Chapter 1: The Fallen Genius?

Great Void Sect.

Lin Ci sat cross-legged on the rooftop, chewing on a stalk of straw, bored out of his mind as he gazed at the morning glow in the distance. After a long while, he sighed softly:

“Sigh…”

“Who knows how the hell one cultivates Immortality in this world!”

Today marked the twenty-third day since he publicly declared his retreat into seclusion for Dao Comprehension.

Yet, up until this moment, he hadn’t successfully managed even the most basic Breathing Technique once.

The reason? He simply didn’t know how to cultivate Immortality!

……

About a month ago.

That day, Lin Ci had a stroke of unbelievable luck.

Yes, right on the national highway.

After being struck and sent flying, his soul traveled through to a cultivation world, into the body of another man named “Lin Ci.”

Lin Ci realized that this body’s original owner not only shared his exact name but even his appearance and age matched perfectly. Judging by this, this place and Earth must be some sort of parallel worlds.

However, compared to the Lin Ci from Earth—a diligent student who, aside from being a bit more handsome and having a penchant for abstract hobbies, was otherwise quite ordinary—the Lin Ci in this world was entirely different.

This world’s “Lin Ci” was the Chief Disciple of the prestigious Great Void Sect, an undisputed prodigy of unparalleled talent!

The original owner was born into a Mortal World Aristocratic Family. Before he even learned to walk, he was already practicing swordsmanship. By three years old, he could skillfully perform more than ten sword forms. At five, he comprehended the Sword Dao without a master’s guidance. By seven, he had already stepped into the Spirit Movement Realm, becoming a bona fide cultivator.

When he was eight, Elder Ling He Zhenren of the Great Void Sect heard of him and descended in his true form to take him as a personal disciple…

Now, at eighteen, “Lin Ci” had broken through to the Golden Core Stage through innate talent and hard work. Coupled with his exquisite sword techniques, he was invincible among his peers.

He was hailed as the greatest Sword Dao genius in history!

Logically, with such an extraordinary foundation, even if Lin Ci didn’t put in any effort and just lazed around every day, his future achievements wouldn’t be low. At the very least, he could secure a respectable position like a Revered Elder.

But the key point was—

Since his soul’s transmigration, Lin Ci had never merged with the original owner’s memories…

That’s right. Many readers might not realize it, but the authors who write about protagonists immediately merging memories after transmigration have never actually experienced it themselves—they’re just making things up!

Lin Ci was living proof.

All crucial memories of the original owner—sword techniques, Pill Refining, Talismans, Array Techniques, Heart Law, Breathing Technique, and so on—were all wiped clean as Lin Ci crossed over.

Ridiculous, isn’t it?

Lin Ci knew it was absurd, it simply couldn’t be right.

He started flipping through cultivation books, thinking that even if he had to learn everything from scratch, it would be better than nothing.

But soon, he found that the writing system in this world was completely different from his original world’s. It was a particularly obscure ancient script, looking like celestial writing to him, and he couldn’t recognize a single character.

What about the Sword Manual?

Lin Ci changed his approach.

At least the Sword Manual was mostly pictures of little figures, like a picture book. He thought that if he practiced the movements shown in the drawings, he couldn’t go wrong, right?

Nope, that didn’t work either.

Those movements required too high a level of Dao Comprehension. After trying to practice from the Sword Manual for a bit, Lin Ci nearly poked through a major artery with a shaky hand.

In short, Lin Ci was now just a blank slate—a Golden Core Stage cultivator with no clue about cultivation or the Sword Dao.

He couldn’t even admit to others that he’d lost his memories.

If he did, people might suspect him of being a demon or a soul thief and throw him into prison for endless interrogations.

And if a Grandmaster happened to practice the Soul Searching Technique, his secret of transmigration would definitely be exposed.

Weighing all this, Lin Ci could only evade the issue for now.

Evasion was shameful but useful.

He announced that his breakthrough was imminent, that he was entering seclusion to fully comprehend the Dao, cutting off all contact with the outside world, hoping to buy himself as much time as possible.

That was why he was sitting up on the rooftop early this morning, worried and troubled.

Although no one suspected anything yet, if he didn’t come out of seclusion soon or if his cultivation level declined instead of improving after he did, his fellow disciples would inevitably grow suspicious, and it would only be a matter of time before he was exposed…

After a few more moments, the sun gradually rose higher.

Lin Ci wasn’t hungry—the original owner’s cultivation was enough to suppress hunger, which was something he was somewhat relieved about.

At that moment,

An ancient voice rang out from the horizon:

“Disciple, your Master has returned—”

It was Ling He Zhenren!

Lin Ci’s heart tightened.

He quickly jumped down from the rooftop, pretending to have just finished his cultivation session, tidying his clothes as he prepared to greet this “stranger” Master.

The original owner kept a diary, fortunately written in ancient characters learned from a Mortal World private academy, somewhat similar to traditional characters, allowing Lin Ci to recognize some. By piecing together the context, he managed to understand most of it.

Lin Ci learned the original owner’s life story and relationships from the diary.

He didn’t know if he could fool his Master, but he had to try…

Lin Ci quietly clenched his fists, then relaxed his whole body, acting casual as he watched the streak of light descend before him.

Standing on the flying sword was a thin old man with white hair and beard, a ruddy complexion, and a kind smile directed at him.

So this is my Master, Ling He Zhenren…

Lin Ci raised both hands and imitated a respectful gesture he’d seen in dramas, not caring if it looked stiff:

“Disciple pays respects to Master…”

“Oh ho, my dear disciple is so polite today! After such a long time, you must have missed your Master a bit, right!”

Ling He Zhenren pulled a wine gourd from somewhere, took a swig, and exhaled a strong aroma of alcohol, looking very cheerful.

“Master is so touched, I’m about to cry!”

“……”

Lin Ci didn’t know how to respond.

Master Ling’s personality seemed a bit different from what he had imagined, leaving him momentarily at a loss.

What should he say?

He hoped he wouldn’t get exposed so soon.

“Hahaha, my dear disciple still this oblivious! I told you to smile more, don’t turn into a dullard from practicing swordsmanship all day.”

Phew~ No suspicion yet.

Was the original owner some kind of serious, no-nonsense, tight-lipped type like a strict second-in-command?

Lin Ci quickly made a note to remember this.

“Master, if there’s something to say, please speak quickly. I’m currently in seclusion.”

“Tsk, tsk, tsk, all you ever think about is cultivation.”

Ling He Zhenren shook his head teasingly, then waved his hand and said to someone behind him:

“Come out, let your senior brother meet you.”

Senior brother?

Lin Ci raised an eyebrow.

The next moment, a small head slowly peeked out from behind Ling He Zhenren’s broad robe.

It was a girl about thirteen or fourteen years old.

She wore a single-side bun, with a pretty doll-like face and delicate, lively features, especially a pair of sparkling large eyes that blinked curiously at Lin Ci.

‘He’s so handsome!’

‘Is this the senior brother of Chan’er?’

The girl blushed slightly, somewhat surprised by her own thought.

She then stepped out from behind Ling He Zhenren, obediently bowing politely:

“I… I’m Xia Xiaochan. Greetings, Senior Brother.”

“Lin Ci.”

Lin Ci gave his name in return, then furrowed his brow and looked at Ling He Zhenren. “Master, have you taken on another disciple?”

“Ahem, Master also had his concerns. You’ve been too lonely on the peak, so I thought I’d find you a companion.”

Ling He Zhenren laughed awkwardly and took another drink. “It’s definitely not because I bet my friends after drinking that I could take on another Chief Disciple, hic~ definitely not…”

“……”

Confessed without words, huh?

Lin Ci was speechless.