Chapter 1: Medusa in the Trash Heap
“Finally, I’m eighteen…”
“My garbage yard should be opening soon!”
It was already past midnight, yet Chen Fan felt no trace of sleepiness.
Because the exact moment of his eighteenth birthday was just about to arrive.
In this era, turning eighteen meant becoming an adult.
But the coming-of-age ceremony was extremely special.
At that time, a personal garbage yard would be opened punctually.
Yes, in this world, in this era, everyone is the master of their garbage yard.
But these so-called garbage items were only considered garbage relative to the heavens.
To the humans of this world, the garbage contained far too many treasures.
Leftovers from the Immortal Realm, half-eaten dragon liver and phoenix marrow, the remnants of failed high-grade alchemical pills, pill dregs were heaven-defying treasures to mortals…
Even the remains of demonic beasts, indestructible skeletal corpses, and more were treasures to every garbage yard owner.
Sometimes, a random broken sword can slice iron like mud, and a tattered ancient book can contain cultivation techniques.
A hundred years ago, with a booming crash, everyone in this world discovered a garbage yard space appearing beside them.
From then on, the world entered the “Treasure-Hunting Era”.
In a century, the old order was replaced by a new one.
This world saw the rise of many immortals, many who could soar through the skies, burrow through the earth, and move mountains and seas.
Everyone, before the age of eighteen, basically studied at various academies.
Of course, they no longer studied math, physics, and chemistry, but various scripts, symbols, and treasure identification knowledge.
In a hundred years, humanity has deciphered many characters and symbols.
It was deduced that all this “garbage” actually came from different worlds.
Naturally, many cultivation systems were born as well.
But nearly everyone chose the most powerful system:
Mortal Realm – 108 layers,
Transcendent Realm – 72 layers,
Divine Realm – 36 realms,
Immortal Realm – 9 tiers.
These correspond to the 108 Stars of the Heavenly Cycle, the 72 Earthly Fiends, the 36 Celestial Spirits, and 9 as the ultimate number.
In the Mortal Realm, one must open 108 acupoints; in the Transcendent Realm, refine 72 dragon meridians; in the Divine Realm, open 36 cave heavens; in the Immortal Realm, construct a 9-tier celestial platform.
Of course, that’s the most perfect and powerful path—but not everyone can achieve such perfection.
This cultivation method is engraved within every garbage yard.
Once a person awakens their garbage yard, they automatically obtain this technique.
So now, it’s no longer a secret.
Just turned eighteen, Chen Fan had already opened 18 acupoints—he was at the 18th level of the Mortal Realm.
He could be considered a cultivation prodigy.
Of course, he still couldn’t compare to those monstrous talents born with acupoints already open.
As humanity grew stronger, the talents of newborns became increasingly monstrous.
Just as Chen Fan patiently awaited, he suddenly heard a thunderous sound in the void.
At the same time, golden light flickered at the center of his brow, forming a mark, like a crack.
Soon, the reverberating sound faded, and the mark on his forehead slowly receded.
“It’s finally opened!!”
Chen Fan smiled faintly. Through the mark on his forehead, he felt a certain connection.
He knew—this was the medium linking him to his own garbage yard.
“Let me see if there’s any good treasure in my garbage yard…”
Chen Fan was full of anticipation. He took a deep breath, closed his eyes, established the connection, and the next moment, his figure vanished from the room.
When he reappeared, Chen Fan found himself in a strange place.
Roughly ten li in radius, desolate, dim, and slightly damp.
The foul stench of garbage he had imagined was absent—instead, there was a faintly strange fragrance in the air.
Nor was there any pile of garbage.
This place felt like it was his domain—he could sense everything within a ten-mile radius.
In the sky, the most basic cultivation technique sparkled, continuously transmitting itself.
Opening his eyes, Chen Fan saw a body in the otherwise empty area.
It appeared to be a woman.
Chen Fan immediately ran over.
And in an instant, he froze, his eyes filled with awe.
The woman lay there, dressed in a luxurious purple brocade robe, exuding nobility, with a flawless figure impossible to conceal.
Her long, jet-black hair flowed loosely on the ground—if she were standing, it would likely reach down to her slender waist.
Even more striking was that beneath the hem of her robe, a section of a purple snake tail was exposed.
Chen Fan was stunned. Looking at the woman’s face, it was an almost demonic kind of beauty, utterly breathtaking.
On her head, she even wore a metal crown. Atop the crown, nine serpents seemed to rise…
“The Medusa Empress?”
Chen Fan murmured, snapping back to his senses slightly.
He couldn’t help but sigh deeply. Even a corpse stirred an alluring feeling in him.
“Hopefully, you’ve got some treasures on you…”
Finding a corpse on his first treasure hunt—it felt a little unlucky to Chen Fan.
So he crouched down and began searching, hoping to scavenge some treasure from her body.
This woman was clearly of extremely high status.
There should be no shortage of treasures.
As his palm touched the woman, Chen Fan exclaimed in surprise.
Then, he placed his hand over Medusa’s chest to confirm.
“There’s a heartbeat!”
“Faint, but she’s not dead!!”
“No way! Finding a living person in a garbage yard—I must be the first in history!!”
Feeling Medusa’s heartbeat, Chen Fan couldn’t contain his joy.