Eighteen years.
It had been that long since Ji Tianyu transmigrated into this Xuanhuan world.
In his previous life on a planet called Earth, he was a young man who had just graduated and had recently gotten a job.
With no parents to look after him, all he had were his wits to survive in the world.
Unfortunately, just at the age of 22, he died in an accident while trying to save a child.
Since he had already died once, he only hoped that he was able to save that child.
In this unfamiliar world, he struggled to survive at first, but with his quick adaptability and knowledge from the modern world, in less than a year, he was able to open a small restaurant in a town of Lingshan County.
He remembered that when he was a child, his parents owned a restaurant.
It was the same restaurant which went out of business, causing his father's death due to depression, and his mother soon followed after him, leaving him alone.
There was a reason why the biggest restaurant in the county belonged to the Ji Mansion.
Just when he thought he would live his life as an ordinary person and die peacefully, a woman, as beautiful as a fairy fallen from the nine heavens, stumbled into his restaurant, seemingly having lost her memories.
Taking her in and caring for her, Ji Haotian couldn't help falling for her, and he was perhaps the most happy he had ever been since before the death of his parents after knowing that the feeling was mutual.
They married and had a child, naming him Ji Haotian.
However, the day she gave birth to Ji Haotian, her entire demeanor underwent a huge change. Ji Tianyu saw all of it, from the deep unwillingness in her eyes to resignation.
"I'll definitely find you two in the cycle of Reincarnation." She said, leaving behind the father and son.
She sealed Ji Haotian's Bloodline from her side, relegating him to an ordinary Third-Grade Talent, and left behind a bunch of esoteric divine arts and cultivation techniques that seemed to ignore talent, allowing Ji Tianyu to reach the peak of the Innate Realm in a mere eighteen years.
But these techniques and arts could only be used by Ji Tianyu. Not even Ji Haotian could cultivate them.
It meant that Ji Haotian's path was inherently hopeless in this lifetime, as the limit of Third-Grade Talent was merely the peak of Body Tempering Realm, and Ji Tianyu had scoured through the entire Baiyun Prefecture, but there were simply no records of someone enhancing their innate Talent or surpassing their limits in the near thousand year history of the Great Jing Dynasty.
One had to know that the founding emperor of Great Jing was a great cultivator of the Golden Core Realm, with a lifespan of 800 years, possessing heaven reaching methods and divine powers.
Body Tempering, Meridian Cleansing, Innate, Qi Refinement, Foundation Establishment, and Golden Core!
A Foundation Establishment Realm cultivator, even if placed outside the Great Jing, could be considered a powerful figure, while a Golden Core Realm mighty figure could even create a hegemonic power on par with the Great Jing.
As for the legendary Nascent Soul Realm beyond the Golden Core Realm... Ji Tianyu had never even heard of such beings existing in the nearby tens of thousands of miles.
From this, he also understood that his wife has an unfathomable and illustrious background, and she probably has countless strong enemies, which was why she chose to leave the two of them and even sealed Ji Haotian's bloodline.
But... that didn't excuse her actions. She had, in the end, ruined Ji Haotian's future.
He always wanted to go look for her and get an explanation, even if he knew the reasons behind her actions. Yet, with his Innate Realm cultivation even after more than a decade, although he was practically invincible in the Lingshan County and one of the top notch powerhouses even in Baiyun Prefecture, he was still for too weak compared to the power standing behind his wife, far too weak compared to her potential enemies, and far too weak compared to herself.
He could only live like this, quietly developing the Ji Mansion and doing the best he could for Ji Haotian.
However, everything changed today with a sound he had only heard in his past life echoing in his mind.
[Ding!]
[The Peerless Powerhouse System has been activated!]
"!?"
A system?
After eighteen years?
Ji Tianyu's eyes widened in shock, the composure built over a decade of living in this world shattering instantly.
As a modern citizen and avid reader of webnovels in his past life, how could he not know what a "system" represented?
Yet, he quickly calmed himself down.
Ever since arriving in this world, he had long since shed his modern mentality, knowing that a single wrong step could lead to death here.
If reincarnation existed, then mystical things like the system existing would be nothing special...
Does that mean... some higher entity is playing with me, using me as a pawn through this so-called system?
In an instant, he already had a few guesses in his mind about the appearance of this system.
But, when he thought of his son, Ji Haotian, dying in mediocrity and the cold yet helpless face of his wife appeared in his mind, he felt his chest tighten, feeling extremely uncomfortable.
Damn it, I'll risk it!
Even if this is some cosmic scheme, there is no opportunity without danger!
"System!"
He immediately called out after making his decision, clenching his fist.
"Explain to me about your functions."
[Ding!]
[Host, this system is called the Peerless Powerhouse System. It has already been bound to you and your son, Ji Haotian. As long as Ji Haotian provokes powerful enemies and faces them, you can gain the exact same level of cultivation base as that enemy. For example, if a Golden Core Realm Fifth Stage Peak cultivator is about to make a move against Ji Haotian, you will instantly gain the same cultivation base at the peak of the Golden Core Realm Fifth Stage.]
[The secondary function of the system is to prevent a bad end for your son and make him stronger. In this world, there exists Children of Destiny, main character-like entities who have some sort of cheat or golden finger on them. They can be anyone and anywhere. The purpose of this function is for Ji Haotian to crush those Children of Destiny that seek make him a stepping stone on their path, and you can be rewarded with Fortune Points with each such encounter. With Fortune Points, the host can buy anything in the system shop, including cultivation techniques, resources, divine arts, treasures and even physiques, bloodlines, and most important of them all; identities. Host can also bestow these rewards upon others except for identities and some special cases.]
[Host's current aptitudes are as follows.]
[Name: Ji Tianyu.
Race: Human(Mortal).
Lifespan: 40/165 years.
Cultivation Base: Ninth Stage of Innate Realm.
Innate Talent(s): None.
Identity: Lord of the Ji Mansion.
Fortune Points: 0]
Ji Tianyu's mind went blank as he processed the information laid out before him.
But at the same time, he felt a surge of frustration.
Damn it, wouldn't Haotian be in constant danger if I need to improve my cultivation?
Children of Destiny... at least the secondary function is much less dangerous, but still dangerous nonetheless... although the rewards obtained will be even more astonishing...
Exchanging identities for Fortune Points...
"System, show me the system shop."
[System shop has been activated.]
[Azure Sword Embryo: 30,000,000 FP.
High-Rank Earth Grade Spirit Artifact, Soul Calming Bell: 100,000,000 FP.
Sacred Realm Bloodline: 7,000,000,000 FP.
Heaven Refining Demonic Technique: 100,000,000,000 FP.
Third Ancestor of the Heaven Reaching Mountain Ji Family Identity: 800,000,000,000 FP.]
Seeing the rows of digits, Ji Tianyu's expression darkened.
"Show me something that is consistent with my current cultivation realm.]
[Low-Rank Profound Grade Spirit Artifact, Cloud Breaking Sword: 1,000 FP.
Flowing River Palm Technique: 200 FP.
Remnant of the Wind Sword Pavilion Identity: 3,000 FP...]
Damn it, wasn't the Wind Sword Pavilion that number one force in the Baiyun Prefecture several decades ago with Qi Refinement cultivators and was jointly destroyed by the other major powers?
More importantly, how does the system even bestow identities? Does it create cause and effect and generate karma to do that? How terrifying must the being who created this system be!
Ji Tianyu had no mood to look at the system shop anymore. First of all, he didn't have any Fortune Points, and secondly, he had more important matters at hand.
"System, can you check Ji Haotian's aptitudes?"
As soon as he said this, a transparent blue panel once again materialized before him.
[Name: Ji Haotian.
Race: Human(Mortal).
Lifespan: 15/85 years.
Cultivation Base: First Stage of Body Tempering Realm.
Innate Talent(s): Great Emperor Bloodline(Sealed).
Identity: Young Master of the Ji Mansion.]
Reading the words etched on the transparent blue screen, Ji Tianyu's gaze was fixated on the Innate Talent section.
"Great Emperor Bloodline..."