Chapter 2: Cultivation
Riding hard the entire way, Chen Yu reached the Blue Bay Apartments in Dongchuan in less than half an hour. In a city where land was worth its weight in gold, it was nothing more than a shabby, low-end housing complex.
His home was right there. They weren't wealthy, but to give Chen Yu a better education, his parents had gritted their teeth, gone away for work, and struggled to pay the exorbitant tuition for Wanli High School.
As someone who had lived two lifetimes, Chen Yu hadn't seen his parents again since the great calamity more than eight hundred years ago. Now that they were about to reunite, how could he not be moved?
Chen Yu drew a deep breath. With trembling hands, he took out his key and unlocked the door. But the apartment was empty. There was no one inside. Just then, his phone suddenly rang. On the other end was the familiar voice of his mother from his memories.
“Hello, Little Yu. How have you been lately? Your dad and I are working in the Northwest, and we won't be home for another month. You need to take care of yourself while you're home. Eat properly and on schedule.”
“Don't let your studies slip. If there's anything you don't understand, ask your teachers.”
“I bought you lots of things. I'll bring them home and give you a big surprise.”
Listening to his mother chatter on and on, Chen Yu felt a sharp ache in his nose, and the corners of his eyes immediately reddened.
If any cultivator had witnessed this scene, they would have stared in shock. The Cangyu Celestial Venerable—the blood-soaked, cold, and aloof figure of old—could actually show such a vulnerable side?
“Yes, I know. You and Dad take care of yourselves. I'll wait for you to come home!”
A faint smile touched the corner of Chen Yu's mouth. But the moment he hung up, his expression turned icy and utterly emotionless.
“If I remember correctly, Mother discovered she had cancer just one month after coming home. And it was that same year that Father suffered such humiliation.”
“Beidu. The Chen family. Father was clearly the heir to a prestigious clan. Just because he went against you and married my common-born mother, you expelled him from the clan and cut off all ties with him.”
“When Mother fell gravely ill, Father swallowed his pride and worked himself to the bone. In the end, he couldn't return to Beidu and had no choice but to come begging you for help. You agreed to save my mother on the condition that Father kneel before your gate for three days and three nights.”
“On Lunar New Year's Eve, snow fell across the sky. Father did exactly as you demanded, kneeling before your gate for three days and three nights. Yet you couldn't even be bothered to open the door. You were all inside, enjoying the New Year's Eve feast in the warmth of your home!”
“Not only that, you broke your word. You refused to save her, then mocked and ridiculed my father, calling my mother a lowborn wretch who wasn't worth saving.”
“In the end, my mother died because she couldn't afford treatment. My father died soon after, carrying his hatred to the grave. You—the Beidu Chen family—cannot possibly deny your responsibility for this blood debt!”
At the thought of it, a raging fire of fury surged in Chen Yu's chest, blazing so fiercely that he could barely contain it. Then he let out a cold laugh.
“In my previous life, my tragedy reached its absolute depths. But in this life, everything is different!”
“I was once the Cangyu Celestial Venerable. My vision, strength, and experience—all of them stood at the pinnacle of the galaxy. Even though I've been reborn and lost my cultivation, every cultivation technique remains intact in my mind. It won't take long for me to rise again and crush Earth beneath my feet.”
“And when that time comes, I will reclaim justice!”
“Mother, with me here, you will never again be tormented by illness!”
“Beidu Chen family, this time I will destroy your household and force every one of you to kneel and repent before my parents!”
“I will walk the path of cultivation once more, defy the heavens, and change my fate!”
Chen Yu made up his mind at once.
Though he was only a high school student now, his life was different. He no longer belonged in a classroom. While everyone else was engrossed in their studies, he had already seen through the nature of the world.
Survival of the fittest. The strong reign supreme!
Only absolute power could allow him to seize control of his own destiny.
Chen Yu knew that he had to restore his strength as quickly as possible. Only then could he take the initiative into his own hands.
“In my memories, there's a very quiet park not far from here. It will be a good place to cultivate.”
Without hesitation, Chen Yu shut the door and left immediately. In less than twenty minutes, he arrived.
By then, dusk had fallen. Other than Chen Yu, there wasn't another person in the park.
He swept his gaze around, chose a tree, sat cross-legged beneath it, and began recalling the cultivation techniques he had once practiced.
But before long, his entire body shuddered violently, and his eyes filled with uncontrollable horror.
“It really is… the legendary Huanglong Wuji Dao!”
A book floated inside his mind, radiating boundless golden light. It wasn't any cultivation technique he had practiced before, but an ancient supreme treasure—a profound method so miraculous that it had existed only in legends!
A saying had always circulated throughout the cultivation world: “The Great Dao has fifty paths, and only one leads to Wuji.”
There were endless cultivation methods, but only fifty could point directly to the Great Dao. Chen Yu had once cultivated one of those paths, achieved the status of Celestial Venerable, and made all races bow their heads.
Yet beyond the Great Dao, there was still one cultivation technique—one that transcended all limits and led straight to the Wuji realm.
That was the Huanglong Wuji Dao!
Even Chen Yu's former cultivation method was clearly inferior when placed before the Huanglong Wuji Dao.
He had always thought it was merely a myth. He never imagined it would truly exist—and that he would encounter it today!
“So it was because of this cultivation technique that the thirty-two peak powerhouse kings of the alien races surrounded and killed my master! But who would have thought it would ultimately fall into my hands? Perhaps I was reborn because of it!”
After sighing, Chen Yu quickly immersed his mind in it. A long while later, he slowly exhaled a breath of cold air.
“As expected, it's profound and all-encompassing. Even with Earth's depleted primordial energy, this technique should allow me to condense a strand of Huanglong origin force and break through to the Body Tempering realm—Minor Achievement—in less than a day.”
Body Tempering, Transcendence, Spirit Condensation, Dao Integration, Sage Manifestation, Supreme, and Venerable—these were the seven major cultivation realms. Each realm was divided into four levels: Minor Achievement, Great Achievement, Limit, and Perfection.
However, according to the records of the Huanglong Wuji Dao, two realms still existed above the Supreme Venerable realm: Dragon Transformation and Wuji. In his previous life, Chen Yu had stopped at the peak of the Supreme Venerable realm.
“With this cultivation technique, I can not only restore my cultivation but advance even farther!”
Without further hesitation, Chen Yu immediately circulated his energy according to the instructions of the Huanglong Wuji Dao.
The primordial energy of heaven and earth, invisible to the naked eye, instantly converged on him, spiraling violently and whipping up wave after wave of powerful wind throughout Dongchuan.
Starlight descended from the heavens in streams of mysterious energy, surging into the crown of Chen Yu's head through his Baihui acupoint.
His body was constantly being reforged. One night of cultivation—one full night!
That night, Dongchuan—which was usually hot and dry even at ten o'clock—suddenly became unnaturally cool. Everyone was stunned by the natural miracle, but no one knew that it had all been caused by a senior high school student.
Early the next morning, Chen Yu suddenly opened his eyes. A ray of light flashed, and the air rang with a sharp explosion!
Lightning born from the void—the Body Tempering realm, Minor Achievement!
Chen Yu was still only 5'7", with a slender rather than imposing build, but his body now concealed terrifying explosive power.
“As expected of an unparalleled divine technique! Even on Earth—a cultivation-starved planet—it can produce results like this. In just a few more years, I'll definitely be able to return to the starry sky and contend for the supreme great world!”
Chen Yu's aura surged skyward. But at that very moment, a mocking voice suddenly rang out.