The wooden ceiling above her was cracked and old, a far cry from the towering jade halls she once knew. The air smelled of damp wood and lingering herbs, and the rough straw mat beneath her skin was nothing like the silk bedding she had been accustomed to.
Everything felt foreign. Yet, for the first time in a thousand years—**she was truly alive.**
Linji sat up, her small, delicate fingers clutching the thin blanket that covered her frail body. A wave of memories flooded her mind—memories that did not belong to her.
—A child's innocent laughter.
—The warm embrace of a mother.
—A sudden accident.
—Pain.
—Darkness.
And then, nothing.
Linji took a slow breath, her sharp mind quickly piecing everything together.
*"So, the original soul of this body is gone… and I have taken its place."*
She had witnessed reincarnation theories in her past life—soul transfers, forbidden magic, and even unnatural rebirth formations. But to personally undergo it? That was something she had never imagined.
She looked down at her tiny hands, feeling the weight of her new body. This body was… weak. Malnourished. Devoid of even the most basic energy.
Her lips curled slightly.
*"This won't do."*
Her past life had been shackled by poison, stripping her of the one thing she desired most—**power**.
But now…
She clenched her fists, feeling the warmth of her own breath against her palm.
**She could cultivate.**
A slow, chilling smile spread across her lips.
*"The heavens took my power once. Let's see if they can stop me again."*
---
## **The Xiao Family: A Struggling Legacy**
For the first time, Linji truly observed her surroundings. Her new life was in a small, average family within **Joun City**, the 37th-ranked city in **Duo County**.
The Xiao Family was neither strong nor influential. Their patriarch, **Xiao Zheng**, had been stuck at **Spirit Refining Stage Level 5** for years, unable to advance. Their wealth was limited, their influence even more so.
In short, this was a family with no hope of rising.
Linji found this oddly amusing.
*"Fate threw me into a struggling family? Interesting."*
In her past life, countless cultivators fought to serve her. Now, she was the one at the bottom. It was a cruel joke from the heavens.
A joke she would soon overturn.
During her first few days, she observed everyone carefully.
Her new mother, **Madam Xiao**, was a simple but kind woman who looked at Linji with sadness.
"Poor child… You were gone for two days after the accident. We thought we lost you."
Linji remained silent.
She knew what had happened. The body's original owner had died, and her soul had replaced it. The people of this world would never understand the truth behind it.
Madam Xiao gently patted her head. "You don't have to be afraid anymore, Linji. Mother is here."
Linji blinked. A strange warmth filled her heart—foreign, unfamiliar. In her past life, no one had ever comforted her. No one had ever called her **daughter**.
She quickly shoved the feeling away.
This wasn't the time for emotions.
**She had work to do.**
---
## **First Steps Toward Power**
For the first time in her thousand-year life, Linji was a child. Small, weak, fragile. Her body was untrained, her muscles undeveloped.
But she had **knowledge.**
**She knew how to train.**
In the dead of night, long after the household had gone to sleep, Linji quietly slipped out of bed.
The cold air brushed against her thin frame, but she ignored it. She needed to test something.
She sat on the hard wooden floor and closed her eyes, steadying her breathing.
And then—she reached inward.
Deep within her body, a faint energy pulsed. It was weak, barely noticeable. But it was **there**.
Linji smiled.
*"So, this world's cultivation energy is indeed different from my previous one. But it's more… stable. More natural."*
She had no special bloodline. No divine inheritance. But she had something **far more valuable.**
**Experience.**
While others wasted years fumbling in the dark, she knew exactly how to guide her body. She would not make the same mistakes they did.
**Step by step, she would climb to the top.**
She inhaled deeply and began.
At first, her movements were slow and unsteady. Her body, unused to exercise, trembled with the effort.
Sweat dripped down her forehead, her tiny limbs aching from the strain.
But she didn't stop.
In her past life, her body had been a **prison**. She had spent centuries studying, learning, mastering every art imaginable—**but unable to cultivate.**
Now, she was free. And she would **never** allow herself to be weak again.
Even if it took **days**—**weeks**—**months**—she would **break this body into shape.**
—Step one: Strengthen the foundation.
—Step two: Awaken her cultivation.
—Step three: **Dominate.**
---
### **Ending Hook**
Linji collapsed onto the floor, her breath ragged, her small body drenched in sweat. Every inch of her ached, but her eyes burned with an unsettling determination.
She stared at the ceiling, her lips curving into a dark, knowing smile.
*"It starts now."*
*"From this moment on… I will never be weak again."*
**Somewhere in the heavens, fate trembled.**
For the first time in a thousand years—**Shu Linji had returned.**
---