Chapter Two: The Extraordinary

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Li Qi turned off his phone and walked for about five more minutes. From a distance, he saw a vast building occupying a large area. The exterior walls were painted a vibrant vermilion, and the main entrance featured a grand double wooden door, roughly four meters tall and six meters wide. The doors were also red, adorned with golden powder paintings of door gods.

At this moment, the gates were wide open, and people continuously streamed inside. Although Li Qi had witnessed this scene many times before, seeing it now with the memories of his past life restored stirred a ripple in his heart, a result of the contrasting worldviews between the two worlds.

On Earth, in his previous life, strong clan atmospheres remained mostly along the coast; elsewhere, such traditions had long faded. During festivals, people mostly worshipped their own ancestors separately, rarely gathering as a clan.

In this world, many places were similar, except for the Tian Nan region, which was somewhat different. Moreover, the Li family had produced a formidable figure who united the clan and set rules, creating this remarkable scene.

There was no denying that gathering many clan members meant greater strength. Li Qi himself had benefited from this.

The Tian Nan High School he was currently attending was the best in the entire Tian Nan City. His grades were decent but slightly below the admission threshold. However, since someone from the Li family was on the school's board, a few outstanding clan members were guaranteed spots each year without competing with outsiders, requiring only to outperform other young clan members. Thus, he had successfully secured admission.

As for the downside of a strong clan atmosphere, naturally, it affected the central government's control over local regions. But such matters were none of Li Qi’s concern; worrying about the nation and its people was not his role.

“A united heart moves Mount Tai. The old man really is impressive…” Li Qi thought, watching the bustling crowd at the entrance.

He had been a mere laborer in his past life and had faced many setbacks at work before realizing the advantages of having connections at home, especially in his hometown. If his family had influence, even without extra benefits, at least what belonged to him would not be snatched away.

If his clan had been cohesive back then instead of fragmented like sand, he wouldn’t have had to leave his hometown after graduation to become a laborer in another city.

“Leaving home makes one feel cheap” is no empty saying.

With those thoughts, Li Qi stepped over the threshold and entered the ancestral hall.

The architecture inside was simple. Right at the entrance was a vast square paved with gray bricks—immense and spacious enough to hold tens of thousands. Yet, the Li clan currently numbered only a little over seven thousand, counting all ages.

Walking straight ahead from the main door, one could see a wide staircase stretching up about three floors high. At the center of the stairs stood a large platform with a pure bronze incense burner, and above it was the main hall housing the ancestral spirit tablets.

The entire main hall was constructed in a classical style, exuding an ancient charm rich in cultural heritage.

After entering, Li Qi headed directly toward the main hall. The clan was large, so despite the grand size of the hall, it could not accommodate everyone. People were arranged by closeness of kinship and their past offerings—some stood inside the hall, others outside.

Li Qi’s family was an ordinary working-class household, so naturally, their offerings were modest. However, since his grandfather was a son of the direct brother of the clan’s old ancestor, their bloodline was close enough to secure a small corner inside the hall.

If in the future he had children but failed to achieve anything notable, they might only be allowed to stand outside during ceremonies.

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When Li Qi entered the main hall, many people were already inside, gathered in small circles, chatting and laughing.

Despite being a small family, social stratification was clear—wealthy families formed one circle, ordinary ones another.

Li Qi was long accustomed to such scenes, though before awakening, he hadn’t perceived any issue; now, the true nature of the world revealed itself to him.

His gaze swept the room and found his parents in a corner but he did not join them. Instead, he moved toward another corner filled with younger people.

“Qi, over here!” a young man called out, waving at Li Qi.

This was Li Qi’s cousin, Li Zheng, with whom he had a fairly close relationship.

Li Qi smiled and walked over, though his eyes briefly lingered on the spot nearest the ancestral spirit tablets—a place just over ten meters away from where he headed but feeling like a world apart. No one noticed the moment.

The young man leading the group there was sharp-eyed and seemed to sense Li Qi’s gaze, looking over briefly. However, he had no impression of Li Qi and paid no attention.

In this hall, many eyes watched him, but Li Qi’s gaze was noticeably sharper, which caught that man’s attention for just a moment—nothing more.

“Brother Tianxing, what are you looking at?” someone nearby asked out of curiosity; some people naturally drew more attention with their every move.

“Nothing,” Li Tianxing waved off the question with a smile and returned to the previous conversation.

...

“Qi! Just now Li Tianxing seemed to glance over here. Could it be he sensed my aura of strength?” Li Zheng joked as Li Qi approached.

Li Zheng was a lean youth with a buzz cut and sharp, bright eyes.

His father was the elder brother of Li Qi’s father. Li Qi’s grandfather was prolific, having four sons and three daughters in one go.

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Li Qi’s father ranked third among the siblings.

Compared to Li Qi, Li Zheng was a true prodigy, sharp-minded from childhood and gifted in martial arts.

Within Li Qi’s grandfather’s lineage, Li Zheng had always been the “other family’s child”—a shining example mentioned during festivals.

Of course, this was limited to that branch of the family. This world never lacked geniuses; even within the Li clan, there were more formidable figures, such as Li Tianxing.

“But Qi, you’ve really changed a lot—I almost didn’t recognize you,” Li Zheng said, stepping forward and patting Li Qi on the shoulder.

They hadn’t seen each other for a year. During the winter break, Li Zheng had been away competing in a math competition in another city and only just returned late last night.

As the quintessential “other family’s child” from childhood, he naturally carried some prestige.

“I wasn’t diligent enough with my sword practice before, so I put on some weight. Recently, I’ve had some insights and have been more committed,” Li Qi replied with a smile.

In truth, his “diligence” was more like relentless grinding aided by some hidden advantage. In just three months, his physique had transformed significantly; his face had sharpened from slightly round to well-defined.

“Sword practice is good! The sword truly must be practiced!” Li Zheng nodded approvingly.

“At this point, as long as one reaches the realm, any feat elevates them far above others. The advantage is huge…”

“Not to mention, those who reach the realm get a full 20-point boost on the college entrance exam…”

Li Zheng sighed. He was a year older than Li Qi, and the college entrance exam was just six months away. His realm status was...

At that moment, Li Qi focused his mind and saw semi-transparent words appear above Li Zheng’s head:

Realm: Mortal (92%)