Chapter 1: The Fallen Scion and the Infinite System
The cold, biting wind of the Northern Borderlands whipped through the cracks of the dilapidated stone hut, but Ye Chen didn't flinch. He sat cross-legged on a frayed mat, his posture as straight as a spear, though his face was a mask of exhaustion.
It had been three years.
Three years since he had woken up in this world. In his previous life on Earth, Ye Chen had been a high-stakes corporate strategist, a man who lived by logic, data, and ruthless efficiency. He had died in a freak accident, only to open his eyes in the body of a ten-year-old boy with the same name.
Initially, he thought he had hit the reincarnation jackpot. The Ye Clan was not some backwater family; they were one of the Four Great Pillars of the Azure Dragon Empire. His father, Ye Tianlang, was the "War God of the North," a man whose name alone made barbarian tribes tremble. His mother, Su Qinglan, hailed from the reclusive Spirit-Medicine Sect.
Ye Chen had started his new life as a prince among men. Blessed with unparalleled resources and his adult mind's discipline, he had reached the 5th stage of Body Refinement by age ten. He was the pride of the Empire, the "Golden Qilin" of the Ye Clan.
Then, the "Calamity" struck.
His cultivation hadn't just stalled—it had begun to flow backward. His father was called to a distant war and disappeared in the Forbidden Frozen Wastes. His mother, desperate to find a cure for Ye Chen, had returned to her sect to seek a forbidden pill and hadn't been heard from since. Without the protection of the two powerhouses, the "vultures" within the Ye Clan—led by the Second Elder—moved in.
They stripped Ye Chen of his resources, claimed his father's estate, and eventually exiled him to this "Penance Courtyard" on the outskirts of the clan territory.
"Three years of being a 'waste'..." Ye Chen muttered, his voice raspy. "From the pinnacle of the Empire to a pariah. If this were a simulation, the difficulty setting would be 'Insane'."
He closed his eyes, attempting once more to circulate the Azure Dragon Breath—the Ye Clan's foundational technique. He felt a flicker of spiritual energy enter his meridians, but as soon as it reached his dantian, it vanished into a dark, bottomless void.
Still nothing.
"Brother Chen, are you still pretending to be a genius?"
A sharp, mocking voice pierced the air. The door to the hut was kicked open, shivering on its hinges. Ye Feng walked in, dressed in fine silks that should have belonged to Ye Chen. Behind him stood two guards who used to receive their salaries from Ye Chen's father.
"The Clan Council has made their decision," Ye Feng said, a cruel smile playing on his lips. "Since your father is officially declared 'MIA' and your mother has abandoned the clan, you are no longer entitled to the Direct Disciple status. In three days, at the Awakening Ceremony, you will be formally demoted to a 'Slave-Servant' and sent to the Spirit-Mines."
Ye Chen opened his eyes. They were cold. "Demoted? By whose authority? My father is the Head of this Clan. Until a body is found, the Second Elder is nothing but a temporary steward."
Ye Feng laughed, the sound harsh in the small room. "Authority? In this world, strength is authority. You have none. You are a 1st-stage waste living on the fumes of a dead man's reputation. Enjoy your last three days of freedom, 'Young Master'."
As Ye Feng spat on the floor and walked out, Ye Chen's fists clenched so hard his nails drew blood. The humiliation wasn't just for him; it was for the legacy of his parents.
I need a way out, Ye Chen thought, his heart pounding with a mix of fury and calculation. In my old world, I could out-think any opponent. But here, without power, my mind is just a fancy spectator.
Suddenly, a sound that didn't belong to this world echoed in his mind. It was a crisp, electronic chime.
[Ding! Host's Soul-Body synchronization has reached 100%.]
[Initializing the 'Infinite Sign-In System'...]
[Target: Ye Chen. Origin: Earth. Status: Bound.]
Ye Chen's eyes widened. "A System? It took seven years to load?"
[Replying to Host: The System required three years of 'Void Compression' within the Host's dantian to stabilize the dimensional anchor. Your lost cultivation was used as the energy source for this process.]
Ye Chen almost laughed. The "disease" that had ruined his life was actually the System's installation process.
[Host, you may Sign-In at any location with spiritual or historical significance to receive rewards. Would you like to perform your 'Starter Sign-In' here at the Penance Courtyard?]
"Sign-in!" Ye Chen commanded.
[Ding! Sign-In successful at 'The Penance Courtyard' (A Place of Resilience).]
[Reward: The 'Primordial Chaos Physique' (The First Physique of the Heavens)!]
[Reward: The 'Chaos Heart-Refining Technique' (Universal Origin Grade)!]
[Reward: 10 Drops of 'Ancestral Dragon-Blood Marrow'!]
"The First Physique...?"
Before he could process the thought, a pillar of gray, chaotic light erupted from the ground beneath him, engulfing him completely.
CRACK.
His bones began to break and reform. His skin peeled away, replaced by a surface that shimmered with a faint, crystalline luster. The "void" in his dantian, which had swallowed three years of effort, suddenly expanded and turned into a swirling vortex of gray mist.
The energy didn't just return; it amplified.
1st Stage Body Refinement... 2nd Stage... 3rd Stage...
He hit the 4th Stage in seconds, but his body felt heavier, denser. His muscles were being infused with the Dragon-Blood Marrow, making his physical strength ten times that of a normal cultivator at the same level.
Ye Chen stood up, his rags fluttering from the sheer pressure of his aura. He felt a connection to the world he had never felt before—he could "see" the flow of energy in the air, the vibrations of the earth.
"So this is the power of the Chaos Physique," Ye Chen whispered, a dark, predatory smile appearing on his face. He looked toward the main Ye Clan palace, visible in the distance.
"Ye Feng, Second Elder... you wanted to see a waste? I'll show you what happens when the 'Golden Qilin' of the North stops playing nice."