Chapter 2: Tang Yun
Awakening on the cold cement floor, Tang Yun was greeted by a severe headache as unfamiliar memories flooded his mind, intertwining with his own.
Having consumed the Pill of Rebirth, Tang Yun found himself inhabiting the body of an eighteen year old teenager with the same name. Despite the shared name, this new vessel possessed different looks, and his cultivation base was so low that it could be deemed mortal. Identified as the 'Trash Alchemist' within the Jade Pill Sect, a mid-tier sect in the western region of the continent, he struggled with both alchemy and cultivation, facing the disdain of his peers.
The earlier Tang Yun had incurred the wrath of another outer disciple, Tao Shun, resulting in a brutal beating. The repercussions of this altercation explained the sizable crowd of disciples gathered around Tang Yun and the chubby figure of Tao Shun.
"As expected of Tao Shun! He has reached the peak of the Fundamental Qi Realm! That trash Tang Yun dared to provoke Tao Shun, even though he's still at the very beginning of the Fundamental Qi Realm!" exclaimed one of the onlookers, praising Tao Shun and disparaging Tang Yun.
"Look at that bastard, knocked out by just a few punches!" jeered another disciple, triggering laughter from the surrounding onlookers.
Unbeknownst to them, the previous Tang Yun had perished under those punches. The figure on the floor was the Tang Yun from the prison realm—a being who had once stood among the top powers in the primordial realm.
As Tang Yun grasped the situation, he rose from the ground and commenced stretching his limbs. The onlookers gazed at him as if they were witnessing a ghost.
"How can he move so freely after enduring punches from a cultivator at the peak of the Fundamental Qi Realm?" exclaimed one of the onlookers, expressing astonishment.
"Perhaps Tao Shun's punches were weak," murmured the spectators to each other, speculating on the unexpected resilience displayed by Tang Yun.
Overhearing the whispers, Tao Shun's face flushed with embarrassment, his rage intensifying as he observed Tang Yun mockingly stretching.
"Tang Yun! I was going to spare you, but for the embarrassment you've caused me, you'll pay with your life!" Tao Shun declared, launching himself at Tang Yun with a fist bolstered by his entire cultivation base.
Tang Yun keenly observed Tao Shun's form, realizing the lack of battle experience and heavy reliance on brute strength.
In the blink of an eye, a figure materialized before them, catching Tao Shun's fist in the palm of their hands, interrupting Tang Yun's preparations to dodge.
Tao Shun's expression darkened upon recognizing the mysterious person. "This disciple greets Elder Zi!" he bowed in respect, his face drenched in sweat.
Elder Zi approached Tao Shun and delivered a resounding slap to his face. The force behind the blow sent Tao Shun tumbling into the crowd of disciples.
"Even though disciple sparring is permitted, the amount of qi you infused into your fist could have proven fatal to your fellow disciple if you had landed the blow," scolded Elder Zi. Tao Shun, standing up from the floor due to the slap, bowed in remorse. "This disciple has made a grave mistake. I'm truly sorry!" he apologized.
Ignoring Tao Shun's apology, Elder Zi pronounced his judgment. "You are sentenced to three months of closed cultivation," he declared.
"I will return as a better man, Elder Zi!" Tao Shun declared before departing for the disciplinary hall to serve his sentence.
Before departing, Tao Shun cast a hateful glare at Tang Yun. 'It's all your fault, you piece of trash! You should've stayed down!' he thought with resentment.
When Tao Shun left, Elder Zi dismissed all the disciples besides Tang Yun.
"This is the third time I've had to step in to help you after you've offended another disciple. I can't continue doing this; rumors are spreading among the disciples that I am favoring you," Elder Zi sighed, handing Tang Yun a pill.
"This is a Qi Absorption Pill. It will greatly benefit you if used correctly," Elder Zi explained before taking his leave.
Tang Yun delved into his memories, seeking an explanation for Elder Zi's recurrent assistance. He uncovered a memory of Elder Zi saving him from another disciple, yet the motive behind this intervention remained unknown. They had never spoken before, and Tang Yun doubted his own talents were significant enough for Elder Zi to consistently defend him in disputes.
With no apparent reason for Elder Zi's continuous defense, Tang Yun could only speculate that there might be an ulterior motive. Perhaps Elder Zi wanted something from him, or he had plans to use Tang Yun in return for his assistance.
Tang Yun gazed at the pill in his hand with disappointment. "I understand that they're not me, but it's disheartening to think they couldn't even produce a true grade Qi Absorption Pill with a hundred percent purity," he murmured.
In the Primordial Realm, even the least skilled alchemists could craft a Qi Absorption Pill with a hundred percent purity.
Tang Yun stowed away the pill and started making his way to his room. As he walked, he delved deeper into his memories, realizing that he was no longer in the Primordial Realm.
His pill would make him rebirth into another body, but it never had a pinpoint location. For all he knows, he could be in a whole new universe.
The current location he found himself in was relatively underdeveloped. The cultivation realms were low, with the atmospheric qi akin to a raindrop compared to the ocean of qi in the Primordial Realm.
Rebuilding his old cultivation base seemed like an impossible task in this underdeveloped realm. As he walked, the disciples glanced at him, exchanging whispers among themselves.
"Didn't Tao Shun say he was going to cripple Tang Yun? Did he fail, or did Tang Yun defeat him?"
"Impossible! That trash, only at the first stage of the Fundamental Qi Realm, beating Tao Shun, who's at the peak? The difference in their power is greater than heaven and earth!"
"Can you explain then how he's perfectly fine, with just a few bruises and cuts on his face?"
"Perhaps Tao Shun let him off the hook..."
"Tao Shun? Letting someone off the hook? Haha, I'd bet my life and everything I own that he would never do such a thing."
Tang Yun overheard their conversations, yet he remained indifferent. Everything associated with the previous Tang Yun had perished with him. This was his new life, and he paid no mind to the inconsequential opinions of those who held no significance in his existence.
Currently, his focus was on cultivation and establishing dominance in this realm, with the eventual goal of seizing everything from the Sage Emperor.
Weekly Power Status
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Ranking 
-- Power
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