Chapter 1: The Servant Who Shouldn't Bow
The wind swept through the Zhuo estate like a quiet mourner, stirring fallen leaves and forgotten memories. Inside a dim stone corridor, barely lit by lantern light, Zhuo Fan walked behind a senior steward, carrying a ledger and a box of sealing talismans. His small frame—thin, unassuming, and dressed in faded servant robes—belied the storm brewing behind his calm eyes.
Behind him, the Crazy Leveling System remained inactive, silent… for now.
"Task Complete: Report delivery to Zhuo Master pending.
Current EXP: 0 / 200
Bonus EXP Available: Quest Chain Progression"
Zhuo Fan ignored the glowing notification hovering subtly in his peripheral vision. He had mastered the ability to suppress emotion long ago—on battlefields soaked in blood, not while trudging through stone corridors as a child.
"Keep your head low," the steward barked. "Master Zhuo Heng doesn't like arrogance from servants."
Zhuo Fan gave a slight nod, lips forming a cold smile. Arrogance? If I hadn't been shackled by this seal, one glare from me would've crushed his soul to dust.
Still, he lowered his gaze and stepped into the receiving hall.
Zhuo Heng—patriarch of the Zhuo family—sat in a high-backed chair, flanked by advisors and a few squabbling relatives. His eyes, once fierce in his youth, were now bloodshot from sleepless nights and liquor. He did not even look up.
"Place the ledger there," he muttered, waving lazily toward the jade table. "Then get out."
Zhuo Fan calmly obeyed.
Quest Complete: Submit Granary Report
+50 EXP
Current EXP: 50 / 200
Just as he turned to leave, a sneering voice rang out.
"Well, well, what do we have here? Isn't this the servant brat the young miss keeps defending?" The voice belonged to Zhuo Lei, a younger cousin, adorned in fine blue silk and holding a whip meant for horses—but used on people he didn't like.
Zhuo Fan didn't flinch.
"Lei'er, leave it be," Zhuo Heng muttered. "We've more pressing issues."
"Oh, I know," Zhuo Lei grinned. "But don't you think it's time we culled the weak from our ranks? The family can't afford dead weight."
He stepped forward, raising the whip. "Tell me, boy, do you even know how to bow properly?"
The whip cracked.
The world slowed.
And in that instant—just before impact—the Crazy Leveling System activated.
🔥 Emergency Trigger Detected
"Life-Threatening Hostility Detected"
Combat Tutorial Unlocked
◎ Skill: Spiritual Qi Swallow (Lv. 1)
◎ Bonus: EXP Multiplier: x2 Activated (Duration: 10 Minutes)
Defend Yourself to Complete the Combat Tutorial
Reward: +100 EXP, +1 Combat Skill, +1 Stat Point
Finally, Zhuo Fan thought. His foot slid half a step to the right. His right hand caught the incoming whip, fingers tightening like iron.
CRACK.
Instead of slicing through flesh, the whip jerked taut in midair, its movement stopped. Gasps echoed through the hall.
"W-What?" Zhuo Lei stammered.
Zhuo Fan looked up, expression calm—cold.
"I'm sorry, Young Master Lei," he said, voice as dry as bone. "I don't bow to insects."
Then he pulled.
Zhuo Lei flew forward, caught completely off guard, and smashed face-first into the marble floor.
Combat Tutorial Complete
+100 EXP
+1 Stat Point
+Skill Unlocked: Qi Burst Palm (Lv. 1)
Current EXP: 150 / 200
System Hint: Final Strike to Level Up.
"How dare you!" roared Zhuo Heng, rising from his chair. The other elders stood in shock, unsure whether to interfere.
Zhuo Fan's eyes flickered with a faint glow—resembling a flicker of flame, or perhaps an emperor's fury barely concealed.
Just a little more…
He walked toward the fallen Zhuo Lei and, with precise force, delivered a palm to his lower ribs. Nothing fatal—but enough to knock the wind out of him and fracture the bone.
+50 EXP
💥 Level Up!
New Level: 2
EXP: 0 / 400
Stat Points Gained: +2
HP Increased: +100 (Current: 200 HP)
Hidden Passive Activated: "Demonic Bloodline Resurgence (Locked)"
Requirement: Defeat a Qi Condensation Realm enemy alone.
"Stop this madness!" a voice cried. Zhuo Qin, the young mistress of the house, rushed in, flanked by two female guards. She immediately moved to shield Zhuo Fan with her body.
"Father! Cousin! Have you gone insane? He's just a child!"
"Just a child?" Zhuo Heng hissed. "He dared to strike a direct descendant of the main branch!"
"And if that descendant attacks a loyal servant like a common dog, should I turn a blind eye?" she snapped.
Silence.
Then, reluctantly, Zhuo Heng waved his hand. "Enough. The next time this brat raises a hand, I'll have it cut off."
Zhuo Fan said nothing, but deep in his mind, the system hummed again.
New Quest: "Rise of the Hidden Emperor"
Type: Long-term
Objective: Establish dominance over the Zhuo family.
Stages:
① Break Suppression Seal (Progress: 2%)
② Unlock Demonic Bloodline
③ Raise Family Reputation Above Five-Star Level
Rewards: Unknown
Failure: System Lockout Permanently
As Zhuo Fan stood behind Zhuo Qin, head lowered once more, he felt no shame.
Let them believe what they want. The deeper they underestimate me… the higher I'll rise.
Later that night, in a quiet chamber beneath the servants' quarters, Zhuo Fan sat cross-legged.
With the system's dim glow before him, he selected his new stat upgrades:
Stats Menu
Name: Zhuo Fan
Level: 2
Realm: Body Tempering (Peak)
HP: 200 / 200
Qi: 50
Stat Points Available: 2
→ Strength: 4
→ Agility: 3
→ Intelligence: 5
→ Soul Power: 6
→ Luck: 1
Assign points?
He smirked.
"Put one in Strength… and one in Soul Power."
He would need both, soon.
The estate was crumbling. Assassins would come. Enemies would descend. And this family, blind to his rebirth, would soon be swept into his storm.
But tonight, only the stars bore witness to the beginning of his rise—
Not as a servant.
But as an emperor returned.