The Middle Continent, the land often hailed as the Centre of the World, was a place where strength ruled absolutely. Sects, ancient families, and mighty cultivation organisations carved their domains into its soil, and the weak were little more than dust beneath their feet.
And now, in the Qian State, within the sprawling and prestigious Yang Clan Mansion, a courtyard lay eerily silent. It belonged to the youngest child of the Yang Clan, the one who had once been celebrated as the clan's brightest genius.
Now, he lay motionless on his bed.
His lips were pale. His veins darkened. His meridians had collapsed. The absence of spiritual energy and life force left no room for hope. His appearance is completely messed up. His long black hair was scattered everywhere, and his high-quality robes were stained.
Poison. A death that is already beyond saving. Yang Lu, the genius once praised by thousands, had become nothing more than a cold corpse.
But then—
His fingers twitched.
A presence stirred deep within the quiet carcass, like an ember awakening in a dead hearth. The dried, lifeless flesh suddenly flushed with qi; spiritual energy surged violently through the empty meridians.
A miracle impossible under Heaven had occurred.
Yang Lu's golden eyes snapped open.
And at that exact moment, for a fraction of a heartbeat, the world dimmed. The wind paused. Space shivered. Even the Heavenly Dao seemed to stutter—as if lagging behind reality.
Yet no one noticed.
Not the clan. Not the world. Not even Heaven.
Despite the Heavenly Dao's scan sweeping across the world… nothing was found. No anomaly. Nothing is malfunctioning. Nothing was detected.
Yang Lu, no, Han Lu-reborn, slowly sat up. The corners of his lips curled into a faint smile, 'Well, well,' he thought, 'a reincarnated person like me really is different. The ever-present plot armour… my thanks for your service, brother.'
Then, his memories surged, his death, the miserable ending of his, and the truth regarding the heaven-defying cultivation inheritance that he once thought was the golden finger of his.
When his thought reached there, he chuckled and thought, 'Really, shouldn't have taken everything as granted. To think the 'ultimate inheritance' I found was just a tool the Heavenly Dao gave to cultivate a loyal puppet… well, that's my own fault for being naive and believing it as my golden finger.'
Yes, he didn't blame the Heavenly Dao; on the contrary, he is grateful for it. Otherwise, with his nonexistent cultivation talent as Han Lu, he wouldn't even have a chance of trying cultivation, not to mention becoming Number One Supreme.
'But...'
Han Lu stretched his shoulders gently, feeling the unfamiliar yet youthful body respond to the movement. The joints cracked lightly, and he exhaled in satisfaction.
He accepted his past death since it is his own fault for being naive and accepting everything for granted. Therefore, he accepted that he had been used and didn't mind it. He accepted that his rise to supremacy had been part of Heaven's plan.
And honestly? He didn't mind that.
"That life," he muttered with an amused grin, "was a loan I took. Becoming the Number One Supreme and enjoying that glory… sure, getting annihilated in the end wasn't the best experience, but if you think about it, it was a pretty fair trade."
He turned around as he scanned his surroundings, seeing and feeling the new atmosphere. He muttered, "But, once is once. This second life, it's mine, let me have fun in this life, alright, Brother Heaven? Hahaha~"
A faint laugh sounded, just like that, the one that would be known as The Carefree One in the future was decided. Not even Heaven can stop this one anymore.
After scanning his surroundings, he touched his chin and thought, 'Now what? Should I just leave before anyone notices anything?'
Considering how easily he died through his predecessor's memories, the clan's elders, or maybe even the Ancestor, should have approved his death. Therefore, the best action should be to leave before anyone notices.
Just as he was thinking, he sensed a faint trace of energy showered throughout the courtyard and the back door. And, so conveniently, there is not a single person on the path, as if the world itself is saying, Leave.
Han Lu, no, should be Yang Lu now, smiled and turned away from looking through the windows and walked out the door. He thought, 'So, it's like that. Politics, the ever-present existence within a faction.'
Yang Lu walked through the courtyard, the faint trace of energy he sensed earlier still lingering in the air like a thin veil. It ran across the roofs, along the walls, and down the empty stone path with deliberate precision.
"It's confirmed." Yang Lu muttered. Someone had cleared the way.
Even though right now he is nothing more than a Martial Apprentice, he was formerly a Supreme, and although he lost it since he reincarnated, the soul is still the same, still the soul that was already blessed and strengthened by the Supreme Realm.
And, he sensed how exceptional the control of the spiritual energy and the unique aura that only a Law Possesing Cultivator is capable of releasing, he immediately knew who had taken action.
Yang Shentian, Qian State's Yang Clan's Highest-Seated Ancestor. The Supreme presiding over Yang Clan, the Pillar of Yang Clan.
Through this action, Yang Lu understood, his death was simply because of competition over the Head Seat and his opponent, the Eldest Child, Yang Ming, simply won it.
So, the Ancestor, who just sensed he was alive, allowed him to live. Since he had already lost, the Ancestor just gave him the option of leaving. After all, if he stayed now, without any force backing him anymore, Yang Ming could simply kill him. That is what the Ancestor thought.
Yang Lu, who is formerly Han Lu, also didn't like the constraint given by the Clan, so he simply accepted it and chose to leave.
But, this action of the Ancestor also lessened his intention of taking revenge for his predecessor, so at most, he would just beat Yang Ming in the future and let go of everything.
Standing before the wooden door, he opened it.
Before him, a vast forest can be seen. Tall trees, a wilderness that seems to hide a lurking danger anywhere, he smiled, he thought, 'A portal, no, forceful spatial teleportation, huh? The Sun, really, is power. Burning the space that creates the distance to allow space teleportation, huh?'
The moment he stepped out, the door disappeared. As if nothing ever existed there, even the unique trace of energy he sensed is gone. It is a show of extreme control over own's energy, an act that ordinary Supremes wouldn't be able to do.
But, Yang Lu didn't care, he simply scanned his surroundings and nodded a little as he chose the direction he wanted to go.
This is the new life of Han Lu, who became Yang Lu, the new path that he would take as the one who would be known as the Most Carefree Cultivator in the World.
- - -
Meanwhile, in the secret chamber of the Yang Clan, a middle-aged figure can be seen seated on a cushion as a thoughtful expression appeared on his face.
"That child, after the struggle for the heir position, seems to have calmed himself down. Although I do feel bad about having you two siblings fight, it's the only way. I do hope you're gonna have a better life after this."
Little did Yang Shentian even realise, the one who just walked away is destined to reach the top, the one that even the Heavenly Dao is having a headache of.