Chapter 2. Life of a trash.

Early in the morning, Silverpeak City on the far eastern edge of the Azure Mist Kingdom was already alive with activity. People were bustling about, engaged in their morning routines, filling the streets with energy.

To the north, near the lush Verdant Veil Forest, lay the Li Clan's residence. By this time, most of the clan's disciples had risen and were busy with their daily tasks, which usually involved preparing for a hunt in the forest or fulfilling clan missions.

However, the usual morning calm was disrupted by a commotion at the clan gate, where a large group of disciples had gathered, their numbers swelling by the minute.

At the center of the crowd, which had formed a huge circle, stood two individuals. One was a 26-year-old man with long, dark hair peppered with strands of grey, flowing over his shoulders. His black eyes gleamed fiercely. This handsome, well-defined young man was known to all as Li Wei.

At this moment, however, Li Wei's face was twisted in anger as he glared at another young man who was crouching in pain before him.

"Li Chen, what did I tell you about Li Jing? How dare you approach her again, defying my words!" Li Wei shouted at the young man on the ground, who was known as Li Chen.

Li Chen, despite his ragged state, could not conceal his striking features. Around 23 years old with red hair and bright red eyes, his skin was smooth and pale, untouched by sunlight.

Even in his battered condition, it was clear that his beauty still surpassed that of Li Wei.

"Big brother Wei, why are you so agitated? Li Jing is just too cute; I couldn't help it," Li Chen replied with a taunting smile.

"YOU!" Li Wei roared as he delivered a powerful kick to Li Chen's stomach, sending him flying backward.

"Arhhh," Li Chen groaned in agony as he crashed to the ground with tremendous force, pain shooting through his entire body.

Sigh!

'Does this never end?' Li Chen silently cursed to himself as he slowly got to his feet.

It had been two weeks since he arrived in this world, and already he had encountered similar incidents three times.

After passing through the Path of Reincarnation, Li Chen realized that reincarnation was nothing like he had anticipated. It was pure torture. No wonder nobody remembers their past life; maintaining one's consciousness, let alone awareness was challenging enough.

Li Chen felt as if he had been electrocuted, struck by lightning, burned – every imaginable form of pain. It was, to be honest, a bundle of agony.

The worst part was enduring all this pain only to reincarnate into the body of someone deemed worthless, living a life even worse than the one he had before.

He had reincarnated into the body of Li Chen, a young man who was exactly his age, with a similar appearance, and even shared his name.

Li Chen was a member of the Li Clan, one of the five great families in Silverpeak City.

In the Li Clan, Li Chen's status was quite high since his father was the clan leader, even though their relationship was strained.

His life now, although different from his previous life on Earth, had uncanny similarities. Like before, Li Chen had three siblings: two brothers with whom he didn't get along and a loving sister, and they all bore the same names and appearance as in his previous life.

The discord with his father, Li Cheng, in this life, was not due to Li Chen's appearance but stemmed from a tragic event. Li Chen's birth resulted in the death of Li Cheng's beloved wife, which in turn ignited his enduring resentment towards Li Chen. It seemed that Li Chen was doomed to live without parental affection, a fact that weighed heavily on his heart.

"You dare talk back to me!" Li Wei bellowed, his voice heavy with anger as he closed in on Li Chen, who was struggling to his feet. Li Wei unleashed another ferocious kick to Li Chen's stomach, propelling him through the air once more.

Li Chen was sent crashing into a nearby wall, agony coursing through his body anew.

"Ah!" he cried out, louder this time as the pain intensified.

Trying to rise again, his knees buckled, and he collapsed, coughing up blood. The last attack had caused severe internal injuries, but still, he fought to stand.

"What? Is he crazy? Why is he trying to get up again despite his injuries? Does he want to provoke Li Wei even more?" one disciple remarked. However, his tone was not one of concern for Li Chen; it dripped with disdain for his persistence.

"Why would trash like him be so stubborn? He's courting death," another spat out, his glare as sharp as knives, directed at Li Chen as if he wished to tear him apart.

"I can't even stand the sight of this trash. What does he think he is, some kind of genius? He's just trash," another chimed in, contempt oozing from his voice as he spat out as if Li Chen was the most revolting thing he had ever seen.

These murmurs spread through the crowd as the disciples encircled the pitiful sight of Li Chen struggling to his feet. Some shot him scorching looks while others viewed him with unmasked disgust.

It was evident from their expressions that they all shared a similar disdain for Li Chen, a sentiment rooted in his past.

From a young age, Li Chen—had shown remarkable qualities surpassing those of his peers. His intelligence, cognitive skills, and combat proficiency were so advanced that he overshadowed the others.

These exceptional qualities earned him the title of 'young master,' with many believing he was destined to succeed Li Cheng as the clan leader, even though he had two older brothers.

His exceptionalism brought him high status and admiration within the clan, but with admiration came envy, which over time festered into hostility towards Li Chen.

Li Chen's remarkable qualities set him as a benchmark for others to aspire to, leading to jealousy and resentment from those who couldn't match him.

Despite their envy, there was little they could do; not only was he recognized as the young master, but in terms of combat, he was unrivaled. So, their frustration simmered beneath the surface, waiting for an outlet, which presented itself during the summoning.

The summoning is a crucial event where individuals at the age of 16 attempt to call forth their system spirit.

It's believed that humans are composed of origin energy, the essence of life itself, but the human body is too frail to harness this dormant power. That was until the gods bestowed upon humanity the system—a catalyst allowing humans to tap into their latent powers without risking destruction.

Systems are categorized into six tiers: Low, Mid, High, S, SS, and SSS. Each tier represents the potential power one could achieve, making everyone eager to summon a higher tier system spirit for a smoother and more significant advancement.

Awakening a higher-tier system is challenging; the Low tier is common, the Mid-tier indicates talent, and the High tier marks one as a genius. Even powerful clans like the Li Clan have few members with a high-tier system throughout their history.

During the summoning, individuals use stardust to reach into their consciousness and connect with the spirit core domain—the realm where system spirits reside—in hopes of contacting one.

The stronger one's conscious energy, the better their chances of attracting a high-tier system spirit. For this reason, sects and clans spare no expense in gathering resources and medicinal pellets to nourish their disciples' souls, boosting their odds of summoning a superior system spirit.

Li Chen's summoning day was a grand event, with even clan elders in attendance, all filled with high expectations. A high-tier system spirit would mean a surge in the clan's strength and prestige.

However, to everyone's shock, Li Chen failed. He couldn't summon even a Low tier system spirit, and from that day on, his reputation and status plummeted, making him the Li Clan's laughingstock and a target for ridicule. His fall from young master to clan trash was unprecedented.

Though no one dared openly bully him due to his father's position, any trouble Li Chen faced, especially with Li Wei, was a source of secret delight for many who reveled in his misfortune.

Li Chen was aware of their animosity but had more pressing concerns, like dealing with Li Wei, who loomed over him.

As he struggled, a drop of his blood fell onto the jade dragon amulet around his neck, causing it to emit a faint glow. The sunlight was too bright for others to notice, but Li Chen felt it.

The amulet grew warmer, and a pull in his consciousness emerged—a sensation vaguely reminiscent of when his soul, trapped in an orb, was floating toward the Path of Reincarnation. This caused him to halt his struggle to rise.

'What the hell is going on?' Li Chen couldn't help but wonder, shocked by the sudden change.