Chapter One: The First Taste of Blood

In this vast world, wonders abound, yet it is only the rare and extraordinary beings of heaven and earth that are seldom seen.

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Late at night, in the Ye residence.

A ceaseless buzzing filled his ears, as if a swarm of mosquitoes had taken flight around him. Yun Yi, whose last memory lingered on the final hours of a late shift, grew increasingly irritated by the persistent sound.

His eyes snapped open. Suddenly, Yun Yi found himself in an ancient yet exquisitely decorated boudoir. Beneath his gaze, a plump-cheeked girl lay fast asleep on a soft couch, her rounded face serene in slumber.

As he watched, the girl turned over. Her gauzy nightgown slipped from her shoulder to her chest, revealing two distinct mounds.

Yun Yi was stunned by the sight.

He was still a virgin—how could he have ever witnessed such a scene?

Startled, he began flitting about in panic, not knowing if his commotion was what disturbed the sleeping girl.

She squinted, irritably swatting at the air with her hands.

To his credit, Yun Yi’s reflexes were quick; he dodged her hands one after another.

But soon, something felt wrong. Though he could move his body freely, he clearly felt himself flying—hovering in midair.

That was impossible.

As an ordinary man, how could he fly?

“This… this can’t be. I must still be dreaming!” Yun Yi was dazed, his mind reeling in confusion.

Out of habit, he tried to slap himself awake—but the limb he raised was a long, hairy appendage.

“No…” Yun Yi glanced down and screamed silently.

Just then, a sudden gust of wind swept from his left. He spun around to see a chubby hand reaching for him—far too quickly for him to evade.

Just like the Monkey King disrupting Heaven, he could never escape the Buddha’s Five Finger Mountain.

Yun Yi was sent flying dozens of steps by a single slap. By sheer luck, he landed on the soft violet curtain by the window.

A moment later—

“That hurt like hell!” Yun Yi exclaimed aloud.

Moments later, he slid down the curtain and landed on the floor.

His body aching as if it were in pieces, Yun Yi cast a cold, hateful glare at the girl on the couch.

Suddenly, a figure appeared before his eyes—a female mosquito with ornate wings and a swollen belly. She fluttered past him, wings humming.

She only made it a few paces before she caught sight of Yun Yi.

She paused, looking him over. He was quite large—his belly even bigger than hers. Not that she cared; she was simply hungry.

“Come on! Let’s go together—this one’s nice and plump!” the mother mosquito urged him in their mosquito tongue.

Hearing talk of drinking blood, Yun Yi felt a wave of nausea. Yet just then, his stomach rumbled with hunger. Starving to death seemed even less appealing.

He recalled the girl’s merciless slap earlier and found himself a justification: a few sips of blood would serve as her apology.

He followed the mother mosquito straight toward the sleeping girl.

After a while, the male and female mosquitoes landed on the same jade-like arm, each taking a section—the upper half for one, the lower for the other.

Gazing at the plump ‘blood bank,’ the mother mosquito’s eyes gleamed with greed. Without hesitation, she plunged her proboscis in.

Yun Yi, watching, couldn’t bring himself to do the same.

After a few gulps, the mother mosquito, perhaps tired or suddenly distracted, noticed Yun Yi’s inaction. She wondered if he was a female, drew closer, and urged, “Hurry up and drink before she wakes up!”

Yun Yi still hesitated.

The mother mosquito paid him no further mind, intent on sating her own hunger. But before she could rest, a massive hand descended from above.

With a loud smack, the mother mosquito was reduced to pulp.

A drop of fresh blood splattered before Yun Yi.

Driven by hunger, he couldn’t help but lick it up.

Immediately, a sense of foreboding surged within him as the blood churned in his body.

“No way!”

“Is this girl’s blood poisonous? Am I going to die?”

Despair flooded Yun Yi’s heart.

The blood grew hotter and hotter, burning like fire. His expression contorted in pain, his awareness fading.

As consciousness slipped away, scenes from his past life flickered before his eyes like a shadow play—a programmer’s life, toiling endlessly, working from nine to eleven, never earning his boss’s regard. Then, when layoffs came, he was the first to go. On his last day, the company wrung him dry, making him work until three in the morning.

That night, for reasons unknown—

He had worked late into the night, when suddenly the whine of a mosquito buzzed in his ear. Then, darkness fell, and all went blank.

When he awoke, he was here.

That was all—simple and brutal.

“Am I really going to die?” Yun Yi muttered weakly, a look of resignation on his face.

Just as he was about to cross the threshold of death, a reversal occurred.

His tiny body began to swirl with threads of spiritual energy, his aura growing ever stronger.

Moments later, his body doubled in size.

His tools for feeding had evolved as well.

Realizing he had not only survived but evolved, Yun Yi rejoiced.

Just then, he heard a low buzzing from within. Closing his eyes, he focused inward.

Soon, he discovered a blood pearl within him, faintly glowing red.

The pearl was about the size of an infant’s fist, its surface inscribed with intricate patterns reminiscent of ancient demon arts. The outer layer gleamed with an alluring red light, while its interior was transparent, clearly revealing the crimson liquid flowing inside.

The blood within the pearl ran like tiny red streams, continuously supplying Yun Yi with strength.

The blood had filled about a third of the pearl.

Just as Yun Yi was about to withdraw his spiritual sense, a surge of inherited memory flooded his mind.

Assimilating this knowledge, Yun Yi quickly understood his current state—how much blood he would need to grow stronger and evolve.

He learned that he was now at the half-monster stage. With more blood, he could become a true spirit.

If he could fill the pearl completely, he would obtain one drop of pure essence blood—enough to immediately ascend to the spirit stage and gain a human’s lifespan of one hundred years.

“Could this be inherited memory?” As this thought crossed his mind, Yun Yi suddenly recalled something else, a look of confusion in his eyes. “Wait, could that girl be a cultivator?”

With this suspicion, he stole a glance at the girl, who still slept soundly. He was about to stretch his head out for a better look when voices drifted in from outside the room, interrupting his thoughts.

“What? You say the young miss is still cultivating?”

“Of course. The entrance exam for Xuanyuan Sect is in two months. How could she hope to pass without reaching Half-Step Foundation Establishment? She has to train hard.”

Inside, Yun Yi was both surprised and delighted. First, he could understand the speech of these ancient people; second, he could be certain this was no ordinary ancient world.

“Half-Step Foundation Establishment—isn’t that a cultivation stage in web novels?”