The alley behind Yunhe Hospital stank of rust, urine, and rot.
Ren Wei slumped against a wall, knees drawn up, blood still soaking through his stolen hoodie.
His breath came in quiet, uneven gasps.
The **Broken Qi Condensation Pill** rested in his hand — trembling, faintly warm.
> "I don't need the System to tell me how to breathe."
He gritted his teeth and closed his eyes.
His legs folded into a crooked lotus position.
His spine bent, not out of discipline — but pain.
The world was cold.
> "If I was reborn, then I will rebuild."
He inhaled deeply.
...Nothing.
Not a single spark of Qi.
No warmth in his limbs.
No stirring in his meridians.
Just silence.
His lips curled bitterly.
> "Back then… I sat beneath a waterfall.
> Naked. Numb.
> But the Qi moved for me."
A flash — a memory.
Young Ren Wei, hair tied back, posture straight.
He sat beneath the roaring falls, water battering him like iron rods.
But his core burned bright — radiant with his first breath of power.
Now?
He sat in trash water, his bones fractured, his soul barely hanging on.
Still… he tried again.
A whisper.
A flicker.
A single thread of spiritual energy — faint as mist — drifted into his lungs.
His body **rejected it violently**.
He coughed.
Blood exploded from his mouth.
His ribs felt like they were tearing apart.
But he didn't stop.
He swallowed the taste of iron.
> "Spit all the blood you want…
> I'm still breathing."
Something stirred in his abdomen.
A spark. Dim. Weak.
But it lit.
It was **his**.
The first breath of cultivation had returned.
Then—
He felt it.
A weight.
Not physical… but spiritual.
From the rooftops above, something watched him.
A presence. Quiet. Cold. Ancient?
Ren didn't look up.
He simply smiled through his bloodstained teeth.
> "Watch all you like.
> When I stand again…
> you'll kneel."
Ren Wei's fingers trembled as he raised the **Broken Qi Condensation Pill** to his lips.
It tasted like ash and rust.
And it burned like acid.
The moment it hit his stomach, his meridians **screamed**.
His vision blurred. Blood gushed from his nose.
He collapsed forward, gasping, nails clawing at the pavement.
His dantian felt like it had swallowed a star.
Then—
> *Ding!*
> **+1 Cultivation Level: Qi Refinement – Stage 1**
> **Reward: Minor Recovery Elixir ×1**
The pain dulled.
The spark inside him blazed.
Qi… finally moved.
He wiped blood from his lips and chuckled.
> "I'm back, bastards."
But the System wasn't done.
> *System Notice:*
> *Quest: Interfere with the Heirs' Gala*
> *Location: Central Plaza – 4 heirs present*
> *Time Limit: 71 hours*
> *Penalty: Death*
Ren didn't blink.
> "Death, huh?
> Get in line."
Then—he froze.
A pressure, like ancient stone, weighed down the air.
From the rooftop… something *descended*.
A man.
Dressed in flowing robes marked with glowing characters.
A floating **crown sigil** pulsed behind his head like a divine shadow.
Eyes like dead stars.
Voice like quiet thunder.
> "So the Dao breathes again…"
Ren tried to rise, but the pain held him down.
The man stepped forward—then, to Ren's shock…
**He bowed.**
> "I am **Han Suiren**, elder of the Han Court.
> A name forgotten by this world… but not by the heavens."
Ren blinked.
> "What do you want?"
The man didn't speak at first.
His eyes flickered. Sadness buried under centuries.
> "My wife lies in stasis.
> Illness beyond medicine.
> Pills failed. Science failed.
> And for twenty years… I waited for a miracle."
He knelt.
**An immortal kneeling to a broken boy.**
> "If fate grants you strength…
> I ask only this: visit her.
> Someday."
Ren stared, silent.
A long breath. Then, a nod.
Han Suiren reached into his sleeve and placed a jade token in Ren's hand.
> "This is the **Han Crest Token**.
> Should any dare harm you… show them this."
Without another word, Han Suiren vanished.
Ren stared at the token in his hand.
For the first time in two lives…
**The world bowed first.**