Volume One: A Lifetime Decided at Age Three

Chapter 0001: The World as Enemy

If a satellite could scan a certain corner of the East Sea at this moment, it would surely be astonished to discover thousands of humans swirling above the sea, each radiating multicolored lights to varying degrees—a truly spectacular sight.

William Carter, hands behind his back, swept his gaze across these thousands of cultivators, the corners of his mouth slightly upturned as he looked down on the crowd: "What a grand spectacle. Which act are you all putting on this time?"

Suddenly, a red light shot out from among the cultivators. The person revealed was none other than the Supreme Elder of the Taiyi Sect, Benjamin Franklin, one of only three in the cultivation world to have reached the Nascent Soul stage.

Benjamin Franklin was dressed in a fiery red robe, his skin and hair tinged a dark red, eyes wide open in fury as he glared at William Carter.

"William Carter, return the Taiyi Sect's treasured Firecloud Diagram!" Benjamin Franklin roared, his voice sweeping across the sea like a raging storm.

"That's right! Hand over all the treasures you seized!"

"And what about my Lingxiao Sect's Lingxiao Codex?"

These cultivators, to varying degrees, had all interacted with William Carter before. But their greatest commonality was that William Carter had once treated their injuries.

Their manuals and magical artifacts had been taken by William Carter as payment for his medical services.

William Carter never forced them; he simply treated them according to their injuries—or his own mood—on a mutually agreed basis.

Yet many cultivators, after recovering, regretted their promises. By then, William Carter naturally showed them no courtesy.

Facing these thousands of cultivators, William Carter's expression remained unchanged, still wearing a faint, nonchalant smile: "All your magical artifacts have been refined by me, and as for your manuals, they're all in my head. If any of you think you have what it takes, come and take them."

With a casual wave of his hand, a seven-colored light flashed, and a seven-colored lotus appeared before William Carter. This lotus was forged from the essence of thousands of magical artifacts, its patterns incorporating the strengths of countless schools.

The moment all the cultivators saw the seven-colored lotus, their faces showed shock, fear, or greed.

"You... you actually refined an immortal artifact!!"

The seven-colored lotus floated in midair, its dazzling light penetrating the soul, awe-inspiring and coveted like a divine object.

"This is all thanks to your magical artifacts and manuals that I was able to obtain this immortal artifact." William Carter chuckled. "Come, come... let me see what you rabble have prepared."

"Don't get cocky!" Benjamin Franklin shouted angrily, conjuring a ball of flame in his hand. Within the fire, a firebird leapt and cried, making the sky look as if it were ablaze.

"Tsk tsk... Looks like the payment I took last time wasn't heavy enough. The Taiyi Sect still has such treasures." Seeing the firebird, William Carter couldn't help but raise an eyebrow in surprise.

"This is a creation of heaven and earth, the Fire Crow shot down by Hou Yi ten thousand years ago. My Taiyi Sect obtained it, refined it, and gained this unparalleled treasure. Today, I will use the Fire Crow's mysterious flame to burn you to ashes!"

Benjamin Franklin hurled the fire crow, which, carrying a mass of mysterious flame, swooped at William Carter. The sea below boiled under the heat, and the entire sky seemed to be on fire.

"A mere glow of a firefly dares to compete with the brilliance of the full moon!" William Carter traced a pattern in the air, and the seven-colored lotus shone even brighter, spinning rapidly and transforming into a mountain-sized form, crashing down on the fire crow.

The sea surface erupted like a meteor strike, sending up towering waves. The lotus displaced billions of cubic meters of seawater, while the fire crow screeched repeatedly below, unable to shake this mountain-like force.

A smile curled at William Carter's lips as he reached out across the void, grabbing both the seven-colored lotus and the fire crow in a giant hand, squeezing them together in his palm.

"Haha... I'll be taking this Fire Crow's mysterious flame." William Carter laughed loudly, and before Benjamin Franklin could react, he erased the fire crow's pattern and stored it in his storage pouch.

Patterns are like fingerprints; in the cultivation world, they are used for almost everything—whether refining artifacts, pills, casting immortal arts, or even cultivation itself, patterns are indispensable.

Some patterns are unique, belonging exclusively to a single cultivator. These are usually added to artifacts in the final stages, serving as identification and preventing others from using them. However, if another cultivator can break the pattern or erase it with overwhelming power, the artifact will fall into their hands.

Some patterns are secret and passed down only within certain lineages, often used in the creation of rare artifacts or immortal pills. Others are more common, considered basic patterns in the cultivation world.

Benjamin Franklin's face changed dramatically, his chest tightening as he spat out a mouthful of blood, his expression growing even more twisted: "You, you..."