Chapter One: A "Farewell Letter"

My name is Ye Lang, an utterly ordinary member of society with an ordinary family, leading an ordinary life. If nothing unexpected happened, I would probably marry an ordinary woman—one who is easy to please, which is especially important. My woman must be easily satisfied, without extravagant desires. Of course, I might indulge her from time to time, giving her a pleasant surprise.

After that, I would continue living as an average person: have a child, raise them to succeed, and like everyone else, hope my child would bring honor to the family.

Perhaps in this lifetime, there would be one or two moments of brilliance. But overall, I am just an ordinary man living an ordinary life.

Still, I never thought that was a bad thing. Maybe it’s because I am just an ordinary person. But then, something unexpected happened—something that this ordinary heart could not bear.

One day, on a whim, I went to donate blood, only to have my blood tested and find out something was wrong. So I went to the hospital for a thorough examination. Staring at the lab results, I didn’t know how to feel—perhaps because my mind was blank.

I can’t remember the name of the disease. The technical term was long and complicated. It was a rare blood disorder—fewer than a thousand cases worldwide. This sort of illness shouldn’t happen to someone as average as me. Ordinary people like me should catch common colds, fevers, and nothing more.

Heaven, you really overestimated me.

This disease was not necessarily fatal. When it was dormant, I was no different from anyone else. But once it attacked, it could threaten my life. Because it was so rare, there were few treatments, and the costs were not something ordinary people could afford.

But setting all that aside—could my parents handle this news?

So I made a decision. I spent some time reinventing myself, making it seem as if I had a heart set on wandering the world. After all, my name has “Lang” in it, meaning “roaming,” so perhaps I was always destined to be a wanderer.

At that time, I thought, if I could travel the world in my lifetime, that would be a beautiful thing.

Three years ago—perhaps it was three, I can’t really remember how long it’s been—I once again acted on impulse, bringing some wilderness survival gear and venturing alone into an uninhabited mountain range.

Unlucky as I was—though perhaps also lucky—I slipped and fell off a cliff.

Falling was, of course, unfortunate. But luck had it that at the bottom of the cliff was a pool of water. Still, the misfortune wasn’t over: the cliff descended into a valley with no exit.

And yet, fortune favored me again. In that valley, I discovered a martial arts treasury. Yes, you read that right—I’m not exaggerating. An actual martial arts treasury.

This treasury contained everything one could imagine: not just martial arts manuals, but texts on traditional medicine, mechanical engineering, metaphysics, and all manner of skills found in martial arts novels—anything you could think of.

And something else convinced me that the founder of this treasury must have been an exceptional educator. Every skill, whether martial arts or otherwise, came with beginner’s books—comprehensive, detailed guides to the basics.

Even a complete novice like me, with no knowledge of martial arts or medicine, could start from scratch, gradually master the basics, and eventually attain proficiency. There were no barriers to learning.

Naturally, at first, I didn’t believe any of it was real. I thought it was someone’s elaborate joke. But since I was already terminally ill, I figured I might as well try anything—treat a dead horse as if it were alive, so to speak. Maybe practicing qigong or acupuncture would cure me.

Once I started, I couldn’t stop. I immersed myself in study and practice, losing track of time—years may have passed. In the end, I mastered the majority of what was there.

Of course, as a regular guy, I didn’t bother with anything that didn’t interest me. I only learned the skills that would let me show off. That way, when I emerged from seclusion, I could take the world by storm.

If only it hadn’t been for that pesky meteor, which appeared out of nowhere and struck me with perfect accuracy as I was contemplating my glorious future. By then, I was already invincible—money, women, power—anything I wanted would have been within my grasp.

You ask whether my illness was cured? I’m not really sure. I never went back to the hospital for tests. But I haven’t died these past few years, and judging by my pulse, I’m as strong and healthy as a man can be.

That about sums up my final words.

To my elder brother: take care of our parents, and of our seventh great-uncle. Your little brother is off to another world.

And finally, I want to say—if Heaven gives me another chance, I swear I won’t imitate Wang Chongyang, shouting about being invincible to all under heaven. What bad luck! He had just emerged from seclusion and was killed by a falling shoe—at least he had a whole corpse. I, on the other hand, am struck by a random meteor right after becoming invincible, destined to be pulverized.

So, that’s me—Ye Lang. A man who could have become extraordinary, but in the end, remained an ordinary person. These are my last words.

One last thing—my wish for my next life. I’ve been ordinary long enough. Next time, I want to be reborn into a family with the greatest power, influence, and wealth.

I want to squander! I want to be a prodigal!

…

Central Continent, Soaring Sky Empire. This empire lies to the east, occupying the most fertile and prosperous lands. Along with the Vermilion Bird of the south and Aira of the west, it forms a tripartite balance of power over the continent. The other kingdoms survive only in the gaps between them. Their only choice is allegiance—each kingdom aligns itself with one of the three empires.

Today, in the imperial capital of the Soaring Sky Empire, a phenomenon both strange and beautiful appeared—a meteorological marvel so breathtaking it made people forget everything else.

The sky was filled with golden clouds, illuminated by an unusually splendid radiance. No one could explain why it appeared, how it appeared, or under what conditions—it was simply mysterious.

A few scholars, experts in this world, fiddled with their glasses and declared solemnly that this was a sign from the gods.

In this world, anything that defies human understanding is attributed to divine intervention. Here, people truly believe in the existence of gods, which conveniently spares them the trouble of overthinking. As to whether gods really exist—who can say?

This so-called divine radiance not only turned the clouds gold, but transformed the entire imperial capital into a golden city—a veritable city of gold.

By all accounts, when such phenomena occur in the capital, they are quickly cloaked in mystery and associated with the divine. Should anyone with an agenda choose to exaggerate, it would only become more miraculous.

And on this very day, a new life was about to enter the world—arriving in this city, destined to be the focus of everyone’s attention.

He would be called the Child of Heaven—

Also known as the Child of the Gods, or simply, the Divine Child.

…

Within the imperial capital, in the district where the nobility reside, stands a colossal mansion, the largest and most sprawling estate not only in this district, not only in the capital, not only in the empire, but perhaps on the whole continent. Nowhere else are there so many courtyards and so much land as in the “Great Mansion.”

Most royal palaces of lesser kingdoms are not as grand or luxurious as this “Great Mansion.” If it were not located in the imperial capital’s noble district, many would surely mistake it for a palace, even though it lacks the architectural style of one—the sheer scale alone invites suspicion.

Of course, the Soaring Sky Empire’s imperial palace is even more magnificent and vast, and many other noble homes are palatial in size, making the “Great Mansion” a little less conspicuous—though only a little.

Having said all this, it’s time to reveal the mansion’s name—one that belies its grandeur: the Ye Residence.

Because of this, not a single mansion in the district bears a grandiose name; even calling another house the “Grand Mansion” would be asking for humiliation in the shadow of the Ye Residence.

The Ye Residence, as the name suggests, belongs to the Ye family—a vast and powerful clan, for what other family could own such a palatial estate?

Across the continent, mention the Ye family and all immediately think of the Ye clan of the Soaring Sky Empire—the legendary eastern family that, for millennia, has been known as “The Greatest Family Under Heaven.”

Today, the Ye family welcomes another new member. “Another”—because this is a regular occurrence; nearly every month, a new member is born.

The Ye family truly deserves its title, not only in power and wealth, but also in numbers. After thousands of years, the family registry counts more than ten thousand living members—not including those who have passed on.

Perhaps this is why the Ye Residence is so enormous—because it houses the main family branch. If you included all the subsidiary branches, even the imperial palace of Soaring Sky would run out of room.

This new member, however, is special—someone everyone is watching. He is the grandson of the current head of the Ye family, the son of a leading candidate to succeed as head, and likely a contender himself for the next generation’s leadership.

As to why, before he’s even born, people are certain he’s a son rather than a daughter—this will soon be explained.

“Dad, don’t you think your grandson is making a bit too much of a spectacle? He’s not even born yet, and already he’s conjured a sky full of golden clouds, as if a god were descending to earth…”