“Your Majesty, are you feeling alright?” An old man looking like a wizened monk asked with worry clear on his face. Wearing a suit that resembles a butler or a secretary, he was the definition of politeness and fineness. His long, white eyebrows with slight spikes at the end of both of his gave him an even more mystical sense.

The target of his question and worryness was a tall, majestic middle-aged man, with gold eyes and a long, wavy hair to the back of his head, with an imperial hairpin filled with gold and silver colors. He seemed as though a true dragon was coiling in an imperious manner and looking at its subjects.

Sitting in a grand throne that was old-looking, with carefully polished black stones decorating it imperiously, his expression unreadable. The purple-gold robe with the ancient language of the first people Li engraved on it, meaning “Emperor” and “Heaven”, definitely added to his charismatic aura around him, not to mention his features that were anything but those of a low born. It seemed as though this man was born to exclusively rule above all.

“To think I’d hear such a question coming from you, Eunuch Mu, who would have thought” the man chuckled slightly, “But yes, I am fine” A glint flashed through his golden eyes.

The old man, Eunuch Mu, simply bowed and walked backwards, letting the man to his thoughts. He of course would not have asked such a question if not because of a reason. After all, if there was someone who knew the man sitting on the grandiose throne better than most people in the Qing Dynasty, it was definitely him.

Were it not for the incoming first prince that was being birthed right now, and in consequence the Emperor focusing his attention that was already divided - into the room where his wife, the Empress of the Qing Dynasty, is currently giving birth to his soon-to-be firstborn.

There was silence in the grand Everchanging Hall, where the Emperor permanently resided every moment besides attending to important things that demanded his presence in person.

Along with the main Eunuch, in this case Eunuch Mu, the Emperor was permanently residing over this majestic place in the Imperial Palace, managing every situation alongside the main Eunuch who at the same time was the voice and eyes of the Emperor, monitoring every King and Lord in the Imperial Court.

However, due to the Emperor being of a high level, it was no problem for him to divide his attention a few hundreds or even thousands of times to at the same time do different things, such as the important moment for his only wife and firstborn.

And that was one reason he wasn’t actually feeling all well, in a psychological way of speaking. Which is why the Eunuch asked him in the first place, because the wise old man noticed all of this accurately, as he should have.

…

..

.

‘It seems that being did something, which I still don’t really know of’, thought a newborn. He was named Ji Xitian, as his father, which he couldn’t see even at the time of the naming ceremony, stated it.

But of course, the newborn wasn’t just a normal newborn. The body of the newborn was occupied by the soul of a middle-aged man that took the place of the newborn’s soul.

‘Let’s try it all to see what works out. System, Interface, Menu, Status, Parameters, St….’ the newborn kept thinking nonstop, still in the embrace of his mother. The woman seemed to not notice the strangeness of her child, yet she couldn’t have possibly noted anything since the child had his eyes closed softly, as though he were sleeping.

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‘So, no System. No warning, no nothing. Not that I expected anything, but I still need to know how this down-graded version works too’, thought Ji Xitian.

‘Then, I should first start to gather information. Map out my surroundings, learn the language, the culture and start making financial advances. And… starting learning why or what did the father of this child do to make his voice sound over here when he couldn’t be seen, and a lot of strange things, such as the strange transparent membrane around me and this woman’.

‘But first, act like a few-hours-old baby. Oh God, this Saint really doesn’t have an easy life, do I?’ Ji Xitian thought while holding a chuckle.

…

..

.

(One year later)

‘I… can’t believe it. Truly, what a wonderful and mystical world that mysterious being sent me in.’ A one-year-old child had a thoughtful look in his eyes. His blue eyes resembling gems with their brightness looked almost mystical.

Ji Xitian still almost couldn’t believe it. He was thrown here, with supposedly a down-graded version of a wish he made to an unknown being. Another thing to make note of, he still didn’t find anything related to what he wished for. It was only a year and a few days since he was born, but he still couldn’t find anything about it.

And although he had found about a few things that actually made him ecstatic, there were still some things that put him on edge. But mainly, it was his identity, which is quite delicate, though with its advantages. And he would make use of it at its fullest.

He is the first child of the thirteenth generation of the Ji Clan, the ruling force of the Qing Dynasty. Which means he essentially was the Crown Imperial Prince, the heir of the current Emperor of the dynasty. This position came with a lot of benefits. First of all, he wouldn’t lack resources, which would be needed to walk across the immortal path.

The protection he received was top-notch too. The Ji Clan, and the Qing Dynasty as extension, took it very seriously. His safety was non-negotiable, and he was being watched every second of every day, without any break. And he already saw his protector, as the old man occasionally approached to talk with the Empress when she was alone in her own personal space of the Imperial Palace.

‘The immortal path… so, I wasn’t wrong in the end. Making all those theories in the early days was indeed the correct direction, as I already heard enough to confirm my suspicions’. Ji Xitian already had his suspicions about some kind of power system, although not related to magic nor any fictional or non applicable energy laws.

With enough time, he could always gather pieces of everything he heard. After all, with his acquired eidetic memory, he could remember everything with surgical precision. It was no problem to learn a new language, though it sounded slightly like how the Chinese people spoke in his original world.

Of course, it didn’t mean he was a genius or something like that. It was just that his focus and discipline were something he trained to almost a perfect level in his past life, and as such the results showed themselves. He successfully acquired - though he was still sure there was a big contribution to it by the mystical energy he could feel - a complete eidetic memory, or photographic memory as some may call it, as well as a strangely good eyesight and a clearly healthy young body.

It seemed as though his genetic code was nothing but the best, which was one of the very few things he was thankful to have. Another thing was his good comprehension, boosted by his memory, making it a very terrifying combination. He even felt that the control he exerted over practically everything about him was strangely improving even though he couldn’t do anything about it because of the permanent bodyguards he got.

‘And of course, I am dead sure I am even more restrained because of that old man looking 24/7 towards me. I am completely sure he keeps watching me in some mystical form that I am not aware of at the moment’, he thought while sheepishly looking at the woman feeding him.

‘So… gotta keep low and continue gathering more information. Good thing is that I keep improving my deceit skills, but I wonder how long I should keep this pitiful act. I could be doing so much more than just this…’, he mentally sighed again as he thought of the things he could be doing now. He of course would ask at random moments to the mother of the body he’s inhabiting about the outside world, as he was forbidden from leaving the Genesis Garden, the only place in the palace that belonged exclusively to the Empress, and none could enter it without the explicit permission of the Emperor, the Empress or other higher-ups at the same level or higher.

‘Patience, I must persevere walking forward through this path full of uncertainty and perilous dangers’, a terrifying light appeared inside his blue eyes, ‘As some say; Thine Commitment Shall Be’.