However, worldly attachments number in the millions, and not every attachment belongs to one’s own Dao heart. William Carter too once strayed from the right path, once gained nothing at all, and once kept trying and exploring.

Cultivation itself is a process of constantly seeking and exploring the Dao, comprehending ultimate truths, and probing the laws of heaven.

Yet, in his previous life, William Carter always lacked that final thread of worldly attachment, never fulfilling his wishes or achieving a complete Dao heart.

But in the instant of reincarnation, he suddenly became enlightened. The ultimate truths of heaven and earth became clear to him in a flash—what he had been missing was precisely this thread of worldly attachment.

Over hundreds and thousands of years, William Carter had once become a bandit, once held high official rank, and even once been an emperor, tasting all the hardships of the world and experiencing countless attachments, but he had never tried being someone else’s son.

To be a son—this may seem trivial to ordinary people, but for William Carter, it was harder than ascending to the heavens.

From the time he could understand things, he cultivated with his master, entered the Dao at fourteen, chose his own Dao heart at twenty, but never spent even a single day as someone else’s child, never received a trace of motherly love.

Deep in William Carter’s heart, perhaps there was a hidden longing for familial affection, which is why his Dao heart had never been complete.

If not for William Carter’s reincarnation, perhaps his Dao heart would never have been fulfilled.

Such is the way of cultivation: a single flaw can halt one’s progress, leaving the Dao heart incomplete. Only with a great opportunity can one achieve true fruition.

With a complete Dao heart, the soul becomes saintly. Even though William Carter at this moment had no cultivation at all, his divine sense could already extend more than thirty feet beyond his body.

Of course, having only divine sense without cultivation is more harmful than beneficial. If the divine sense is too strong while the physical body is too weak, it could cause the body to collapse, and vice versa.

However, William Carter did not understand why his body had not collapsed, but instead had reached a balance with his divine sense.

If the Dao heart requires opportunity and sudden enlightenment, then cultivation requires hard work and comprehension. The Dao heart can sanctify the soul and pierce the nine heavens, while cultivation can stir the clouds and rain, roaming the universe.

Moreover, at this moment, William Carter possessed all the memories of his previous life, was versed in the strengths of a hundred schools, and had even created his own cultivation manual, naming it “Tongtian Baojian” (“Heaven-Penetrating Treasure Mirror”).

However, when he created “Tongtian Baojian,” William Carter was already at the Tribulation Crossing stage, so he had never had the chance to practice it himself.

Now, however, was a heaven-sent opportunity. William Carter began to try cultivating “Tongtian Baojian.” There are no shortcuts in cultivation, but there are differences in aptitude. This is why William Carter could reach the peak of Tribulation Crossing, the only one in the entire cultivation world.

Everyone is born with innate qi, which diminishes with age. Generally, the earlier one enters the Dao and cultivates, the greater one’s future achievements.

Back then, William Carter entered the Dao at fourteen and became the number one cultivator. Now, William Carter began cultivating right after birth—such an opportunity is truly unique in the entire cultivation world.

William Carter carefully gathered his innate qi, not letting a single bit escape. This innate qi is the most precious thing between heaven and earth.

Many cultivators use sinister methods to seize newborns and absorb their innate qi for themselves. Although the effects are obvious, the methods are too vicious, and the results are greatly diminished by taking others’ innate qi. Moreover, it goes against the will of heaven and brings divine retribution.

In William Carter’s sea of qi, a small cluster of innate qi was forming, perhaps only the size of a needle tip, but its purity was enough to astonish any cultivator.

The innate qi was constantly nourishing William Carter’s infant body. As the innate qi gathered, William Carter officially took his first step in cultivation—Qi Gathering.

Although he had just entered the early stage of Qi Gathering, his body had already been strengthened by the innate qi and was rapidly transforming at a speed invisible to the naked eye.

This transformation was many times faster than normal. Usually, it takes months or even longer for an ordinary person to reach the early stage of Qi Gathering, but with a complete Dao heart, rich experience, and innate qi, William Carter was able to take the first step in cultivation so quickly.

Henry Carter and Emily Cooper could never have imagined, even in their wildest dreams, that their fifth child, not even two hours old, could already take down a dozen strong men with his bare hands.

Chapter 0003: The Flower-Picking Thief

What is a genius? Less than half a year old and already able to speak fluently, not at all like an ordinary child who stammers.

By the age of one, he had read no fewer than a hundred books. Before turning three, there was no teacher in Yan City who could teach him anymore.

William Carter also understood that this world was not Earth, but a world where magic and battle qi existed. Just like cultivation, magic and battle qi in this world also had their own unique ranking systems.

Magic and battle qi are divided into 10 ranks, each rank further divided into 10 grades. The higher the grade, the stronger the power.

The reason William Carter was so diligent in reading was to better understand this unfamiliar world. However, the records in books were never complete, and even William Carter only had a partial understanding.