Chapter 1: Crossing Over and Encountering Cattle and Horses

The sun blazed overhead, the height of summer scorching the earth. At the hottest hour of noon, an unusually long queue stretched along the central street of Yanlin City, its members dressed in various styles, each wearing an expression of eager anticipation, as though awaiting some grand surprise.

Chu Qiuci stood among them, though having arrived late, she was relegated to the distant end of the line. The scent of sweat mingled with the pungent odors of assorted beasts filled her nostrils, nearly overwhelming her despite a month of acclimation; the sun threatened to peel her skin, and all she wished for was the shade of the nearby trees.

“Little Chu, don’t fidget now. If the Immortal Master comes out and thinks we’re disrespectful, it won’t be good.” Just as she tried to quietly shift her feet, a massive bovine head loomed before her, its broad, flat nose even larger than her face, snorting twice and covering her cheeks in a haze of cow breath. The bovine aroma now thoroughly saturated her.

Well, she was marinated through and through.

The close-up view of the cow head, two or three times larger than a human’s, had once made Chu Qiuci want to scream in terror. Now, she could calmly tilt her head and respond.

“Alright, Uncle Ox.”

“You child, how many times have I told you my surname is Ma, not Niu,” the cow head corrected.

“Alright, Uncle Horse-Cow, no problem, Uncle Horse-Cow,” she replied obediently.

“...”

Yes, Chu Qiuci had transmigrated.

The good news: it was a physical transmigration.

The bad news: she’d landed in a den of monsters.

The first time she opened her eyes to find herself surrounded by cow-headed and horse-faced figures at her bedside, she thought she was finished. Only after a few days did she realize these weren’t monsters, but the most ordinary inhabitants of this world. Their unusual appearances were a result of awakening their ancient bloodlines.

Here, before adulthood, people were human in form. Upon coming of age, they could awaken the ancient bloodline within, triggering atavistic transformations—such as becoming cow-headed, growing scales, and so forth.

Thus, Chu Qiuci was naturally taken to be underage. Given that a disaster had recently struck the nearby border town, everyone assumed she was a refugee, and allowed her to stay temporarily in a dilapidated house in Green Ox Village.

At first, Qiuci was terrified, but after a month… she simply got used to it.

In just one month, she had evolved from trembling at the sight of cow-headed and horse-faced villagers to becoming a formidable presence who could help them lift their tails without batting an eye, even when heading to the restroom together.

She had adapted and ascended; the entire village of cow-heads and horse-faces now appeared almost handsome in her eyes. After all, even back on Blue Star, wasn’t everyone a bit of an ox or a horse?

Her presence here today was because it was the once-every-three-year bloodline awakening day. Early that morning, Uncle Ma, the village chief, had gathered all the unawakened children and brought them to the Spirit Testing Hall in Yanlin City, thoughtfully including her.

“Qiuci-jie.” Lost in thought, she felt a tug at her sleeve and turned to finally see a normal human face.

“Hmm?” Instantly, Qiuci felt the cow and horse scents disperse a little.

“I’m so nervous. What do you think we’ll awaken?” The girl’s bright eyes sparkled with expectation and anxiety. Bloodlines mostly followed one’s parents, but there could be exceptions.

“I… don’t know.”

The girl, Feng Ting, was also from Green Ox Village. Unlike Qiuci, Feng Ting was a true orphan, raised by the village, and shared the same shabby house as Qiuci, often looking after her.

So, though Qiuci had good relationships with the village’s women, her bond with Feng Ting was strongest—not at all because helping others lift their tails was too much trouble.

“The village chief says most of us will have the Green Ox bloodline.” The girl’s gaze dimmed, sighing, “If only we had a spiritual root; then even with the Green Ox bloodline, we could join a sect.”

Yes, a spiritual root. Qiuci learned today that this world had the possibility of cultivating immortality. Bloodline awakening was tested alongside spiritual roots, granting a chance to enter a sect and begin cultivation.

Who wouldn’t dream of immortality? Qiuci certainly did, but the problem was, she was just an ordinary person.

Bloodline? Does the Yanhuang bloodline count?

“Heh, let’s hope so,” she replied casually, though inwardly she was anything but calm.

If she failed to awaken anything, would she be treated as a monster and skewered for roasting? This world seemed quite feudal, with its suspicion of outsiders. The prospects did not bode well.

The more she thought, the more anxious Qiuci became, wanting only to flee.

Unfortunately, the village chief, a good horse-cow, especially when in charge of a group of children, seemed to possess 360-degree vision. Not only was slipping away impossible, even moving a step out of line was instantly noticed.

On the way to the city, Qiuci had tried every excuse—foot pain, headache, stomachache, anything she could think of—to escape, but the result was… she was carried here all the way by the chief.

Qiuci: “…”

Just as she was racking her brain for more excuses, the doors of the Spirit Testing Hall finally opened. A wave of cool air swept out, refreshing the sun-weary crowd and banishing their fatigue.

From within stepped a tall figure, not much older, clad in white robes that carried a hint of immortal dignity. He swept a glance over the assembled crowd and spoke in a clear voice.

“Those awakening, follow me into the hall. Others, wait here.” With that, he turned and walked inside.

The queue began to move, entering the hall one by one.

Uncle Ma, who had kept a close eye on her, nudged her forward, signaling her to go in.

With gritted teeth, Qiuci stepped inside, bracing herself. The oppressive heat vanished as soon as she crossed the threshold, as though separated from the outside world. It felt just like stepping into an air-conditioned room—clearly, cultivators in this world were not without their tricks.

She looked around the Spirit Testing Hall. Contrary to the ornate tower she’d seen from outside, the interior was a vast, empty space. Most importantly, there was only one door—the main entrance! Not even a back door. Disappointing!

In the center of the hall, a formation was drawn on the floor, glowing with a faint white light. At its heart stood an ancient stone tablet, inscribed with something she couldn’t quite make out from afar, perhaps due to age.

“Everyone, enter the awakening array in order.” The white-robed youth wasted no words, beginning the awakening process at once.

The boy at the front of the line stepped into the array, face tense, looking at the white-robed youth.

“Place your hand on the awakening stone, calm your mind, and focus on sensing the power within you.” The youth instructed, adding, “No matter what happens, don’t be afraid. Don’t remove your hand from the tablet until the awakening is complete.”

“Yes, Immortal Master!” The boy nodded, then placed his hand on the stone tablet.