Silence. A deathly silence. Darkness. A terrifying darkness.
When Chu Yun first arrived here, he had no idea who he was or where this place might be. Yet as time passed, his consciousness—or rather, his soul—gradually began to awaken.
His soul wandered aimlessly through this eerie space, like a lone ghost. Chu Yun didn't know where this was, nor whether he could escape. However, he was certain this place wasn't the hell described in legends.
And so, time slipped by—how much, he couldn't tell. As he drifted endlessly, a tiny speck of light suddenly appeared in the distance. Overjoyed, he moved toward it. Gradually, he began to leave the strange space behind...
"Ah, it hurts..."
As Chu Yun regained consciousness and thought, a sharp, searing pain suddenly struck him. The pain was so intense it almost caused him to faint again.
It wasn't a physical pain but an excruciating torment of the soul. He couldn't put it into words, but it was a hundred—no, a thousand—times worse than physical pain. Groggy and disoriented, Chu Yun felt an overwhelming flood of images surging into his mind, as though his head might explode.
Fortunately, the agony passed as quickly as it came, lasting only an instant. Countless fragmented memories suddenly poured into Chu Yun's brain. They felt both familiar and foreign, and he was certain he had never experienced these things before. How, then, had they appeared in his mind?
He had no idea how much time had passed before he finally processed these alien memories. In his dazed state, an absurd thought crossed his mind—he was no longer himself. He had become someone else. But the notion was so outlandish that he dismissed it immediately.
Chu Yun vaguely remembered that he had been an ordinary man living a busy life in a bustling city. One fateful day, after drinking too much, he was hit by a speeding car. And then...he found himself here.
At that moment, a panicked voice called out beside him, "Young Master! Young Master, are you awake? If you're awake, say something! I just saw you open your eyes... How come there's no response again?"
Chu Yun was filled with doubt. Wasn't he dead? How could he hear someone speaking? Could it be...had he become a ghost?
Wait—was he not dead?!
The thought jolted him, and Chu Yun abruptly opened his eyes. Before him stood a teenage boy with a round face, dressed in a blue outfit.
"Hahaha! You're finally awake! I knew it—Young Master, you wouldn't die so easily!" The boy's face lit up with joy as he shook Chu Yun excitedly, laughing loudly.
"Uh…" Just as Chu Yun opened his eyes, the boy's vigorous shaking nearly knocked him out again. Struggling free, Chu Yun took a closer look at the boy and frowned. "You are... Mo Feng?"
As soon as the words left his mouth, Chu Yun startled himself. He had never seen this boy before—how did he know his name?
"Of course it's me! Young Master, what's wrong with you? Asking such childish questions... Don't tell me swallowing that Body Refinement Pill messed up your brain?" Mo Feng rolled his eyes in exasperation.
"What is this place?" As his eyes adjusted to the unfamiliar surroundings, Chu Yun couldn't help but ask. He had assumed he would wake up in a hospital bed or his own home, but instead, he found himself in a completely foreign environment.
"That's right!" Ignoring Mo Feng, Chu Yun quickly got out of bed, walked over to a nearby mirror, and looked at his reflection.
What he saw nearly made his jaw drop.
It wasn't that the person in the mirror was ugly. Quite the opposite...
He was incredibly handsome!
Yes, too handsome!
With fair skin and flawless features, the reflection belonged to an undeniable heartthrob. But the problem was...this wasn't Chu Yun's face!
"This is me? How is this possible?" Chu Yun clutched his head, overwhelmed with confusion. He forced himself to calm down and waved at Mo Feng. "Mo Feng, leave me alone for now. I need some rest."
Mo Feng hesitated, concern written all over his face. "Young Master, are you okay?"
"I'm fine," Chu Yun replied, waving dismissively.
"All right. Rest well." Mo Feng nodded and left the room.
After Mo Feng left, Chu Yun collapsed back onto the bed, staring at the ceiling. As he scanned his surroundings, a flood of information surfaced in his mind, revealing where he was and who he had become.
He now inhabited a world of cultivation. However, due to his poor aptitude, he had been unable to sense spiritual energy, let alone cultivate. The reason for his recent coma was tied to a desperate attempt to change his fate—he had consumed a Spirit-Gathering Pill.
The Spirit-Gathering Pill, a low-grade Earth-level elixir, was said to enhance a cultivator's aptitude by concentrating spiritual energy. However, it only had a 1% success rate. Even so, such a pill was far beyond the reach of someone like Chu Yun.
The previous Chu Yun had been a direct descendant of the prestigious Chu family, a clan of cultivators. Despite his inability to cultivate, his family had the means to help him. Tragically, the Chu family was destroyed when he was twelve, leaving him as the sole survivor of their bloodline.
A loyal family retainer had managed to escape with Chu Yun, but the retainer eventually succumbed to injuries sustained during their escape. Left with only a servant named Mo Feng, Chu Yun grew up harboring a deep desire for revenge. However, no matter how hard he worked, his poor aptitude rendered his efforts futile.
Last year, while traveling, the previous Chu Yun met a woman named Yun Youyou. The two fell in love and secretly pledged their lives to each other. Unfortunately, Yun Youyou was no ordinary woman—she was the daughter of the Yun family patriarch, one of the most powerful figures in the city of Tianyun.
When their relationship was discovered, Yun's father was furious. He not only imprisoned Chu Yun but also intended to kill him. Yun Youyou threatened to take her own life, forcing her father to relent. Ultimately, she managed to deliver the Spirit-Gathering Pill to Chu Yun in secret, with the promise that if he succeeded in altering his aptitude, her father would approve their relationship.
But now, Chu Yun found himself in an impossible situation. Even if the pill worked, it was unlikely Yun's father would genuinely accept him. Should he just break up with Yun Youyou? Perhaps he could blackmail her father for resources and flee...
Chu Yun's face lit up at the thought, but his joy quickly faded. No, that plan was ridiculous. In a clichéd story like this, such a move would only confirm to Yun's father that he was a selfish opportunist.
Besides, he hadn't even met Yun Youyou yet. What if she turned out to be a fiery-tempered woman who killed him in a fit of rage?