Chapter 12: Xiao Kaitian's Past

Xiao Kaitian pulled a menu from the table, took up a pen, and scribbled a list, then handed the paper to Sun Zhongyi. “Please help gather these items.”

Sun Zhongyi glanced at the list, and his lips twitched involuntarily. He couldn't fathom what Xiao Kaitian intended; was the display of strength at the Xiangen Ogiwara Trading Company merely an illusion? Was this young master before him still the greatest fool in the capital of Han-Tang?

With this doubt lingering, Sun Zhongyi wiped sweat from his brow and looked at Xiao Kaitian suspiciously.

Yet Xiao Kaitian was uninterested in such concerns. He remembered the promise he had made to Ogiwara Rin—three days. But having just arrived in this world, he needed to follow its rules; otherwise, it might not bode well for him. That was why he asked Sun Zhongyi to gather the items. To be honest, the so-called Yi Mei Hall’s current strength meant little to him.

Sun Zhongyi arranged lodging for Xiao Kaitian in a residential house—his own property, long cleaned and prepared. He even stationed Yi Mei Hall members around the house.

Xiao Kaitian cared little for these arrangements. After entering, he cleaned himself briefly, then sat cross-legged on the tatami, his gaze fixed on the tablet computer lying on the low table before him.

He took out the Six-Ling Pillar storage disk Ogiwara Rin had given him, gently tapping the table, the quiet room echoing with the rhythmic “tap tap tap.” Inside the disk were files about himself—or rather, about the former Xiao Kaitian. To look or not to look?

To look would mean choosing to become “Xiao Kaitian,” fully and completely. Not to look, he could claim amnesia and start anew. After all, he did not truly belong to this world.

In the Central Axis Universe, decisive in slaughter, this was the first time he faced a dilemma worth pausing over.

“Interesting,” he murmured, pulling out a pack of red Marlboros, slowly lighting one. Eyes narrowed, he savored the heat radiating from the glowing tip.

He exhaled a plume of smoke, then turned his attention inward, to his divine source. To his surprise, the threadlike connection between his true form and his divine source seemed ever so slightly thicker.

He had sensed this body upon his arrival—it was pitifully weak. If not for his presence and the residual strength of his divine source, bolstering the body, its true level would have been laughably inferior in this world. But—

Incredible as it seemed, just after a minor confrontation at Xiangen Ogiwara Trading Company, his strength had increased?

Indeed, his combat power had risen to about 110; only a small increment, but a gain nonetheless!

His current level equated to a mid-stage practitioner of the Yellow Realm; with a little more progress, he’d reach the late stage.

He paused, hand midway to undoing his collar, cigarette dangling from his lips as the red ember consumed the tobacco.

Now, he focused intently on his body, discovering that its compatibility and synchronization with his divine source were beyond perfect. Could it be that this body was his true form?

A long column of ash finally fell to the table, catching his eye.

In the Central Axis Universe, he was the only being without a true form. Later, relying on the strength of his divine source, he had barely managed to coalesce one, but it never fully matched. This was why, in the final battle, facing a terrifying opponent, he had only managed to win by luck and a single move.

Had he possessed his true form then, the outcome would have been far more glorious.

He had once asked the old man about it, but the old man had only smiled, refusing to answer, and offered the dubious wisdom: “There is no such thing as perfection between universes. In fact, flaws are the norm.”

So, what was this body before him? An illusion?

Xiao Kaitian checked and rechecked, unable to believe it. Ultimately, he reached a conclusion he could hardly accept: this body was indeed his true form!

But why was his true form found in such a low-dimensional world, and why had he, descending through dimensions, arrived precisely in this body?

If it were mere coincidence, he wouldn’t believe it. In the boundless universe of dimensions, such precision was impossible—like finding a single grain of sand in the cosmos.

This suggested a scheme, one set in motion long ago. He was likely just a pawn in the game.

Xiao Kaitian’s expression turned cold, a faint blue light flickering in his gaze. Anyone would be unsettled by such a realization.

Yet, to unravel the cause and effect, he would have to return step by step to the Central Axis Universe.

But after this revelation about his body, Xiao Kaitian could no longer ignore the past of “Xiao Kaitian.”

Especially since he had finally obtained his true form. Though weak, he believed he could—and must—make it strong.

The affair at Xiangen Ogiwara Trading Company was proof enough. His divine source was already at its peak; once his true form grew stronger, the power of the divine source would naturally be unlocked.

With his true form, returning to the Central Axis Universe, he was certain he could utterly defeat his adversary.

Indeed, in this world, gain always comes with loss.

With everything clear, Xiao Kaitian no longer resisted accepting “this world’s past.” On the contrary, he needed to understand “his own past,” to pave the way forward, to seek ways to strengthen his true form, and ultimately reach the next dimension.

Once resolved, Xiao Kaitian stopped hesitating. He swiped open the tablet’s screen, inserted the Six-Ling Pillar storage disk into the designated slot.

“Data importing. Format conversion complete. This file is encrypted. After this reading, it will be automatically deleted. Confirm to open and browse?” The cold, synthesized female voice of the computer stated.

“Open.” Xiao Kaitian’s pupils reflected the screen, the “Yes” button flashed red, and the display transformed.

The past of “Xiao Kaitian” began to unfold before him.