When Jun Xiao opened his eyes, it was no longer in that infinite white space, but under the pale morning light filtering through the dusty window of his room. The familiar ceiling—cracked and yellowed by the years—suddenly seemed foreign to him, almost unreal after what he had just experienced.
He remained lying there for a few seconds, eyes fixed on the ceiling, his breathing slow and controlled.
Then he moved his fingers and slowly raised his hand in front of his eyes. He clenched his fist.
A mysterious warmth pulsed through his meridians—subtle, but undeniably different.
His body was no longer the same. His flesh, his bones, his inner energy… everything had been rebuilt, purified.
He wasn't just rested—he had evolved.
"Ten hours of sleep… and yet it feels like I've meditated for ten years."
He sat up in bed, without fatigue or stiffness. His gaze fell to his hands, to his bare chest, still marked by a few scars from past failures. He hadn't even used his new technique yet—not truly—but his cultivation level had clearly broken through.
"Even though I had to start from scratch, I've already surpassed my former self. I'm now at the fourth level of Body Refinement! From what I remember, a cultivator at the peak of the Body Refinement realm can exert a force of 2,000 jing. And yet right now… I possess a strength equal to 3,000 jing!"
{1 jing = 0.5 kg}
This surge in power… he had gained it in his sleep. The very idea was enough to send a shiver of excitement down his spine.
"This world has no idea what has just been born."
He rose slowly, grabbing his robe from the edge of the bed. He tied his belt effortlessly, brushed a lock of hair from his forehead, and opened the creaky door of his room.
The morning air brushed gently against his face.
The place he lived in hadn't changed. But to Jun Xiao, it was as if he were seeing the world through a new lens.
He was no longer the talentless teenager mocked in the streets, nor the sect's reject tolerated out of pity.
"I'm not in the same league anymore."
He stepped into the courtyard, his pace slow but filled with cold confidence. Some neighbors barely glanced his way, used to his once-insignificant silhouette. An old man grumbled something like, "Useless brat, sleeping all day."
But Jun Xiao didn't respond. He merely looked at him for a moment.
His gaze was calm.
Too calm.
The old man felt a cold sweat trickle down his back without knowing why.
Jun Xiao turned on his heel and left the courtyard without a word. He no longer needed to prove anything to these insects.
Their ignorance was punishment enough.
"It's time… to test my strength."
He immediately thought of the family training grounds, where all the youths his age gathered to spar.
"I need a battlefield a place where I can finally express myself without restraint."
A smile curled on his lips as he walked.
"And maybe, if I'm lucky… I'll run into a few 'geniuses' I can crush. Just to remind myself what the hierarchy looks like… when it's flipped."
As he walked toward the exit of the small family estate, his boots raising dust from the all-too-familiar ground, a crystalline voice rang out behind him.
"Big Brother!"
Jun Xiao froze.
He didn't need to turn around to recognize that voice.
A smile, discreet but sincere, brushed across his lips.
"Ling'er…"
He slowly turned around.
A small figure ran toward him, barefoot, her brown hair clumsily tied with a faded red ribbon. Jun Ling, his six-year-old little sister, with her big eyes shining with innocence, looked up at him with an expression that was both joyful and worried. She wore a dress slightly too large for her, patched here and there, but always clean. She stopped right in front of him, panting, her cheeks flushed from the effort.
"Big Brother, where are you going?" she asked, tilting her head up toward him.
Jun Xiao looked at her for a moment without answering. Then he slowly knelt down, placing a hand on her head.
"I'm going to the training grounds."
The little girl's brows furrowed immediately.
"Huh? But… only the big kids go there! The ones who bullied you last time! You'll get hurt again!"
Jun Xiao didn't answer right away. He looked away slightly, thoughtful, as if reliving the humiliations of the past. Then he looked back at her, straight into her eyes.
"This time will be different."
She stared at him for a long moment, as if trying to understand something beyond her grasp. Then, without warning, she grabbed his hand tightly.
"Then I'm coming with you. If you fall again, I'll be there."
Jun Xiao was taken aback. A flicker passed through his eyes, but he didn't push her away. He gently squeezed her small hand and nodded.
"Alright. But stay behind me."
The walk to the family training grounds passed in silence, broken only by the distant chirping of birds or the whisper of the wind through the trees. When they finally arrived at the large, packed-earth courtyard, bordered by wooden training pillars and crude spectator benches, several figures were already present. Around a dozen young disciples, ranging from twelve to seventeen, were stretching or chatting in small groups.
Several of them immediately turned their gaze toward Jun Xiao. First with surprise… then with mockery.
"Hey, look who it is… our famous cousin finally decided to show up."
"He brought a little kid with him? Maybe he realized he'll never win alone!"
Laughter echoed around them.
But Jun Xiao didn't respond. He didn't even slow down. His expression was impassive, cold like a sharpened blade. He walked directly into the center of the training field, straight-backed and head held high.
Jun Ling clung quietly to his robe, her heart pounding.
When he finally stopped, surrounded by all those stares, he let the silence hang for a moment. Then his voice rang out calm but cutting:
"I'm here to fight. Who's first?"
The laughter paused for a second—then returned, even louder. How could the one known as the clan's trash, the weakest of them all, speak with such confidence?
A boy of about fifteen, a little more muscular than the others, stepped forward with a smirk, arms crossed. This youth was none other than Jun Hao.
"I'll warm you up. Just to remind you of your place, cousin."
Jun Xiao gave a faint, joyless smile.
"I hope you're ready… to change your perspective."
Jun Ling, still at a distance, clenched her small fists. She could feel something had changed in her brother… but she didn't yet know what.
The two youths approached the dueling platform a large, elevated circular stone stage reserved for clan disciples' sparring matches. The others gathered around, forming a ring of curious and mocking spectators.
Jun Xiao stepped up calmly, hands behind his back, like a nobleman visiting some unremarkable place.
Across from him, Jun Hao bounced slightly on the balls of his feet, cracking his knuckles with a predatory grin.
"This is your last chance to kneel and beg, Jun Xiao. I promise I'll go easy if you cry hard enough."
Jun Xiao replied in a steady, almost disdainful voice:
"I just came to see if insects still know how to crawl. Looks like some of you have forgotten who you're dealing with."
The atmosphere shifted instantly. The laughter died in throats, replaced by a cold breath of tension.
Jun Hao clenched his teeth, veins bulging on his temples.
"You dared…"
He spread his arms wide, unleashing his strength.
A wave of pressure slammed into the weaker onlookers. Jun Hao released his energy without restraint.
"Fifth level of Body Reinforcement!" someone shouted from the crowd.
But Jun Xiao didn't move a muscle.
He simply raised his hand, palm open, as if inviting a child to take their best shot.
"Come on, cousin. Show me what your little 'strength' is worth."
Jun Hao roared. His body shot forward like a bolt of lightning. He covered the distance between them in a single breath, his fist focused, ready to send Jun Xiao flying off the platform.
But at the moment of impact… Jun Xiao simply raised his arm.
His fist moved lazily, almost carelessly, without any apparent force — as if he were yawning at the same time.
BOOM.
A dull thud rang out. The air vibrated. A shockwave rippled across the platform.
Jun Hao, halted in his tracks, widened his eyes.
He was lifted off the ground.
Then thrown like a sack of rice across the field, his body spinning in the air before crashing violently outside the platform. The stone cracked under the impact. A cloud of dust rose.
Silence.
Then… a scream.
"AAAAAAAAAAHHHHHH—!!"
Jun Hao writhed on the ground, clutching his left arm like a madman. His face was twisted in pain, tears streaming down uncontrollably.
"M-My arm… my arm is broken!!"
The crowd froze. Not a word. Not a breath.
Jun Xiao slowly descended from the platform, his indifferent gaze resting on the scene. His aura was still calm… but his image had just exploded in everyone's mind.
He passed by the groaning Jun Hao, looked down at him, and said with icy calm:
"I warned you."
Then he turned to the crowd.
"Who's next?"
While Jun Hao kept wailing on the ground, clutching his broken arm, murmurs rose among the spectators.
"That's not normal…"
"He must've cheated! Maybe some hidden training or an illegal pill…"
"How could trash like him beat Jun Hao so easily?"
The atmosphere grew heavy with suspicion. Eyes turned sharp, some more hostile than ever.
But Jun Xiao, at the center of this rising storm, seemed completely unaffected.
He cast a cold gaze on those accusing him, dominating them with a stare as calm and sharp as a blade of ice.
"So… that's your excuse?" he said, his voice full of contempt. "You're weak… and instead of facing reality, you cry foul? It's not my fault if your fists are as light as the wind."
His words cracked like a whip. A heavy silence fell.
"I want to fight him!" shouted another clan disciple, Jun Ming, a young man at the third level of Body Reinforcement.
"Me too! I don't believe he won without tricks!"
"Let's take him together! Let's see if he still wears that arrogant smile!"
One by one, they stepped onto the platform, thinking they would expose what they believed was a fraud.
But one by one… they were humiliated.
Each fight was a one-hit massacre. Dislocated fists. Broken weapons. Bodies flung off the platform like dead leaves in the wind. None lasted more than ten seconds.
The silence turned heavy — filled with respect, mixed with fear.
Even the most skeptical dared not speak again.
Jun Xiao wasn't a cheater.
He was a monster.