't possess any resistance to poisons. So how is it that, despite the Heart-Shattering Powder touching my lips, I'm completely unharmed?
A faint sensation emanated from the center of his left palm. Lifting his hand, Xiao Che discovered a green, circular mark imprinted there.
The shape, color, and size of this mark… it was identical to the Sky Poison Pearl!
Before falling from Cloud's End Cliff, in a desperate moment, he had swallowed the Sky Poison Pearl without knowing what consequences would follow. And now, this mark on his hand seemed to imply that the Sky Poison Pearl had traveled with him, becoming part of his body!
"Sky Poison Pearl…" Xiao Che murmured as he stared at the mark, dazed.
As his words faded, the green mark in his palm suddenly emitted a brilliant emerald light. His vision blurred, and a mild dizziness compelled him to close his eyes. When he opened them again, he found himself in a vast green expanse, stretching endlessly in all directions, filled with the faint aura unique to the Sky Poison Pearl. It took him a long moment to realize that his mind had entered the inner world of the Sky Poison Pearl.
So, the Sky Poison Pearl contained such a boundless inner world! Even more incredible was that swallowing the Pearl had not only allowed it to travel with him but also seemed to fuse it with his body!
If I can enter, then surely I can also leave.
Xiao Che closed his eyes, focusing his intent, and the green world around him quickly dissolved. When he opened his eyes again, he was back in the familiar room.
Gazing at the pale green mark in his palm, Xiao Che let a slow smile form… Though he didn't understand how such a miraculous thing had happened, he had not only survived but had been given a second life with memories of two worlds. Perhaps fate itself took pity on the sorrowful destiny of his two lives and granted him another chance to live anew!
On the Azure Cloud Continent, Yun Che had been hunted by countless top experts. Though he had ultimately fallen, he had single-handedly stirred the world's tides—what power he wielded! Yet, his current body was ordinary, no—utterly weak to the point of absurdity.
On the Heavenly Profound Continent, profound strength reigns supreme. Although born into the Xiao Clan, as the grandson of Xiao Lie, the most powerful elder, Xiao Che was sixteen years old and yet remained stuck at the first level of the Elementary Profound Realm. From the age of seven, he had started cultivating, reaching the first level at eight, only to stagnate for the next eight years. The clan constantly ridiculed him. Later, Xiao Lie invited Situ Yun, Floating Cloud City's foremost healer, to examine Xiao Che, only to receive a crushing diagnosis—Xiao Che had been born with severely damaged veins, a nearly impossible condition to heal. With this affliction, Xiao Che would remain forever at the first level, no matter how hard he tried.
Even if he trained with all his might, he would never advance beyond the first level of the Elementary Profound Realm. In the hierarchy of the Heavenly Profound Continent, he was destined to remain at the bottom, nothing but a laughingstock for the Xiao Clan. Were it not for his grandfather, Xiao Lie—the strongest in the clan and the city—no one would have even spared him a glance.
As one of the three great cultivation families in Floating Cloud City, the Xiao Clan boasted many powerful warriors and talented youth. Among them, Xiao Che was utterly insignificant; no one would notice, much less care, if he suddenly died. Yet someone had gone to the trouble of poisoning him with the priceless and traceless Heart-Shattering Powder. Xiao Che now understood the reason perfectly well.
Today was his wedding day with Xia Qingyue.
Xia Qingyue, his age and only sixteen, had already reached the peak of the Elementary Profound Realm, soon to advance into the Nascent Profound Realm. She was the first in a century within the Xia Clan to attain such power so young, unmatched among the youth of Floating Cloud City. Rumors held that if her cultivation continued at this pace, she could one day break into the Earth Profound Realm, or even, for the first time in a century, the Heavenly Profound Realm!
Not only did she possess unparalleled talent, but Xia Qingyue was also hailed as the city's most beautiful. Nearly every young noble in Floating Cloud City pined for her. If the Xia family had announced her hand in marriage, suitors would have lined the city streets.
But this unparalleled beauty, the pride of Floating Cloud City, was to marry the most despised, talentless youth of the Xiao family, who lacked even a sliver of promise. The city was outraged, as if a peerless lotus had been placed in a pile of mud no one cared to look upon.
Those enamored with Xia Qingyue naturally felt jealousy and resentment, along with a sense of bitter indignation… so it hardly surprised Xiao Che that someone would seek to poison him.
"A true beauty brings calamity," Xiao Che muttered, standing. Yet, as he thought of Xia Qingyue's unparalleled elegance, a grin broke across his face. "But marrying such a wife isn't a bad way to start over."