Celestial Yang Continent. The ninth day of the first month, year 233 of the Yaoqing King Calendar.
In Li Family Village of Sanhuang County, Fengzhou, a frail, heavily pregnant woman lay in a narrow side room that had been cleared of clutter.
"Three, two, one, push!"
Several older women surrounded the expectant mother, their voices urgent as they shouted encouragement.
Outside, the man listening to the sounds from within was so anxious his head was beaded with sweat.
As the seconds ticked by with no sound of a baby's cry from the room, the man's expression grew increasingly grim.
But other than pacing back and forth in a panic, there was nothing he could do to prevent the situation from turning dire.
Never mind that the only reliable doctor in town had been devoured by a demonic beast while gathering herbs in the mountains last year, leaving behind nothing but a blood-soaked robe. Even if he were still alive, the family was so destitute they couldn't possibly afford his exorbitant fee.
Just as the atmosphere was growing unbearably tense…
"WAAH WAAH!"
A piercing cry suddenly erupted from the room.
Before the man could react, one of the midwives hurried out, holding a swaddled baby boy. With a broad smile, she said, "Li Dashan, your ancestors are truly watching over you today! Both mother and child are safe!"
Upon hearing that both mother and son were safe, the tension instantly drained from the man's body. He collapsed to the ground as if his bones had vanished, muttering, "The ancestors be praised, the ancestors be praised! Our Li Family finally has an heir!"
Seeing his tearful joy, the midwife smiled before urging him, "Quick, give him a name. Heaven can't take a child away once he has a name!"
Her words snapped the man back to his senses.
He looked at the quiet baby in the swaddling clothes and said without hesitation, "I already picked one out. We'll call him Li Chang'an, in the hope that he will have a long and peaceful life… Thank you for taking care of my wife. Thank you so much!"
As he spoke, he took several still-warm corn buns from his shirt and offered them with a trembling hand.
The midwife took the buns, weighing them in her hand. She frowned slightly, but considering how difficult times were, she said nothing more. She simply nodded and instructed, "Alright. For the next while, make sure the new mother doesn't touch cold water or get chilled. If you can afford it, give her something nutritious to eat to help her recover…"
Seeing the man's wry smile, the midwife paused, suddenly realizing her advice was likely pointless.
She sighed, handed Li Chang'an back to his father, and left with a dispirited wave.
...
And so, Li Chang'an arrived in this world in a way he had never expected.
Looking at the man who was now his father, laughing and crying at the same time, Li Chang'an wanted to let out a small sigh. Instead, the moment he opened his mouth, he spat up a mouthful of amniotic fluid and nearly choked.
Li Dashan, startled by this, fumbled for a good while before finally managing to wipe the fluid away.
After cleaning him up, Li Dashan looked down at the quiet, tiny infant in his arms. An irrepressible smile finally broke out across his dark, weather-beaten face; he was clearly smitten with Li Chang'an.
Li Chang'an had no particular reaction to this. He felt his slightly shriveled belly. 'I'm hungry…'
For the next three months, Li Chang'an's life fell into a mechanical routine: eat when hungry, then sleep.
Although Huang Xiaoru's milk supply was low, the family had managed to set aside some reserves for his birth.
It was just enough to leave him mostly full after each feeding.
In truth, this period was an ordeal for Li Chang'an. His soul was that of a healthy adult, but he was trapped in an infant's body, barely able to move. The feeling was anything but pleasant.
Fortunately, he could make things less boring by consciously practicing rolling and trying to crawl, building up his strength.
'From what I know of my fate, as long as I don't do anything reckless, my life won't be in danger before the age of six.'
'As for how to change my destiny?'
'It seems I'll just have to rely on my innate talent and react as events unfold.'
'Right now, the most important thing is to lay low and build my strength quietly.'
'Only by surviving this frustratingly helpless period will I have the strength to change anything.'
And so, Li Dashan and his wife were astonished to find that their son was unbelievably well-behaved. As long as his belly was full, he never cried or fussed, a stark contrast to the constantly wailing babies of other families.
Beyond their surprise, they both breathed a collective sigh of relief.
After all, these were not peaceful times. The lands were teeming with vicious and cruel Demon Fiends, and a baby's cry could attract a disaster that would wipe out their entire family at any moment!
...
「Three more months passed in the blink of an eye.」
The ninth day of the seventh month, year 234 of the Yaoqing King Calendar.
Li Chang'an was now six months old. His weight had increased from about seven pounds at birth to eleven and a half, and he had grown quite a bit in height as well.
He might have grown even more, but his mother, Huang Xiaoru, was malnourished and couldn't produce enough milk. Li Chang'an's diet had already shifted from breast milk to thin porridge, so his growth rate naturally slowed.
Li Chang'an was, of course, not satisfied with such a mediocre growth rate.
According to the destiny outlined by his Rebirth Mark, the first major turning point he had to face would come at age three. The newly appointed County Magistrate of Sanhuang County would confiscate every bit of the money and grain that Li Dashan had painstakingly saved.
That incident would lead directly to his starvation, causing him to suffer from an Innate deficiency in his vital energy.
Li Chang'an would certainly not stand by and let that happen.
Therefore, he had to gain the power to resolve this crisis before he turned three!
At six months old, Li Chang'an learned to crawl.
When his parents were home, they would occasionally put him on the floor to let him move around freely for a while.
One day, while Li Chang'an was playing in the dirt by the doorway, he saw an old Daoist in a patched robe walking past on a narrow path bordering the fields.
As he watched the old Daoist's departing figure, a strange light flashed in Li Chang'an's eyes!
[Heaven-defying Comprehension: You observed Wang Su circulating his Qi Force and successfully comprehended a Cultivation Method for Qi Force!]
[Heaven-defying Comprehension: You observed Wang Su's walking posture and successfully comprehended the Martial Arts Technique, *Shadowless Step*!]
As the information flooded his mind, Li Chang'an was shocked to discover that countless key points and warnings regarding the cultivation of Qi Force and Martial Arts Techniques had appeared in his head.
He was so astonished he almost laughed out loud.
The Celestial Yang Continent was a world of the Martial Dao, one filled with supernatural beings and Demon Fiends.
The Qi Force he had just comprehended was the sole path for humans in this world to become Extraordinary. Only by cultivating Qi Force and becoming a Martial Artist could an ordinary person hope to gain the power to protect themselves in these chaotic times, where human life was treated as worthless.
Li Chang'an had originally thought that with his life starting on "hell mode," he would have to pay an enormous price just to get his foot in the door of cultivating Qi Force and becoming a Martial Artist.
He never imagined that, not even a year after being born, he would somehow stumble into learning how to circulate Qi Force, and even comprehend a powerful Ultimate Technique on the side!
'So this is my starting talent, Heaven-defying Comprehension? A transmigrator's cheat ability really is overpowered!'
...