C1 Alchemy Sovereign Reborn

Night fell over the wilderness, where a blood-soaked figure staggered across the desolate landscape. A young man, his body smeared with his own blood, had been walking for an indeterminate time, his eyes threaded with veins of terror.

His tendons and bones shattered, his hands and feet stained crimson, he instinctively lifted his gaze to the distant heavens, catching sight of a brilliant light slicing through the starry expanse.

With a wry smile, the youth murmured, "I, Su Ling, have been nothing but trash all my life. Now, betrayed and poisoned, my existence is worse than death. Perhaps death itself would be a mercy."

...

"My head is throbbing!" As dawn broke, a sliver of sunlight bathed Su Ling in its glow. Startled, he snapped open his eyes, exclaiming in astonishment, "I'm alive? But how could I possibly have survived?"

A torrent of memories flooded Su Ling's mind in a buzzing rush. He was once a formidable figure among the Nine Heavens and Ten Realms, wielding a sword technique so superior he was deemed an invincible war god, unrivaled across the ages.

Additionally, he was the youngest Peak of Ninth Grade Alchemist known in those realms. By a twist of fate, Su Ling had come into possession of the Heaven Demon Pearl, a relic of an ancient battle between gods and demons. Legend had it that a Cultivating Warrior with the pearl could command the Nine Heavens Ten Realms and even master the secret to immortality.

However, word of Su Ling's acquisition of the Heaven Demon Pearl spread, and he found himself besieged by the realm's mightiest. Hundreds of Celestial Sovereigns converged to clash with him in the Small Meru Realm, a cataclysmic battle that shattered stars.

Despite his formidable power, which felled dozens of Celestial Sovereigns, Su Ling was ultimately depleted. His Mystical Qi drained, his very soul nearly rent asunder, he had no choice but to consume the Heaven Demon Pearl, triggering an explosion that destroyed his body.

Shaking his head to clear it, Su Ling realized that his mind held not only the memories of his past life but an additional set of recollections. These new memories suggested he had been reborn five hundred years later into the body of another Su Ling, a sixteen-year-old scion of the Su Family from Qingyang City.

This current incarnation of Su Ling, also sixteen, had a Martial Arts Cultivation barely at the third level of Body Refinement. His Soul Force was negligible; in the Martial Arts Realm, he was the epitome of the word 'trash,' devoid of both Martial Arts Talents and the gift to become an alchemist. He was the kind of person others would scorn wherever he went.

"Su Ling, it seems you've led a pitiful existence," he mused. "Well then, since fate has granted me a second chance in your stead, I'll ensure your life shines brightly this time around. And as for the Su Family, I vow to protect them as long as I draw breath."

With a grave expression, Su Ling made his solemn pledge. He then proceeded to examine his new body, only to find his gaze darkening with fury. "Damn it! The tendons in this body have been severed. This poor martial arts reject... Who would resort to such a cruel tactic against him?"

"Hmm? Was that his doing?"

Shortly after, Su Ling recalled from his memories that the one who had ruined his body was none other than Steward Su of the Su Family.

Truly malevolent!

"Damn you, Steward Su! After all the kindness I showed you, after how well my little sister treated you, you conspire with the Zhang Family to poison me? You're utterly despicable. Damn it!"

Su Ling seethed with rage, his complexion deathly pale, a glint of ferocity flashing in his eyes as he spat out the words.

In that moment, Su Ling and the slain young master became one, and he could acutely sense the young master's intense anger.

"Rest assured! I will avenge you. Steward Su and the Zhang Family will pay with their lives."

With a furrowed brow and a grave demeanor, Su Ling felt the depth of the deceased young master's resentment and spoke with a heavy tone.

Following Su Ling's vow, the young master's spirit struggled briefly before fading away completely.

Now, Su Ling had full control over this body, but with the tendons in his limbs severed, he was essentially useless.

Struggling to rise, he summoned a faint Soul Force and began a meticulous inspection of his new body.

"The tendons in the limbs are severed, the body is poisoned, and even the eight extraordinary meridians are blocked. The Martial Arts Talents are mediocre, and due to the body's frailty, the Soul Force is weak. This body is nothing more than a husk."

As Su Ling assessed his body with Soul Force, he grumbled, "Blocked meridians mean no cultivation of the most powerful martial arts, and weak Soul Force means no alchemy. It seems this Young Master Su Ling was truly a lost cause."

"Thankfully, in my past life, I mastered many sacred arts. Blocked meridians are an obstacle I can overcome. And weak Soul Force? Ha! In my past life, I was a Peak Ninth Grade Alchemy Master with countless methods to bolster Soul Force. To me, these issues are trivial."

Su Ling chuckled to himself. Despite the shortcomings of his new body, he had been granted a second chance at life.

As long as he lived, he was determined to rise once more!

"Yet, even a lump of dog excrement can serve as fertilizer. Could it be that this body is worth less than that? Is there truly nothing redeemable about it?"

With focused Soul Force, Su Ling continued his thorough examination. When he reached the Sea of Qi, his expression shifted dramatically, and he stood rooted to the spot in disbelief.

"Impossible! How can his Sea of Qi be so vast? Despite the blocked meridians, he possesses a Sea of Qi as boundless as the cosmos itself. It's inconceivable."

Su Ling was astounded.

The Sea of Qi, akin to the Dantian, is where Cultivating Warriors store Mystical Qi. The capacity of the Sea of Qi is a direct measure of how much Mystical Qi a warrior can hold.

In his former life, Su Ling's martial prowess had soared to the pinnacle of the Celestial Sovereign's ninth level.

Yet even then, his Sea of Qi was only as vast as an ocean.

"This young man, deemed incapable of practicing martial arts, harbors the most expansive and powerful Sea of Qi in existence. This indicates that his Martial Arts Talents are unparalleled and suggests that there is no ceiling to his potential in the martial path—he can cultivate endlessly, without limit!"

Su Ling was gripped by an intense fear. If his body's Sea of Qi was boundless, it would mean that it could draw in an infinite amount of Mystical Qi.

In his past life, Su Ling had reached the peak of the ninth level of the Celestial Sovereign but couldn't break through to become a Celestial Sovereign, nor could he glimpse the far shore of The Way of Martial Arts. A major reason for this was that his Sea of Qi was already saturated with Mystical Qi.

Should Su Ling advance any further in his martial arts cultivation, he feared his Sea of Qi might burst.

"What's this?"

Upon closer inspection of his Sea of Qi, Su Ling was astonished to discover a black and red blood bead floating within, radiating a captivating blood light.

"The Heaven Demon Pearl! To think it's the Heaven Demon Pearl! In my last life, I triggered its explosion, nearly obliterating the entire Little Meru Realm. My fortunate rebirth must be tied to this very Heaven Demon Pearl."

Overwhelmed with shock, Su Ling cautiously drew nearer to the Heaven Demon Pearl with his faint Soul Force. It was then he realized that the pearl had long since become one with him.