Chapter 1: Max-Level Comprehension

The Great Yan Dynasty.

Qingzhou.

Xuemei Villa.

Plum blossoms, white as snow, fell in petals, and mixed with the color of blood, they appeared all the more desolate. The sounds of shouting and killing completely shattered the villa’s former tranquility and beauty.

"Kill!"

"Today, not a single living thing in Xuemei Villa shall be spared!"

"Don't let even an ant escape!"

The cold, ruthless shouts cut through the freezing wind, sending a bone-chilling shiver through anyone who heard them.

It was in this environment that Ning Qi regained consciousness.

"Am I... transmigrated?"

It was no wonder he thought so. One moment he was on a hospital bed waiting for the countdown to his death, and the next, he had transformed from an adult into an infant, seemingly caught in the middle of a vendetta.

That’s right.

Ning Qi was absolutely certain that he had become a newborn baby. The warmth of being wrapped in swaddling clothes diluted much of the discomfort brought on by his tiny body, but regardless, this was already much better than his previous life.

In his past life, he had suffered from an extremely rare case of ALS at a young age. He spent his final years in a hospital bed, eventually dying in darkness and loneliness.

"At least I'm still alive... even if the situation isn't great."

Perhaps due to the transmigration, Ning Qi found it easy to understand the meaning behind the words being shouted.

Ning Qi heard those murderous voices piercing through, causing the body of the woman holding him and running at high speed to tremble slightly. He himself began to feel nervous; if given the choice, who would want to face death again just after being reborn?

He struggled to open his eyes, but his eyelids were still crusted with dried secretions from birth.

From his angle, he couldn't see the woman's true face, but the sight of her fair, smooth chin alone was filled with a heart-warming tenderness. Ning Qi felt as if he could sense a bond between them, like a resonance of bloodlines.

"Is she my mother in this life?"

No sooner had this thought crossed Ning Qi's mind than the young woman rushed into a study. She tapped a mechanism in a specific pattern, and a hidden compartment appeared.

The woman leaned down and gently placed Ning Qi inside the compartment.

By the faint light, Ning Qi finally saw the contours of her face.

She possessed a comfortable, delicate beauty, her eyes filled with gentleness. As a new mother, the radiance of her maternal love was enough to make one’s heart tremble.

The woman’s weak, sorrowful voice rang out

"Qi'er, you must survive. Mother must go and face the enemy with your father. If you are blessed by gods and immortals, do not blame your parents in the future."

Ning Qi felt warm lips press against his forehead. A few teardrops fell gently onto his face, and the reluctance in the woman's gentle eyes was palpable.

Then, the woman turned away resolutely. The sound of the mechanism clicked, and darkness shrouded Ning Qi once more.

A trace of sorrow welled up in Ning Qi's heart.

Although he had just transmigrated, the resonance of their bloodlines could not be faked. This was his birth mother; even in their brief time together, he could fully feel her love and protection.

But now, he feared the worst.

From his mother's weak tone, it was clear that having just given birth, she was forced to face the enemy. The situation was dire. He didn't know where the enemies came from, but they had seized this exact moment like vipers emerging from their hole, and they would certainly not let him go easily.

Facing such a dangerous situation right after transmigrating, Ning Qi’s nerves began to tighten.

He did not want to die like this.

He began to listen carefully.

The thick walls of the hidden compartment muffled most of the sound, but he could still hear the sounds of slaughter drawing closer—the clashing of metal and various booming noises were incessant.

Ning Qi gathered two pieces of information.

First, the power level of this world was likely quite high.

Second, the Xuemei Villa where he was born was about to fall.

His heart sank further and further.

"What do I do? If these enemies slaughter everyone in the villa, can I hide from their search?"

Even though he was safe in the hidden compartment for now, what if the enemies discovered him through means like sensing his breathing?

In a world with such high power, Ning Qi would not rely on luck.

He began to minimize his movements within the swaddling clothes as much as possible, keeping his breathing as shallow as he could.

But the sense of unease still lingered.

Especially as the sounds of shouting grew quieter, replaced by the dense thud of footsteps, the kicking of doors, and the sounds of begging, this unease became intense. He had a strong premonition that he would be discovered, that he would be found.

He knew that Xuemei Villa was finished.

His birth parents were likely already doomed.

But Ning Qi had no time for grief; the heavy sense of crisis left him no room to think of anything else.

"Search! Search carefully!"

"Don't leave a single corner unchecked! Not a single living soul can be left behind!"

"Especially the child of Ning Ye and Jiang Xuemei! Find him for me! Root them out completely!!"

That low, malicious voice made Ning Qi’s heart beat violently.

He desperately tried to suppress his movements, but his body's instinctive reactions were beyond his control.

"What do I do? What do I do?"

Ning Qi’s mind raced, searching for a strategy.

He was currently just an infant with no power to resist, not even the ability to move or run. The only thing he could do was try his best not to be discovered by the enemy; otherwise, it was a dead end.

Just then.

The world suddenly went quiet.

It was as if light and time had lost all meaning.

Ning Qi felt his consciousness enter a strange state, as if he were omnipotent, capable of controlling everything.

But this feeling lasted only for a fleeting moment before the world became noisy again.

Then.

A flash of inspiration crossed his mind.

It allowed Ning Qi to instantly understand what had happened. He had transmigrated and lived a new life, and it seemed he had activated something extraordinary. He felt his thoughts leaping with incredible clarity; his comprehension had been boosted to a terrifying degree!

That flash of light illuminated his past and present lives, letting him know that this was his one-hundredth life. The previous ninety-nine lives had all been filled with suffering, and even the beginning of this one-hundredth life was marked by misery.

"A hundred lives of suffering—did even the heavens find it unbearable and decide to grant me a cheat?"

Ning Qi was stunned.

Then, he was overjoyed.

He did not forget his current predicament and immediately began to contemplate.

The flash of light gradually dissipated, letting him understand that his current comprehension was at the absolute limit of what his current life force could sustain—no one could surpass it.

"In other words, at the same level of life force, my comprehension has reached the maximum limit possible. No one can match me. Not only that, but if my life force evolves in the future, my comprehension will always remain at this maximum, full-load state!"

"This is max-level comprehension! It’s maxed out at all times!"

Joy surged in Ning Qi’s heart.

This might be his ray of hope!

He could feel his mind was more active than ever before; a thousand ideas were born from a single thought. This was a miracle that ordinary people could not comprehend.

"Max-level comprehension is powerful, but it won't turn me into a peerless expert instantly. The most urgent task is to escape this predicament!"

Previously, Ning Qi couldn't control his breathing or heartbeat, but now it was different. He could fully perceive his physical state and find the patterns within it.

The commotion outside grew more intense.

Ning Qi’s thoughts moved at the speed of light.

"In my past life, I heard of breathing without using the nose or mouth, like a fetus in the womb—this is 'fetal breathing'."

"I was just born, my body hasn't been fully contaminated by the outside world yet. I can occasionally enter a state of fetal breathing. I couldn't grasp it before, but now it's different. Not only can I grasp it, but I can find the patterns and control them..."

"That faint, warm energy flowing in my body—could it be the innate energy that comes with being an infant? How amazing. If I let it circulate in a specific pattern, gathering all the innate energy in my body so it's no longer scattered, this warmth will be greatly enhanced and can protect my infant body!"

"..."

As his thoughts turned, Ning Qi quickly captured that magical state and took it a step further, merging it with his innate energy.

At a speed visible to the naked eye, his erratic heartbeat and breathing began to become steady and faint, until they disappeared completely!

If someone were to look at Ning Qi now, they would likely mistake him for a dead infant.

Ning Qi’s eyes held a hint of joy.

"I'll call this breathing technique the 'Innate Fetal Breathing Art'."

It wasn't some supreme martial art, just an internal breathing technique rooted in the special state of an infant, but with the support of innate energy, it remained incredibly miraculous.

Ning Qi began to operate the Innate Fetal Breathing Art he had just created with all his might.

At this moment.

As the warm energy flowed through Ning Qi’s body, he felt no discomfort even though his nose and mouth were tightly closed. His pores opened and closed slightly to replace breathing, and even the hunger that had been growing stronger with time dissipated for the most part.

It was truly miraculous.

The sense of unease that had been clinging to Ning Qi finally faded significantly.

Having entered the state of Innate Fetal Breathing, Ning Qi’s perception was incredibly sharp, and he could clearly hear the situation outside.

The chaotic, dense footsteps sounded constantly, and they even entered the study where he was hiding more than once. There were sounds of blades hacking and various booming noises, as if they were violently destroying everything around them.

He guessed it was blade qi or sword qi, which shocked him.

Fortunately, Xuemei Villa was large, and the study where Ning Qi was hidden was inconspicuous. Without any traces being revealed, this place did not receive focused attention.

Instead, some hiding servants were dragged out and executed on the spot.

On the roof of Xuemei Villa.

A burly man in black frowned, his left hand clutching his shoulder where there was a gruesome sword wound. His right hand occasionally lashed out with sword qi, splitting houses in two with peerless power. Occasionally, some stragglers were discovered, but this was undoubtedly inefficient.

Moreover, he had found no trace of the child of Ning Ye, whom he wanted to find most of all.

His inner irritation grew.

Black-clad men gathered from all directions and said respectfully

"Lord Feng, we have searched everywhere that should be searched, but there is no movement at all. Your subordinate has also carefully sensed every corner, but there is not the slightest sound of an infant crying or a heartbeat. Could it be..."

Before he could finish, Lord Feng waved his hand to interrupt him. He said coldly

"Impossible!"

"Jiang Xuemei just gave birth, and the couple has already died by my hand. It is impossible for this child to have been sent away so quickly!"

His eyes scanned the area fiercely, and he vented by unleashing waves of sword qi. His figure flashed rapidly around the villa, but he still could not sense the slightest movement of an infant.

Finally, Lord Feng gave a sinister laugh.

"You’re good at hiding!"

"Set it on fire! Burn Xuemei Villa to ashes!"