C1 – Min Zhenkang
In the sweltering heat of midsummer, the sun blazed high in the sky.
In the Bacia Dynasty, within the town of Whalespell, stood Min’s mansion.
“I... I’m actually alive?!” Min Zhenkang’s eyes snapped open, taking in the unfamiliar surroundings as waves of emotion surged within him.
A fierce killing intent flashed in his gaze, reminiscent of a wild beast ready to pounce.
His memories were vivid; he distinctly recalled his own death, betrayed by the brother he trusted most and the woman he loved dearly.
Min Zhenkang was among the elite of Suanikos, a supreme expert whose peers could be counted on one hand. His martial prowess was extraordinary, and his alchemy skills were nothing short of miraculous.
A rare talent who excelled in both alchemy and martial arts, he achieved legendary status, mastering both paths to a degree that could define an era. Yet, at the moment of his ascension, he perished in the lightning tribulation.
“The world believed I was defeated by the Heavenly Dao, perishing in the lightning tribulation. But they were unaware that at the pivotal moment of my ascension, I witnessed a scene so shocking that it threw my mind into disarray and all my efforts came to naught.”
“Lyi Xinyou, Guo Qilin... your hearts are truly cold and ruthless.”
“Hahahahaha... What does it matter if I was a peerless talent, a genius in alchemy? In the end, I was still bested by you both...”
As Min Zhenkang dwelled on the double betrayal by his beloved wife and his most trusted brother, he couldn’t contain a bitter, mirthless laugh, laden with profound sorrow.
“Young Master, you’ve awakened!” The maidservant, who had been dozing off at the bedside, was startled awake by Min Zhenkang’s deep, angry bellow. “Oh, thank goodness, Young Master, you’re finally awake. I must go tell the master and madam right away. They will be overjoyed to hear this.” She hurriedly scampered out of the room.
“Where am I?” It was only then that Min Zhenkang, previously consumed by his vengeful thoughts, began to take stock of his current predicament.
“Whose body is this? Have I taken possession of it? But how could I have succeeded so effortlessly?” Min Zhenkang was deep in thought when a sudden, sharp pain pierced his brain.
“Ah~~”
The sole heir to the master of Min’s mansion in Whalespell, he began his martial arts training at three, reached the ninth level of Martial Spirit by five, and at six, he successfully condensed his own Martial Spirit, a testament to his extraordinary talent. Yet, a single accident rendered all his achievements void.
At seven, while practicing as usual, Min Zhenkang inexplicably entered a bizarre state, leaving him oblivious to an ambush. By the time he became aware, it was too late. His Profound Qi spiraled out of control, ravaging his veins and shattering his formidable Martial Spirit, inflicting irreversible damage upon his body. In an instant, a prodigy was reduced to a cripple, unable to pursue the path of cultivation any longer.
He composed himself and began to assess his current body. Unexamined, he was unaware, but with each look, his feelings grew more tangled. The body before him was beyond repair, severed from the martial path. Even as a supreme alchemist, Min Zhenkang could only shake his head in dismay.
He racked his brain for a way to set this body back on the path of cultivation. From martial musings to pill refining, from the low-level Yellow techniques to the God-level ones he mastered, nothing seemed capable of restoring this body’s ability to cultivate.
With a rueful chuckle, Min Zhenkang realized the irony of his situation. In his previous life, a mere glance would tell him who could cultivate and who couldn’t, and what their ultimate potential might be. He could elevate even the least gifted individuals to prominence within a realm.
But just as he was about to abandon all hope, a forgotten cultivation technique surfaced in his memory. A technique without rank, untried and daunting — the Heavenly Imperial Immortality Spell.
Upon opening the text, he was immediately confronted with two stark sentences: To cultivate this technique, one must rearrange their meridians as specified. For a normal person, this meant breaking and reforming every meridian in their body.
Secondly, one must possess unwavering perseverance.
It’s crucial to meet both criteria simultaneously; failure to do so could lead to catastrophic consequences. At best, one might perish, but at worst, one’s soul could be utterly annihilated.
Yet, when mastered to perfection, this cultivation technique has the potential to eclipse even God-level high-tier techniques, granting immortality. Even amidst the chaos of a collapsing universe, the cultivator would remain unscathed.
The stringent prerequisites of this technique are evident from the description alone, and to date, there are no known practitioners.
Min Zhenkang stumbled upon this method in a burial ground before ascending to the pinnacle of martial arts in his past life. At that time, he merely committed the method to memory before returning it to its resting place.
Unexpectedly, it has now become his lifeline, and his current physical condition aligns perfectly with the requirements for the Heavenly Imperial Immortality Spell.
With resolve, Min Zhenkang began to realign his Profound Qi according to the Immortality Spell, mending his bones and sinews. This practice involved dismantling the body’s innate meridian pathways and reconstructing them—a feat no one on Suanikos had ever dared attempt.
“Ah~” As he commenced his cultivation, a sudden, intense pain wracked his body, prompting an involuntary cry from the unprepared Min Zhenkang.
“Young Master, what’s the matter?” The maidservant, hearing his cry, rushed in.
“I’m alright, just feeling a bit under the weather. Please leave me be; I need to rest,” Min Zhenkang reassured her, then added, “And remember, I’m not to be disturbed while resting.”
“As you wish, Young Master.”
Watching the maidservant retreat, Min Zhenkang resumed the painstaking process of meridian and bone realignment.
Learning from his earlier ordeal, he deliberately slowed his pace to a fraction of before, making the pain just tolerable. However, this adjustment meant that his recovery would now take tenfold longer.