Lord of the Universe

In the Cloud Empire, a small empire located on the Tianwu Continent, the Wang Family was a cultivator family of moderate status, fairly well-known within the empire.

Wang Chen was the young master of the Wang Family. Since childhood, he had possessed a weak constitution and was often sick. Because of this, he was frequently bullied, insulted, and looked down upon.

Even his own parents—the Wang Family Patriarch, Wang Ming, and his mother, Wang Li—did not care about him. Ignored and neglected within the family, isolated and ostracized, his fate was truly pitiful.

Yet Wang Chen had managed to endure until now because of the presence of someone who always protected him, encouraged him, and gave him a reason to live.

A girl who was currently feeding him warm porridge—Qiao Yue.

She was a maid who had stayed by Wang Chen’s side since she was seven years old. Now fifteen, Qiao Yue had remained loyal to him all these years, never once leaving his side.

Qiao Yue was a beautiful girl. Although her looks were only considered average, not the kind of beauty that would easily attract people of high status—unless they were lustful men—she still possessed a gentle charm.

“Good, young master. You must finish your food so you can regain your strength,” Qiao Yue said with a happy smile as Wang Chen finished the last spoonful.

Wang Chen stood up, stretched for a moment, then threw a few punches and kicks. His movements were sharp and impressive.

Clap, clap, clap.

“That was amazing, young master. You look much more energetic now,” Qiao Yue said with a wide smile.

“Haha, this is all thanks to you, Xiao Yue,” Wang Chen said, rubbing his nose with his thumb in a slightly smug manner.

Since childhood, his body had been weak, but he had always trained—little by little—until he now possessed a normal physique. Even so, it was still far inferior compared to the bodies of true cultivators.

There were several cultivation realms in this world:

Qi Refinement

Core Formation

Martial Master

Martial Spirit

Martial King

Martial Emperor

Martial Ancestor

Martial Saint

Martial Lord

Each realm was divided into three stages: early, middle, and late.

Within the Cloud Empire, the strongest cultivators were at the Martial King level. As for the Wang Family, a mid-tier family, the highest they could reach was Martial Master. Even that was already considered a high-level cultivator, one worthy of respect throughout the empire.

“Don’t say it’s all thanks to me, young master. After all, you’ve always worked hard yourself,” Qiao Yue said as she gently shook her head.

Wang Chen had worked so hard all this time because of Qiao Yue. He wanted to become a man she could rely on.

“Xiao Yue, I want to go to the market. Come with me.”

“Yes, young master,” Qiao Yue nodded.

The two of them left the residence. Wang Chen had only been given a small courtyard, far from the main residence—though still within the family grounds.

Wangtu City was a city under the Wang Family’s control. It was fairly prosperous and well-developed.

‘Hah… I thought that after reincarnating, I’d become a young master with heaven-defying talent like in the novels, maybe even with a system to help me or something. Turns out life isn’t that beautiful,’ Wang Chen laughed inwardly.

Yes, Wang Chen was a transmigrator. He had been a person from Earth who died in an accident, only to be reincarnated into this cultivation world as the young master of the Wang Family. Unfortunately, he possessed no talent whatsoever and instead had a weak body.

‘To hell with cultivation. As long as I’m together with Xiao Yue, I’m already happy,’ Wang Chen thought as he looked at his maid with a smile.

“What is it, young master?” Qiao Yue asked.

“Nothing. You just look prettier today.”

Qiao Yue froze for a moment, glanced away with a blushing face, then smiled again.

“Thank you, young master.”

They continued walking leisurely. Many members of the Wang Family looked at them with disdain, and even the servants mocked Wang Chen.

But Wang Chen did not care. He was already used to it and completely shut out all the malicious gossip.

Soon, they arrived at the market, which was naturally bustling with activity.

Wang Chen wanted to buy cultivation resources. He had been saving for an entire year for this moment.

Although ignored by his father and mother, Wang Chen still received a weekly allowance from the family—albeit a small amount. After saving for a full year, he had finally accumulated a decent sum.

Wang Chen examined the goods being sold. There were various foods, as well as stalls selling medicinal herbs.

Qiao Yue was quite skilled at evaluating herbs, as she had once been a village girl who often went herb gathering with her mother.

Unfortunately, Qiao Yue’s village had been destroyed by ferocious beasts. Her mother also died in that tragedy. The surviving villagers, including Qiao Yue, fled to Wangtu City.

Qiao Yue applied to become a servant of the Wang Family and was accepted, eventually being assigned as Wang Chen’s personal maid.

Not only was Qiao Yue good at identifying herbs, she was also excellent at bargaining. She had always been Wang Chen’s secret weapon at the market.

Thanks to her skill, Wang Chen always managed to buy goods at cheaper prices, allowing him to save more money.

“Hm, we’ve already bought quite a lot of herbs. I think this is enough for now,” Wang Chen said. He still wanted to keep some of his money for future needs.

Because of Qiao Yue’s bargaining prowess, Wang Chen still had a considerable amount of money left.

The currency in this world consisted of bronze, silver, and gold coins. One silver coin was equal to 100 bronze coins, while one gold coin was equal to 100 silver coins—or 10,000 bronze coins.

“Alright, young master,” Qiao Yue nodded, and the two began heading back.

However, before they could leave the market, several people blocked their path.

“Well, isn’t this the young master and his loyal little servant? What are you doing at the market?”

“You poor people—where did you get the money? Don’t tell me you stole it?”

They were Wang Zhu, the son of one of the elders, along with two of his lackeys.

“Move aside. I don’t have time to deal with you,” Wang Chen said flatly, showing no fear at all.

“You arrogant bastard. Who do you think you are? Just because you’re a young master, you think you can talk however you want?”

The two subordinates of Wang Zhu stepped forward with ugly expressions.

“You want to fight?” Wang Chen said calmly, without the slightest hint of fear.

“We’ve already reached the early stage of Qi Refinement. You, who don’t even have cultivation, won’t stand a chance against us!”

One of them threw a punch.

Wang Chen immediately dodged, grabbed the man’s wrist, pulled him in, and delivered a knee strike straight to his solar plexus.

“Ugh!”

The man spat out saliva and collapsed to the ground, clutching his stomach.

“Bastard!” the other shouted angrily as he launched a side kick.

Wang Chen calmly dodged, then kicked the man’s supporting leg, causing him to fall instantly.

Wang Chen defeated the two of them with astonishing ease.