Chapter 3

“It doesn’t even tell me how to make use of it! Do I crush it, store it in my dantian or just read it? Ugh!”

Just as he said that an option appeared. “Use?” However, when Chen Yi mentally pressed it, a line of text under it appeared. “Cost: 50 points”.

Without a moment of hesitation, he pressed yes.

Jolts of pain coursed through Chen Yi’s body, nearly making him faint. However, he endured the agony in anticipation of the reward he would obtain.

After a few minutes, the pain ceased and knowledge on a new skill began to flow into his brain. Knowledge on how to use it, its advantages and disadvantages, and how to make it more powerful.

Just as the pain ebbed, he exclaimed half sarcastically, while in a state of joy,” This skill is staggeringly powerful, and all I had to do to obtain it was to sit behind a boulder while watching my clan members get slaughtered and massacred!”

The power that made him cry out loud was the power to copy and use the power of anyone or anything he processes knowledge about, it was called mimicry. However, it had its downsides as well, as Chen Yi discovered. The skill itself could only replicate skills that could be utilised at an efficiency of 70% and could only be used once every two days. It also stated that if the power was forcefully generated, a backlash would be issued, weakening him, the user for a day.

He thought it over and collected his thoughts, saying to himself, “But why does it say that only a part of it has been unlocked ?” As he thought it over, he realised how phenomenal the skill must have been, to be able to allow the user to copy the skills of others, even with a portion of the ability and skill given to the user. It helped further his imagination towards what was achievable as it was something people had not been capable of doing in his previous body.

As he was on his way to his father’s abode to ask about the losses and gains of the battle, he overheard his brother talking to someone in his room. Feeling ever curious, a want to eavesdrop washed over him. As he trotted over to the door with his ear pressed on the door, he tried to listen to the conversation discreetly, but it was a vain attempt. Suddenly, another voice began to talk and responded. His brother’s fiance! She asked, “Who are you going to assassinate? And who will do it?” He responded, “as for who will do the job, no one can do a better job than one's self. The one we will have to mourn for is the future chief of the Chen sect, my brother”

As Chen Yi heard these words, his heart sank. It beat once, twice, thrice. Then he started thinking, “There is no way this is happening, I must be imagining it right??? No way my brother would kill me right?” he anxiously thought, panicking. His brother said, “let's go, my father, your father-in-law is waiting for us.” I took off running, my heart pounding faster than it ever had pounded before. I ran till I reached the place wherein the clan leader resided.

As he entered my father’s mansion, he saw his father perched over a desk that had the map of the surrounding regions and the factions that controlled them etched on it. He entered to also see that he was speaking to one of his chief advisors. They were conversing about many matters, including rebuilding the clan, and ways to retaliate to regain face lost from the past skirmishes with the enemy. Then the clan leader saw him. “Come here! According to our sect rules, the eldest son of the patriarch becomes patriarch and that means that you are next in line.

We cannot have such a weakling as this sect’s leader, for otherwise, how would our great clan survive in the future? Our ancestors’ efforts would go to waste and we cannot allow that. I shall send you into a secret realm tomorrow in which you will try to improve your cultivation realm. It should increase your capability and abilities by twofold. The first level of cultivation is a martial arts master, which you have already achieved.

You have to achieve the bronze body which is the beginning of your path to true cultivation. Achieving this milestone will improve your constitution such that you will become much stronger than you ever were before, right now you are just getting started. You will soon grow into an improved version of yourself, it will be as if the gods have smiled down upon you and given you the power and their blessings. You will feel more energized, you will have improved your cognitive abilities, imagine the possibilities. Imagine yourself ten years from now!”

Chen Yi started to imagine himself in the future, he thought to himself, “I could get used to that uncountable wealth including jewels, gold, and more but let's not forget about the most important thing, I would have power comparable to a god, no I could become a god myself” he fantasized, after which, he told his father, “Oh dear father, that would be the most magnificent experience, I will do as you say and will cultivate for the sake of the sect.”

“Very well, now go see if your brother is on his way here, it is also his duty to come to see me regarding the sect.”

“Yes father, I will go check on him,” he said. As Chen Yi walked out, he thought to himself, “This is dangerous! I know my little brother wants to kill me, but how do I avoid getting rid of this problem?”As Chen Yi was thinking he had passed his brother Chen Wei, whom he did not notice until his brother called out,” Brother! Brother! Where are you going? Why are you in a rush?”

Chen Yi responded I was on my way to fetch you and bring you over to father’s room for the meeting. Chen Wei responded perfunctorily, “Thank you for coming to get us. I was just about to go when I saw a broken vase outside our room and we had to call someone to clean it up. You don’t happen to know anything about it, do you?” asked Chen Wei. Chen Yi thought, “Trying to pry my mouth open, huh? Well, I just have to play dumb. Your accomplice, and your fiancee, are gone from the room, but I do know about her part.” Chen Yi convincingly responded,” I am sorry but I do not know anything about this matter but if you would like me to investigate I would be happy to help.”

Chen Wei told Chen Yi, don't worry, I will take care of my situation, but thank you dear brother for offering to help me out.

He responded, “you are very welcome, after all, we are brothers who grew up together. It's only natural to help each other out.”

As he headed out to his home, Chen Wei started to lag. Just as he did that, he used his new skill to borrow the ability to be able to listen like an owl. He listened in while Chen Wei mumbled to himself. Chen Yi heard Chen Wei mutter, “what if he knows, what if it was him? But let's be honest even if he did, there is no way he could prevent what's imminent. I have got a lot of people backing me up, I have even got the support of people high up in the clan to use as my trump card. Let's not worry about it and instead enjoy what's going to unfold.”

As he left his brother behind, he had resolved to stop at nothing to save the clan, for they had given him a reason to live again. He owed a lot to the clan, the patriarch, and especially his ring, which had given him another chance to live. Because had thrown away his first life, he decided that he would not waste time but would instead save and take care of those around him, because God had given him a new chance of life, so he thought he might as well take it!

In the last few seconds of his newfound ability, Chen Yi heard, "We cannot leave anything to chance, accelerate the development of the plan" from his nefarious brother. He simply smiled and said under his breath, “I will make sure you will get what you deserve, you will pay for this betrayal!"