"Where am I?"
"Didn't I already..."
Lin Fan looked around, bewildered, yet his fifteen-year-old eyes revealed a trace of vicissitudes.
The next second, Lin Fan only felt a sharp pain in his head as a flood of memories surged into his mind, his face immediately displaying an expression of shock.
"Hahaha... Who would have thought that I, Lin Fan, would be reborn! Hu Mei'er, just you wait! One day, I will avenge that stab of the sword!"
Lin Fan, the number one talent of the Holy Soul Domain, long renowned, was originally seen as the future top expert of the Holy Soul Domain. Yet, on his wedding night, he was humiliated and killed by a stab to the heart from his bride.
"The number one family of Heavenly Martial City? Lin Fan of the Lin Family? The grandson of Lin Family Head Lin Zhenxiong? I've been reborn into someone with the same name as me? But this guy is too much of a loser, right? At the age of fifteen, he hasn't even condensed his Martial Soul."
Lin Fan quickly sorted through the memories in his mind, wanting to move his body, only to find his bones aching badly as if they had fallen apart.
Through the memories, Lin Fan knew that the previous 'Lin Fan' had been pushed from the peak by Lin Tianlin, the grandson of the Great Elder who had followed him in secret, due to his inability to condense his Martial Soul. He fell into a deep chasm, but fortunately, he landed on a hay pile at the bottom. Lin Fan died on the hay pile, but his body was preserved intact, which now advantaged the current Lin Fan.
"Lin Fan, now that I have your body, what's yours is mine. I will never let anyone touch a thing you've protected!"
The next moment, Lin Fan groaned as a soul-rending pain transmitted through him. Even with his tenacious spirit, it was nearly unbearable.
"Damn it, the two souls have actually merged!"
Lin Fan panicked, the pain in his body intensifying, until his head throbbed and he completely passed out.
"Drip drip, congratulations to the host for successfully activating the Universal Image, the system is now binding..."
"Binding in progress, countdown..."
When Lin Fan awoke once more, he found something new in his mind. Puzzled, he looked around. A clear path in his mind was the only way out of the valley.
"What is this thing? Why would I have this in my brain..."
Lin Fan, a person who had experienced significant events, and not lacking in insights, was shocked by the strange occurrence in his mind, but he quickly suppressed it. The urgency for now was to leave this place as quickly as possible.
It was an extremely secretive passage that he would never have known of if not for the map in his mind—a direct route from the back of the mountain cliff to the Lin Family.
Passing through the secret passage and looking toward the brightly-lit Lin Family residence, Lin Fan's eyes narrowed, "In three days, it will be the Lin Family's annual Martial Soul condensation ceremony. These three days are enough for me!"
"Lin Tianlin, eh? You just wait! In three days, I will give you a big surprise."
A bloodthirsty light crossed Lin Fan's eyes.
As the number one talent of the Holy Soul Domain, Lin Fan's knowledge was extensive, and mere injuries were not a concern. In just one day, he healed his injuries, and the remaining two days were for condensing his Martial Soul.
Meanwhile, at the Lin Family.
Today, the square of the Lin Family was bustling with excitement as many members of the Lin Family had gathered here.
Because today was the annual Martial Soul condensation ceremony of the Lin Family.
In the center of the square on the high platform, stood a young man quietly.
This young man was none other than Lin Tianlin, the grandson of the Lin Family's Great Elder, the most extraordinary unparalleled genius in the Lin Family's eyes.
Lin Tianlin's face was filled with pride at this moment, his gaze sharp as an eagle's. Without close scrutiny, one couldn't detect the malevolence in his eyes.
Those around immediately burst into a cacophony of discussion.
"What do you think, how many stars will Lin Tianlin's Martial Soul awaken to?"
"I think Lin Tianlin should be able to awaken a Four-Star Martial Soul. After all, his name has long been renowned, and it was said that he could kill a Menghu with a single punch. Such a prodigy hasn't appeared in our Lin Family for a long time. Perhaps Lin Tianlin could be another Lin Tianyu for our Lin Family. It's just a pity that Lin Tianyu, such a heroic figure, has a son, Lin Fan, who is a complete waste—an utter shame for our Lin Family!"
Martial Souls come in seven levels, from One-Star to Seven-star, with One-Star being the lowest and Seven-star the highest. The Lin Tianyu they spoke of was the father of Lin Fan, born with the aura of a genius, not only the top expert of the Lin Family but also the strongest in the entire Heavenly Martial City.
"Speaking of Lin Fan, why haven't we seen him? Shouldn't he be attending this year's ceremony as well?"
"Hehe, that guy probably didn't dare to show up. He hasn't awakened his Martial Soul for three consecutive years and has become the undisputed number one waste of Heavenly Martial City. How could he have the face to appear? If it weren't for his father, he would probably have been expelled from the Lin Family long ago."
At this moment, an elder floated up onto the platform where Lin Tianlin stood, waving his hand, and a giant crystal ball suddenly appeared before him.
The elder glanced at Lin Tianlin and said indifferently, "You should be familiar with the method, I don't wish to elaborate further. Begin."
"Yes, elder!"
Lin Tianlin clasped his fists and stepped towards the crystal ball. He placed his hands slowly on the ball and with a thought, the energy within him surged into the sphere like a torrential flood.
Instantly, a burst of seven-colored light shot out. Soon after, six stellar lights emerged, dazzling and brilliant. The starlight enveloped Lin Tianlin, and quietly, the sound of a sword being unsheathed rang across the sky. Followed by a buzzing sound, a Longsword penetrated the space above Lin Tianlin's head, its blade gleaming with starlight, its sharp auric presence captivating, as though it intended to cut through the heavens.
"Six-star? Sword Martial Soul!"
The Lin Family crowd burst into exclamations. They all knew Lin Tianlin was a genius, but they never expected him to be such an unparalleled talent. A Six-star Martial Soul, and even a Sword Martial Soul at that? How could the mere term 'genius' even begin to describe him? This was practically demonic!
The elder also revealed a smile, nodding in satisfaction, "Good! Very good! Lin Tianlin, cultivate diligently. In the future, I hope you can become another mainstay of our Lin Family!"
Lin Tianlin dissipated the starlight surrounding him and respectfully said, "Yes! Lin Tianlin will certainly remember the elder's teachings, diligently cultivate, and uphold our Lin Family's honor!"
The elder nodded contentedly and then glanced down at the crowd, seeing no one approaching the platform. He gestured dismissively, "Since no one else is here to condense their Martial Soul, today's ceremony has come to an end. Dismissed."
As he said this, the elder prepared to leave.
But just then, a slow voice came through: "Elder, there is still me!"
The Lin Family members looked towards the source of the voice and saw a young man rising from an inconspicuous corner, then walking towards the platform unhurriedly—it was none other than Lin Fan.
"Lin Fan? That waste? He actually dares to come?" Everyone was incredulous.
But as surprised as they were, the crowd still instinctively made way for Lin Fan.
Meanwhile, Lin Tianlin's face was a picture of extreme shock, as if he had seen a ghost.
"How is this possible? He's not dead? Impossible, this is absolutely impossible, I personally pushed him into the abyss!"
Due to the shock, Lin Tianlin even took a couple of steps back.
It should be known that Lin Tianlin personally pushed Lin Fan into an abyss—it was inconceivable that Lin Fan could have survived, let alone emerge from that accursed place.
Lin Fan had reached the platform, saying, "Greetings, elder."
The Sky Star Elder looked lazily at Lin Fan, just about to say something when in the next moment, the Sky Star Elder suddenly uttered, "Huh?"
Because in that instant, the Sky Star Elder felt an extraordinary sensation emanating from Lin Fan.