The Cyan Mountains stretched for hundreds of miles, rich in resources and teeming with countless birds and beasts. Innumerable towns and villages dotted the landscape on either side of the range.
Cyan Peak Town was one of the many small towns at the foot of the Cyan Mountains.
The night air was slightly cool.
In Cyan Peak Town, aside from a few lingering lights, the vast majority of the townspeople had extinguished their lamps and gone to sleep.
Inside one house, a couple and a large-headed toddler were crowded onto a single bed, their breathing rising and falling in rhythm.
Clearly, they were sound asleep.
From behind a worn-out cabinet in the room, a faint, subtle sound could be heard.
SQUEAK SQUEAK
Hidden within the narrow gap behind the cabinet was a small mouse.
It had grey fur and was no bigger than half a palm.
...
Name: Xu Chang'an
Bloodline: Ordinary Grey Rat (Ungraded)
Lifespan: 1 year
Realm: None
Skills: None
Energy: (0/3)
Xu Chang'an gazed at the data panel only he could see, his feelings somewhat complex.
'I can't believe I've been reborn.'
In his previous life, he'd also possessed this panel. Through his own outstanding talent, indomitable will, relentless effort, and...
a little help from the panel, he had successfully broken through to the Late-stage Core Formation Realm.
Unfortunately, during an expedition into a secret domain, he was first grievously wounded by traps, then ambushed by a fellow Cultivator, costing him his life.
'I thought it was all over.'
'I never thought I'd be alive again.'
As a small mouse.
To go from a dignified Core Formation Ancestor in his past life to an ordinary mouse that couldn't even be considered a demon...
'This...'
'Even if I couldn't be part of the Human Race, being a tiger cub would have been much better.'
Mice are naturally timid and fearful, and their lifespans are short.
'What a terrible start!'
Fortunately...
'The panel is still here!'
This panel had been his ace in the hole in his past life. Otherwise, with the aptitude of his Middle-Grade Spiritual Root, he never would have become a Core Formation Ancestor.
The panel was simple, with only two functions.
First, it absorbed the spiritual essence of all things and converted it into the panel's Energy.
Second, the absorbed Energy could be used to raise one's Cultivation Realm or Skill level.
All things possessed spiritual essence, and the panel allowed him to make that essence his own.
By using the panel's power, a Cultivator could break through any so-called bottlenecks, as long as they had enough Energy.
However, the panel did have one limitation: this function couldn't be used on the essence of flesh and blood.
'Trying to rapidly increase my Cultivation by killing and devouring flesh and blood is not an option!'
'Since I've been given a second chance at life, you can be sure I'll remember this betrayal.'
There was no rush for revenge. He was currently weak and hadn't even begun to walk the path of cultivation. He was just a Little Grey Mouse whose Spiritual Wisdom had only just awakened.
The Cultivation Realm he came from was called Canglan. He had no idea where he was now.
'My first priority is to figure out where I am and whether there are any Immortal Cultivation Sects or Clans nearby.'
'Also...'
'This one-year lifespan is a huge problem. I need to get on the path of cultivation and become a true demon, fast. Otherwise, I'll probably just die of old age.'
'I'm only a three-month-old baby! Why do I already have to worry about dying of old age?!'
Behind the cabinet, the Little Grey Mouse's eyes glinted with intelligence as it let out a series of squeaks.
...
After two days of exploring and gathering information, Xu Chang'an finally figured out where he was.
The town he was in was called Cyan Peak Town. There were no Cultivators in the town.
A few years ago, an Immortal Seed had appeared and was sent to the Li Family, a Cultivation Clan, for training.
The fact that the townspeople still spoke so fondly of an Immortal Seed who had appeared years ago spoke volumes about how rare it was for ordinary people to possess a Spiritual Root.
Speaking of the Li Family, they were a behemoth that loomed over the entire surrounding region. Cyan Peak Town was within their jurisdiction.
However, Cultivation Clans focused their attention on the Cultivation Realm; an Immortal Master might not visit a mortal town like Cyan Peak Town even once in a decade.
The Li Family was a proper Foundation Establishment Clan, with a Foundation Establishment Ancestor anchoring the clan's destiny.
They were said to have more than ten Cultivators at the Late-stage Qi Refining Realm alone.
And countless more at the Early to Mid-stage of Qi Refining.
They were truly a formidable power!
This was all information Xu Chang'an had pieced together from snippets of conversation among the townspeople.
In the past two days, besides gathering information, Xu Chang'an had also found a way to raise his Realm and truly become a demon.
He had found the town's largest pharmacy!
The Fang Family Pharmacy!
As for the specific situation, Xu Chang'an had already scouted it out last night.
The Fang Family Pharmacy spanned five storefronts and boasted a vast array of medicinal ingredients.
It had one Shopkeeper, one accountant, and two official Pharmacists, in addition to five apprentices.
Behind the pharmacy, connected directly to the Fang residence, were six rooms and a small courtyard. One of the rooms was where they stored their medicinal herbs.
Some of the aged medicinal herbs met the panel's requirements and could be converted into Energy.
Having cased the joint in advance, tonight was the night Xu Chang'an would make his move.
Dark clouds shrouded the sky that night, and the moonlight was dim.
CLANG~
"The air is dry, the wood is brittle... watch for fire and candlelight."
On the streets of Cyan Peak Town, a night watchman walked by.
From the dark shadows at the side of the road, a small, grey blur scurried past.
'This is the place.'
Xu Chang'an, a tiny little thing, huddled in a corner, looking at the shop door not far away.
A plaque hung above the shop door, inscribed with the words "Fang Family Pharmacy."
The front of the Fang Family Pharmacy was shut extremely tight; the door panels were sealed, without any gaps.
If he wanted to get in through the main door, it would take Xu Chang'an two days to chew a small hole.
That was too inefficient and didn't align with his plans.
So, he chose to...
Climb the wall!
The shop was at the front, with a courtyard and houses at the back, surrounded by a stone wall.
The wall was over half a zhang tall, slightly higher than a grown man.
An ordinary little mouse would not be able to climb such a high wall.
But, Xu Chang'an...
He, naturally, could.
The wall's surface was uneven, with many protrusions and indentations.
By planning a reasonable route, getting over the wall was not difficult.
In just a short while, Xu Chang'an's tiny body was over the stone wall.
As he was climbing down, a small accident occurred. Before he was halfway down, he lost his grip and tumbled to the ground.
Fortunately, a mouse's body is flexible and its fur is soft. He was just a little tumbled about, but otherwise unharmed.
'Even climbing a wall is this much work. I'm still too weak!'
Xu Chang'an grumbled to himself and scurried toward the storeroom he had scouted earlier.
The night was already deep. There was no one in the courtyard, and the lights in the other rooms had also been extinguished.
Xu Chang'an reached the herb storeroom without any trouble.
Although the door to this room was shut tight, the door panels were not sealed perfectly. In the middle, and especially at the bottom, there was a sizable gap.
The backyard was not like the front of the shop. The front was for appearances and couldn't have the slightest flaw. The back was a different story.
To a person, a gap like this was useless—it might as well not have been there.
But for Xu Chang'an, it was completely different.
With a twist of his body, he zipped through the gap and into the room.