I reign supreme in the Western fantasy world for eternity.

Pushing open the door, one finds a living room even larger than Ji Tian's home in this life.

The first thing Ji Tian noticed was the embroidered tapestry on the wall. The pattern resembled a family crest, with fine stitches, indicating that it was quite valuable.

Several rows of leather-bound books were neatly arranged on the bookshelf by the window. The gold lettering on the spines had faded, indicating that they had been frequently read.

The fire in the fireplace was burning brightly, the firewood crackling and making the whole room warm and cozy.

A young girl leans against the window, her back to the door.

She held a short staff in her hand, the shaft of which appeared to be some kind of dark wood, and the gem at the top gleamed with a faint blue light in the firelight.

Ji Tian couldn't see her face clearly, but he could see that her light golden hair was styled into two braids that hung down her shoulders, with the ends tied with ribbons of the same color in a bow.

She turned around.

Ji Tian recognized her—it was the one who had peeked out from the carriage that day.

At around 112 years old, her features were as delicate as a porcelain doll, her skin was so white it looked like she had never been in the sun, and even her lips were a pale pink.

She was wearing a light blue dress with delicate embroidery on the neckline and cuffs. The hem of the dress just covered her ankles, revealing a pair of white lace stockings and black leather shoes.

But her expression was not quite what Ji Tian had imagined.

He had imagined many times what kind of person this "young lady" would be.

Is she the spoiled, pampered, and willful young lady? Or is she the haughty, arrogant descendant of nobility?

neither.

Her expression was one of... boredom.

A deep-seated, bone-chilling boredom, as if one had seen through everything in the world, emanated from the heart. His gray-blue eyes seemed veiled in a thin mist, revealing no emotion whatsoever.

Is this... "the decline of the powerful"?

She looked Ji Tian up and down.

Her gaze lingered for a moment on his dusty gray clothes, then swept over the crookedly woven straw sandals on his feet, and finally looked at his face.

The whole process took no more than three seconds, but Ji Tian could sense the scrutinizing tone—more like a perfunctory confirmation of something's existence than criticism or disdain.

She looked up at the old housekeeper.

"Really just one?"

The old butler's tone was respectful but not subservient, as if speaking to an equal adult, "One is enough. Miss can try it on first, and if it doesn't suit you..."

"Never mind, it's all the same."

The girl interrupted him, her tone devoid of any sullenness, simply accepting a less-than-ideal outcome.

She walked to the sofa and sat down, her skirt spreading out above her knees, her posture elegant as if she had practiced countless times. She gestured to the chair opposite her.

"Please sit down."

Ji Tian did not sit down.

He stood there, looking at her calmly. The firelight from the fireplace danced on his face, casting a long shadow.

The girl raised an eyebrow slightly and said:

"What's wrong? Can't you sit down?"

"meeting."

Ji Tian's voice sounded somewhat out of place in the warm room, with the straightforwardness typical of children from the village. "But in the village, children stand and listen when adults are talking. I'm not sure if the rules are the same here."

The girl chuckled upon hearing this, but then quickly suppressed her laughter, as if she felt she shouldn't be so easily amused.

"The rule here is that when my father, Viscount Pompeii, is not around, I am the law. My rules are the rules."

She spoke casually, but Ji Tian could tell that she was used to giving orders and having others obey her.

Ji Tian sat down.

"What's your name?"

"Ji Tian".

How big?

"112".

"What?"

"fight."

The girl's expression was exactly the same as the old butler's back then: she paused slightly, then narrowed her eyes.

"Fighting?" she repeated, as if to make sure she hadn't misheard. "Do you know why I'm looking for playmates?"

"To relieve boredom."

"So, do you think fighting can relieve boredom?"

Touching on Ji Tian's area of ​​expertise, he patiently explained, "It depends on how you fight. If you just stand there and let others hit you, that's certainly boring. But if it's a direct confrontation—"

The girl interrupted him, "I don't know how to fight."

"Then I can teach you."

Silence, deafening.

The only sounds were the crackling of the firewood in the fireplace and the distant chirping of some unknown bird outside the window.

The old butler coughed beside him, seemingly trying to remind Ji Tian to be mindful of his behavior.

In this family, probably very few people would dare to speak to the young lady in such a tone.

But the girl wasn't angry.

She looked at Ji Tian, ​​her little black leather shoes swaying gently under the sofa. The thin layer of boredom in her eyes dissipated, revealing a deep-seated curiosity beneath.

That curiosity was very faint, like a fish swimming under the surface of a lake in winter, its outline vaguely visible, but it would disappear as soon as you got a little closer.

She judged, "You've got guts. The last person who dared to talk to me like that is probably peeling potatoes in the kitchen right now."

"Because he said the wrong thing?"

"Because she's boring, and I can't be bothered to keep a boring person around."

She stood up, walked up to Ji Tian, ​​her skirt swaying gently with her movements, and looked down at him.

From this distance, Ji Tian could smell a faint fragrance emanating from her, like the scent of some kind of herb mixed with the smoke from the fireplace.

"You better not bore me."

Ji Tian looked up at her.

From this angle, he could see the color in her eyes; it was a very pale grayish-blue, clean and cold.

He replied earnestly, "I won't let you get bored."

The girl stared at him for a few seconds.

She turned and slowly walked back to the window, her movements still unhurried, but with something more than before.

Her voice returned to its nonchalant tone as she said to the butler, "Arrange accommodation for him, somewhere close to me."

Then she added another sentence.

"Starting tomorrow, take me out for a walk."

The old butler paused slightly, "Miss, outside—"

The girl's tone was somewhat impatient, as if this issue had been discussed countless times. "I know it's not safe outside right now. That's why I need someone who can fight. Isn't that your reason for looking for him?"

The old butler opened his mouth.

He probably meant something like, "It's not just 'unsafe' outside," that there are werewolves, goblins, and bandits and deserters who seem to appear out of nowhere.

What good is a 112-year-old boy who can fight?

But in the end he didn't say anything, he just nodded.

In this house, the young lady is in charge.

When the master is not around, she is the most important person in the world.

This was a rule she set herself, and it was a rule that everyone tacitly accepted.

Ji Tian stood up and followed the old butler outside.

As I reached the door, I heard a girl's voice behind me.

"Oh, right, you said you could teach me how to fight?"

Ji Tian stopped and turned to look at her.

She leaned against the window, the firelight from the fireplace shining in from the side, sculpting a distinct silhouette of light and shadow on her face.

The pale blue skirt draped over the carpet, the floral pattern at the neckline appearing and disappearing in the light and shadow.

She still held the short staff in her hand, the gems gleaming with a faint blue light in the firelight.

"Yes."

"I want to tell you," the girl said, raising her short staff with the tip pointing in Ji Tian's direction.

She spoke in a language that Ji Tian couldn't understand.

The syllables are short and forceful, with a strange rhythm, unlike ordinary human language, but more like some ancient, innate chanting.

Then, a ball of flame rose from the sky.

Just half a foot above the tip of the staff, a fireball the size of a fist appeared out of thin air, its orange-red light instantly illuminating half the room.

A wave of heat hit me, carrying a faint smell of sulfur.

The girl's face was so bright in the firelight that it seemed unreal, and the flickering flames were reflected in her gray-blue eyes.

She slightly raised her chin, a hint of a smile on her lips.

"Hmph, what's the use of being good at fighting? Mages are the most powerful."

Ji Tian's pupils suddenly contracted.

He stared intently at the fireball, his gaze so intense it seemed he wanted to devour the flames. His mind raced, all the knowledge he'd gained from online novels in his past life flooding back like a burst dam:

"Fireball"

"No, it's not a 'technique'—this is the external projection of spiritual energy! It's the 'spiritual energy manifestation' that only cultivators at the Qi Refining stage can achieve!"

"Her speed in condensing magical energy... is equivalent to the Qi Refining stage. Her foundation is still shallow, but her approach is correct."

"I see... I see!!"

"The 'magic' of this world is just a variant of spiritual root cultivation! Magic power is spiritual energy, magic essence is the spiritual energy of heaven and earth, and magicians are cultivators! They're just different names for the same thing!!"

His lips trembled slightly, and he unconsciously murmured aloud, his voice so low that only he could hear it:

"...Samadhi True Fire...Spiritual energy taking form...Refining essence into qi...This fireball of hers hasn't even refined the 'qi' to perfection; at most, it's just 'ordinary fire,' not even rank one...But the path is right...This path is right!!"

The old butler frowned, not quite hearing what he was muttering.

The girl noticed his reaction—it was... how to put it, like the look in the eyes of someone who had been starving for a long time suddenly seeing food.

She thought Ji Tian was stunned by the magic, and her smile deepened.

She brandished her short staff, and the fireball flickered slightly. "So? Do you still think fighting is useful?"

Ji Tian took a deep breath and forcefully suppressed the excitement that was about to burst out of his chest.

His expression returned to calm, but the fire in his eyes was not extinguished; it was simply hidden deeper within.

He was about to ask something—how did you learn it? Who taught you? Can I learn it?—but the old butler patted him on the shoulder, signaling him to follow.

Ji Tian had no choice but to turn around and walk out.

The moment the door closed behind him, he heard the girl chuckle softly.

It was short and light, like talking to oneself.

But Ji Tian had no time to pay attention to that laughter.

He walked down the corridor with the old butler, his mind filled with the image of that fireball.

"magic."

"There really is magic in this world."

"And it's exactly the same as the underlying logic of cultivating immortality."

"Spiritual energy projection, elemental affinity, divine sense manipulation... it's just a different name."

"So, can someone without magical perception cultivate magic through 'entering the Dao through martial arts'?"

"Or, is there a way to modify one's spiritual root later in life?"

"In my past life, there were at least seventeen methods in online novels—the Marrow Cleansing Pill, the Spirit Opening Fruit, the Nine Revolutions Tendon Changing Classic, the Heavenly Demon Disintegration Technique…"

"No rush."

"First, we need to figure out what the magic system of this world is like, and then see if we can graft the methods of immortal cultivation onto it."

"If all else fails—"

He clenched his fist.

"—I will prove my Dao through force. Lacking spiritual roots, I will refine my physical body to its limit, using my blood and qi to simulate spiritual power. In my previous life, I could withstand the great tribulation of destiny; in this life, I can also achieve sainthood through my physical body!"

The old butler led him through a long corridor.

The hallway floor is dark wood, which makes a slight creaking sound when you step on it.

Every few steps along the wall, there is a wall lamp, its dim light casting a yellowish glow on the oil paintings on both sides of the corridor, making them appear half-lit and half-dark.

The people in those paintings are dressed in clothes from different eras, but their expressions are all similar: serious, arrogant, and expressionless.

The old butler stopped in front of a wooden door.

"This is your room."

He pushed open the door, the hinges making a slight scraping sound. The room was small but clean and tidy: a bed with a white sheet and a thin blanket; a table with a ceramic pot and a glass of water on it; and a wardrobe with its door ajar, revealing a few changes of clothes hanging inside.

The window faces the training ground behind the manor.

From here you can see sand dunes, wooden dummy posts, archery targets, and weapon racks with several swords and spears hanging on them, though the details are not very clear in the twilight.

The old butler's voice sounded from behind, "Starting tomorrow, you will accompany Miss every morning, and you are free to move around the training ground in the afternoon. Weapons and protective gear will be provided for you."

Ji Tian nodded without saying anything.

After the old butler finished speaking, he turned to leave.

But he took two steps and then stopped. He didn't turn around, and his voice was a few decibels lower than before, "Boy, actually, the young lady is a magician and doesn't need protection. It's just that she doesn't have many peers to talk to in this fiefdom."

Ji Tian replied, "I know."

It's reasonable that cultivators who cultivate Qi don't need the protection of mortals; that's how it's written in online novels.

The old butler said nothing more and walked away. His footsteps faded into the distance in the corridor, finally disappearing around a corner.

Ji Tian closed the door.

He walked to the window and opened it.

The evening breeze carried the scent of earth and grass. The training ground was larger than he had imagined, with several small flags planted along the edge of the sand, swaying gently in the wind.

Several guards were patrolling in the distance, their armor reflecting a dark red light in the setting sun.

He leaned against the window frame, looking at the distant horizon.

The sun was setting, and the clouds on the horizon were burned to a dark red, as if something was on fire.

The wooden dummy on the training ground cast long shadows, and the blades on the weapon racks occasionally flashed.

He recalled what the traveling merchant had said.

werewolf.

Goblin.

Magician.

The Knights Templar.

And, the Demon King.

There are so many things in this world that he hasn't figured out yet.

But it's okay.

He has plenty of time.

First, restore your martial arts skills to the level of your previous life, figure out what the combat system of this world is like, and then see if there is any opportunity in the magic field.

That fireball...

Ji Tian's lips curled up slightly.

interesting.

He turned and sat down on the bed, the bed frame making a soft creak.

The bed sheet was made of cotton. Although it had been washed many times and was a bit stiff, it was still much better than the straw mats in the village.

He lay down, put his hands behind his head, and looked at the halo of light on the ceiling illuminated by the wall lamp.

Starting tomorrow, I'm going to take her out for a walk.

It's not safe outside.

But it's okay.

He will make this place safe.

Ji Tian closed his eyes.

The girl's voice still seemed to echo in my ears—

"The mage is the most powerful."

"Nonsense," he thought to himself. "All paths to the ultimate truth lead to the same goal; when refined to the highest level, who is inferior to whom?"

"The methods of using spiritual power are ever-changing, but they all follow the same principle: refining essence into qi, refining qi into spirit, and refining spirit to return to emptiness."

"Her fireball wasn't even refined to perfection; at most, it was at the Great Perfection of the Qi Refining Realm."

"And I—"

He looked down at his hands.

"Although I am just a mortal now, my 'Dao Heart' has already been tempered by two lifetimes."

"Just give me time..."

He looked up at the stars that were gradually brightening in the night sky.

"I will reign supreme in this world for all eternity!"