Hu BaiShe

"Where am I, again?" he wondered, glancing at his hands, foreign yet familiar. He frowned and tried to stand, but stumbled, falling to the ground, face down.

"Huh?" he muttered in disbelief. He felt heavy, as if he weighed a ton, and his body seemed devoid of all energy. His forehead was covered in sweat as he struggled, painfully, to get back up.

Once seated again, he took a deep breath to calm his breathing. "I'm in an unknown place, in an unknown body..."

"... but given the opulence of my clothes, I must have a decent status." He murmured to himself, calming down.

...

Several days passed, and Linfer remained in the same place, vainly trying to sense mana.

"Damn! Where the hell am I?"

However, one day, he perceived a powerful presence approaching.

*Knock knock.*

Linfer furrowed his brows, unable to stand or defend himself. He was already thinking of alternatives. "If it were an enemy, they probably wouldn't have knocked," he reassured himself.

"Come in!" he ordered calmly.

A man entered, visibly nervous. His luxurious clothes were less impressive than Linfer's. Moving slowly, he met Linfer's stern gaze, which made him tremble before hastily kneeling, slamming his forehead against the ground until it bled.

*'Is he crazy?'* Linfer thought, seeing the man act so extremely.

"I apologize, young master, if I've offended you in any way. Please punish me, but spare the kingdom!" the man pleaded, fear in his eyes as he trembled, unable to lift his head.

Linfer, impassive, remained silent for a moment. He sighed inwardly. *'Even the sycophants who served Octavius Vamp weren't this extreme.'* He thought, realizing he had a status high enough to inspire such fear.

In a cold but calm tone, he declared: "Get up. Who are you?"

The man timidly raised his head, still kneeling. "I am Zi Jiang, young master..." he replied. Linfer, unsure of his usual behavior, chose to remain austere and nonchalant.

"Jiang, do you know who I am?" Linfer asked with cold indifference.

Zi Jiang nervously swallowed before answering: "How could a humble prince of a small, ignorant kingdom even compare himself to the young master of the Ancestral Hu family..." he stammered, his face paling further.

"Continue…" Linfer ordered.

Jiang cleared his throat before continuing: "I, who am but a toad at the bottom of the well, dare not use my title before the young master of the Ancestral Hu Clan, an existence at the pinnacle of the younger generation of the Upper Plane..."

Seeing the dissatisfaction on Linfer's face, Jiang awkwardly tried to continue his praises, not realizing that Linfer only wanted one thing: to know his own name.

At least, Linfer now knew a bit more.

*'Always the Upper Plane, Lower Plane, and maybe the Underground Plane...'*

Now that he had some information about himself, he wanted to know what a supposed supreme being like him was doing in this corner of the world.

"Anyway, I hope you're not just here to praise me?"

"I wouldn't dare, young master. I come at the request of the young supreme, who wishes to speak with you. He awaits you in the inner garden."

"Who?" Linfer raised his eyebrows.

"Uh... the young supreme Xuan."

"Ah? Okay, tell him to come see me directly, if possible."

"Your wishes are orders." Jiang added before withdrawing.

A few minutes later, a teenager of about 14 entered. His mid-length black hair was tied back, and his demeanor reflected that of a young noble from a great family. His green eyes fixed on Linfer, then he sat opposite him.

"Big brother Bai, I thought you'd decided to enter seclusion for several years." he said, smiling sarcastically.

*'Hmm... He's young, but the aura he emits is almost suffocating. Compared to Jiang, it's a whole other level. And compared to the level I reached in my previous life... it's simply ridiculous, not worth mentioning. But where did I end up...'*

"It's important to meditate to calm our minds, little brother. After all, I haven't forgotten our main goal in coming here." Linfer replied, now bearing the name Hu Bai She, in his discreet quest for information.

"You, calm your mind? Haha, big brother, you're the most restless young master of the younger generation. Haha!"

"..."

*'So, this Hu Bai was the turbulent type...'*

"You seem a bit different, big brother Bai. Wait!"

Xuan Shen frowned, shocked. A slit opened in the middle of his forehead, revealing a completely green pupil. The young master froze, as if this eye was directly scrutinizing his soul, revealing all his secrets.

*'Damn! What is this technique? I've been exposed so easily!'* Rather than panicking, Linfer was already thinking of ways to get out of this situation, but he couldn't even speak, making his defense even harder.

Shen, with a serious face, approached further, while Bai She's back was covered in sweat under the intensity of Shen's aura.

"Big brother? So, you've already reached this level?"

"... Yes?"

"I suspected as much... Haha, even with the *Eye of Truth*, I can't detect your power. You're only a year older than me, but you've become so powerful! As expected of the heir of an ancestral family! Hehe. I can't wait to see you rival Qing Long when we return to the Immortal Tao Sect!"

*'Powerful? You're talking, I'm weaker than a shitty human right now!'* Bai She cursed inwardly while keeping a calm face.

"Qing Long, that brat? I doubt he could withstand three of my strikes."

"It's strange to hear you talk like a sect elder since you reached Ashkharsh. But aren't you underestimating Qing Long a bit? He's still the son of the Celestial Dragon and the Matriarch of the Ancestral Feng family, the Black Phoenix."

"Celestial Dragon and Black Phoenix? That reminds me of something..." Bai She murmured to himself.

*'Heir of the Dragon? Heir of the Phoenix? No, it can't be...'*

"The Black Phoenix, you mean the one who wields a flame?"

"The Flame of Destruction. But I don't think Qing Long possesses it, otherwise she wouldn't have hidden it during your last confrontation. To be honest, I think you could have won, because when Qing Long used..."

*'Flame of Destruction? Alderbaran?'*