The resonant chime echoed in the air as the copper coin slipped from the grasp of Shuro's neck, splitting into two distinct pieces. Its obverse bore the character "CHEN," while the reverse showcased an intricate pattern.

As Shuro's fingertips grazed the copper coin, the residual warmth lingered. He widened his eyes, momentarily lost in thought. It was this very coin that saved him in the final moment.

"Tynche Continental..." His gaze shifted to the "CHEN" character on the coin's front, and unfamiliar memories flowed through Shuro's mind—memories inherited from Nine-Dragon Sovereign. Tynche Continental, the legendary land formed at the tail of the sea after the first fall of the stars, had accumulated over ten thousand years, creating an endless expanse of land.

It was the most mystical place in the Nine Heavens, abundant in spiritual energy, enjoying unparalleled advantages for countless millennia without any loss. Its vast territories were incomprehensible, taking an ordinary person several lifetimes to traverse even half of it.

Closing his eyes, Shuro's heart pounded. He witnessed celestial cranes flying through the mountain peaks, carrying riders on their backs, and giant cranes carrying entire mountains. At the summit of a crane-backed mountain, a pavilion stood coolly, where two men in white robes indulged in high-spirited songs and drinks, resembling immortals. With a casual wave of their hands, they emitted a sword aura that reached the heavens, as if capable of shattering the firmament.

He also saw a large fish with a blue-fin dragon tail swiftly swimming on the sea surface. Not far ahead, there was a coastal city, and the large fish suddenly leaped, opening its mouth wide. A black wind billowed as millions of soldiers poured out, attacking the unsuspecting city. Above the large fish, a fisherman-immortal flew on a sword, counting rewards.

In the imperial city of the First-Rank Dynasty, it happened to be the birthday of the little princess. In the towering palace, adorned with jade trees and magnificent courtyards, various immortal sects and Daoist schools came to congratulate. Suddenly, a red-haired giant ape descended, riding a strange golden-eyed beast from the sky. The Daoists loudly reprimanded, but the giant ape took out a jade bowl from his arms. Inside the bowl was a bright moon, with eighty-one boys in blue clothes dancing. 

These boys had peculiar appearances, sometimes crying and sometimes laughing, transforming into tigers, leopards, jackals, and wolves. The little princess held the bowl in her arms, giggling, and the emperor's dragon face was delighted, immediately appointing the giant ape as the Clearwater River Lord.

"Immortals... this is the true realm of immortals!" Shuro was overwhelmed with shock and excitement in his heart. All these scenes were undoubtedly from Nine-Dragon Sovereign's memories. Shuro finally understood why, when speaking of the immortals of Lonely Moon Mountain, Nine-Dragon Sovereign had shown such disdain.

Compared to the immortal dynasties on Tynche Continental, with histories spanning tens of thousands of years, the millennium-old Tera Dynasty seemed like child's play. Any major sect on the Tynche Continent casually kept three thousand heavenly cranes and nearly ten thousand cultivators of various roles. The so-called "immortals" around Tera Dynasty were far from comparable.

Gradually, Shuro calmed down. Although he was confined in the secret room of the backyard, facing a precarious situation, his face did not show much frustration. Even he did not realize that after absorbing Nine-Dragon Sovereign's memories and rapidly expanding his horizons, his mentality had subtly changed.

Wrapping the copper coin securely, and placing it close to his body for safekeeping, Shuro's face remained expressionless throughout. Speaking of this copper coin, it had quite a background. When he was six years old, that man strung the copper coin, put it on Shuro, and repeatedly warned him not to let the coin leave his person. After completing these actions, the man left Caelius Capital and never had any subsequent contact. That man was Shuro's father, and Shuro vaguely remembered that his father's status in the family was that of a merchant.

Judging from this pseudo-copper coin disguised as a mysterious pattern charm, his father's identity was far from simple. Perhaps there were hidden secrets unknown to anyone.

However, Shuro did not delve deeply into such thoughts. For a full nine years, he had been alone. In the complex and perilous family struggles, countless intrigues took place. Being a powerless and unsupported collateral son, from the age of six, he had lived a life akin to walking on thin ice in the lowest echelons of the influential family. The bitterness and humiliation he experienced were known only to himself.

Honor, disgrace, life, and death—all depended on him!

In the past, as well as in the future." The chance to defy fate... That guy Nine-Dragon Sovereign doesn't boast in vain." The cultivation techniques in Nine-Dragon Sovereign's memories encompassed everything, exploring various extraordinary arts. Shuro stared wide-eyed, marveling at the spectacle. The so-called escaping great calamities and gaining great fortunes, Shuro now deeply understood.

The iron window opened, and a bamboo basket containing food and soup slid along the wall. Accompanying the bamboo basket in the secret room was the not-so-harsh sunlight, and unknowingly, it was already the second morning.

"Master York, drink... drink some soup first, warm your stomach," the young man's voice came from outside the iron window. Shuro relaxed, knowing that someone from the Second Mansion sent food, indicating that things were not as bad as he had imagined.

However, at this moment, a sharp and sarcastic voice rang out, sounding like the plump guard from last night. "What are you doing? How dare you secretly send him food? Do you not want to live? Have you forgotten what was said from above?"

"Lee... Brother Lee, I... "

"You reckless stutterer! Do you know what that person has done? He intruded into the Young Madam's boudoir in broad daylight. Fortunately, he was discovered in time by the Third Young Master. Otherwise, if the First Beauty of Caelius Capital is defiled in her own house, where will the ethics and morals be? Once this news spreads, even you and I won't be able to hold our heads up! For such a beast, you still want to care about his life?"

"A mere collateral son, his status not much higher than our guards, even if he hasn't committed any wrongdoing, what can he achieve? Hmph, if one seeks to curry favor, it should be with someone like the Third Young Master. He broke through the Grand Spiritual Realm before the age of twenty, ranked in the top three of the Jade List. Even if he isn't chosen by the Immortals, he is destined to become the head of the York family."

"I, I, I am not..."

"Let it be. Don't waste your efforts on this son without a future. To tell you the truth, there was never an intention from above to let him live. Saving him last night, I suspect, was merely an impulsive act by the Master. But if we continue to protect him, it's inevitable to conflict with the main residence. The best course of action is to let him starve to death here, ending it all. It won't offend the main residence, and we'll save face."

"But, but..."

"But what? I warn you, your foolishness is your own business; don't involve me in it! Damn it! Let this be a one-time thing. Now, go." The footsteps receded, and in Shuro's mind emerged the figures of the two guards who had detained him last night.

"So, they intended to starve me."

"Weird, I have no acquaintance with that stuttering guy. Why would he help me?"

"That fat man seems to be on the same page as Nine-Dragon Sovereign. Saving me last night was purely impulsive, an outburst of anger. The Master of the residence couldn't possibly act recklessly, risking conflict with the main family for my sake."

"In the end, it's because I hold no value. If, like John, I had achieved Grand Spiritual Realm cultivation in my early twenties, ranking among the top martial artists in the capital, even if there was a falling out with the main family, they would have kept me safe."

"Grand Spiritual Realm sounds majestic, but it's merely the alchemical martial arts of the Tera Dynasty. In the cultivation world, it's just the beginning."

Shuro's voice was unusually low and deep. He had never yearned for power as he did today.

After absorbing Nine-Dragon Sovereign's memories, the so-called alchemical martial arts considered the foundation of the country by the Tera Dynasty appeared rudimentary in Shuro's eyes.

The so-called alchemical martial arts involved connecting the small cosmic cycle through internal and external elixirs, gathering vital energy pills within the body. Generally, the more robust the vital energy pill, the stronger the power. Before his vital energy pill was abolished, Shuro had just reached the small pill realm. With his aptitude, everything went smoothly, and in ten years, he was expected to break through to the grand pill realm.

In the Tera Dynasty's martial world, there were six realms: small pill realm, grand pill realm, small spiritual realm, grand spiritual realm, quasi-ascended realm, and ascended realm.

In the small pill realm, one far surpassed ordinary martial practitioners in strength, speed, and reaction time. In Caelius Capital, he could be considered a third-rate martial artist.

Advancing to the grand pill realm granted formidable strength, swift movement like a flying bird, and the ability to cultivate martial techniques, making one a second-rate master.

Above the grand pill realm was the small spiritual realm, exemplified by Pang Guan, one of the Third Young Master's attendants. In the small spiritual realm, true energy emerged from the vital energy pill, possessing nearly five thousand pounds of strength. Such individuals could crush stones with their bare hands and execute seemingly miraculous alchemical martial techniques, such as the Seven Forms Evading Art, making them quasi-first-rate masters.

Moving further was the grand spiritual realm, where both the Third Young Master and several junior masters of the Second Mansion resided. In the grand spiritual realm, true energy circulated through the meridians, possessing nearly ten thousand pounds of strength. Proficient in advanced martial arts and clear-minded, they could abstain from eating or drinking for half a month without harming their bodies. Such individuals were rare in the Tera Dynasty, all considered first-rate martial artists.

Next was the quasi-ascended realm. The masters of the York family and the Second Mansion belonged to this realm. With saturated true energy filling every acupoint, they could harm others from a distance, possessing tens of thousands of pounds of strength and leaping thirty yards into the air. These figures were scarce in the Tera Dynasty, not exceeding fifty people in total, deemed top-tier masters, capable of challenging a thousand-strong cavalry.

As for the ascended realm, after three years of cultivating the body, the lifespan could reach two hundred years. With dense true energy, they could sweep through thousands of soldiers, and stand alone against a nation, true legends, akin to terrestrial immortals in the eyes of ordinary people.

In the Tera Dynasty, the ascended realm was the standard for measuring whether a prominent family could flourish or decline. The reason why the York family stood proud in Caelius Capital for a hundred years, besides the merits of their ancestors, was because the York family had an ascended realm expert. This ascended realm figure had become renowned in Caelius Capital fifty years ago, one of the eight national masters of the Tera Dynasty, commonly known as York Old Lady, the old lady of the York family.

However, Shuro already knew that the ascended realm he had once regarded as divine was equivalent to the complete foundation level in the cultivation world. Therefore, on the true path of cultivation, alchemical martial arts were indeed a significant detour.

But now, for Shuro, that detour no longer exists.

"Is it not so?" Just as Shuro was full of anticipation, prepared to directly lay the foundation, the subsequent blow left him utterly disappointed. Within Nine-Dragon Sovereign's memories were numerous cultivation techniques, yet the majority were methods beyond the foundational stage, impossible to practice without reaching the complete foundation level. The remaining foundational techniques relied on external factors such as elixirs, artifacts, spiritual veins, and sealing magic.

"I refuse to believe there isn't a foundational technique suitable for me!"

Shuro persisted, closing his eyes and immersing himself in the vast, starry expanse of Nine-Chen Sovereign's cultivation memories. Days passed, and within this period, the hunchbacked young man sneakily brought food again, unlike last time, being exceptionally cautious not to speak with Shuro.

Shuro was wholeheartedly immersed in Nine-Chen Sovereign's cultivation memories, not touching a morsel of food besides a small amount of water. Though he hadn't found a suitable foundational method, his understanding of cultivation and strength had made remarkable progress, reaching a high level of comprehension regarding foundation building.

"This cannot continue. There's just over a month until Lady Dowager's banquet. After the banquet, John may recall my existence." The thought of the Third Young Master, who had framed him, filled Shuro with a sense of urgency.