Jiang Lin had been feeling a strange sensation lately.
This feeling was confirmed shortly after he entered the cultivation room.
His points were all converted into Yin Qi Pills, and he swallowed them one by one.
Halfway through the Yin Qi Pills in his hand, layers of ghost qi began to rise around Jiang Lin.
The ghost qi within his body surged like a river.
It constantly rushed and impacted.
He ate all the Yin Qi Pills in one go and then focused on breaking through.
The ghost qi that had accumulated for so long was all used at this moment.
He had expected it to take a long time to break through the barrier of the Ghost King realm.
However, everything seemed to happen naturally.
After all the Yin Qi Pills turned into Yin Qi and entered his body, the barrier broke on its own.
The ghost qi within his body instantly surged into a larger vessel.
The ghost qi emanating from Jiang Lin erupted with a bang, rushing outwards.
The domineering ghost qi directly blasted a crack in the ceiling of the beginner cultivation room.
The crack spread rapidly like a spiderweb.
Fortunately, the erupting ghost qi only lasted for a moment before returning to Jiang Lin's body.
All his aura was contained.
At first glance, he looked like an ordinary ghost who had never cultivated.
Is this the Ghost King realm?
Jiang Lin felt the power within his body and tried to extend his hand, slowly clenching it in the air.
Bang, bang, bang!
A series of explosive sounds echoed in the air.
Compared to before, the ghost qi within his body had become even more formidable.
Jiang Lin suddenly felt as if he could summon clouds with a flip of his hand and bring rain with the other.
It was a novel feeling.
It was as if he had suddenly reached another height.
At the same time, fragmented images suddenly appeared in his mind.
It was like opening a long-sealed memory box.
Natural disasters were rampant, and people were clad in rags and starving.
Wars broke out between countries vying for resources.
The air was filled with the dead, cries, and shouts.
And amidst these scenes, Jiang Lin saw a somewhat familiar child.
The child's face bore some resemblance to his current appearance.
Jiang Lin vaguely realized something, could this be memories from my past life?
He watched these scenes from a third-person perspective, as if watching a story.
It was also like having a dream.
When he was nine years old, his village suffered from a drought, and not a single crop grew.
People died of starvation or illness.
His mother also died of illness.
Before her death, his mother seemed to have said many things, the most frequent of which was:
Live on.
After his mother's death, he cried bitterly and then buried her himself.
Later, the remaining villagers gathered and decided to go to the capital together.
Under the emperor's feet, there should be a place for them to drink.
Jiang Lin also followed in the group.
On the way to the capital, the villagers were relatively united.
But people still died one after another.
When they were lucky, they could find some food and a good place to shelter from the rain.
When they were unlucky, they would encounter other refugees who would rob them.
All the way, he quietly huddled in the middle of the group.
During breaks, he actively helped with chores.
Gathering firewood, finding water sources and food.
After months of struggling along, they finally reached the gates of the capital.
They were among the early arrivals and were fortunate enough to enter the city.
Not long after they entered, the screening of refugees became stricter.
Under the pretexts of illness and barbarism, a large number of refugees were blocked outside the capital gates.
And those in Jiang Lin's group who entered the city discovered a problem:
The food supply within the capital was not abundant.
Facing them, the people here, perhaps having experienced something, were not very friendly.
Although the capital distributed porridge to refugees daily, the quantity was limited, and the porridge became thinner and thinner.
Not long after entering the city, the villagers dispersed, each seeking their own survival.
Those with some strength or a bit of education went to find work in wealthy households.
Although the wages were low, at least they had food to eat and a roof over their heads.
If they were lucky enough to gain the favor of their employers, they would not have to worry about not having enough to eat or wear for a while.
Their living standards soared.
Jiang Lin had neither strength nor education, nor any relatives.
Even if some kind villagers wanted to help him, they could only help for a short time.
Many refugees without work grew thinner and thinner, until only bones remained on their bodies.
There were even rumors of cannibalism.
Just then, Jiang Lin met an old beggar.
The old man was not a refugee but had been begging in the capital as a beggar for half his life.
He taught Jiang Lin how to beg, how to read people's expressions, and where to find food.
In this capital, some people starved, while others feasted.
Some kindly offered porridge and charity, while others, displeased, would beat the weak.
But compared to the wars outside, these matters were probably trivial to the powerful figures above.
Three years later, the wars between countries intensified.
Troops and provisions were being mobilized everywhere.
At that time, six countries were at war.
The Qi Kingdom, where Jiang Lin was located, was constantly being weakened in terms of strength and territory.
There were even rumors among the populace that the current emperor was weak and that someone else was more suitable to be emperor.
Jiang Lin and the old beggar only listened to these words. Their daily concern was
how to fill their stomachs.
By then, Jiang Lin had grown taller.
However, due to malnutrition, he looked even smaller than ordinary children of the same age.
And in this year, something very important happened to him.
It was also a turning point in his life.
"Damn you, you stinking beggar, how dare you loiter around me!"
"If it weren't for you scoundrels wasting food, I wouldn't have been blamed by my father!"
"You scoundrels who waste food! What's the point of living!"
On the street, a luxuriously decorated carriage stopped to the side.
A man dressed in fine clothes had an ugly expression and sinister eyes.
He cursed and kicked the stinking beggar at his feet wantonly.
It was as if he wanted to vent all the grievances he had suffered in the palace that day.
How could he, a mere prince, not eat lavishly!
What was wrong with being extravagant?!
These stinking beggars were nothing, yet they were still alive and wasting so much food!
"What are you looking at! You people are usually protected, and now you can't even produce a little food, what's the use of raising you!"
People on the street shrunk their necks, cursing inwardly, and hurried away.
Although they were also unhappy, it was not worth offending the Ninth Prince for an unrelated beggar.
Otherwise, they would be the next to suffer.
When Jiang Lin rushed over after receiving the news, the old beggar also saw him.
The old beggar did not speak, subtly shook his head, and signaled him to leave quickly.
Jiang Lin immediately turned around and found a place to hide.
Over the past few years, the old beggar had taken him around to beg and find food, teaching him many things.
He had also encountered such unreasonable people before.
The old beggar had once said that when encountering such people, one should ignore them and not act impulsively.
Being insulted and kicked a few times wouldn't kill him.
But if he acted impulsively, it would cost him his head.
In this capital, there were many nobles and dignitaries.
They could not afford to offend them, nor should they provoke them.
It was enough to be alive.
He listened to the old man.
At that time, the old man said that if he followed him and obeyed him, he could survive.
Jiang Lin did as he was told, and he had survived until now.