Author Note: Hey everyone, I wanted to drop a quick note to say I'm incredibly sorry for the late update!
Consciousness re-formed in the endless darkness.
Li Tianhan felt like a single drop of water falling into a dead sea, swallowed by cold emptiness. Scenes from his life as Emperor flashed by like a fading dream. He saw the golden dragon of the nation's luck shatter and felt his own life snap. All that effort had been for nothing. He had been so close to reaching the legendary Spirit Lord Realm.
[Assessing the Reincarnation Mark...] Cold words appeared in his mind.
[Third Life: Emperor Tian. He built a golden age of iron and blood, conquering two nations and expanding the empire by thousands of miles. He pushed the nation's fortune to its peak. However, the nation's luck was not his own. His foundation was weak, and he failed to advance after being hit by a curse.]
[Overall Rating: Yellow Level, Seven Stars.] [Reincarnation Points Gained: 230.]
Yellow Level? Only Seven Stars? Li Tianhan felt a ripple of frustration. He had reached the top of the world and expanded his empire further than anyone in history. He thought his score would be much higher. He realized now that if he had reached the Spirit Lord Realm first and then conquered the world, his rating would have been legendary. Without enough luck, everything was just talk.
"In the next life, I must have the best luck possible."
He didn't hesitate.
[Reincarnation Points Allocated:]
Talent: 100 points
Family Background: 50 points
Intelligence: 40 points
Luck: 40 points
This time, he put forty points into the one thing he had ignored before. The darkness around him was suddenly swallowed by a blinding light.
Fourteen years passed in a heartbeat.
In a quiet, old-fashioned room, a boy sitting cross-legged opened his eyes. He raised his small hand, and a cluster of bright red flames ignited in his palm, lighting up the room. Memories rushed back into his mind like a flood.
I am Ye Yun.
I was also Li Tianhan, and before that, others. At only fourteen years old, he had already reached the Spirit Tempering Realm and awakened a special power called the Scarlet Soul Body.
"This is a great start," he muttered. He walked to the window and looked at the strange buildings outside.
He was in the Eternal Blaze Empire, born into the Ye family. His memory told him that this was one of the three nations that had teamed up to destroy his empire in his last life. The Ye family was one of the eight great families here, though they were currently near the bottom of the rankings.
It was ironic. He learned that the Ye family used to be the most powerful in the land, even stronger than the royals, producing several Spirit King masters. But the younger generations were weak, and the family had fallen from grace.
He used his status as a "genius" to ask about his old home. After his death, his empire's luck had vanished. The nation fell apart. The royal family's power was gone, and the country was now split between his old generals, a group of greedy noble families, and a mix of merchants and sects.
"It all fell apart," Ye Yun thought. He didn't feel much. That life was over. He had to focus on this one.
A knock came at the door. "Third Young Master, the head of the family wants to see you. The Heritage Vault is opening today. You must go and choose a new technique."
Ye Yun's eyes brightened. In the Ye family, any child who reached the Spirit Tempering Realm could enter the vault to find a powerful technique. Even if the family was weaker now, they still had the secrets of the Spirit King Realm. Those would be far better than the basic royal techniques he had used as Emperor.
He followed the servant to the center of the family compound. A crowd had already gathered outside the vault. When Ye Yun arrived, people stepped aside, looking at him with respect and jealousy.
"The genius is here!" "Fourteen years old and already in the Spirit Tempering Realm. He's the best we've seen in a hundred years!"
Among the cheers, one person looked at him with pure hatred. It was Ye Chen, the eldest son. Ye Yun was born to the family leader and a woman from a small, unimportant clan. He had been bullied by Ye Chen and his mother for years until his talent became too great to ignore. Now, Ye Chen felt his position as heir was in danger.
Ye Yun almost laughed at the look on Ye Chen's face.
Several elders appeared and announced the opening of the vault. One elder looked at the two boys. "You are our best hope. Our family is at the bottom of the eight greats. We need a genius to save us. Inside this vault is the path to the Spirit King Realm. Whoever the vault chooses will be our future!"
Ye Chen's breathing got fast. This was his chance. "I'm going in first!" he shouted. As the eldest, he went in first.
The other students whispered. "Do you think he can do it? No one has touched the Spirit King secrets in centuries."
Time passed slowly. Finally, the doors burst open. Ye Chen stumbled out, looking ecstatic. "I did it! I found a half-step Spirit King technique!"
The crowd went wild. Even the elders were happy. A half-step technique was the best result they had seen in a hundred years! With this, Ye Chen could become a powerful master one day. The Ye family had hope.
Surrounded by people telling him how great he was, Ye Chen looked at Ye Yun with a smug grin. His eyes said it all: I am the true heir. You are just a nobody.
Ye Yun just stood there, watching him. He didn't look angry. He only felt a little bit of pity for his brother.
Ye Chen stood in the middle of the courtyard, soaking up the praise from the elders and the wide-eyed looks of the other students. He shot a look at Ye Yun, his eyes full of mockery.
Go ahead and be a genius, he thought. But you're still just an illegitimate brat. The future of this family is mine!
Ye Yun found the whole thing a bit funny. Was a half-step Spirit King technique really worth all this drama? Without saying a word, he walked right past Ye Chen and through the heavy stone doors of the Heritage Vault.
Ye Chen's smirk disappeared instantly. Being ignored was worse than being insulted. He gripped his fists so hard his nails drew blood. I want to see what someone with your trashy bloodline can actually find in there! he hissed under his breath.
Inside the vault, the air was thick with the smell of old dust and ancient power. Rows of stone shelves were packed with jade scrolls. Some were glowing bright, while others looked like dead stones. When Ye Chen had been in here, he had rushed around frantically, hoping to get lucky.
But Ye Yun didn't need to look. His forty points in Luck acted like a compass.
The second he stepped in, his blood began to boil with heat. His Scarlet Soul Body hummed, feeling a connection to something hidden deep in the back. He ignored all the shiny, expensive-looking scrolls on the front shelves and walked straight to the darkest corner of the vault.
There, tucked away and covered in a thick layer of grey dust, was a single jade scroll. It looked like a piece of junk. Ye Yun reached out and touched it.
Buzz!
A massive, burning will exploded into his mind.
"Scarlet Soul Body..." a voice boomed in his head, sounding shocked and then very happy. "It really is the Scarlet Soul Physique! After ten thousand years, my family has finally produced someone like me!"
It was Ye Fentian, the legendary founder of the Ye family and a master of the Spirit King Realm!
Ye Yun stayed perfectly calm. "I am Ye Yun, a descendant of the younger generation. I pay my respects to the Ancestor."
"Good! Very good!" the Ancestor's spirit cried out. "Not just the body, but the luck you carry... it's like the heavens are handing you the world! My family shall rise again! Young man, will you take my mantle and learn my Sky-Burner Script?"
"That is my wish," Ye Yun replied.
A golden flame shot out from the jade and hit Ye Yun right between the eyes. At that exact moment, the world outside went crazy.
Above Eternal Blaze City, the sky turned a deep, fiery red. Clouds swirled together until they formed the shape of a massive fire phoenix that blocked out the sun. The bird let out a cry so loud it shook the souls of everyone in the city.
Inside the Ye mansion, people fell to their knees in fear.
"What is that?" "A phoenix! It's a miracle!"
Outside the vault, Ye Chen's smug look was long gone. He stared at the sky with his mouth open. The elders were crying. "A celestial omen! Someone has triggered the true Spirit King inheritance!"
The sight scared every powerful master in the city. In the Imperial Palace, the Emperor opened his eyes in shock. The heads of the other Great Families rushed out of their houses, looking worried. An omen like this meant a power was coming that could destroy the current balance of the empire.
The phoenix gave one last cry and vanished into sparks. In the total silence that followed, the vault doors creaked open.
Ye Yun walked out, holding the jade scroll. It was no longer dusty; it was glowing like a hot coal, with liquid fire flowing over the surface. A terrifyingly hot aura leaked from his body, making the air shimmer around him.
Ye Zhantian, the head of the family, ran over. "Yun'er... is it...?"
"The Sky-Burner Script," Ye Yun said simply.
Ye Zhantian let out a roar of pure joy. "The Sky-Burner Script! It's the Ancestor's own technique! A real Spirit King manual! Our family is finally going back to the top!"
The crowd went wild. Every person who had been cheering for Ye Chen now looked at Ye Yun like he was a god. He wasn't just a genius anymore; he was the future of the nation.
Ye Chen stood all alone. The humiliation was too much. Everything he had bragged about was now a joke. His face went from red to white to blue. He coughed up a mouthful of blood and fainted on the spot. No one even bothered to pick him up.
But the party didn't last long. Several powerful auras slammed down from the sky like falling stars, shaking the ground.
A group of men hovered in the air, wearing expensive robes and looking very dangerous. Leading them was King Lie, a powerful man from the Royal Family. Next to him were the heads of the other rival families.
King Lie looked down at the courtyard, his eyes landing on Ye Zhantian. His voice was heavy as a mountain. "Patriarch Ye, that was quite a show. I want to know which 'genius' found such a treasure. Bring him out so I can see him."
The words sounded polite, but the killing intent in his eyes was obvious. These wolves would never let the Ye family become powerful enough to challenge them.