His black hair danced in the wind, his spirit soaring. The heroism of youth, the hot blood of a Martial Artist...
At this moment, Jiang Jichen may have lacked Spiritual Power Cultivation and was no longer the number one young expert of Cyan Moon City, but he was more dazzling and inspiring than ever before.
"My Qi Sea may be shattered, my Spirit Veins severed, and my body devoid of Spiritual Power, but do you truly think you people can bully me?"
"A man's heart is higher than the heavens; a million layers of clouds cannot hide it. A man's blood is hotter than fire; a billion years of ice cannot freeze it."
"To defeat you, one punch is enough!"
Jiang Jichen proclaimed heroically, one hand holding his bag, the other clenching into a fist as he smashed forward.
At that instant, he was filled with an indomitable will. The Undying Scripture circulated, and it was as if Divine Thunder roared within his immortal physique. One after another, the Divine Treasures in his body were activated, doubling Jiang Jichen's combat power. He was like a young War God, valiant and divine.
In truth, ever since he had awakened, Jiang Jichen had been holding a ball of frustration in his heart, suppressed and unvented.
The four families annulling their engagements, the Elder accepting on his behalf, his monthly allowance being withheld, the bullies showing up at his door...
Every single incident was a blow to a Martial Artist's Heart, enough to obstruct a Cultivator's thoughts and give rise to Demonic Thoughts.
How could he not know what Jiang Haijian and the others were thinking?
They acted ruthlessly, wanting to cripple him, steal his Five-Star Bronze Cultivation Card, and humiliate him in public, to grind him into the dust forever.
If he didn't use them to establish his dominance today and intimidate the rest of the Jiang Family, then in the future, everyone would think he was an easy target and try to step all over him.
Therefore, he cast aside his previous forbearance and charged forward to crush his enemies.
BOOM!
Jiang Haijian circulated the power of his five Spirit Veins and had just begun to gather his strength when Jiang Jichen's fist obliterated it. His body was sent flying like a scarecrow, and he spat out bloody foam, several bones clearly broken.
Even with a Miracle Pill, he wouldn't recover without resting in bed for at least ten to fifteen days.
Everyone watched with surging emotions. They couldn't believe a Fifth-level Mortal couldn't even withstand a single punch from Jiang Jichen.
In reality, Jiang Haijian shouldn't have been defeated so quickly. Against another person with a stronger will and more combat experience, Jiang Jichen might have still won, but he would have had to pay a heavy price.
However, from the very beginning, Jiang Jichen had deliberately pretended to stumble, making Jiang Haijian think he was exhausted and thus grow contemptuous.
Then, he seized the initiative with his imposing declaration, using his momentum to overwhelm his opponent until he was struck down. Throughout the entire process, Jiang Haijian had used less than fifty percent of his combat power.
Conversely, Jiang Jichen pressed forward with an unstoppable, rainbow-like momentum, unleashing one hundred and twenty percent of his combat power. Combined with using the Undying Scripture to activate the Divine Treasures within his body, his strength surged, allowing him to deliver that earth-shattering blow and create a stunning miracle.
In terms of raw combat power, Jiang Jichen was only at the Fourth Layer Mortal Realm. But how could his combat experience be anything but vast? Jiang Haijian's defeat was not unjust!
'My thoughts are clear, my intentions direct. This is how a Martial Artist's Heart should be!'
After defeating Jiang Haijian with a single punch, Jiang Jichen felt invigorated, the frustration in his chest swept clean away.
He felt a little drained after that explosive burst, but his state of mind had improved, becoming more stable and condensed.
After all, he had used the Soul Separation Sealing Technique to seal away his past life's memories. Fusing them with his current life's memories made him feel like a newborn. His state of mind was not much different from that of a seventeen or eighteen-year-old, and his temperament was even more volatile. He still needed to go through many trials and tribulations.
By defeating Jiang Haijian of the Fifth Level Mortal Realm with one unstoppable, mighty punch, he had finally intimidated this group of Jiang Family disciples. For a short time, at least, no one would dare to cause him trouble.
Jiang Jichen's gaze swept over the crowd, his voice booming like a great bell across the Cultivation Arena. "I, Jiang Jichen, began cultivating at the age of five. Among my peers, I have never known defeat. Even now, with my Qi Sea shattered and my Spirit Veins severed, even if I am a cripple in your eyes, unable to be a Spirit Cultivator, that has not changed. I am still the number one young expert in Cyan Moon City! No one can defeat me. Who among you dares to try?"
His voice echoed, and the entire arena fell silent. No one dared to answer. The youth stood there, his spirit soaring, his eyes like lightning. Not a single Jiang Family disciple under the age of eighteen dared to accept the challenge. They were completely cowed by Jiang Jichen's invincible aura.
"Since no one dares to fight me, fine. From now on, you—or you can tell anyone else—if you want to challenge me, first prepare one hundred First-Grade Spirit Condensing Pills!"
Jiang Jichen turned and left. The crowd watched his retreating back. It seemed somewhat lonely, like a mountain standing between heaven and earth, blocking the path ahead. Who could possibly surmount it?
Only after Jiang Jichen was long gone did the Jiang Family disciples awaken as if from a dream.
Some people carried Jiang Haijian, Jiang Haijun, and Jiang Haiyun away for treatment, while almost everyone else was discussing Jiang Jichen.
"Doesn't Jiang Jichen lack even a shred of Spiritual Power Cultivation? Why is he still so powerful?"
"He must be a Body Refiner, right? Otherwise, it's impossible for him to have that kind of strength and speed."
"A Body Refiner? Isn't that an ancient type of Cultivator? No one practices it now because the path of the Body Refiner is broken. He'll never become an Innate Body Refiner!"
"No wonder. So you're saying he's practically invincible against a Fifth Level Mortal, but against a Sixth-Level Mortal, he's guaranteed to lose!"
...
The Jiang Family disciples were shocked at first, but they ultimately refused to believe that Jiang Jichen, who had become a cripple, could still dominate his peers. After some discussion, they actually came to a few conclusions.
"I get it now. He said you need to prepare one hundred First-Grade Spirit Condensing Pills to challenge him. It must be to scare people off! After all, how many Mortal Warriors below the Seventh Level can produce one hundred First-Grade Spirit Condensing Pills? He's obviously trying to avoid fighting."
Someone voiced this opinion, and some people believed it, unable to resist mocking Jiang Jichen.
Ouyang Mian stood at the edge of the Qingjiang Cultivation Field, leaning against a Gray Jade Array Pillar. He fanned himself with an open Jade Fan, his brow furrowed as if he were trying to make a difficult decision.
Finally, with a SNAP, he closed his Jade Fan and asked Ouyang Xue, who was beside him, "Little sis, what do you think?"
Ouyang Xue, however, was staring dazedly in the direction Jiang Jichen had disappeared, her mind still replaying the scene from moments ago.
'If he weren't a Body Refiner... if he were like he used to be, his Qi Sea unshattered, his Spirit Veins intact, with the cultivation of a Seventh-level Mortal Warrior... then he would truly be a young hero, the very lover from her dreams!'
Unfortunately, reality was cruel and unforgiving.
Ouyang Xue came back to her senses. Her elegant brows trembled and she bit her jade-like lip with her pearly white teeth, looking troubled. But in the end, she spoke with resolution, "Report the truth to the sect. Jiang Jichen has been crippled as a Spirit Cultivator and has switched to cultivating the Body Refining Dao. However, the Dao of Body Refining is broken. He will forever be stuck at the level of a Body Refiner!"
The meaning of her words was clear: Jiang Jichen was no longer qualified to become a legacy disciple of the Five Spirits Sect.
Hearing this, Ouyang Mian's Void-Breaking Eye twitched. He had a faint feeling that he was missing something.
But he said nothing, only nodding helplessly in agreement with Ouyang Xue.
...
The Fifth Mansion of the Jiang Family was still a deserted place. The vast estate held only the old butler, Xing'Er, ten male servants, three aunties for laundry and cooking, and Jiang Jichen and Jiang Ling'Er. All told, there were not even twenty people.
In contrast, the other four mansions of the Jiang Family were bustling with visitors, each housing several thousand people.
And this was considered a small number, as the Jiang Family was not as prosperous as it once was and had fallen into a slight decline. A clan like the Ouyang Family likely had over ten thousand people in a single mansion, a clear sign of their flourishing power.
Even the Mu, Fang, Luo, and He families, who had previously come to annul their engagements, had more people in each of their mansions than the Jiang Mansion.
When Jiang Jichen returned, he saw the old butler and Xing'Er waiting for him at the main gate. They both breathed a sigh of relief when he appeared.
"Young Master, you scared us to death! Thank goodness you're back!"
Xing'Er smiled through her tears, her eyelashes trembling. Her face was pretty, and as she stood there quietly, her natural grace was both moving and pitiable.
Jiang Jichen had left without a sound, and no one had noticed. It had truly made them worry.
The Fifth Mansion was huge. The dozen or so of them had searched for a long time without finding Jiang Jichen, so in the end, they could only wait at the main gate.
Now, seeing Jiang Jichen return, they finally relaxed. Xing'Er was even crying with joy.
He had transmigrated and been reborn in another's body. He had thought of himself as just a wandering soul drifting through the Six Paths World, but at this moment, he deeply felt the warmth of something called home.
To have someone waiting for you, a place where your heart belongs—this touching feeling warmed his empty heart from the inside.
A home like this, people like these... there was finally something worth protecting.
"Silly girl, your Young Master is the number one expert in Qingcheng. Who could possibly hurt me? Haha... Stop crying. If you cry until your face is all blotchy like a little kitten's, your Young Master won't want you anymore!"
Jiang Jichen gently pinched Xing'Er's jade-like nose and said dotingly.
Xing'Er wiped away her tears and glared at Jiang Jichen with her big, watery eyes. "Bad Young Master! Don't pinch Xing'Er's nose!"
After saying that, Xing'Er shyly ran back into the house.
The old butler said helplessly, "You've spoiled that little girl, Young Master!"
Jiang Jichen just smiled. "As long as she's happy, it's nothing. By the way, old man, I'm going to cultivate now. Don't let anyone disturb me!"
After giving his instructions to the old butler, Jiang Jichen went to the Meditation Room alone.
The three consecutive battles just now, though they seemed to be one-move victories that took little time, had consumed an enormous amount of energy, nearly exhausting all his strength.
Especially the final fight against Jiang Haijian, where he had directly stimulated his potential. The aftereffects were now beginning to show; he felt sore and weak all over.
However, Jiang Jichen wasn't worried in the slightest. He now had sixty First-Grade Spirit Condensing Pills. Not only could they restore his strength, but they might also allow his Undying Scripture to advance another level!
But after consuming twenty First-Grade Spirit Condensing Pills, Jiang Jichen found the effects weren't as good as he'd imagined. They only restored the strength he had just expended and strengthened his physical body a little. There was no progress at all toward the Mid-stage of the First Turn of the Undying Scripture.
'Something's not right. When practicing Body Refining in this world, it feels as if some unseen force is suppressing me, preventing me from advancing!'
'I once read in an ancient book that in some worlds, the Body Refining Dao is broken, and only Spirit Cultivators exist. It seems the world I'm in now is one of them.'
Normally, this was common knowledge, but Jiang Jichen hadn't fully fused with the original owner's memories and didn't remember certain things. He had reached this conclusion purely through deduction.
'The Body Refining Dao is broken, suppressed by the Celestial Dao. If I force myself to cultivate it, I will face a hundred times the danger and a thousand times the tribulations. I wonder, who in this world would dare walk this path of certain death?'
Jiang Jichen asked himself this, and a flicker of flame seemed to quietly bloom in his eyes.