2025-08-26 18:06:43Duō Yī slowly opened his eyes, the familiar scent of sandalwood filling his nose. He was back in his small but cozy bedroom, its carved wooden beams and embroidered silk curtains offering a sense of safety.
By his side, a gray-haired man with a steady gaze leaned close. It was Lǎo Zhōng, the family steward who had watched over him since birth. His lined face broke into rare relief.
"Young Master , you're awake!" Lǎo Zhōng exclaimed, his usually composed tone cracking with emotion.
Duō Yī gave a faint nod, still feeling the dull ache of fatigue running through his body.
Without delay, Lǎo Zhōng hurried to call for his mother, Duō Líng Méi.
Moments later, the door slammed open and a woman in flowing robes rushed in. Her long hair was disheveled, her eyes red and glistening.
"My child! Yī'er!" Duō Líng Méi cried as she threw her arms around him. She trembled as if fearing he might vanish again. "When they found you unconscious in the abandoned courtyard, I thought… I thought I had lost you." Her tears soaked into his shoulder.
Duō Yī tried to raise a hand to comfort her. "Mother, I'm fine now. It was nothing serious."
She pulled back slightly, her gaze sharp yet soft. "Nothing serious? Your body is fragile, Yī'er. Promise me, you won't wander alone again. Take servants with you, no matter where you go."
"I promise, Mother," Duō Yī answered gently, offering her a small but reassuring smile.
An hour passed with her alternating between scolding and fussing over him until finally she allowed herself to be led away by Lǎo Zhōng.
When the door clicked shut, silence returned.
"Finally, some peace," Duō Yī murmured with a sigh.
His gaze shifted to the blue status panel floating silently in the air:
[NAME: DUŌ YĪ]
[RACE: HUMAN]
[STATUS: DAMAGED SOUL (X), WEAK CONSTITUTION (R)]
[REALM: MORTAL]
[RACE:HUMAN]
[LIFE SPAN: 13/19]
[ABILITIES: HIVE]
[ENERGY RESERVE: 1/100]
Duō Yī's expression darkened. "Only six years left… If I don't fix my soul and extend my lifespan, I'll die a second time"
He focused on the ability labeled HIVE.
[HIVE: Collective Consciousness, Unified Entity]
{ A symbiotic network of interconnected bodies, ensuring mutual growth and survival}
Sub-Skills:
[ONE FOR ALL: SIMULTANEOUS CONTROL]
{Allows control of all bodies within the hive, sharing resources and experiences.}
[Current Controllable Hosts: 1]
[ALL FOR ONE: RESOURCE ALLOCATION]
{Redirects gained properties from the hive to a specific host.}
[REPLICATION: HIVE EXPANSION]
{Generates perfect replicas of the main hive, free from previous status effects.}
[Current Replicas: 0]
[Energy Required: 0.5]
[LIZARD'S TAIL: SURVIVAL PROTOCOL]
{Ensures the hive's survival by severing connections with compromised replicas.}
Duō Yī's jaw dropped.
"This is insane. With enough replicas, I could gather qi passively… and with Lizard's Tail, even death can't bind me."
A shiver crawled down his spine. "But Jiang Shèng… he could kill through my avatars. Are there others in this world with abilities like his?"
Before he could dwell further, the status panel flickered.
[NOTIFICATION: HIVE ENERGY REQUIREMENT MET]
[UNLOCKING SUB-SKILL: NETWORK RESONANCE]
[NETWORK RESONANCE: ENHANCED SYNCHRONIZATION]
{Amplifies resource sharing and coordination among hive members.}
Duō Yī's eyes gleamed. "So the limit of one body at a time doesn't exist anymore…"
He clenched his fists, excitement sparking in his chest. "This is only the beginning"
His focus shifted back to Replication.
"Let's test it."
He poured his meager qi into the skill. A faint glow shimmered beside him, slowly condensing into a figure.
A perfect replica of Duō Yī now stood in the room, identical down to the faint scar on his palm.
[NOTIFICATION: REPLICATION SUCCESSFUL]
[CURRENT REPLICAS: 1/1]
The clone, labeled Yī-1, looked back at him with mirrored eyes.
Duō Yī's lips curled into a grin. "Move."
Yī-1 mirrored his gestures perfectly. Their breaths synchronised, their heartbeats echoing as one.
[NOTIFICATION: ONE FOR ALL – SIMULTANEOUS CONTROL ESTABLISHED]
Duō Yī tested further, hearing what Yī-1 heard, feeling what Yī-1 felt, moving with a precision no mortal could dream of.
When the trial ended, Yī-1 dissolved, returning its experience.
[NOTIFICATION: HIVE ENERGY RESERVE +0.01]
[ENERGY RESERVE: 0.51/100]
Duō Yī's grin widened. "I can cultivate through them… even while resting."
But his joy was tempered by caution. A voice echoed in his mind—his own paranoia whispering.
Don't grow careless. If abilities like Jiang Shèng's exist here, you'll be hunted.
Duō Yī took a slow breath. Then I'll walk carefully. Cultivation is my only path to survival.
His thoughts drifted to his father, Duō Chén Yǒng, once an outer disciple of the White Crane Sect, now the pillar of their clan. Though he never broke past Qi Gathering, his connection to the sect gave the family hope.
Every five years, he could recommend talented descendants to the sect. The next referral was only months away, recalling the requirements:
1. Reach the third stage of the Qi Gathering Realm
2. Demonstrate exceptional talent
3. Obtain a referral from a respected figure
. "I'll achieve all three. I have to."
"If I reach Qi Gathering by then… I'll have a chance."
Determined, he resummoned a clone and gave the order:
"Cultivate qi."
Yī-1 sat cross-legged, qi swirling faintly.
[NOTIFICATION: QI GATHERING INITIATED]
[CURRENT QI Rate: 0.01/s]
Hours later, when Duō Yī attempted to absorb the qi, an error flashed.
[ERROR: QI WITHIN CLONE EXCEEDS PARAMETERS BODY CAN HANDLE. UNABLE TO RECALL.]
His fists clenched. "So it's useless if I can't absorb it directly…"
But then he noticed: Yī-1 lacked the Weak Constitution trait.
A reckless thought bloomed. "If I abandon this fragile shell… and transfer into the replica… It just might work."
The idea consumed him for another few hours until finally, he made the attempt.
Activating Lizard's Tail, he severed himself from his weak frame and shifted into Yī-1.
The world tilted—then steadied.
[NAME: DUŌ YĪ]
[STATUS: DAMAGED SOUL (X)]
[LIFE SPAN: 13/19]
while his body now bore the status
[YĪ-1]
[STATUS: ABANDONED]
[LIFE SPAN: 0/19]
Duō Yī exhaled sharply, exhilaration coursing through him. But then his excitement dimmed slightly as he glanced at the abandoned shell of his former body. It lay lifeless in the corner of his room, and the thought chilled him.
If someone walks in and sees… how would I ever explain my own corpse lying here?
Thankfully, the body soon began to dissolve.
He let out a sigh of relief upon seeing the body totally dissolved with no traces in sight.
"I did it. My weakness is gone."
With a steady breath, he guided his qi once more.
[QI REQUIREMENT MET]
[BREAKTHROUGH TO QI GATHERING REALM – STAGE 1]
Golden light surged, washing over him. When it faded, the panel revealed his reward:
[LIFE SPAN: 13/25]
His lifespan had increased to 25 years, a tangible result of his breakthrough.
Duō Yī's lips curved into a fierce smile.
"So cultivation indeed extends lifespan… from nineteen to twenty-five years already, not bad it's Just the beginning."
Duō Yī felt invigorated, his senses heightened.
"Cultivation is incredible." He pondered his next steps. "Father's referral to the White Crane Sect is within reach. But what about my damaged Soul status?" "Mehhhh I'll figure that out later""one step at a time"
"I'll seize the referral, and climb beyond mortality. Damaged soul or not"
And with that resolve burning in his chest, Duō Yī began his first true steps on the road to immortality.
Previous Chapter
Latest Chapter
Dú Huà Liàn Tǐ
For the next month, the courtyard of the Body Refinement Division became a crucible of extremes.There was no rhythm to their torment. Some days, they were roasted until their skin blistered, drenched in boiling oil, or pressed against stones hot enough to burn flesh from bone. On others, the world froze around them, their lungs clawed by air so cold that every breath felt like swallowing knives. Dawn to dusk, the trials never ceased, and never once could they predict what awaited them when the instructors arrived.The disciples called it hell. Yet even in hell, seeds began to sprout.Their bodies, once frail and mortal, had begun to change. Muscles grew denser, bones heavier, skin tougher. One by one, the fruits of their suffering revealed themselves.It was Tian Yīn who first broke through.The bald-headed youth had always carried himself with unshakable confidence, his once-flowing silver locks long gone to the flames. On the twelfth morning, as the heat bore down upon them, he sud
Tempered by Frost
The days blurred into weeks, each one seared into memory by fire.Boiling oil, smoldering coals, blazing stones, steam so hot it clawed at the lungs—such had been the disciples’ reality since the moment they first stepped into the Body Refinement Division. The trial was merciless. By the end of each day, some stumbled away half-conscious, others were carried, their bodies red and blistered. And yet, they always returned.For the young cultivators, survival itself was proof of progress. To last a single week of the Division’s training was already enough to mark them as different from ordinary mortals. To last three? Their bodies bore the beginnings of change.Today, once more, they assembled on the stone courtyard. Familiar faces were fewer now—several had already been removed, deemed unfit, their paths cut short. Those who remained stood in thin training robes, their bodies scarred by heat, their hair singed or gone entirely. Among them, Tian Yīn was now bald, the proud silver locks t
Baptism of Fire
Loud voices echoed across the mountainside, a chorus of anguish that rolled like thunder. Some were sharp with panic, others low and guttural with despair. Wails bled into hoarse cries, the sound carrying far enough that even disciples outside the peak cast wary glances at the crimson-lit skies above the Body Refinement Division.On the peak itself, the scene was a vision of torment. The stone courtyard had been transformed into a furnace. Heat shimmered from the ground, distorting the air like waves rising from molten rock. Dozens of new disciples, those who had passed the trial of the steps were scattered across the ground. Some lay unconscious, their bodies twitching with spasms; others knelt trembling, sweat pouring from them in rivulets as they fought to remain upright.The source of this suffering was not hard to find. A massive basin-like formation carved into the peak glowed with furious light. Within, hot stones burned bright orange, veins of magma-like qi running through the
New Faces
The sun hung low in the horizon, painting the mountains in hues of amber and crimson. Shafts of dying light filtered through the bamboo fence, streaking across the courtyard stones where Duō Yī sat in silent meditation. The world was hushed, save for the steady rhythm of his breathing and the distant cry of cranes retreating to their nests.Slowly, his eyes opened. The glow of the setting sun reflected faintly in his blue pupils, a reminder that time had moved on while he had remained still. Drawing in one final breath, he exhaled the remnants of scattered thought, rose to his feet, and brushed the dust from his grey disciple robes.It's time.The promise of the meeting earlier lingered in his mind, Hú Lì's cheerful voice from earlier in the Mission Hall, the pat on his shoulder, the glint of excitement in his eyes. With unhurried steps, Duō Yī left the courtyard behind and walked down the stone path that wound toward the eastern square.The sect at sundown had a rhythm all its own. L
A Path Split in Two
The night was quiet, the kind of quiet that carried more weight than comfort. The courtyard lay bathed in a pale silver glow as the wind brushed softly against the bamboo fence, carrying with it the faint scent of pine from the mountain slopes. A lone crane's cry echoed in the distance before fading into the silence once more.Duō Yī sat cross-legged on the cold stone mat, white hair falling across his shoulders like threads of moonlight. His expression was calm on the surface, but the stillness of his body betrayed the turbulence behind his eyes. He had been cultivating earlier, drawing threads of qi into his meridians, yet now his attention shifted inward, not on qi but on thought.His eyes opened slowly, and with the faintest ripple of intent, a translucent status board appeared before him, floating in the night air.[Name: Duō Yī][Race: Human][Status: Damaged Soul (X)][Realm: Qi Gathering Realm (3rd Stage)] [Mortal Flesh I][Life Span: 13/60][Abilities: HIVE][Skills: {Fundame
The Path of Flesh
Several days had passed since the grueling climb up the trial stairs. The pain in their legs had faded into dull aches, the bruises had begun to heal, and yet the memory of that endless climb remained etched into the minds of the surviving disciples.The group was gathered once again at the foot of the trial cliff, their numbers far fewer than when they had begun. Whispers spread among them as shadows swept across the earth.A massive white crane descended from the skies, its wings blotting out the sun for a brief instant. It alighted upon the cliff's edge, each feather glimmering like forged jade. Upon its back stood a man.Unlike the elder they had seen before, this one did not exude ancient age or unfathomable mystery. No, this man looked young—barely in his twenties at most. But despite his youth, the pressure that emanated from him made the very air feel heavy. His skin was pale as carved jade, flawless and unmarred by blemishes. His hair, long and black, flowed behind him like a
You may also like
Divine Cultivator: Rebirth of the God Emperor
Dragonix Loki37.6K viewsThe Greatest Martial Arts Cultivator
KidOO93.2K viewsTotem Warrior
Cindy Chen25.1K viewsI Turned Out To Be The King Behind The Scenes
doe17.9K viewsNO TIME LEFT
Saviour writes202 viewsNot a husband
Thane2.8K viewsAdventures of the Crown: The Noble Bandit
Yukiro2.9K viewsThe Greatest Hero Zack Draven
M_jief6.2K views