Chapter 2: Unyielding Golden Skeleton

"Trial Disciple Yang Kai, Tempered Body 3rd Stage!"

"Ordinary Disciple Zhou Ding Jun, Tempered Body 5th Stage!"

The voices echoed in the air as a group of young disciples gathered in a wide training area. The two combatants stood at the center, ready to clash, while the crowd cheered and jeered in equal measure.

This was the first thing Ryota saw when he opened his eyes.

"Where… am I?" he muttered, his vision still hazy.

Then, as he focused on the figure standing in the arena, his heart nearly stopped.

"Wait a minute… Isn't that Yang Kai? Did that Lilith actually make me reincarnate in the world of Martial Peak? My favourite manhwa?"

But just as excitement flooded his chest, a cold realization struck him like a lightning bolt.

"Hold on… If I didn't reincarnate as Yang Kai, then… who am I?"

As if responding to his thoughts, a series of translucent screens suddenly appeared before him.

[The reincarnation has been a success!]

[The host can now open his status window!]

"Wait! A system? That crazy woman even gave me a system! Lilith, please, if we ever meet again, marry me!"

"Status screen!" he shouted, unable to contain his impatience anymore.

A digital-like panel popped up.

[Name: Nie Yong]

[Race: Human]

[Class: --]

[Special Physique: --]

[Cultivation: 7th Initial Element Stage]

[Martial Skills: Swirling Wind Palm lv. 16]

[Secret Arts: Whirlwind Art]

[Soul Techniques: --]

[Body Refining Techniques: --]

[Divine Abilities: Copy]

[Talent: High (Talent is relative to this world's standards)]

[Dao: --]

[Charm: Worst]

"...What?"

Nie Yong.

Of all people… he reincarnated as Nie Yong.

A minor side character, a background mob, a literal nobody from the High Heaven Pavilion that got his soul eaten by the Old Demon!

"No, no, no, no, no! Why the hell did I reincarnate in the body Nie Yong!?" he screamed internally, his face contorting in despair. "Sigh... why did you do this to me, Lilith... I take my marriage proposal back..."

His gaze shifted back to the duel in the arena. Yang Kai, the supposed protagonist, was getting beaten to a pulp by his opponent.

His mind raced.

"Yang Kai is still weak… which means he hasn't found the Demonic Mystic Tome yet!"

A cunning grin spread across Nie Yong's face.

"Sorry, Yang Kai... I am sure you can find other magnificent opportunities with that godly luck of yours! The Demonic Mystic Tome will come with me!"

...

Nie Yong took a deep breath, suppressing his excitement. His mind had already formulated a plan.

"I need to be patient. I don't know where Yang Kai's hut is, so I should just wait for him to return there and follow him. I'll then ambush him and even if he notices me, this body is at the 7th Initial Element Stage, so there shouldn't be any problem..."

With that thought in mind, Nie Yong crossed his arms and watched the fight unfold.

It was a pitiful sight.

"So this is Yang Kai, huh… Even before obtaining the Demonic Mystic Tome, he already had such an unyielding will."

A strange feeling rose in Nie Yong's chest. Respect? Maybe. But admiration wouldn't stop him from taking advantage of his opportunity.

After another few exchanges, Zhou Ding Jun delivered a final heavy punch to Yang Kai's stomach, sending him crashing to the ground. The crowd laughed and mocked him as he coughed up blood.

The duel was over.

Yang Kai clenched his fists and pushed himself up weakly, ignoring the jeers of the other disciples. Without sparing a glance at anyone, he turned and walked toward his hut, his steps unsteady but determined.

Nie Yong smirked.

"Finally, it's time."

...

Keeping a safe distance, Nie Yong tailed Yang Kai all the way back to his small, rundown wooden hut at the farthest edge of the sect. It looked just as miserable as he had imagined—small, barely standing, and completely isolated from the other disciples.

The moment Yang Kai stepped inside, Nie Yong acted.

Nie Yong lunged forward, aiming to knock Yang Kai out instantly.

But there was a problem.

His movement was clumsy as hell.

Yang Kai, despite his injuries, sensed something was off and immediately turned around. His sharp eyes locked onto Nie Yong, freezing him in place.

"What are you doing here?!" Yang Kai demanded, stepping into a combat stance despite his battered body. His eyes were filled with suspicion. "Are you trying to kill me? Well, I won't go down without a fight!"

Without hesitation, Yang Kai lunged forward, executing the Long Fist, a standard technique taught in High Heaven Pavilion.

But to Nie Yong, who was at the 7th Initial Element Stage—thanks to the previous body owner's diligent cultivation—it was laughably slow.

"Well, at least that Nie Yong knew how to cultivate."

He dodged effortlessly, sidestepping Yang Kai's punch as if it was moving in slow motion.

"Too slow."

Nie Yong's hand shot out, striking precisely at Yang Kai's neck.

Thud!

Yang Kai's body tensed, his eyes rolled back, and he collapsed onto the floor, completely unconscious.

Nie Yong shook his hand, wincing slightly.

"Damn, that was easier than I thought."

A system notification popped up.

Nie Yong's eyes immediately widened as he stared at the system prompt before him.

[Would you like to copy Yang Kai's abilities?]

His breath hitched.

"Lilith..." he whispered, his voice trembling with excitement.

Then, suddenly—

"I LOVE YOU!" he practically screamed, eyes shining like a man possessed.

"You even gave me the ability to copy others' abilities?! I take back what I said earlier! I was a fool! A fool, I tell you! Please, Lilith, marry me!"

His dramatic outburst echoed through the hut, but the unconscious Yang Kai, of course, had no reaction.

Nie Yong took a deep breath, forcing himself to calm down. This wasn't the time to get emotional. His hands trembled slightly as he pressed "Yes."

[Copying in progress...]

[The Heavenly Martial Talent has been acquired!]

[Heavenly Talent for Dao of Space and Dao of Time has been acquired!]

[The trait Heaven's Luck has been acquired!]

"...Huh?"

Nie Yong blinked, staring at the notifications in utter confusion.

"Such talent…? But wasn't Yang Kai supposed to be a waste at the beggining? How the hell did he have this level of innate talent? Was his birth defect so extreme that it completely suppressed even this kind of monstrous potential?"

Nie Yong frowned, rubbing his chin.

This revelation completely flipped his understanding of Yang Kai's starting point.

"So even without the Black Book, this guy was destined to be a freak… The only thing holding him back was his defective body? Damn, no wonder he skyrocketed after getting the book."

A slow grin spread across Nie Yong's face.

"Well, mysteries can wait for later…"

His eyes gleamed with excitement.

"Demonic Mystic Tome! I'm coming!"

Without wasting another second, Nie Yong stepped over Yang Kai's unconscious body and entered the hut fully.

His eyes scanned the cramped, worn-down interior. There was barely anything inside—just a small wooden bed, a rickety table, and a few scattered belongings.

Nie Yong started rummaging through everything.

"Not here..."

He lifted a few old scrolls and clothes.

"Not this either..."

He searched under the bed.

"Where the hell did he put it?!"

His frustration grew as he tossed things aside in search of the legendary Demonic Mystic Tome.

Just as he was about to curse in rage—

Thud!

"AHHHH!"

A sharp pain shot up his foot.

Nie Yong hopped on one leg, clutching his toe.

"Shit! What the hell did I hit for a Initial Element cultivator like me to feel such pain—" He paused.

His eyes slowly trailed down to see the small, ordinary-looking black book that had just assaulted his little toe.

Nie Yong's expression froze.

Then, realization dawned on him.

His lips curled into a wide, triumphant grin.

"Finally! I found it!"

His hands trembled slightly as he reached down, grasping the Demonic Mystic Tome.

Excitement surged through him like wildfire.

"The Demonic Mystic Tome is mine!"

Nie Yong held the black book in his hands, his excitement bubbling over.

"This is it… The treasure that changed Yang Kai's fate and that's about to change mine as well!"

Without hesitation, he tried to open the black book.

But—

It didn't budge.

"Huh?" Nie Yong furrowed his brows and tried again.

Still, nothing.

It was as if the book was sealed shut by an invisible force.

"...Tch. Of course, it wouldn't be that easy." He let out a frustrated sigh, but then a thought struck him.

In the original story, how did Yang Kai activate the book?

"...Blood!"

Yang Kai had dripped his own blood on the tome, and only then had it awakened!

Nie Yong grinned.

"Alright, let's try it!"

He raised one hand to his mouth and bit down on his finger.

A small droplet of crimson blood welled up, glistening in the dim light of the hut.

With bated breath, he let the blood drip onto the Demonic Mystic Tome.

For a moment, nothing happened.

Then—

Whoosh!

A golden light erupted from the book, illuminating the entire hut!

Nie Yong's eyes widened as a majestic, otherworldly aura filled the space.

A golden skeleton shrouded in a mixture of golden and demonic energy rose from the tome, floating eerily in the air.

Nie Yong's breath hitched.

His heart pounded like a war drum.

"T-The Unyielding Golden Skeleton!"

Excitement exploded within him like a tidal wave.

This was Yang Kai's ultimate foundation!

This was the turning point of his journey!

And now—

It belonged to him!

The Unyielding Golden Skeleton immdiately radiated a terrifying, otherworldly aura, pressing down on Nie Yong like a mountain of divine wrath.

"What the fuck is this?! Didn't Yang Kai endure this at just the 3rd Tempered Body Stage—"

Before he could finish his thought, a dreadful sensation overtook him.

It was siphoning something from him.

His essence.

His Qi.

"Shit! It's even absorbing my Qi away? My cultivation will regress at this rate! Fuck you, Yang Kai! You made it seem so simple!"

The golden skeleton continued to devour his cultivation. 7th Initial Element Stage… 1st Stage… Tempered Body 4th Stage…

Nie Yong gritted his teeth in frustration.

"No, no, no! Stop!"

Tempered Body 2nd Stage… 1st Stage…

And then—

He felt the last remnants of Qi vanish from his body.

He had become a mortal.

A system notification appeared before his eyes:

[The host has lost all of his cultivation.]

Nie Yong's face twisted in pure rage.

His hands trembled, his breathing ragged.

"Fuck! If Yang Kai wakes up now, I'm doomed! Even if the skeleton stops draining me, I won't be able to fight back! He'll kill me! Why did I have to try to merge with it here? I'm so fucking stupid!"

But the nightmare wasn't over.

A faint, grinning expression formed on the Golden Skeleton's skull.

And then—

It started absorbing his soul.

Nie Yong's body shook violently as a chilling, agonizing sensation overtook him.

"This… thing… is trying to devour me completely?!"

His vision blurred. His consciousness flickered.

The skeleton's grinning expression seemed to taunt him, mock him, as if it had already won.

Nie Yong's fury exploded.

"You fucking skeleton! I don't care if you're the skeleton of a Demon God! And I don't care if I'm not Heaven's chosen!

His willpower surged.

His anger transformed into unyielding defiance.

With one final burst of strength, he reversed the flow—

And dragged the Unyielding Golden Skeleton into his body!

Boom!

A golden light exploded from within him.

A system notification popped up.

[The host has successfully merged with the Unyielding Golden Body!]

[The host has re-entered the 1st Tempered Body Stage!]

[Host's current combat power: 5th Tempered Body Stage.]

Nie Yong gasped for air, sweat dripping down his face.

Then, he clenched his fist—

And felt the boundless power of Unyielding Golden Skeleton surging within him.

"Hah… Hahaha! I did it..."

To be continued...

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I tried to keep the same flow of the old chapter, I changed a lot of things that didn't make sense, hope you liked it!

Have a great day!