The Great Qin Empire.
Yuanyue City.
Yuanyue Academy.
On this day.
The weather was clear.
Within a lecture hall of Yuanyue Academy, dozens of teenagers were attentively listening.
This was a martial arts theory class.
At this moment.
A martial arts instructor on the lecture platform was explaining some basic theoretical knowledge of martial cultivation to these elementary-level students.
Pairs of eyes filled with a thirst for knowledge were fixed on the instructor, listening attentively.
However, there was an exception: a youth named Ye Yunfei was slumped over the table, fast asleep.
On the platform, that martial arts instructor also noticed the sleeping Ye Yunfei. He was first angered, then sighed and shook his head.
'That guy is publicly sleeping in class again.'
'He's beyond hope; he's written off his life and was just making the best of a bad situation.'
Other students in the lecture hall noticed the instructor's sighing expression and couldn't help but whisper and gossip.
Ye Yunfei, the son of the patriarch of the Ye Family in Yuanyue City.
Back then, upon entering Yuanyue Academy, he successfully achieved Meridian Opening in just a single day.
In a mere half-year, he broke through three levels of the Body Tempering Realm in one go.
He was hailed as the most dazzling genius in the history of Yuanyue Academy!
He also brought immense prestige and hope to the Ye Family.
Regrettably, later on, all eight of Ye Yunfei's Martial Meridian vanished overnight, turning him into a waste incapable of cultivation.
From then on, a genius became trash!
'I heard his fiancée, Shi Xiaodie, has publicly taken up with Qin An, the eldest young master of the Qin Family.'
'The crown of that waste's head is positively verdant.'
'I'm told that even within the Ye Family, everyone ostracizes him, mocks him, and sees him as a harbinger of misfortune.'
'Even his father has been implicated; his position as patriarch is teetering on the brink.'
'I have news that the Ye Family's council of elders has decided. At the Ye Family assembly in three days, they will announce dispatching Ye Yunfei to manage the family's assets in some remote town.'
'To put it politely, he's going to manage the Ye Family's business interests in that town.'
'In reality, it's banishment. For the rest of his life, he'll grow old and die in that remote, desolate town.'
...
Whispers full of disdain and scorn arose quietly.
'Ye Yunfei, wake up. The contents Instructor Cao is explaining this lesson are very important.'
At this moment, a girl sitting at the same desk as Ye Yunfei gently nudged him with her hand, reminding him in a small voice. Her eyes were clear and bright, her teeth pearly white, like a lotus flower emerging from water. Her voice was crisp and pleasant.
This girl was Su Qingluo, one of the Four Great Beauties of Yuanyue Academy, a figure considered the palace flower.
She was the goddess in the hearts of every male student in the entire Yuanyue Academy!
'It seems... I've been reborn!'
The youth named Ye Yunfei suddenly raised his head, opened his eyes, and surveyed his surroundings. On his delicate-featured face, his gaze was filled with intense shock.
Ye Yunfei. In all the history of the Primordial World, the youngest Heavenly Emperor!
After only a thousand years of cultivation, he had ascended to the summit of the world, revered by all as Heavenly Emperor Ye.
He was also, within the Primordial World, the only Heavenly Emperor who had been able to trigger the Deity Ascension Tribulation.
However, while enduring his tribulation, Ye Yunfei was suddenly ambushed by the other three Heavenly Emperors of the Primordial Realm. Not only did he fail the tribulation, he was almost annihilated in body and soul.
At the most critical moment of life and death, Ye Yunfei cast the 'Chaos Samsara Technique', twisting time and space. He successfully sent a remnant of his soul across time, luckily escaping death.
What Ye Yunfei hadn't anticipated was that he had actually been reborn, returned to his youth.
Once again, he was a student in the elementary-level class of Yuanyue Academy.
'Tian Luo, Jin Wu, You Yue... ambushing me during my Deity Ascension Tribulation... This enmity is deeper than the deepest sea.'
'When I ascend to the Heavenly Emperor throne again, it will be time to settle the score with you!'
Ye Yunfei's eyes turned icy, dense killing intent radiating from them.
'Ye Yunfei, are you alright?'
Su Qingluo, seeing Ye Yunfei's condition seemed a bit strange, couldn't help but ask with concern.
'I'm fine, Qingluo. Thank you.'
Ye Yunfei looked at the girl before him, a wave of warmth rising in his heart.
Within Yuanyue Academy, Su Qingluo was a famous icy beauty!
She kept all male students at a distance of a thousand miles. She even interacted rarely with female students, having a somewhat solitary demeanor within the academy.
However, incomprehensible to all, after Ye Yunfei became a waste, when all students avoided and shunned him for fear of being tainted by his misfortune, Su Qingluo would voluntarily sit beside Ye Yunfei for every single martial arts theory class.
She often woke the sleeping Ye Yunfei in class, telling him to pay attention.
She also frequently took notes on the more important martial arts theories, handing them to Ye Yunfei after class for him to review.
She even actively visited Ye Yunfei's dormitory to help him tidy his bed and fold his blankets.
Although, Ye Yunfei seldom stayed in the Yuanyue Academy dorms.
In short, her behavior towards Ye Yunfei was exceedingly thoughtful!
As for why she did this, it remained a mystery.
Even Ye Yunfei himself did not know.
If someone said Su Qingluo could be fond of Ye Yunfei, a waste who could no longer cultivate, not a single student in Yuanyue Academy would believe it, even unto death.
'That's good. Pay attention now.'
Su Qingluo nodded.
However, in this state, how could Ye Yunfei possibly listen to a lecture?
Besides, Ye Yunfei, as a former Heavenly Emperor, would never sit and listen to such childish elementary-level martial arts theory.
Next, Ye Yunfei began inspecting his body.
'It was indeed trouble caused by the Chaos God Meridians.'
Using his residual Heavenly Emperor Soul Power, Ye Yunfei examined his body and smiled bitterly, shaking his head.
It turned out that Ye Yunfei was born with one of the world's top-tier Martial Meridian—the Chaos God Meridians!
However, possessing the Chaos God Meridians came with one primary headache: achieving Meridian Opening was extremely difficult.
One had to cultivate some rare, high-level cultivation techniques just to have a chance of sensing the eight meridians within the body, thereby succeeding in opening them.
Otherwise, even if one temporarily and luckily succeeded in Meridian Opening by cultivating ordinary techniques, it would ultimately be mismatched with the Divine Meridians within the body, causing the eight meridians to close again and resulting in the complete loss of cultivation base.
In a word, a constitution like the Chaos God Meridians was simply on too high a level. The world's ordinary cultivation methods were utterly unworthy of the Chaos God Meridians!
A person with Chaos God Meridians who could not obtain a matching top-tier cultivation technique could only be a waste incapable of cultivation!
This was also the true reason why, a year after Ye Yunfei initially succeeded in Meridian Opening, all eight of his meridians suddenly vanished again.
'Fortunately, in my previous life, my master braved countless hardships, traversing three thousand major and minor worlds to find me one of the world's highest-level cultivation techniques, the Nine-Yang Scripture, allowing me to succeed in Meridian Opening.'
'In this reborn life, my rise shall still depend on the Nine-Yang Scripture!'
Ye Yunfei thought silently in his heart. Then, he began circulating the Nine-Yang Scripture within his body.
Immediately, centered on the lecture hall, all the scattered Spirit Qi within several miles in the surroundings seemed to be subjected to a tremendous attractive force, converging towards Ye Yunfei's body.
Boom... boom...
After a moment, a series of dull, thunderous roars suddenly resonated from within Ye Yunfei's body.
Deep within his flesh, eight faintly visible, indistinct meridian paths gradually grew clear, slowly rising and stirring.
'Meridian Opening achieved!'
Ye Yunfei drew a deep breath.
The manifestation of the eight meridians within the body is called Meridian Opening.
The first step of cultivation for martial artists in this world is Meridian Opening.
After successfully achieving Meridian Opening, Ye Yunfei did not stop. He continued circulating the Nine-Yang Scripture.
A short while later.
Crack! Crack! Crack!
Three crisp sounds, similar to an eggshell breaking, emanated from Ye Yunfei's body.
'Body Tempering Realm, Third Level. Consider my cultivation base restored.'
Ye Yunfei gently nodded.
'I possess the Chaos God Meridians and cultivate the world's top-tier Nine-Yang Scripture. This third level of Body Tempering is, at minimum, equivalent to other martial artists' sixth or even seventh level of Body Tempering!'
He had this much confidence.
By now, this martial arts theory class was finally over.
After the instructor left, the students also got up one after another, preparing to leave the hall.
'Ye Yunfei, here. This is a recording of today's lecture. Take it back and review it carefully.'
Just as Ye Yunfei stood up, Su Qingluo handed him a translucent greenish crystal.
This crystal was called a voice-recording stone, capable of recording sound.
These voice-recording stones were extremely expensive. That Su Qingluo could casually produce one made Ye Yunfei guess her background and origins must be extraordinary.
'I have matters to attend to. I'm off first.'
Su Qingluo showed Ye Yunfei a bright smile before leaving ahead of him.
As one of the Four Great Beauties of Yuanyue Academy, her smile was utterly captivating.
For a moment, Ye Yunfei found himself somewhat spellbound.
The other students around also stared, entranced.
'Qingluo... thank you.'
Ye Yunfei watched Su Qingluo's graceful departing figure, waves of warmth rising in his heart.
'Waste! Hand over that voice-recording stone!'
Suddenly, a tall, powerfully built student blocked Ye Yunfei's path, shouting loudly.
'It's a showtime!'
'Wu Fan is bullying Ye Yunfei again!'
Other students preparing to leave stopped in their tracks, their gazes filled with amusement as they looked over.
As everyone knew, Wu Fan was one of Su Qingluo's suitors.
Pity, Su Qingluo never once glanced his way properly, so Wu Fan often vented his frustrations on Ye Yunfei.
Ye Yunfei raised his head. His calm, steady gaze stared directly at Wu Fan. In that calm, there was also a touch of something dangerous.
'This waste... seems a bit different today.'
Wu Fan couldn't help but be taken aback.
After Ye Yunfei became a waste incapable of cultivation, he had bullied him no small number of times. Every time, what he saw in Ye Yunfei's eyes was helplessness and anger.
Today, he saw only terrifying calm.
'Waste, hand over the voice-recording stone now. Qingluo's things are not for a waste like you to possess.'
'Furthermore.'
'I've warned you many times—do not sit at the same table with Su Qingluo anymore. Yet you dared to ignore my warning.'
'Now, you have two choices.'
'First, crawl between my feet, then get beaten up by me.'
'Second, get beaten up by me first, then crawl between my feet.'
Wu Fan wore a mocking expression as his tall frame pressed toward Ye Yunfei.
He possessed strength at the Body Tempering Realm, Second Level. Dealing with a waste without Martial Meridian would be easy.