“What happened?” Long Yi muttered as he tried to survey his surroundings.

One second, he was in the subterranean tunnels fighting off the heavenly earth with Han Zemei, and the next, he found himself floating in complete darkness. To be precise, he could still clearly see his own body somehow, but everything around him was just pitch black.

“Han Zemei? Are you there?”

No response came. In fact, the entire world was eerily quiet, magnifying every sound he made.

Taking a deep breath to calm himself, Long Yi took up a lotus position and tried to peer into his own body. Instances like this weren’t completely foreign for cultivators, though there were a variety of causes. The most likely reason, considering he was in the midst of battle, was falling into an illusion of some sort.

Illusions were often a result of formations, but that wasn’t always true. Some cultivators specialized in their use, finding various get-arounds to fuel their techniques. There was a reason why illusions were most commonly used through formations. The amount of Qi needed was not only staggering, but it had to be stable, too. Any slight disruptions could render flaws that allowed its victims to escape. This made it particularly challenging when the practitioner had to focus on other things while in the heat of battle. They couldn’t afford to ignore everything else if they wanted to survive.

Still, even if it was perfect, through countless years of development, a number of release techniques had been developed to help counteract illusions. While neither Long Yi nor anyone within Star Gem Academy had developed a specific technique, Li Lang had once gone over the general principles after their foray at the Sword Saint Isle.

Drawing on the information, Long Yi scoured his body for any anomalies within his Qi channels while stabilizing his spiritual sea after the exertion just now.

However, no matter how carefully he examined, he couldn’t find any signs of tampering. Just as he hesitated about how to proceed, a sharp pain suddenly coursed through his meridians. It felt like a thousand needles stabbing into his nerves. He gritted his teeth as he searched for the source.

He failed to find any clues, but thankfully, the pain was the most excruciating at the start. As time passed, it became more manageable.

Long Yi had grown up getting into fights all the time. Pain was no stranger to him. Especially now that he was a Foundation Establishment expert, it wasn’t enough to take him out of commission.

As if sensing Long Yi getting comfortable, the pain subsided, but his surroundings were abruptly changed once again.

This time, he found himself inside a dilapidated house that seemed strangely familiar. He tried assessing the situation, but for some reason, he couldn’t move. At the same time, all the furniture in the room was gigantic—no, to be precise, he had gotten smaller!

To his horror, he discovered his body had reverted to that of a child’s, and he had no control over it. The only thing he could do was silently watch through the boy’s eyes as he ran out of the room. His thoughts froze upon seeing a middle-aged man come into view.

“Where d’you think yer goin’, huh, Long Yi?” the man said in a drunken stupor.

“Out!” was all the boy said before sprinting out of the house.

The scene shocked Long Yi, as it was a memory of his past. Various emotions flooded him all at once. Surprise, then realization, then confusion.

He had heard about various mental trials cultivators faced when attempting breakthroughs or connecting with a powerful entity like artifacts. It made him realize he was currently in some mental space created by the heavenly earth he had come into contact with.

As the situation sank in, he became more confused.

These mental trials often depict challenging and pivotal moments in one’s life, right? Why is it showing something from my childhood? I don’t believe anything in my past qualifies.

Having travelled with the other members of Star Gem Academy for so long, he naturally learned a bit about his companions’ backgrounds. They faced traumatic ordeals throughout their lives that they often didn’t want to elaborate on, but that wasn’t the case for Long Yi.

His life had been relatively smooth. His father might have been a drunk after losing his mother at an early age, but their family was adequately well off, and he was never mistreated. Thanks to his physique, he never got bullied either, or at least for long, as he taught the offenders a lesson.

It meant his life was relatively boring. As a result, he sought excitement. That was why, even after being accepted into Spirit Grove, he had gotten into trouble right away and met Li Lang in the dungeon. It was also the reason he had readily agreed to leave the sect with the strange, big-headed young boy. He was confident that the decision would bring him a lot of excitement, where he would be able to experience many new things.

He was right.

This truth only made him more puzzled as time passed. His former self ran across the field around his village, capturing bugs with the other kids. As they came together to compare their results, it didn’t take long before conflict broke out between the children. Several older kids were trying to bully a young child into trading the beetle they had found.

Wanting to get involved with the interesting situation or perhaps for the attention, young Long Yi jumped straight into the middle of it and soon got into a physical altercation with the bullies.

Up until now, the scene had played out according to his memory, but things quickly changed.

Facing five boys of similar age, what was supposed to be an easy confrontation turned into Long Yi getting pummelled when his opponents managed to coordinate their attacks. It started with one fist catching the back of his head, and it swiftly got worse from there.

By the end of it, he was left lying in the dirt with scratches and bruises all over his body.

“Long Yi, are you okay?” the young boy who had been bullied called out in concern. “You didn’t need to do that! Things could’ve just ended if they got what they wanted.”

Young Long Yi barely spared him a glance as he continued to lie there. For his older self, no matter how much he tried to recall, he couldn’t recall the name of this boy. Even for the other kids, their names escaped him.

Back then, Long Yi was quite aloof, owing to his family having little wealth and his superior strength. He had never really connected with others beyond the surface level.

With no way to intervene with what he saw, the scenes played out without his input. Young Long Yi simply stayed there for an hour before he dragged his body home. By then, his dad was already snoring away with a bottle in hand.

However, he didn’t sleep when he returned to his room. He began performing various exercises to train his body.

Time then accelerated, as brief moments of Young Long Yi’s life flashed before his eyes. The events that took place deviated quite a bit from Long Yi’s real past, all owing to his one defeat. He had become more focused, less easy-going. It made him more prepared for his life as a cultivator once his aptitude was discovered.

Instead of being jailed alongside Li Lang, he saw himself excel within Spirit Grove, quickly ascending from a regular outer disciple to an inner disciple, then to a core disciple. He wore the same stern, stoic face many great elders wore, and his power was unparalleled. Even those with a higher aptitude than he could not stand up against him when at the same cultivation level.

The scene amused Long Yi at first, but he inadvertently began contemplating whether he actually had such high potential.

Did I waste my talents by just getting by? It’s true that my drive pales in comparison to the likes of Wei Ping or Li Lang. For the matter of fact, most cultivators I’ve met are a lot more disciplined than me.

All the struggling—I can match that with a bit of hard work…

Guilt began to well up within Long Yi’s heart. What others worked so hard to reach was within his grasp, but he was too lazy to reach for it.

As he reflected on his past actions, he couldn’t help but feel like a pariah. When he thought of all the suffering others had faced, his own life seemed almost laughable.

I don’t deserve all the good fortune I’ve had!