The sword pierced through his chest from behind.
Lin Yuan didn't need to turn around to know who did it.
The pain came a split second later—sharp, burning, and humiliating. His breath hitched as blood spilled from his lips, splattering onto the stone floor of the Heavenly Ascension Platform.
"Why?"
His voice was hoarse, barely louder than a whisper.
The blade twisted.
Behind him, a familiar voice sighed softly. "Because you were too strong."
Lin Yuan laughed weakly. He had climbed from the lowest outer disciple to the strongest expert of the Azure Heaven Continent. He had crushed sects, killed demons, shattered bloodlines. He stood at the very peak.
And now, he was dying because of it.
"You said we were brothers," Lin Yuan said.
Another voice joined in, cold and mocking. "Brothers don't block the path to immortality."
Lin Yuan finally turned his head. Standing behind him were the three people he trusted most—his sworn brother Zhao Feng, his dao companion Su Qingyue, and his master, the Heavenly Sword Sovereign.
All of them held weapons stained with his blood.
Su Qingyue wouldn't meet his eyes. Zhao Feng smiled faintly. The Heavenly Sword Sovereign looked down at him as if he were already a corpse.
"You discovered the Ancient Origin Realm," his master said calmly. "You obtained the Primordial Upgrade Manual. If you ascended first, what chance would we have left?"
"So you decided to kill me," Lin Yuan said.
"Correct."
The world spun. His knees buckled.
Lin Yuan had never regretted anything in his life—until now.
He regretted trusting them.
He regretted not killing them when he had the chance.
Most of all, he regretted not finishing the Primordial Upgrade Manual.
As darkness swallowed his vision, Lin Yuan clenched his fists.
If I could do it again…
I would kill them all.
---
Pain vanished.
Instead, warmth wrapped around him.
Lin Yuan's consciousness floated, confused. He expected death. Oblivion. Nothingness.
Instead, he heard a mechanical voice.
[Soul integrity detected.] [Rebirth conditions satisfied.] [Initializing Strongest Upgrade System…]
"What?" Lin Yuan thought.
His eyes snapped open.
He sucked in a sharp breath and bolted upright.
The first thing he saw was a cracked wooden ceiling.
The second thing he felt was a weak, unfamiliar body.
Lin Yuan froze.
This room… was old. Small. Cheap. A far cry from the Heavenly Ascension Palace.
He lowered his hands. They were thin, calloused, and young.
Too young.
Memories flooded into his mind like a broken dam.
This body belonged to a sixteen-year-old outer disciple of the Falling Cloud Sect.
Name: Lin Yuan.
Status: Trash-tier talent. Lowest spiritual root. Regular target of bullying.
Time: Ten years before his betrayal.
Lin Yuan's pupils shrank.
"I… reborn?"
[Confirmation: Rebirth successful.] [Host returned to starting timeline.] [Strongest Upgrade System bound permanently.]
A translucent blue screen appeared before his eyes.
---
Name: Lin Yuan
Cultivation: Body Tempering, Level 2
Talent: Mortal Grade (Upgradeable)
Strength: 12
Agility: 11
Vitality: 10
Upgrade Points: 0
---
Lin Yuan stared at the screen.
System.
Not an illusion. Not a dream.
In his previous life, he had spent decades struggling without any external help. Every breakthrough was paid in blood. Every opportunity fought over with his life on the line.
Now…
"Strongest Upgrade System," he murmured.
The name alone made his heartbeat accelerate.
"What can you do?" he asked silently.
[Primary function: Upgrade any attribute, skill, talent, bloodline, item, or cultivation method.] [Secondary function: Analyze targets.] [Tertiary function: Issue tasks and rewards.]
Lin Yuan's breathing grew heavier.
Upgrade anything?
"Is there a cost?"
[Upgrade requires Upgrade Points.] [Upgrade Points can be obtained through: killing enemies, completing tasks, breaking limits, altering fate.]
Lin Yuan's lips curled upward.
A slow, dangerous smile appeared on his face.
Perfect.
This time, he wouldn't crawl step by step.
He would crush everything.
Suddenly, a sharp pain exploded in his ribs.
Lin Yuan groaned and memories surfaced—fresh ones, not from his past life.
Earlier today, outer disciple Chen Hu had accused him of stealing spirit stones. Without evidence, Chen Hu beat him until he coughed blood and threw him back into this room.
Lin Yuan's eyes darkened.
Chen Hu.
In his previous life, that name was insignificant. A footnote he crushed without remembering.
But now?
Footnotes were still useful—for farming Upgrade Points.
A notification sounded.
[Ding!] [First-Time Rebirth Task issued.]
---
Task: Prove your rebirth is not a coincidence.
Objective: Defeat Chen Hu in a direct confrontation.
Reward: 10 Upgrade Points, Beginner Gift Pack.
Failure: System remains dormant for 30 days.
---
Lin Yuan laughed.
Low and cold.
"Defeat him?"
Chen Hu was Body Tempering Level 5. This body was Level 2.
Ordinarily, this would be suicide.
But Lin Yuan wasn't ordinary.
"System," he said. "Analyze Chen Hu."
[Analyzing…] [Target: Chen Hu] Cultivation: Body Tempering Level 5
Strength: 28
Weaknesses: Right knee injury (untreated), slow reaction speed, overconfidence
Lin Yuan swung his legs off the bed.
Every movement hurt, but his mind was clear.
He opened the system panel again.
"Can I upgrade now?"
[Upgrade Points insufficient.]
"Tch."
No free lunch.
Fine.
Then he would rely on experience.
Ten years of life-and-death combat experience.
Even with a weak body, his control, timing, and killing intent were on an entirely different level.
A shout echoed outside.
"Lin Yuan! Get your trash ass out here!"
Chen Hu's voice.
Lin Yuan stood up.
His back straightened.
His eyes sharpened.
The weak, bullied outer disciple was gone.
What remained was a man who had once stood at the peak of the world.
He pushed the door open.
Chen Hu stood in the courtyard with two followers, arms crossed, smirking.
"So? Ready to kneel and admit you're a thief?" Chen Hu sneered.
Lin Yuan looked at him calmly.
"No," he said. "I'm here to break your leg."
The courtyard went silent.
Then laughter erupted.
Chen Hu's smile twisted. "You're asking to die!"
He rushed forward, fist swinging straight for Lin Yuan's face.
Too slow.
Lin Yuan sidestepped by half a step and drove his elbow down toward Chen Hu's right knee.
Crack.
A scream tore through the air.
Chen Hu collapsed, clutching his leg.
Before the followers could react, Lin Yuan grabbed a stone from the ground and smashed it into Chen Hu's throat.
Blood sprayed.
Silence fell.
[Ding!] [Enemy defeated.] [Upgrade Points +10] [Beginner Gift Pack received.]
Lin Yuan stood over Chen Hu's unconscious body, chest rising and falling.
He opened the gift pack without hesitation.
[Beginner Gift Pack opened.] [Reward obtained: Heaven-Grade Body Tempering Technique — "Void Refinement."]
Lin Yuan's pupils contracted.
Heaven-Grade.
At the beginner stage?
Before he could react further, footsteps echoed from the courtyard entrance.
A cold voice rang out.
"Lin Yuan."
Lin Yuan turned.
Standing there was an inner elder—someone he absolutely could not afford to provoke right now.
The elder's gaze swept over the scene, then locked onto Lin Yuan.
"Explain," the elder said.
The system interface flickered.
[Warning: High-level entity detected.] [Host survival probability: 12%.]
Lin Yuan clenched his fists.
Ten years ago, this was where his downfall began.
This time—
He lifted his head.
"I was framed," he said calmly. "And I fought back."
The elder narrowed his eyes.
The air grew heavy.
Then the elder spoke.
"Follow me. The sect master wants to see you."
Lin Yuan's heart sank.
Sect master.
At this stage, that man was a monster.
The system chimed again.
[Ding!] [Fate deviation detected.] [Hidden chain event triggered.]
Lin Yuan smiled faintly.
Good.
Let the game begin.