The Qinglan River, originating from the Liwu Mountain Range, flows for ten thousand miles. It is one of the countless rivers that empty into the Yunmeng Marsh Wilderness from west to east.
A three-hundred-foot-long multi-story ship broke through the morning mist, carried by the breeze blowing across the ten-mile-wide river surface. As the hull swayed slightly, crushing the ripples, the fish in the water scattered in panic.
Inside a guest cabin on the top deck, a woman sat cross-legged, perfectly at peace. She appeared to be in the bloom of her youth, no more than twenty, with delicate and radiant features and a touch of cold detachment between her brows. Her loose, plain-colored gauze gown could not conceal her graceful figure.
"First, the flesh must be perfected, and the innate state reversed. Then, one must refine essence into Qi, condense that Qi into Primal Gangqi, and finally, focus the will to ignite the essence, energy, and spirit to produce Dharma Power. Only then can one shed the mortal coil and attain the Divine Ability Realm!"
Ji Qingzhu’s delicate brows twitched. Her eyelashes, long and curved like crow feathers, fluttered open, revealing a pair of bright, autumn-water eyes that shimmered like stars.
Having finished her morning breathing exercises, she turned slightly to watch the rippling river, her mind beginning to drift. She was, in truth, a transmigrator.
In her previous life, she had been a struggling amateur writer. Who would have thought that while pulling an all-nighter to set the background for her new book, she would transmigrate into the unfinished novel world she had created?
I must have died of exhaustion, right? Fortunately, her background in this life was not simple; she had become the elder sister of the protagonist she had written about.
Damn it! Why didn't I transmigrate as the protagonist!
The one comfort was that her talent was also top-tier. Relying on her foreknowledge and her innate Innate Divine Ability, she had laid a solid foundation for martial arts by the age of ten in the Qi Nourishing Realm. Since then, she had broken through a realm almost every year, shattering the five great barriers of the Body Refining Realm.
The Skin and Flesh Pass! The Tendon and Fascia Pass! The Bone Pass! The Viscera Pass! The Blood Marrow Pass!
These were the five great barriers of the Body Refining Realm, the initial stage of martial arts, the foundation of the Great Dao. By circulating the body's Qi and blood to temper the skin, flesh, bones, and internal organs, one reached the pinnacle of the Body Refining Realm. At that stage, with surging Qi and blood, one would possess skin of copper and bones of iron, capable of tearing tigers and leopards apart or crushing boulders with a finger. It was truly formidable.
Following that, she had been selected to enter the Liwu Mountain Academy under the Five Elements Sect. Three years had passed, and her cultivation was now pointed directly toward the Divine Ability Realm.
In the secular world, those in the Body Refining Realm were known as Houtian Martial Artists, while those in the Mortal Shedding Realm were called Xiantian Martial Masters, divided into the three sub-realms of Wolf Smoke, True Qi, and Primal Gangqi. After that, once one condensed their will to produce Dharma Power, they could enter the new Divine Ability Realm! Divine Ability meant "Divinity Connection." Once one mastered the power of Divine Ability, they could traverse the heavens and earth, fly swords through the air, command fire, and summon thunder. All such feats meant one had transcended the mortal plane. One could easily sit as a master of a major secular city, enjoying endless glory and wealth. Even within the great sects of the cultivation world, such individuals would be recruited into the fold to glimpse the Great Dao!
Ji Qingzhu had requested leave to come home early this time for two reasons: firstly, her cultivation had reached a peak, and movement had arisen from long stillness—she felt her opportunity to break through to the Divine Ability Realm lay on this journey home. Secondly, she wanted to return for her younger brother’s coming-of-age ceremony, which was the intended opening of her story. But at the mere thought of that anticipated opening, Ji Qingzhu couldn't help but clutch her chest, feeling as if she couldn't catch her breath.
Protagonists, after all, were magnets for trouble. And this was the "newbie village" plot—if you didn't have your family destroyed or lives lost at the start, could you even call yourself a protagonist? How else would his legendary, inspiring journey begin?
"What a headache. Why did I think of such a cliché opening?"
Yun City was her hometown in this life, a major secular city situated on the banks of the Qinglan River.
Massaging her throbbing temples, Ji Qingzhu sighed softly: "According to standard story openings, should I say something like—since I’m here, I’ll make the best of it?"
Since she was already here, she would certainly have to experience this magnificent, unfinished world of her own making to make the trip worthwhile!
She possessed secret knowledge of both past and present, and understood the shifts of the future. A few minor details were no object. Even as a woman, it would not hinder her grand ambitions! The Qinglan River was divided into three sections: the upper reaches flowed out of the Liwu Mountain Range, the middle reaches were wide and calm, and the lower reaches narrowed sharply, plunging into a steep, rocky gorge where the river surged in thundering waves, creating endless clouds and mist. It was here that Yun City had been built.
Due to the terrain, Yun City was not surrounded by high walls; instead, a bridge with interconnected arches spanned the Qinglan River, linking the two banks.
The Ji Clan of Yun City was a Divine Ability family that had entrenched itself there for hundreds, if not thousands, of years, thriving on the aquaculture industry. They stood across the river from the City Lord’s Jiang family, mutually checking one another while remaining inextricably linked.
"Yun City, I’m home!"
At the South Bank ferry crossing, Ji Qingzhu wore a bamboo hat with a white veil, stepping back into her hometown after three years of absence. As she neared the Ji manor, she keenly sensed an abnormality in the atmosphere and suddenly realized that today was the day of the Ji Clan’s annual autumn harvest competition.
"Perfect. Let me see this younger brother who fell from grace," Ji Qingzhu curled her lips into a smile.
She moved with an effortless grace, like a butterfly flitting through flowers, wandering through the vast Ji manor. The guards and servants felt only a breeze pass by, failing to even catch a glimpse of her figure.
In the spacious martial arts arena, a row of stone locks of varying sizes was neatly arranged.
The clan competition was not a chaotic brawl. Only those who had reached the third stage of Body Refining—the Bone Pass—were qualified to spar before the clan.
The criteria for assessment were simple.
A martial artist at the Bone Pass of the third stage could lift a thousand-pound tripod and run like a horse!
Those who could lift a thousand-pound stone lock with one arm could proceed to the second round of live combat to showcase their skills to the clan.
"Next, Ji Yuan."
The youth whose name was called suddenly raised his head, revealing a delicate, pale face. He walked onto the stage, expressionless.
Looking at the thousand-pound stone lock at the front, the youth gave a self-deprecating smile. He clenched his fists tightly, but ultimately had to let go, helplessly choosing to start with the lightest, hundred-pound stone lock.
Anyone under twenty could participate in the Ji Clan competition. Youngsters who hadn't been training long could also get up there to show their faces, which effectively stimulated the fighting spirit of the younger generation.
"Ji Yuan, three hundred pounds! Body Refining, Qi Nourishing Realm!"
Standing by the stone locks was a middle-aged man, the clan’s Second Elder, Ji Zhengla, known for his impartiality. He glanced at the stone lock the youth had moved and announced the result with an indifferent tone.
As soon as these words fell, a wave of low mockery erupted from the crowd, as expected.
"Only three hundred pounds? My fourteen-year-old sister could lift that. Three rounds of blood refining—truly 'terrifying'!"
"It’s a waste to give him so many resources. He’s disgraced the family name."
"Look, the Clan Head has closed his eyes. It’s clear he’s very disappointed in this son. The kid probably won’t get any more resources from now on."
"Hmph, that’s a blessing! I always said his rapid progress three years ago must have been some shortcut. Now he’s been knocked back to his original form. I wouldn't be surprised if he were colluding with some demonic cultist..."