The morning passed quietly.
From the outside, Ji Wuyuan's courtyard looked no different from any other day. Servants swept fallen leaves, a maid changed the incense in the bronze burner, and the distant sound of martial practice echoed faintly from the clan training ground.
Everything was peaceful.
Everything was normal.
But inside the room, Ji Wuyuan sat cross-legged on the bed, eyes half-closed, his breathing steady and deep. His youthful face looked calm and harmless, like a well-raised noble child meditating seriously for the first time.
Only he knew what was happening within.
His meridians were burning.
His bones felt like they were being hammered by an invisible blacksmith.
Every breath he took dragged a thread of spiritual energy into his body, and every thread felt like a knife scraping through flesh.
This was not the Ji Clan's cultivation method anymore.
This was the Supreme Body Tempering Manual granted by the War Archive System.
Nine Tribulation Ironbone Art.
Ji Wuyuan didn't rush it.
He didn't force qi into his limbs like most reckless young masters trying to show off. Instead, he moved carefully, guiding the spiritual energy through specific routes, allowing it to settle into his blood, marrow, and organs.
The first tribulation was simple.
Iron Skin.
The second was crueler.
Iron Flesh.
The third…
That would be where true pain began.
Most body tempering manuals focused on strengthening muscles and bones. This one was different. It didn't merely make the body stronger.
It reshaped the body's foundation, making it fit to carry monstrous power later.
It was a cultivation method meant for those who intended to step on countless corpses and still keep walking.
Ji Wuyuan's eyelids trembled slightly, sweat rolling down his forehead. His lips remained tightly shut, refusing to let even a sound escape.
Pain meant nothing.
He had died once already.
Compared to that, what was a little suffering?
A faint cracking sound echoed from within his bones.
Ji Wuyuan's breath paused for half a heartbeat.
Then the spiritual energy in his body surged, spreading across his skin like a thin layer of armor.
His pores tightened.
His muscles became denser.
Even his heartbeat sounded heavier, more stable.
When he finally opened his eyes, the world looked clearer, sharper.
He flexed his fingers.
A soft pop echoed in the air, as if the air itself had been squeezed.
Body Tempering Realm — Third Layer.
Ji Wuyuan stared at his hand for a moment, then slowly clenched it into a fist.
The feeling was addictive.
Not the feeling of strength.
The feeling of control.
In his last life, he had cultivated too slowly. He had wasted time, trusting that his "talent" would carry him. He had believed that being a favored young master meant safety.
It didn't.
Talent without ruthlessness was just a decoration.
He exhaled and stood up.
His body was still small, still childlike, but the subtle changes were already obvious. His posture was straighter, his steps steadier, and the faint weakness that belonged to children had begun to fade.
He walked to the basin beside the bed and washed his face.
The water reflected his features.
Soft.
Refined.
A gentle young master.
Ji Wuyuan's eyes narrowed slightly.
A perfect mask.
He would keep it.
Because masks were useful.
And villains who showed their fangs too early died quickly.
Just then, a knock came from outside.
"Young Master," a servant's voice sounded carefully, respectful. "Breakfast has been prepared. The Second Elder requests your presence later in the main hall."
Second Elder.
Ji Wuyuan's mind moved instantly.
In the Ji Clan, the Patriarch was his father. The First Elder was the strongest, responsible for the clan's overall stability. The Second Elder handled external affairs—trade, alliances, conflicts with other clans.
The Second Elder was also… ambitious.
In his last life, Ji Wuyuan hadn't paid attention to him. He had been too focused on cultivation and reputation.
Now, every name was a potential blade.
Ji Wuyuan's expression softened into a harmless smile.
"I understand," he replied warmly. "I will come after breakfast."
"Yes, Young Master."
Footsteps retreated.
Ji Wuyuan's smile faded the moment the servant left.
He walked back to the bed and looked at the floating War Archive panel in his vision.
It wasn't always visible.
It appeared only when he willed it.
The black page unfolded silently.
[War Archive System]Host: Ji WuyuanCultivation: Body Tempering Third LayerMerit: 0Clan Seed: Not EstablishedNightveil Token: Shadow Slots 0/9Heaven-grade Spirit Spring (Sealed): StoredWei Yan: Active (Hidden)
Ji Wuyuan tapped his fingers lightly against his knee.
Merit.
Everything would require merit.
And merit could only be gained through conflict, conquest, and hunting those with fate.
But he couldn't move too quickly.
Not yet.
He was eight years old.
The Ji Clan was strong in Azure Sun City, but in the wider Low Realm, they were nothing. Above the Low Realm was the Middle Realm, where true sects existed, and where geniuses were as common as grass.
If he exposed the system's existence now, he would be crushed before he could even grow.
He needed time.
He needed resources.
He needed a structure.
A clan that could become a machine.
A clan that could produce experts, gather intelligence, and crush enemies without leaving evidence.
That was what the War Archive wanted.
And that was exactly what he would build.
A faint ripple passed through the shadows near the window.
Ji Wuyuan didn't turn his head.
He already knew.
Wei Yan's voice sounded, low and controlled, like a whisper from the darkness.
"Master."
Ji Wuyuan replied calmly, "Report."
Wei Yan's tone remained emotionless.
"The Ji Clan has three internal factions. The Patriarch's line is strongest, but the Second Elder's line has been gathering influence. In the past two months, the Second Elder has secretly met with a representative of the Black Sand Paviliontwice."
Ji Wuyuan's eyes narrowed slightly.
Black Sand Pavilion.
A rogue cultivator organization in Azure Sun City's underground. They dealt in poisons, assassinations, and illegal spirit materials. The Ji Clan publicly despised them, but privately, many clans used them when they needed dirty work.
Ji Wuyuan's fingers paused.
In his last life, the Ji Clan's protective formation had been disabled the night of the massacre.
If the Second Elder had been meeting Black Sand Pavilion…
Then the pieces were already forming.
Wei Yan continued.
"The representative's name is Luo Qishan. Qi Refining Seventh Layer. He is currently staying at the Golden Crane Inn."
Ji Wuyuan's expression didn't change, but his thoughts sharpened.
Qi Refining Seventh Layer…
Weak.
Not worth his attention.
But Luo Qishan was only a messenger.
The real issue was the Second Elder.
If he truly intended to betray the clan later, Ji Wuyuan had two options.
Kill him now.
Or control him.
Killing him now would cause chaos. The Second Elder wasn't just a person. He represented an entire faction. If he died suddenly, the clan would shake. His enemies would become cautious, and the Patriarch might begin investigating everything.
Ji Wuyuan didn't want attention.
Not yet.
Control was better.
Control meant using him.
Control meant letting him think he was winning.
Then crushing him when the time was right.
Ji Wuyuan spoke softly.
"Continue monitoring him. Do not act."
Wei Yan answered instantly.
"As Master commands."
Ji Wuyuan stood up and adjusted his robe. The robe was embroidered with subtle cloud patterns, and the jade pendant at his waist swayed gently. He looked like the perfect young master heading out for breakfast.
He walked toward the door, then paused slightly.
His voice was calm.
"Also… investigate the clan's formation master."
Wei Yan's tone remained steady.
"Yes."
Ji Wuyuan's eyes flashed faintly.
In his last life, the protective formation had failed too perfectly.
That meant someone inside had authority.
Someone who could tamper with it.
If he found that person early…
Then when the protagonist arrived at fifteen, expecting to slaughter the Ji Clan—
He would find a cage waiting.
Ji Wuyuan opened the door and stepped out.
The courtyard sunlight washed over him warmly, and a servant immediately bowed.
"Good morning, Young Master."
Ji Wuyuan smiled gently.
"Good morning."
He walked forward, calm and graceful, looking like the very image of kindness.
But inside his mind, his plans were already unfolding.
He would cultivate.
He would build the clan.
He would raise his army in the shadows.
And when the so-called protagonists descended from fate, shining like heroes…
He would make them kneel.
Or die.