My Luck stats are MAXED out!!

As Xiao Yao stepped inside, he felt an unusual sensation in the air—something beyond just oxygen. His body instinctively craved it, a strange yet natural desire surfacing within him.

Venturing deeper, he found himself in a vast cavern. Surprisingly, it wasn't shrouded in darkness; instead, a pale blue glow illuminated the space. The light emanated from stones inlaid along the walls, casting an eerie yet mesmerizing radiance.

At the very center of the cave sat a shriveled corpse, positioned in a lotus stance. Its bony hands rested on its lap, palms facing upward, as if in eternal meditation.

The figure was clad in a sky-blue robe, reminiscent of the vast heavens or the tranquil sea. But its body was nothing more than bones wrapped in a thin layer of withered skin, a mere husk of what once was.

Yet, what truly seized Xiao Yao's attention wasn't the corpse itself—it was the massive, blood-red writing scrawled beneath it.

In bold, jagged strokes, written in the common tongue, were the words:

"I HATE, HATE THIS UNFAIR WORLD, THIS UNFAIR HEAVEN."

Xiao Yao felt a sinister chill crawl up his spine as an overwhelming sense of malice radiated from the bloody writing on the ground.

In that instant, a vision surged into his mind.

Before him stood a majestic middle-aged man clad in sky-blue robes, a jeweled crown resting atop his head. His piercing red eyes burned with fury as he bellowed those very same words toward the heavens.

Below him, the land lay submerged under a vast, raging flood, as if trying to drown the sky itself. Towering serpentine heads, sculpted entirely from water, writhed and hissed, their venomous glares fixed upon the heavens.

Then—everything faded.

Xiao Yao found himself in an endless white void.

Standing before him was the same middle-aged man, yet now his presence felt weaker, his expression burdened with sorrow.

Upon seeing Xiao Yao, a look of realization flickered across the man's face, and an immeasurable sadness welled in his crimson eyes.

"Alas… so I failed after all," he murmured, his voice laced with regret.

Xiao Yao, still reeling from shock, quickly regained his composure and bowed deeply.

"Greetings, Senior! I do not know how I arrived here. If I have intruded, please forgive me!"

The man opened his mouth, as if to say something, then hesitated and closed it again.

Finally, with a calm expression, he spoke, "No need to be so restrained. The one standing before you is merely a remnant of my spirit. My true body… is likely outside, long dead."

Xiao Yao's eyes widened in shock. He struggled to reconcile this imposing figure, who once wielded the power to drown the world, with the withered corpse sitting lifeless in the cave.

But the spirit paid no heed to his disbelief. Instead, he looked at Xiao Yao with a weak smile and said,

"Now that you are here, at least there will be someone to carry on my inheritance."

Looking at the expectant middle-aged man, Xiao Yao hesitated before finally speaking. "Forgive me, senior, for my intrusion, but I may disappoint you." He gave a sad smile as traces of the original body's emotions surfaced. "I have no spiritual root to cultivate immortality."

The spirit listened, but instead of the disappointment Xiao Yao expected, he simply laughed out.

"Hahaha, it seems you don't realize the opportunity you've gained."

A glint flashed in his eyes as he continued, "Tell me, have you eaten anything extraordinary or experienced something unusual recently?"

Xiao Yao's eyes widened slightly in surprise. After a brief moment of thought, he replied, "Um, it was just a small blue fruit that released a fragrance when it touched water."

"As expected! You lucky little guy, you actually stumbled upon a Water Law Fruit," the middle-aged man said, a hint of envy in his tone.

'But how did this kid survive after eating it directly?' he wondered. Normally, consuming a Water Law Fruit required at least a Qi Refining cultivation level. Even for a low-level cultivator, the body would weaken and become powerless under its effects—let alone a mere mortal, who would likely have exploded from the overwhelming energy.

Unbeknownst to him, the fruit had already been partially absorbed by another, leaving behind only its core. The remaining energy, while still potent, was no longer enough to destroy a mortal body.

(Fat Fish: F*ck you again!!(- ¥ -))

But then, the middle-aged man shook his head. He was already dead—there was no point in overthinking it.

Taking on a serious expression, he warned, "Although you've told me, remember—never reveal the details of this fruit to anyone. If word gets out, both the righteous sects and demonic factions will hunt you down. This fruit's true value goes beyond merely enhancing or, in your case, creating a spiritual root. Its greatest power lies in granting its user a natural affinity for water-based laws."

Seeing Xiao Yao's puzzled expression, he continued, "You may not understand laws yet, but know this—they are the fundamental forces that shape our world and become crucial in the later stages of cultivation. Consider yourself extremely fortunate. This opportunity will greatly benefit your path ahead."

Then, as if foreseeing potential trouble, he added,"If someone finds out that you didn't have a spiritual root before and starts questioning you, just say you ate a three-meter-tall red-gold fish with a single blue horn on its head. That should be enough to keep suspicions at bay."

"Thank you for your guidance, Senior," Xiao Yao bowed deeply, this time not out of fear or awe, but with genuine gratitude.

The middle-aged man waved his hand dismissively, a faint smile on his lips. "No need," he said, but as he glanced at his increasingly translucent form, his expression grew solemn. "It seems my time is running out."

Before Xiao Yao could react, the spirit moved in a blur, appearing right in front of him. With a gentle yet firm touch, he pressed a finger against Xiao Yao's forehead.

A searing sensation spread from the point of contact as a mystical water snake mark emerged, coiling and hissing softly. Xiao Yao's vision swam, his thoughts growing sluggish as a wave of dizziness overtook him.

"This is all I can do for you," the spirit murmured, his voice carrying a trace of exhaustion yet also hope. His eyes, once filled with hatred and regret, now held a rare look of longing. "Perhaps you will defy this cursed fate… and achieve what I could not."

As his final words echoed, his body dissolved into countless specks of shimmering starlight. The glowing fragments drifted toward Xiao Yao, merging into the snake mark on his forehead. With each passing second, the mark darkened, pulsing faintly with an unfathomable power.