Chương 1: Yellow Maple Valley, the Treasure-Seeking Rat's Clone!

Yue Kingdom, Huangfeng Valley, Xuankun Mountain.

As dusk settled, a few rays of the setting sun slanted through the sparse bamboo stalks in the courtyard, casting dappled and dim light and shadows on the bluestone ground.

In a simple courtyard, the boy sat alone on a cold stone bench, his eyes revealing a hint of bewilderment.

His name is Zhou Ding.

Just before yesterday, he was just an ordinary Qi Refining disciple under the Yellow Maple Valley.

He possesses three spiritual roots, has reached the tenth level of Qi Refining, and comes from a low-level cultivation family with only one early Foundation Establishment ancestor.

Zhou family.

His future is clearly visible. With the support of his family and the resources provided by his sect, and through diligent practice, he may have a sliver of hope to reach the threshold of Foundation Establishment.

Then, like most of his fellow disciples, he exhausted his potential over the long years and returned to dust.

However, yesterday's failure to break through the bottleneck of the eleventh level of Qi Refining caused a slight tremor in his primordial spirit, which, like a rusty key, unexpectedly opened the dusty door in the deepest part of his mind.

A bizarre and out-of-place fragment of memory, mixed with the aura of another distant place called "Blue Star," surged forth and violently collided and merged with the experiences of the past eighteen years of this life.

The intense headache had subsided, leaving behind an indescribable sense of detachment and enlightenment.

"Eighteen years have passed in a daze; it turns out I was... a time traveler."

Zhou Ding muttered to himself, his voice barely audible in the quiet courtyard.

The details of my past life as an ordinary college student, and my experiences growing up in my family and cultivating in Huangfeng Valley in this life, are now clearly distinct yet seamlessly integrated.

He looked up at the sky, which was fragmented by bamboo leaves, his eyes filled with a complex and unfathomable expression. There was the confusion of just waking up, the sudden realization, and a deep-seated tremor that even he himself had not yet fully understood.

The world of Mortal Cultivation...

This is a vast world filled with both opportunity and slaughter, immortality and annihilation.

I found myself in it.

After a brief moment of disorientation, a surge of heat suddenly welled up from the bottom of my heart.

Xiuxian!

Immortal!

The immortality and the ability to move mountains and seas, which existed only in my imagination in my previous life, actually have a real path to follow in this life!

Even knowing the despairing hardships in the original work, and the harshness of resources, qualifications, and opportunities.

But now that we're here, truly living in this world, how can we not be captivated?

But the boiling passion was quickly calmed down.

He examined himself: a disciple of a cultivation family, a student of Yellow Maple Valley, possessing three spiritual roots. (Wood, Metal, Fire) This is a much better start than that of a struggling rogue cultivator; they may even have a fighting chance at Foundation Establishment.

But what about after Foundation Establishment? Core Formation... what kind of talent, resources, and good fortune would be required?

Upon closer examination, the future remains uncertain.

"But... it has finally come."

Zhou Ding took a deep breath, the cool scent of bamboo leaves filling his lungs. His gaze gradually focused, hardening into a resolute determination: "Even if the road ahead is thorny and the path to immortality is uncertain, in this life, I will fight with all my might. I don't seek to definitely form a core or an infant, but I strive to do my utmost, leaving no regrets, making this journey worthwhile!"

With his mind made up, Zhou Ding's thoughts shifted slightly, and the gray storage bag tied to his waist flashed with light, revealing several items that appeared one after another on the stone table.

First was a blue jade scroll, warm to the touch, with a hidden spiritual light within—the "Azure Wood Manual".

Wood-attribute basic techniques can directly lead to the Foundation Establishment stage.

Next was a flying sword about a foot long, its entire body carved like jade, with subtle wood grain patterns on the blade, exuding a spiritual aura.

The Wood Spirit Sword, a high-level offensive magic weapon, was the most precious item bestowed upon him by his family when he joined Yellow Maple Valley, and it is currently his greatest reliance in fighting enemies.

In addition, there were dozens of low-grade spirit stones shimmering with a faint light, and a few yellow or blue talisman papers with cinnabar-drawn runes that exuded spiritual energy; these were low- and mid-grade talismans.

These were all the possessions he had as a Qi Refining stage cultivator, and the foundation of his livelihood.

Finally, his fingers brushed against the spirit beast pouch at his waist, and he channeled spiritual energy into it.

A gray shadow darted out and landed lightly on the stone table with a soft "squeak".

It was a rat, slightly larger than a typical house mouse, with dull gray fur. Only its eyes, like molten gold, were clear and bright, shining brilliantly in the twilight.

Golden-Eyed Rat, also known as Treasure-Seeking Rat, is a mid-level level one monster.

It has low combat power, but it has an extraordinary sensitivity to spiritual energy fluctuations, especially rare and precious materials.

This is the only keepsake left to Zhou Ding by his father in this life, a Zhou family cultivator who had reached the peak of Qi Refining, before his death.

My father was poisoned by a rare demonic insect while exploring an ancient cultivator's cave. He died shortly after returning, leaving behind only this little spirit beast.

From then on, Zhou Ding, who was only ten years old, depended on this golden-eyed rat for survival.

It is not only a memento left by his father, but also a silent companion on his solitary path of spiritual practice.

Zhou Ding named it Xiao Jin.

"Little Gold." Zhou Ding stretched out his finger and gently stroked Little Gold's smooth fur.

The little guy affectionately rubbed against his fingertips, his golden pupils reflecting Zhou Ding's youthful face.

Just as Zhou Ding was gazing into those golden eyes, and Xiao Jin looked back up— hum!

Zhou Ding felt a sudden jolt in his mind, as if he had stepped into thin air and fallen into an abyss.

The familiar courtyard, stone table, and even his own body before him shook violently, blurred, and then disappeared like reflections in water!

Instead, after a slight dizziness, my vision cleared again.

What he saw was a face very close to his eyes.

Young, with a slightly furrowed brow, his gaze fixed intently on himself.

Zhou Ding was horrified and almost cried out, but found that he could not make a sound.

But then he recognized the face—it was clearly his own!

Startled, he subconsciously looked down...

There were no hands, no robes, only a pair of small paws covered with short gray fur, pressing on the cold bluestone tabletop.

Out of the corner of my eye, I could see a thin gray tail.

He... turned into a rat?!

No, that's not right! This is... Xiao Jin's body?!

Before the immense sense of absurdity and shock could be processed, that familiar dizzying feeling of falling returned.

Suddenly, the stone table, courtyard, and bamboo shadows came into view again.

He remained seated on the stone bench, his fingers still in the stroking position.

Little Jin was still standing there, tilting its head in confusion as it looked at him, seemingly not understanding why its master had suddenly frozen.

Zhou Ding slowly withdrew his hand, his heart pounding violently in his chest, almost bursting out of his ribs.

That brief but clear shift in perspective just now was definitely not an illusion!

He closed his eyes and held his breath.

Gradually, a wonderful, indescribable feeling emerged in my mind.

That's more than just the mental connection commonly found between a spirit beast and its companion.

Instead, it consists of two coexisting "sensory centers".

One of them belongs to the "Zhou Ding" and sits upright on a stone bench.

The other one came from the small gray figure on the stone table.

With a lower field of vision, a completely different sense of hearing and smell, one can sense a more subtle flow of spiritual energy in the air.

He tried to focus his attention on the "sensory center" that belonged to Xiao Jin.

Swish.

The perspective shifted again.

He saw "himself" sitting still once again.

But this time, there was no panic.

He tried to entertain the idea.

The little goldfish on the stone table also raised one of its front paws and, somewhat awkwardly, waved it gently at Zhou Ding's body, like a human waving.

Zhou Ding's lips curled upwards little by little, an uncontrollable twitch.

He regained his composure, opened his eyes, and while shock lingered in them, even more so, there was an almost burning sense of understanding and joy.

It can be controlled... like an extension of one's own arm... another independent body, a different kind of unique perception...

What is this?

A belated gift from time travel?

Or was it a mutation caused by the fusion of two souls from different lifetimes?

anyway……

Zhou Ding's fingertips trembled slightly with excitement as he looked once more at Xiao Jin, who was crouching quietly.

No, it's looking at its own "clone".

A smile finally bloomed on his face.

This is his cheat code!