A bustling street. A young man walked along the sidewalk. One man, one sword, one robe of blue-green cloth. Sharp brows and star-bright eyes. Long black hair spilled over his shoulders, making him look like an exiled immortal who had wandered into the mortal world. "I'm finally back." He watched the flow of people and cars and let out a soft sigh. A trace of weariness surfaced on his face, the kind that never belonged on someone his age. His name was Reid Quinny. When he was fifteen, he had gone sightseeing at Mount Mightspine with his family and slipped, tumbling off a cliff. He did not die. Instead, he had triggered a Teleportation Array and mistakenly entered the Celestial Realm. Why would a bottomless abyss hide a Teleportation Array leading to the Celestial Realm? When he thought of the ancient Human Emperors, one after another, holding the Rite of Heavenly Mandate at Mount Mightspine, something clicked into place. In the Homelands' inherited legends, the Celestial Realm might have had another name. His return would be the perfect chance to confirm that bold guess. He had spent three thousand years in the Celestial Realm, tempering his very body into a sword. He had reached the pinnacle of the sword path, revered by all as the First Sword Immortal, known as the Arctic Sword Emperor. He was also the one, in tens of millions of years, most likely to break the shackles and chase the origin of the universe itself. Yet when he prepared for Tribulation Crossing, he discovered he still had unfinished ties. He knew exactly what they were. His family on Earth. With attachments, one could not endure the heavenly tribulation. So he spent three hundred years, exhausting his cultivation base, cleaving through the Three Thousand World Barriers, and finally returning to Earth. Three thousand years in the Celestial Realm had been only three years on Earth. "Thank heavens. I'm back, and my home is still here." After three thousand years, the thought of seeing his parents and his sister again made even his still, unshaken Dao heart tremble. Greenveil. Lakeside Garden Community. This was Reid Quinny's home. An ordinary family of four. Guided by memory, Reid Quinny reached the building entrance, took the elevator up to the thirteenth floor, and stopped in front of his door. All at once, he hesitated. The closer he got, the more his courage faltered. "It's been three years. Mom and Dad must think I'm dead. They must've been devastated." "And my sister… she should be twelve by now. She's probably almost a young lady." A smile tugged at his lips. He lifted his hand and knocked. Thump, thump, thump! After that, he waited quietly outside. No one opened the door. He knocked again, waited longer, and still got nothing. "Strange. Are they not home?" He scratched his head, then let out a self-mocking chuckle. "Of course. At this hour, my sister's at school. Mom and Dad are at work. Nobody would be here to answer." He turned to leave. A middle-aged woman stepped out of the elevator. The moment she saw him, she asked, "Are you from this unit?" Reid Quinny nodded. "Your property management fees are overdue. You've owed a year. The management office has come looking for you several times, but they never catch anyone here, and your phone numbers don't go through." A year without paying. That meant no one had lived here for a year. A cold unease rose in Reid Quinny's chest. "Do you know where the family went?" he asked. She shook her head. "No. I haven't seen them in over a year." "Thank you." "You're welcome." She opened her own door and went inside, still muttering, "Where'd this actor come from? Wearing a long robe and everything." Reid Quinny stared at his door, brows knitting. "My sister has always gone to elementary school nearby. In just three years, she wouldn't have graduated yet. Mom and Dad shouldn't have moved." He pressed his hand to the doorknob and forced it open, then stepped inside. By the entryway, several pairs of slippers sat neatly arranged in the shoe cabinet. The living room furniture was orderly too. Only, everything was blanketed in dust. It was obvious the place had been empty for a long time. He went to his old bedroom. The guitar, the cartoon figurines, all of it remained just as he had left it. All of it coated in dust. "After my accident, did Mom and Dad move because they couldn't bear the reminders?" "But they didn't take any of this. They clearly didn't sell the place." He exhaled slowly, the air in his lungs turning heavy. "Worse, I can't even remember their phone numbers anymore. I can't call them." "In a sea of people like this, where am I supposed to find them?" He looked around the silent apartment. "Then I'll wait here. As long as this place hasn't been sold, they'll come back someday." He cleaned the apartment from top to bottom, then sat on the sofa, thinking. "Since I'm back, I'll have to walk through this mortal world again." "In this life, I will stand invincible among men." His gaze lowered to his hands. "But my cultivation base is gone. I'm only a little stronger than an ordinary person. Even the Skyglow Sword, a divine weapon of the Nine Heavens, has become nothing but common iron. A single bullet could take my life." "I need to recover my cultivation base as soon as possible." He immediately sat cross-legged on the balcony and began to cultivate. The Nine Realms of Immortal Cultivation: Foundation Establishment, Energy Refinement, Spirit Connection, Golden Core, Nascent Soul, Divine Transformation, Unite with Origin, Great Vehicle, Tribulation Crossing. Each Realm was further divided into Early Stage, Middle Stage, Late Stage, and Great Perfection. Reid Quinny cultivated the Myriad Sword Form. He nurtured a sword with his own body, devouring the myriad swords of heaven and earth to make them his. Each time he swallowed a famed blade, his cultivation base surged. The Myriad Sword Form also had nine major stages: Hidden Sword, Nurturing Sword, Refining Sword, Riding Sword, Human Sword, Earth Sword, Heaven Sword, Dharma Sword, Myriad Swords Unify. They corresponded to the Nine Realms of Immortal Cultivation. As long as he entered the Hidden Sword Realm Early Stage, he would possess the strength of a thousand pounds, his physical abilities far beyond even national-level athletes. If he reached the Riding Sword stage, he could ride a sword through the sky. With one slash, he could cleave mountains and split seas. "As far as I know, there are plenty of famous swords on Earth. I can use them to raise my cultivation base." "Enough. First, I'll enter the Hidden Sword Realm." He cultivated for two days and two nights. Hunger woke him. He sat up with a bitter sigh. "Earth's Spiritual Energy is far too thin. It's nothing compared to the Celestial Realm. At this rate, when will I ever recover?" "And this body… I haven't reached the Fasting Realm. I still need food and water." He glanced toward the empty kitchen. "But I don't have a cent to my name. That's the problem." An Immortal Emperor, worrying about money. If word of it ever spread back to the Celestial Realm, his old acquaintances would laugh themselves sick. "I'll have to find a way to earn some cash first." Since he was back on Earth, making money meant following the laws of the mundane world. Of course, getting a job… was out of the question. He thought for a long time and still couldn't come up with anything. His cultivation was simply too low. So he started wandering the apartment, searching for anything he could use. When he reached the kitchen, he spotted several empty water bottles. "I've got it." He prepared three bottles, washed them clean, and filled them with water. Then he sat cross-legged and traced an intricate, mysterious pattern around each bottle's mouth. He formed two fingers into a sword and aimed them at the opening. After a while, the water level in each bottle rose noticeably. He found a sheet of white paper and wrote: "Celestial Spring Water. Cures all ailments!" It was six in the evening, peak foot traffic. Reid Quinny left home and went to the edge of a nearby plaza. He spread a piece of black cloth on the ground and set the three bottles on top. One man, one sword, one blue-green robe, hair draped over his shoulders. Sitting there by the plaza, he looked like some influencer staging a photoshoot. "Wow, he's so cool." "With that face, he could totally be an influencer." "Wait, is he selling something? What is it?" Many passersby paused to look for a few seconds. But when they realized he was selling bottled water, and each bottle was only half full, most of them covered their mouths and laughed, faces full of disdain. Two aunties who had been doing plaza dancing glanced at the sign. "Celestial Spring Water. Cures all ailments!" Their eyes turned sharp with contempt. "Honestly, people are getting worse and worse. This kid looks seventeen or eighteen, and he's already out here scamming." "Don't be so harsh. I think the young man's got it rough. At least he's trying to support himself. He's better than the little brat in my house who only knows how to mooch off his parents." Reid Quinny sat on the ground with his eyes closed, resting his mind. The cold remarks slid past him like wind. In a crowd this vast, there would always be one or two people who recognized the real thing. More than an hour later, two tall, fashionable, beautiful girls passed by him. Suddenly, the beauty in the white dress stepped back. She crouched in front of his little stall, studying the three bottles with curious eyes. She wore a white dress, long black hair spilling over her fragrant shoulders. Light makeup. A black Chanel bag on her back. Elegant, poised, and unmistakably high-class. She looked at Reid Quinny, at his blue-green robe, his hair over his shoulders, and the sword in his arms. She wanted to laugh, but she forced it down. "Why are you selling water someone already drank?" Her voice was sweet, clear as birdsong. Reid Quinny opened his eyes and gave her a calm glance. "This isn't ordinary water. It's Celestial Spring Water. If you're sick, it cures. If you're healthy, it strengthens you." The girl curled her lips, unconvinced. Yet his unhurried composure made her feel as if she were facing a centenarian sage. The sensation was strange. It stirred her curiosity. She parted her lips, wanting to ask something, but the words seemed hard to say. In the end, she bit her lower lip, gathered her courage, and blurted it out. "Um… can I ask… if a man drinks this, can it make him… really good at that?"