The creek was surprisingly lively that evening.
The moment we arrived at the water's edge, familiar figures were already there scattered throughout the shallow areas.
Villagers waded knee-deep in the clear current, bamboo baskets set aside on the grassy bank, cheerful laughter echoing between splashes and shouts.
Nets were being cast skillfully across the wider sections, fish traps were checked and emptied, and the glint of silver scales flashed constantly beneath the shallow, sun-dappled water.
Mo Fan and Mo Ling rushed ahead eagerly the instant they caught sight of the sparkling creek.
"Big Brother Shen! Look, look, there are so many fish!" Mo Ling shouted excitedly, already clumsily rolling up her sleeves past her elbows.
Mo Fan grabbed the woven basket with practiced hands, his young eyes shining with determination.
"We'll catch way more than last time! I promise!"
I smiled faintly at their enthusiasm and let them run ahead without restraint.
They deserved this simple joy.
Tonight's natural harvest was clearly abundant and generous.
Fish leapt desperately from the disturbed water in panic as traps were lifted dripping from the creek bed.
Children shrieked in pure delight whenever a particularly slippery one escaped their eager grasp.
Even the normally reserved adults laughed more freely than usual, perhaps because the fishing season had been unexpectedly kind this year, or perhaps because peace itself was a precious luxury worth celebrating loudly.
I walked leisurely behind the excited children, hands clasped comfortably behind my back, simply watching their carefree figures dart around the creek edge like playful spirits.
For a moment, just a brief moment, a strange emotion stirred unexpectedly in my chest.
Jealousy.
If I claimed I felt absolutely nothing watching this scene, it would be a complete lie.
Watching them laugh so freely and naturally, watching them grow up surrounded by warmth and noise and simple happiness that required no cultivation or power, I couldn't help but wonder.
*If I had parents who genuinely cared for me in my previous life...*
*If I had grown up like this, with family and friends...*
*Would my life, past or present, have turned out any different?*
I had thought about these questions before, more than once over the years since my reincarnation.
But today, standing under the bright evening sky with cool water splashing occasionally around my feet, I finally found my definitive answer.
Dwelling endlessly on what could have been was utterly meaningless.
Regret changed nothing.
What truly mattered was what I possessed now, in this present moment.
And if I found myself lacking something important, then I would simply create it myself.
Not just for my own benefit.
For my future children.
For my loved ones yet to come.
For the people who would one day stand beside me on whatever path I chose.
I lifted my head slightly, gazing at the beautiful orange-red horizon stretching endlessly above the distant mountains.
This life I've been given…
I will live it fully. Completely. Without reservation.
No more solitary wandering through empty centuries.
No more endless cultivation pursued for the sake of meaningless power.
I will live long, yes.But more than that, I will live well, and I will live richly.
I will accept all the love (from women) that comes my way, without hesitation or restraint.
I will cultivate with clear purpose, not blind ambition.
I will cultivate to become strong, so strong enough that no one would ever dare disturb my world in this life.
---
And for the first time across both his past existence and the present incarnation, Shen Yuan possessed a genuine life goal worth pursuing.
---
By the time we finally returned home, dusk had already settled completely over the village.
The bamboo baskets were satisfyingly heavy with fresh fish of various sizes, and the two children were thoroughly exhausted but still somehow buzzing with residual excitement.
They recounted every single successful catch as if each one had been a heroic feat worthy of legend.
I moved naturally and smoothly into my usual evening role without thinking.
Cooking.
The moment I lit the kitchen fire, Mo Fan and Mo Ling immediately settled themselves nearby on small stools, eyes wide with eager anticipation.
To them, watching me prepare meals had somehow become a kind of fascinating performance art.
With just a casual flick of my fingers, controlled spiritual energy guided knives, bowls, and various ingredients through the air with smooth precision.
Oil heated perfectly and evenly in the wok.
Fish were cleaned and scaled in mere moments.
Fragrant spices danced gracefully through the air as if guided by invisible expert hands.
"Woah..." Mo Ling whispered in pure amazement, her small mouth forming a perfect circle.
Mo Fan swallowed audibly, his eyes tracking every movement.
"Big Brother Shen is so amazing at everything."
I chuckled softly at their transparent admiration.
Tonight's meal was intentionally generous and varied.
Crispy fish stir-fry with vegetables, rich bone soup simmered to perfection, several colorful side dishes I'd prepared earlier in the day, and steaming Jade Spirit Rice served hot and wonderfully fragrant.
This time, however, I deliberately did not add any Vermilion Blood Rice to the communal soup.
Instead, I carefully prepared a small separate pot containing exactly half a pound of Vermilion Blood Rice mixed with the soup base, just for my own consumption later.
I set it aside discreetly in the corner of the kitchen for now.
Body cultivation required absolute precision in dosing and timing.
Mistakes could be catastrophic.
We ate extremely well that night.
Genuine laughter returned naturally to the dinner table, bowls emptied quickly and were refilled, and even Grandfather ate noticeably more than his usual modest portions.
After the satisfying meal concluded, we rested together briefly in comfortable silence.
When the sky outside had darkened further into true night, I stood up and approached Grandfather with purpose.
"Grandfather," I said calmly and clearly, "I'm going to cultivate seriously in the backyard's open space tonight. Please don't let the children come out there for any reason."
He studied my face intently for a long, measuring moment.
Then he nodded once with complete understanding.
"Rest assured. I'll make sure they stay inside."
I returned to my room first, sat down cross-legged in the meditation posture, and began circulating the Longevity Breathing Technique carefully.
I focused on keeping my spiritual state perfectly steady and balanced.
Spirit stones were consumed steadily from my reserve, one after another.
Yet they disappeared far faster than any ordinary cultivator at my realm could possibly manage.
The Dust-Free Immortal Body's enormous dantian devoured spiritual energy relentlessly, hungrily, like a bottomless well that could never be truly filled.
By the time midnight arrived and the house had fallen completely silent, the sixteenth layer of my massive dantian was finally, fully saturated with refined spiritual energy.
Only then did I finally stand and prepare for the next critical step.
I retrieved the special pot containing the carefully cooked Vermilion Blood Rice and carried it outside.
I stepped quietly into the backyard's open training area.
The night sky stretched endlessly above, absolutely clear and cloudless.
Countless stars shone silently in the darkness like watchful celestial eyes.
This is it. The real beginning.
Primordial Star Refining Celestial Body Art, Stage One.
Skin Tempering.
The foundational layer upon which everything else would be built.
Starlight as the refining flame.
Blood energy as the vital fuel.
Physical body as the crucible to be forged.
I consumed the entire pot of specially prepared Vermilion Blood Rice in one continuous series of bites.
The grains were still warm, almost hot.
The moment the potent food entered my stomach completely, concentrated blood energy exploded outward violently.
It spread through my limbs instantly like rivers of molten fire racing through every vein.
My Dust-Free Immortal Body constitution activated instinctively and immediately, beginning to purge accumulated impurities even before I consciously initiated the actual cultivation technique.
I moved into the first stance.
Complex hand seals formed precisely according to the ancient manual's instructions.
My entire stance shifted into the opening position.
The Primordial Star Refining Celestial Body Art came fully alive within me.
My physical form began actively attracting and drawing down the abundant starlight present in the night sky above.
Invisible yet somehow tangibly real starlight descended from the vast heavens, wrapping around my body like threads of a celestial forge descending upon fragile mortal flesh.
Intense heat surged instantly throughout my entire being.
My skin began glowing with a faint but clearly visible crimson hue, major veins pulsing prominently beneath the surface as if actual molten energy flowed directly through them instead of normal blood.
Each breath I took in felt noticeably heavier, thicker, as though the surrounding air itself had somehow become substantially denser.
Then came the pain.
Not sharp.
Not sudden.
But deep and penetrating, drilling straight into the very marrow of my physical existence.
A true forging pain that could not be ignored or dismissed.
I clenched my teeth hard together and forced myself to continue the precisely prescribed movements without pause.
My body moved in perfect rhythm with the Primordial Star Refining Celestial Body Art's complex pattern.
With every single motion executed, I consciously guided the raging blood energy deeper and deeper.
Until I forced it to seep thoroughly into my skin layer by layer.
---
My exposed skin grew progressively redder with each passing moment under the intense starlight.
Like heated iron gradually transforming inside a master blacksmith's roaring furnace.
Each powerful pulse of blood energy burned intensely, actively refining and fundamentally reshaping my physical structure.
My Dust-Free Immortal Body continued working in the background automatically, constantly expelling dark impurities.
Time became completely meaningless and blurred.
--
Breath after breath.
Movement after movement
without conscious thought in endless succession.
The world narrowed to nothing but heat, pain, and the relentless rhythm of body movements.
Eventually, after what felt like hours, I felt a critical change.
The blood energy raging within my body was beginning to noticeably wane.
Its overwhelming intensity was thinning gradually like dying embers in a spent fire.
I immediately opened my eyes and summoned the system status panel.
My gaze locked instantly onto the rewards section with laser focus.
Blood Energy (White)
Effect: Grants the host a small amount of refined blood-energy that can be directly absorbed and used for body cultivation.
Without any hesitation whatsoever, I activated the reward.
Boom!
---
Fresh, potent blood energy erupted violently inside my body from my heart.---
It roared through my meridians like a massive floodgate being violently torn open all at once.
The sensation was absolutely overwhelming and nearly unbearable.
The system's description had claimed it was supposedly only a "small amount" of energy.
But to an absolute beginner in body cultivation like myself?
It felt enormous.
Massive.
The internal heat intensified dramatically and instantly.
My already red skin flared even brighter crimson, becoming almost translucent, as the powerful new wave of blood energy was forcefully dragged into the ongoing tempering process.
Still, despite the overwhelming sensations, I refused to stop.
I gritted my teeth and pushed forward stubbornly.
One complete cycle of the technique.
Two cycles.
Three full cycles.
By the end of the third complete circulation, my entire physical body felt exactly as though it had been thrown bodily into a blazing furnace and left there.
My legs trembled violently and uncontrollably, all remaining strength rapidly draining away.
I had reached my limit.
My knees finally gave out completely, and I collapsed heavily into a seated position.
My palms pressed desperately against the cool ground for support, chest heaving violently as I struggled desperately to catch my breath.
Sweat poured down my face in streams, dripping steadily onto the packed soil beneath me.
Slowly, agonizingly slowly, the intense burning sensation began to finally fade.
The heat was cooling gradually.
Stabilizing.
Settling into something manageable.
The bright crimson glow suffusing my skin receded bit by bit, leaving behind only a strange new sense of firmness and density beneath the surface.
I experimentally clenched my right fist tight.
Crack!
The air itself burst apart audibly as my grip tightened fully, a sharp popping sound echoing clearly in the otherwise quiet night.
I rose unsteadily to my feet, legs still somewhat shaky.
I retrieved the basic Tier 1 sword I had purchased earlier from the village market.
Pressing the sharp blade directly against my bare forearm, I applied significant force.
Enough force that would have easily cut through ordinary untrained flesh like warm butter.
But only a faint, thin red mark appeared on my skin.
Then, within seconds, even that mark faded completely.
Vanishing as if it had never existed at all.
My eyes narrowed slightly in surprised realization.
"So it's not merely increasing my skin's physical durability," I murmured softly to myself. "But actively enhancing my regeneration speed as well. Interesting."
A distinctly sour, deeply unpleasant odor suddenly reached my sensitive nose.
I frowned immediately and looked down at myself.
Thick black scabs had surfaced across large sections of my exposed skin.
Sticky, dark impurities expelled during the intense tempering process.
Without any hesitation, I quickly activated the farmer robe's convenient built-in cleaning effect.
The change was instant and wonderfully refreshing.
Cool.
Clean.
Light.
Every single trace of accumulated filth vanished completely in mere seconds, leaving my entire body feeling remarkably fresh and strangely comfortable.
Cultivating body refinement while possessing a Dust-Free Immortal Body...
It's almost absurdly efficient.
I glanced briefly at my remaining unused Blood Energy reward but consciously chose not to activate it yet.
Resources had to be managed carefully.
Instead, I sat down quietly in meditation, carefully reviewing every single movement, every breath pattern, every minor imbalance I'd experienced during the entire tempering process.
The pendant resting against my chest released its characteristic gentle cooling sensation.
It cleared away the remaining mental haze and sharpened my awareness considerably.
Only after everything had been thoroughly corrected and properly internalized did I finally return to my room.
I collapsed onto my bed.
Sleep came swiftly and deeply.
---
The next morning arrived with gentle sunlight.
"Big Brother Shen!"
As I stepped outside into the fresh morning air, Mo Ling's cheerful voice greeted me first.
She tilted her small head curiously to one side, then began walking in a slow circle around me.
One finger hovered near her lips, occasionally brushing against them as she sank into deep thought, her brows knitting and relaxing as if weighing something
Her young eyes were full of innocent curiosity.
"Big brother Shen, You look... the same as always, but also somehow different."
She reached out cautiously and gently touched the back of my hand with her small fingers.
Her eyes widened dramatically.
"Wow! Your skin is so much softer and bouncy than before!"
Only then did I fully understand what she had sensed instinctively.
Last night's intensive skin tempering had changed far more than just basic durability and toughness.
My skin now appeared noticeably different.
More elastic.
Smoother.
Almost luminous in certain light.
I reached down and ruffled her hair lightly with affection.
"You're just imagining things, little one."
She giggled happily at the attention.
"Now go call your brother and Grandfather," I instructed gently. "Breakfast will be ready very soon."
As I turned toward the kitchen to begin cooking, a small, satisfied smile curved my lips.
The first step had been successfully taken.
Many more would follow.