Yun Zhen woke to the smell of damp wood and a faint sting in his chest, and for a moment he thought he was back in the sky with the Chaos Rift screaming above him, but the ceiling over his head was nothing more than old planks held together by a few crooked nails. He lay there with one hand pressed against his ribs, trying to understand why his breath felt heavier than a mountain.
He muttered, "This body feels wrong, and my limbs shake like they belong to a child, and everything inside me is too small."
He tried to sit up. Pain shot across his back, and his fingers grabbed the thin blanket like he needed it to stay upright. His muscles trembled, his breath wavered, and he locked his eyes on his own hands. The skin was pale and thin, and the veins underneath looked fragile.
"This is what a mortal body feels like," he whispered while trying to steady his breathing, "and I forgot how weak this level truly is."
His head felt stuffed with fog, and there was a faint pull inside him—memories that didn't belong to him, yet somehow did. Images flashed:
A boy kneeling in a courtyard.
Children calling him bastard son.
A cold room.
An empty stomach.
Bruises.
Fear.
Yun Zhen rested his forehead against his palm and breathed out slowly.
"So that is who lived here before me, and he suffered too much, and he died without anyone caring," he whispered, his voice low and strained.
He pushed his feet to the floor. The wood was cold, and when he stood, his legs almost collapsed under him. He caught himself on the edge of the bed and stayed there until the shaking stopped.
He muttered under his breath, "At least let me walk without falling, and let the body obey me a bit."
The door slammed open so fast the wall rattled. A young servant stepped inside with an annoyed face and a loud sigh.
"Oh, you finally woke up," the servant complained while throwing a bundle of dirty clothes on the floor. "I thought you were pretending again, and the elders told me to drag you if you didn't move."
Yun Zhen blinked once. The boy's tone grated on him more than he expected.
The servant walked closer and poked Yun Zhen's shoulder.
"Hey, don't stare at me like that. You're still the useless bastard, and just because you almost died again doesn't mean anyone cares."
Yun Zhen's fingers tightened around the wooden bedframe as he tried not to fall again. His knee buckled, and he caught himself with one hand on the wall.
The servant laughed.
"Look at you shaking. How do you even survive a day in this clan, and maybe you shouldn't because it would save everyone the trouble."
Yun Zhen lifted his head slowly, and his eyes met the servant's. There wasn't anger in them, not the way the mortal Yun Zhen would've reacted. There was calm, almost too calm for someone who looked so weak.
He answered quietly, "If you're done talking, move. I need to prepare."
The servant froze for a moment. The tone wasn't loud, but it carried something colder than the air in the room. He forced a laugh to cover his sudden discomfort.
"You think you're important now? Get moving, idiot, and the elders said they want you in the courtyard for the inspection unless you want another beating."
The servant left with another loud sigh and didn't close the door behind him.
Yun Zhen pressed a hand against his ribs and muttered, "Inspection… this boy always failed those, and I need to remain standing long enough to avoid more trouble."
He pushed himself forward and managed three steps before his foot dragged and he had to grip the doorframe. Every muscle in his back felt like it had been stabbed, and the meridians under his skin felt twisted and blocked.
No wonder the boy died.
He was already half-broken long before Yun Zhen's soul entered this body.
He stepped out of the room and followed the path toward the courtyard. The sun was barely rising, and the cold morning wind cut through his thin clothes. He shivered and pulled the cloth tighter around him, though it barely helped.
The house he lived in was a small shed on the outer edge of the clan's grounds, and the buildings around him grew larger and more refined as he moved. He could hear voices ahead, and when he reached the main walkway, several clan youths turned their heads in unison.
One boy snickered, "Look who crawled out of his hole."
Another whispered too loudly, "I heard he fainted while carrying water, and how does someone that pathetic share the clan name."
Yun Zhen didn't react. He simply walked past them with slow steps, and one boy stepped forward like he wanted to block the path. The boy had a smirk on his face, but before he could speak, a sharp voice cut through the air.
"Move. He needs to be at the courtyard."
Yun Zhen stopped.
The voice he heard didn't belong to a servant or a random youth.
He turned, and she stood there.
Yun Xue.
Her long black hair was tied high in a sharp, disciplined ponytail, the strands catching a faint icy sheen whenever she moved. Her red training robes hugged her toned waist and the clean lines of her figure, making her look like she'd been born to command the entire courtyard. Her phoenix eyes—cold, sharp, and proud—were locked on him with a mix of irritation and something she refused to name. She kept her arms crossed under her chest, posture straight and unyielding, every bit of her impatience showing in the tight set of her lips and the faint chill leaking from her.
She spoke again, "The elders don't want to wait all morning, and they already think you'll run off like a rat again."
Yun Zhen met her eyes without flinching. His voice came steady even though his legs felt ready to collapse.
"Lead the way, and I can walk behind you."
Her eyebrow twitched.
She asked, "Since when do you talk like that?"
He answered, "Since waking up."
Her eyes narrowed, and she stepped closer until she stood less than an arm's length from him. She studied his face deeply, the annoyance shifting into something like confusion.
"You were trembling when you heard my voice two days ago, and now you stand straight like nothing scares you," she muttered.
He remained calm.
"I changed my mind about what is worth fearing."
She clicked her tongue and turned away, walking ahead with faster steps.
"Just don't faint on the way, and I don't want to drag you again."
Yun Zhen followed her. The more he walked, the more he realized how damaged this body was. Every few steps, his breathing hitched. His chest ached. His vision blurred at the edges for a moment before clearing again.
He muttered to himself, "This body needs months of repair, and I need a foundation strong enough to use even the simplest art."
Yun Zue turned her head slightly.
"You keep mumbling, and I don't care if you faint, but don't collapse near me."
He answered, "If I fall, I'll fall forward, not toward you."
She gave him a sideways glance like she couldn't decide if he was joking or insane.
They reached the courtyard, and the noise hit them immediately. Dozens of clan youths lined up for inspection, elders sitting on platform seats while talking among themselves.
The moment Yun Zhen stepped in, whispers broke out like sparks.
"That useless bastard is alive again."
"Why does the clan even keep him?"
"He has no future, no strength, and no talent."
Yun Zhen didn't turn toward them. He kept walking behind Yun Xue while she guided him to the end of the line. The elders looked up briefly, and one of them sighed loudly.
"He can barely stand, and why do we even bother with this one?"
Another elder shook his head.
"Leave him. We only need to check everyone. It changes nothing."
Yun Xue stood nearby with crossed arms, watching every movement Yun Zhen made.
One youth walked by him and bumped his shoulder on purpose, pushing him slightly off balance. Yun Zhen shifted his weight and caught himself without falling, but the pain shot down his arm and made him grit his teeth.
The youth grinned.
"You really fit the role of clan trash, and I don't even understand how you share our blood."
Yun Zhen turned his head slightly. His voice stayed calm.
"You speak too much for someone trying to sound important, and maybe talk less unless you want to look desperate for attention."
The youth froze.
Several nearby disciples stared wide-eyed.
Yun Xue's eyebrow twitched again.
She whispered under her breath, "Since when does he talk like this?"
Yun Zhen stood still and waited, but a sudden sharp pain shot through his mind. His vision flickered. Everything in the courtyard dimmed for a moment.
He grabbed his temple and whispered, "Not now."
Symbols flickered across his vision like faint silver shapes. They moved and shifted, forming incomplete patterns. His heartbeat stumbled, then picked up again with a hard thump.
A cold mechanical voice whispered in his mind, too soft for anyone else to hear.
[Initializing…]
He inhaled sharply.
The voice came again.
[Host detected.]
Yun Zhen lifted his head slowly, eyes narrowing.
Something inside him was waking up.
End Of Chapter 2