“Dead? Just like that? No... I won’t accept this…”

His name was Canute Myers, once a legendary Alchemy King. His mastery of pills stunned the world—yet he fell, betrayed by those closest to him.

How long he wandered in the darkness, he didn’t know. Pain ripped through him, and suddenly, a breath rushed into his lungs. The endless black was replaced by a blue sky.

“What the…”

He gritted his teeth against the pain and dragged himself toward the river.

His reflection stopped him cold—startling, almost surreal. The face in the water was young—maybe fifteen, sixteen. Black hair, black eyes, sharp brows over clear eyes. That same face from his youth.

He couldn’t believe it.

“Reborn…” The word echoed in his head like a thunderclap.

Even as the Alchemy King, he could snatch life from the jaws of death—but never truly reverse it. He knew better than anyone: Heaven doesn’t bend, fate doesn’t sway. That’s how regrets are born.

And yet, here he was—defying Heaven itself.

He looked around, spotting the familiar sheer rock walls.

“Longze County! I remember now... This is where Nathan Adams pushed me into the ravine."

His eyes lit up. He turned, staring upstream with a strange eagerness.

“Then Alice, she might—”

Before he could finish the thought, a girl came into view—skipping along, glancing behind her, unaware of him.

His whole body trembled. A thrill shot through his chest.

He looked west, pain forgotten. Laughed like a madman. “You snakes set me up, thought you’d end me—but you handed me a second chance. Wait till I come back. We’ll settle the score, one by one.”

His laugh caught the girl’s ear. Her eyes narrowed as she saw the bloodied figure still laughing beside the water.

“Hey! Are you alright?”

She had bright eyes, a clever charm, every feature delicate yet vibrant. She was breathtaking.

That face—he’d seen it a thousand times in his dreams. Canute smiled like a fool. “Never been better.”

She frowned. "You're half-dead and still saying that?"

He couldn’t hide his excitement. That girl—this was Alice Parker, daughter of the Valley of Ten Thousand Medicines’ master. Without her, there would’ve been no Alchemy King. She was also… his greatest regret.

She tossed him a pill. “Here. Healing medicine. Wait too long and you won’t make it.”

But Canute shook his head. “No need. Got any Bonegrass and Five-Leaf Lotus?”

She blinked. “Wait, you know medicine?”

He nodded. “Pills are too slow. The raw herbs will do.”

She rolled her eyes. “Not one for gratitude, huh?”

Still, with a flick of her wrist, she handed over both herbs.

“Just so you know,” she added, “these two clash. Badly. You can’t take them together, or—”

Too late. Canute bit both, chewed, and swallowed.

Alice's face went pale. “Are you insane?! That’ll kill you!”

Canute wiped his mouth. “If the ratio’s right, this combo works better than any pill. You think I’d get myself killed again?”

He sat still as the medicine worked its magic. Color slowly returned to his face. The bleeding stopped.

Alice, stunned, grabbed his wrist and sent a wisp of internal energy into him.

His body was stabilizing. Rapidly healing. She gasped. “Impossible. That’s not what my father said would happen!”

Before Canute could say more, she spun around, her expression tense. “They’re already this close...?”

Canute’s eyes sharpened. “Someone chasing you?”She sneered, tone sharp. “A bunch of fools from the Venom Sect think they can catch me? Keep dreaming.”

Then she turned to Canute Myers, eyes gleaming. “You're interesting. Maybe we’ll meet again.”

Without another word, she vanished into the distance.

Canute stared after her, gaze soft, like the warmth of spring after snow. “When the secret realm in Longze Lake opens again, I’ll be there. This time, I won’t miss the chance. I’ll protect you... no one will hurt you again. Just wait.”

Moments later, a group of black-cloaked men appeared upstream, expressions grim. One spotted Canute bandaging his wounds and strode over, eyes cold.

But before he could question him, Canute pointed lazily toward the cliff. “She went up,” he said, not even bothering to open his eyes.

The man hesitated, a bit thrown off by how cooperative he was. “You’d better not be lying. If I find out you are, you’re dead.”

After they left to climb the cliff, Canute finally opened his eyes, but now they were filled with killing intent. “Next time I see you all… none of you walk away.”

Looking at his hands, Canute could only sigh. Back in this young body, so damn weak. His qi sea had barely a sliver of spiritual power, and his talent was trash. But was he worried? Not a bit. He had been the Medicine King. Rebirth would only make him stronger. This life, he’d leave no regrets.

He sat cross-legged and sent his divine sense inward. Suddenly his body trembled. Joy surged through him.

Floating inside his qi sea... a golden page glowing faint light.

The remnant of the Divine Creation Codex—Alchemy Chapter. His most valuable treasure before death.

The page brimmed with knowledge of countless herbs, rare materials, and even had the ability to sense nearby medicinal plants. Nothing could hide from its reach.

Legend said this Codex fell from the heavens. In ancient times, it triggered war among all living beings. In the end, a peerless expert broke it into nine parts and scattered them across the world.

And it was because of this that Canute had been betrayed and killed.

He started scanning the surroundings with his divine sense using the page. Images of nearby herbs appeared in his mind. Not many, but enough.

“So this is as much as I can use with my current strength. I need to level up fast.”

He calmed down, then suddenly remembered something.

He had to get back to the Myers clan, fast.

Last time after falling, Alice Parker had rescued him and taken him to a nearby hunter’s home, but by the time he returned, his mother had passed. He hadn’t even seen her one last time.

Now, with his unmatched medical skills, he could not let that moment slip away again. Even one final glance… would make it right in his heart.

Thinking of his clan, Canute’s face darkened.

On the Ziwei Continent, strength ruled all.

The Lyfire Dynasty was just one region. The Myers clan held authority there, with his branch one of several guarding the borders. Their land, Longze Prefecture, was still influential despite being remote.

He wasn’t lowborn—one of the possible heirs to the family head, but born from a maid, with no talent to speak of. He'd grown up mocked and shunned.

His mother had beauty and brains, making her favored by the family head. That only fueled the jealousy of the first wife, who constantly humiliated them through him.

The last time, he had been scorned as a worthless bastard, and in his anger he fought back—only to be beaten down the cliff by his half-brother Angus Myers, under the mocking hand of Nathan Adams.

That memory lit a fire in his chest. His injuries were almost healed now, and the remnant page still held a bit of energy.

“This little bit of force... enough to start rebuilding my body.”

The golden page in his qi sea flared to life, sending power roaring through him.

Flames of various kinds sprang from the furnace, engulfing him. His body felt like it was being torn apart. The pain made him want to curse out loud.

Clenching his jaw, he forced himself to control the flames as best he could and sat still like a stone.

Around him, the plants shriveled to ash in seconds from the heat, air shimmering like in hellfire.For a whole hour, the flames had consumed him again and again. His body had slimmed down visibly, all impurities burned away. A faint glow shimmered around him.

As he kept refining his body, that glow gradually seeped into his flesh, vanishing into the skin like it had always belonged there.

Then, all of a sudden, Canute Myers’s body cracked apart and shattered completely. The fire roared higher, and out of the blaze, he was reborn—his spirit body reforged.

In this world, stepping onto the cultivation path started with refining the body—strengthening muscles, bones, and inner organs.

This was the first physical stage, divided into nine levels: Internal Qi, Blood Qi, Bone Qi, Force Qi, True Qi, Battle Qi, Form Qi, Essence Qi, and Spirit Qi.

Once someone reached Spirit Qi, they could aim for the next realm—Innate Stage.

Right now, Canute had just reached Bone Qi—the third step.

At fifteen years old, this level was nothing to brag about.

Yet in the same generation within Longze County, Isabella Myers had already broken into the Innate Stage. Gifted beyond compare, she’d been sent to the Myers clan headquarters for training. Her prospects stood high above others.

The gap couldn’t be more obvious.

After this refining, his spiritual awareness had taken a huge leap.

He didn’t drain the last trace of power from the alchemy scroll; instead, he sealed it within his Qi Sea to let it recover. His body had been tempered enough. He could now fight back.

Standing up, he felt the changes in his body, then began climbing up the cliff nearby.

Just as he neared the top, the alchemy scroll suddenly sent out a message—ten meters to his side, something was there.

Turning to look, he spotted a rocky bulge on the cliff face.

Climbing over, he found a crack in the stone, and inside, there it was—a golden-colored mushroom.

“Golden Sun Herb? Didn’t think one would grow here. Heaven’s helping me for sure. With this, I can make the Myriad Spirit Pill and break through the body tier faster.”

He was careful not to touch it directly. Tearing a strip of cloth from his clothes, he wrapped his hand, picked the herb, and tucked it away before continuing upward.

It took two hours before Longze County came fully into view below.

Looking over the familiar yet distant sight, a faint smile lifted the corners of his mouth.

“I’m back.”

…

Longze County.

He remembered it as a place full of people and noise.

But now, it was far too quiet. The market had few folks around, and white lanterns hung outside stores.

Seeing it all, Canute let out a cold laugh. Last time he came back here wounded, his mother was already on her deathbed. Her funeral was already done.

That same funeral was why the Myers clan gates were now shut tight.

He stood before them, took a breath, then slammed his foot into the gates.

With a loud bang, the doors flew open—a rare sight here.

A young man serving under Angus Myers just happened to be near the gate. He turned, shocked.

He opened his mouth to curse, but Canute grabbed his collar before he could say a word.

Those cold eyes met his—sharp, emotionless.

“Where the hell is Nathan Adams?”

The lackey struggled. After all, he'd refined Force Qi and was above Canute in level—at least he thought so. But just as he raised his arm, pain shot through his shoulder, and half his arm went numb.

“You—”

Smack!

Before he could finish, a crisp slap landed on his face, knocking two teeth flying. Power behind that hit was brutal.

Canute’s voice was ice. “Cut the crap. Where’s Adams?”

“You—”

Smack!

Another slap silenced him again. Sharp and fast.

Canute didn’t speak again, just stared coldly into his eyes.

Finally, the servant broke. “Nathan Adams is with Grace Myers... Young Master’s in the ancestral hall with the madam and the others…”

Smack!

Canute hit him one last time, knocking him clean out.

He tossed the unconscious man to the ground like garbage and walked away without a backward glance.

He’d returned—fierce and unyielding. Behind him, the Myers clan disciples stood frozen, eyes wide in disbelief.

“W-was that really Canute Myers?”