[In the year 980 of the Heavenly Stems calendar, at age 0, you were born in a village near the border of the Great Gan Dynasty. As the only scholar in the village, your father named you Ye Li.]

In the year 982 of the Heavenly Stem calendar, at the age of 2, your father noticed that your learning ability seemed to be different from that of ordinary people.

While other children are still learning to speak, you can already communicate in a basic way, recognize many words, and have learned to walk.

(Entry - Triggered by "Achieve Twice the Result with Half the Effort")

Your father believes you have a special talent, so he took out a few books from the family library for you to read.

"That's wonderful, that's really wonderful! This is God blessing our Ye family."

I have indeed disappointed my father, failing to even pass the lowest level of the imperial examinations, but Xiao Li is different.

She can already study now; she'll definitely be a good candidate for the imperial examinations in the future.

Ye Li's father, Ye Chen, came from a family of scholars in a nearby city. Unfortunately, after three generations of taking the imperial examinations, not a single person had become a Xiucai (a successful candidate in the lowest level of the imperial examinations).

His family had to sell their land, so he had no choice but to come to this village and work as a schoolteacher to make a living.

There weren't many books left in the collection, and the one Ye Li was holding was "The Legend of the Heroes".

"What does it mean to take benevolence, righteousness, propriety, wisdom, and trustworthiness as the sword in one's heart, and for a true hero to serve the country and its people?"

Young Ye Li could read the words on it, but he didn't quite understand its contents yet.

I simply wrote these words down, kept them in my heart, and slowly came to understand them.

The fate of a young boy may have begun to change just like that.

[In the year 985 of the Heavenly Stem calendar, at the age of 5, because of your extraordinary talent, your father took you to his private school every day to audit classes. Among many children in the countryside, this little child stood out from the crowd.]

"Today I will teach you the way of a gentleman. Only by becoming a true gentleman can you pass the imperial examinations and achieve success in the future."

"These are the rules established by the founding Grand Chancellor of this dynasty for all scholars; you must remember them well and not be negligent in the slightest."

Ye Li listened quietly below. He had heard his father's words on stage many times at home.

His family hoped he would become a so-called gentleman and pass the imperial examinations.

Although Ye Li was still young, he could feel his parents' longing for him and their feelings of seeing him as their hope and future.

He can't reciprocate this feeling right now; he can only do his best.

Moreover, this so-called gentleman seems to bear some resemblance to the chivalrous figures he encountered in books during his childhood.

Both are dedicated to serving the country and its people, and both uphold righteousness; there is no conflict between a gentleman and a knight-errant.

(Entry triggered by popular demand)

After school.

"Ye Li, how about we go catch some small fish in the field, then we can set up a fire and roast them together?"

Ye Li simply shook his head in refusal; he preferred the books in his home to eating fish.

The private school was not far from the Ye family's residence; it was just a few fields away.

Walking along the country path, Ye Li suddenly heard a loud shout.

"Get moving..."

A burly man harnessed a plow to himself, lowered his body, pushed off with his feet, and strode forward, turning over the soil.

This man was different from ordinary people. When he exerted his strength, horns appeared on his head and muscles bulged in his limbs, making him look like a minotaur.

"Uncle Li, are you plowing the field?"

"Of course, Ye boy, you're not going home after school? You have time to watch me work?"

"It's alright, today's homework is already finished."

"Hey, it has to be you. You're the one in our village most likely to become an official."

Ye Li had heard Uncle Li's praise from many people before, and after hearing it so many times, he no longer paid it any mind.

As for the scene where he transforms into a minotaur, Ye Li was a little scared when he first saw it, but now he's used to it.

"It is said that thousands of years ago, a red comet streaked across the sky, and then the world was thrown into chaos."

In all walks of life, those who are deeply immersed in their own way will be accompanied by extraordinary phenomena.

A butcher who has slaughtered animals for many years may transform into a pig demon, while a master thief who steals from the world may transform into a gray rat.