Chapter 1

"Daniel! You bastard, where the hell are you? Get over here and scrub my back!" Jennifer Walsh's disdainful voice rang out in the luxurious bathtub.

Next to her sat her best friend, Charlene Geller.

The two soaked comfortably in a temperature-controlled bath, their long, fair legs kicking up and splashing water.

They weren't just best friends—they were famously known as the "Twin Beauties of Qranross". Both were recently honored as two of the Top Ten Outstanding Female Entrepreneurs in Qranross.

Hearing Jennifer's loud call, Charlene quickly nudged her. "Jennifer, are you crazy? I'm still here! How can you call your husband to scrub your back with me around?"

Jennifer waved her hand dismissively. "Husband? He's nothing but a fool to me. He's just an obedient dog in my eyes. What's the big deal if a dog happens to see you?"

At that moment, the bathroom door opened.

Dressed in tattered clothes, Daniel Ashcroft entered with a mop in hand and a goofy grin on his face. He had just been cleaning the bathroom, and the sour smell on him mixed unpleasantly with the humidity in the air. His wet feet left dirty footprints behind as he stepped onto the bathroom floor.

Upon seeing his shabby appearance, Jennifer narrowed her eyes in annoyance. She abruptly stood up, grabbed a whip from beside her, and lashed out at him.

Four lashes landed in quick succession.

Blood instantly seeped from the cuts on his face and back while his already ragged clothes were reduced to hanging strips of fabric.

"You bastard! Don't you know how to remove your shoes before entering the bathroom? I've been feeding you for three years, and you still don't understand basic rules!"

Three more lashes followed, and Daniel's foolishly handsome face was now marked with fresh wounds.

Satisfied after venting her frustration, Jennifer relaxed and leaned forward against an inflatable cushion by the bathtub. "Come here. Scrub my back and give me a massage."

Still smiling dumbly, he obediently approached and massaged her back with utmost care. Despite facing two stunning, barely dressed women, his expression remained utterly blank.

Charlene laughed and remarked, "Jennifer, you didn't marry a husband—you brought home a slave."

Jennifer reveled in the massage, a smug look on her face. "I only married him three years ago to get my hands on his family's wealth. Initially, my grandfather wanted to get rid of him once he was no longer useful—dump him in the desert and let him fend for himself.

"But then, I realized keeping him around as a dog was much more amusing!" She laughed before adding, "Whenever I'm in a bad mood, whipping him a few times or making him lick my feet instantly lifts my spirits."

Charlene sighed. "I envy you. You have a massive fortune now and a personal punching bag to vent your frustrations on. I, on the other hand, am drowning in stress. My grandfather is gravely ill, my business is in crisis, and I have no one to take it out on."

Jennifer chuckled mischievously. "How about I lend Daniel to you for a few days? Torture him anyhow you like. It doesn't matter even if you kill him."

"Really?" Charlene's eyes gleamed with wicked excitement.

Not long after, she left Jennifer's house, dragging Daniel and the whip along with her back to her villa in Stellar Heights.

Charlene sat on the couch inside the luxurious living room, crossing one leg over the other. She pointed at Daniel and commanded, "Kneel and massage my legs."

He did as he was told, gently patting and pressing her legs.

She raised an eyebrow, chuckling. "Your technique is quite refined. Jennifer has trained you well. To think that you were once the heir of the wealthiest family in Qranross and a famous playboy admired by many… Who would have thought you would end up reduced to a slave and treated like a dog?"

He remained silent, his hands carefully massaging her legs.

Feeling an unfamiliar sensation, she frowned slightly.

Thinking she was dissatisfied, he anxiously increased the pressure of his massage.

"Ah!" Charlene gasped. A sudden tingle ran through her body, stirring a strange warmth.

Blushing with embarrassment and anger, she swiftly lifted her leg and kicked him hard in the stomach. "Bastard, where did you learn such lecherous techniques? Go squat over there!"

Without a word, Daniel obediently shuffled to the corner and squatted down.

She stormed off to her bedroom and returned moments later with a small packet of white pills in hand.

Walking over to him, she sneered. "These are the world's most advanced experimental drugs for treating heart failure. They've only been tested on monkeys, but lucky you—you get to try them first."

Before he could react, she shoved three pills into his mouth.

Forced to swallow them, Daniel soon felt his stomach churning violently. Unable to hold back, he retched forcefully, vomiting all over Charlene's expensive dress and chest.

Charlene screamed. "You filthy thing! Look at what you've done!"

Gagging and on the verge of vomiting herself, she grabbed the whip and lashed him furiously. After a dozen lashes, she finally stopped, storming off to the bathroom to clean herself.

Under the shower, she scrubbed her chest over and over, but the thought of Daniel's vomit still made her feel disgusted.

Meanwhile, in the living room, Daniel lay sprawled on the floor, covered in fresh wounds and panting heavily. After vomiting several more times, a thumb-sized emerald pearl suddenly fell out of his mouth.

In an instant, a sharp pain shot through his mind.

Groaning, he slowly opened his eyes, his expression shifting from confusion to clarity. Fragments of memories from the past five years flooded his mind.

"Five years ago, I accidentally swallowed the Celestial Soul Pearl, which caused my soul to be transported to another world. For five years, my soul lived in another world while my body remained here, mentally incapacitated.

"Three years ago, my parents and senior company executives perished in a mysterious fire, and soon after, my family's fortune was divided up by outsiders.

"Jennifer married me solely to gain control over my family's assets. Since then, she's taken almost all of the Ashcroft family's assets.

"For the past three years, she had repeatedly beaten and humiliated me, and today, she treated me like a dog, offering me to Charlene to amuse herself. Charlene was no better—she even forced me to take poison!

"Fortunately, because of the poison, I vomited out the Celestial Soul Pearl, allowing my soul to return from the cultivation world, Heavenfall Realm, back to Earth!"

Daniel lowered his head and picked up the emerald pearl before him.

This emerald pearl was called the Celestial Soul Pearl. Five years ago, he obtained this pearl by a stroke of luck. Unknowingly, he swallowed it, and as a result, his soul traveled to the cultivation world, where he worked on his martial arts.

It was only now that his soul was able to return through the passageway after he finally vomited it out.

"I'm finally back! Jennifer tortured me for three years, leaving me covered in wounds! That damn woman!

"The Celestial Soul Pearl has a storage function. I had previously placed the Essence Purification Pill and Vital Surge Pill in it while in Heavenfall Realm. I wonder if I can take them out here on Earth," he thought.

Daniel held the Celestial Soul Pearl and closed his eyes, sensing with his mind. Two pills appeared in his hands out of thin air the next moment.

"I can indeed take the Essence Purification Pill and Vital Surge Pill out! This is great! I can easily become a superhuman on Earth with these two pills!"

Without any hesitation, he immediately swallowed the pills and sat cross-legged to refine them.

Five minutes later, the Essence Purification Pill was refined, and Daniel's body expelled a thick layer of accumulated blood and impurities from his pores.

Ten minutes later, he felt a sharp pain in his Essence Chamber, followed by a surge of powerful spiritual energy rapidly circulating between his Essence Chamber and 12 meridians.

"Ha! The Energy Refining Phase is done!" He leaped up with a sudden burst of energy.

Sensing the foul smell on his body, he couldn't help but shake his head. Then, he took long strides toward the bathroom.

In the bathroom, Charlene was still vigorously rubbing her chest. When she saw Daniel push the door open and walk in, she screamed in shock.

"Bastard! Who let you in? Get out of here!" she yelled angrily.

Chapter 2

Daniel ignored the mean Charlene entirely. He shoved her aside, stripped off his filthy clothes, and began rinsing the grime off his body.

Charlene was so furious that she could barely contain herself. She hadn't expected the idiot Daniel to dare push her!

Storming out of the bathroom, she retrieved the whip from the living room. Jennifer had mentioned before that Daniel, like the obedient dog he was, would tremble with fear whenever the whip was raised.

"I'm going to beat you to death, bastard!" she growled as she stormed back into the bathroom.

Inside, Daniel had finished washing up.

After consuming the Essence Purification Pill, his body underwent a complete transformation. His organs and muscles were refined, and his skin became smooth and flawless yet exuded a masculine vitality.

His once-handsome face now seemed sculpted, with high cheekbones and a sharp jawline. Besides, his deep-set eyes glowed with an unfathomable intensity.

"You..." Charlene froze, momentarily entranced. She had never seen Daniel like this before.

However, her face quickly flushed with anger and embarrassment. How could she even consider Daniel handsome? Besides, he was Jennifer's husband and pet dog!

Charlene returned to her senses, raising the whip and lashing it toward Daniel. "Bastard, get on your knees!"

She was stunned when Daniel caught the whip midair. He yanked it hard, and an enormous force pulled her forward, causing her to stumble and fall to her knees before him.

He stared coldly at the venomous woman kneeling before him. His eyes gleamed with icy rage.

"I have no grudge or enmity with you. You've already hit me and humiliated me, but now, you even want to poison me to death! You're asking for it!"

He grabbed her by the throat.

Charlene gasped, terror flashing across her face. She trembled as she stammered, "Y-You can talk! You've been pretending all along! Such cunning—"

She wanted to say more, but he had already lost his patience at that moment.

Though Charlene's viciousness repulsed him, her beauty was undeniable. Having just bathed, she was even more enticing. He rudely stepped forward.

She wanted to explain, but soon, she felt dizzy and disoriented.

Half an hour later, Daniel let go of Charlene, glancing at a smear of blood on the bath mat. He frowned slightly. He hadn't expected Charlene to be a virgin.

The discovery cooled some of his anger.

He lowered his gaze to the now-quiet Charlene and said, "We'll consider the debt from the poisoning incident settled."

"Get out! Just get out!" she cried, her voice cracking as tears streamed down her face, dripping onto the blood-stained bath mat. She never imagined that her best friend's husband would take her virginity.

Daniel glanced briefly at her and then left without a word. He threw on a robe and walked out of the villa.

The sound of a ringing phone broke the silence.

Despite the pain, Charlene reached for her phone and saw that it was a call from Jennifer.

"Charlene, how's my husband? He's useful, right?" Jennifer chuckled on the other end.

Charlene felt a surge of fury and shame. "Useful? Only you would know best!" she snapped before slamming the phone down.

On the other end, Jennifer frowned, puzzled.

"What's her problem?" she muttered. "I let her borrow Daniel to vent her frustrations, and now, she's taking it out on me?"

Throwing her phone aside, she lay comfortably on the couch, naked, and instinctively shouted, "Daniel! Get over here and massage my legs, you—oh, right, I lent him to Charlene. Damn it! Without that dog around, life feels... oddly dull."

Her delicate face showed faint dissatisfaction as she mused, "When I get him back, I'll play with him properly. Maybe even reward him with a treat or two. Come to think of it, life is more interesting with that dog around..."

Chapter 3

Outside the villa, the sun was shining brightly.

Daniel walked through the streets of Qranross, watching the bustling traffic and the crowds, feeling a sense of relief.

He had really returned from the bloody and cruel world of cultivation. Now that he was back, he'd naturally take back the Ashcroft family's business. He had to avenge his parents' deaths.

He went to an internet café and looked up the events surrounding Ashcroft Group from three years ago.

A mysterious fire broke out in Ashcroft Group's headquarters three years ago. Daniel's parents, along with five core members of the board, all perished in the fire.

The only person to survive the fire was Conor Fuentes, who had been out of town for a business meeting. However, he was involved in a car accident on the same day as the fire. Now, he was lying in the hospital, left in a vegetative state.

Daniel clenched his fists tightly upon reading this news.

Clearly, this was a blatant murder. The entire Ashcroft Group was divided entirely, and from then on, Qranross was no longer home to the Ashcrofts.

He gritted his teeth and immediately set off for Qranross Central Hospital.

…

Inside a single VIP ward in the neurology department at Qranross Central Hospital, a middle-aged man lay on the bed, looking frail and unkempt. He had a feeding tube in his nose, and an assisted breathing machine was placed next to him.

It was clear that he could no longer eat on his own and could only sustain life with liquid food through a feeding tube.

"Mr. Fuentes!" Daniel knelt by the bed.

Once a successful board member of the company and an elite who had risen with Cody Ashcroft from nothing, Conor now lay there, waiting for his death.

Daniel shed tears. He reached out and placed his hand on Conor's head.

During his five years in Heavenfall Realm, he learned many alchemical and medical techniques.

Conor could still be saved. His brain nerves were only atrophied and not yet dead. The blood clots in his brain had already been surgically removed. Daniel just needed to reactivate Conor's brain nerves, and the latter would wake up.

Daniel let out a sigh of relief. He removed the feeding tube from Conor's nose and helped him sit up.

"Hey, who are you? What are you doing?" Just then, Alfie Chambers happened to pass by and quickly rushed over.

Alfie was the chief doctor in charge of Conor's case. Thus, if Conor died, Alfie would be in deep trouble.

His face went pale with fear, and he grabbed Daniel by the clothes. "You're committing murder! If you remove the tube, the patient will suffocate and die in less than ten minutes!"

Daniel gently pushed Alfie away and said confidently, "Don't worry. I'm a family member of the patient. I can wake him up."

"You're crazy! The patient had a car accident and suffered a massive brain hemorrhage. Although we had removed the clot, his brain nerves are already damaged. It's a miracle he's still alive. Him waking up is absolutely impossible!" Alfie explained patiently.

Daniel waved his hand. "Wait a few more minutes."

Then, he slapped the top of Conor's head with his palm. Immediately, his spiritual energy flowed into Conor's brain. The energy acted like spring rain after a drought, rapidly nourishing the brain nerves.

Three minutes later, Conor suddenly started breathing deeply, and his eyes snapped open, filled with confusion.

"What? No way! No! No way!" Alfie exclaimed in shock.

At this moment, the nurses and other doctors in the department quickly gathered around.

"Dr. Chambers, what's going on? Ah! He's awake! Mr. Fuentes is awake!"

"Didn't you say the patient would never wake up?"

"This is unbelievable! This is really unbelievable!"

Daniel gave a helpless glance at the clueless medical staff. He then waved his hand. "Can you all leave Mr. Fuentes alone for a while? He just woke up and needs peace and quiet."

"Right! Let's give him some space. I need to calm down, too. By the way, I think I should give Mr. Fuentes a full checkup. Don't worry. It'll be free of charge! Oh, my god! This is a miracle! If I write this up, it's bound to be a top-tier paper!" Alfie excitedly pushed everyone away.

Inside the ward, Conor gripped Daniel's hand, excited. "Daniel, you… You've recovered! You're not mindless anymore! This is great! Thank God!"

Daniel patted Conor's hand and asked, "Mr. Fuentes, what happened three years ago? Why did the company suddenly catch fire? Who did this?"

Conor suddenly seemed to snap out of it. He quickly said, "Daniel, listen to me. You need to leave Dranta immediately. Take Jennifer abroad and have children with her!"

Daniel was left stunned. Go abroad and have children with Jennifer?

She treated him like a dog. He would rather not have children with her.

Conor said urgently, "Hurry before it's too late! Omari Dooly won't let you off."

Daniel understood and gripped Conor's hand. "Mr. Fuentes, you mean to say this was all Omari's doing? He killed my parents and burned down the company?"

Conor nodded, saying nervously, "Yes, it was him! That bastard must have some powerful backing now, and many people are working for him.

"He not only burned down the company and killed your parents and the board members, but he also killed many of the company's key people! I was hit by his car as well."

"Omari Dooly!" Daniel's fist clenched tightly, a murderous intent flashing in his eyes. "My dad once saved his life! He kindly took him in as a company executive and paid him a huge salary. I never thought he would betray us like this. I'm going to kill him!"

"Daniel, don't be impulsive! Get married and have children first. You must continue the Ashcroft family's lineage. This was your parents' greatest wish!" Conor was afraid Daniel might go to his death.

At that moment, the door to the ward was suddenly thrown open.

Alfie hurriedly ran in. "Doctor Miracle, are you still here?"

Seeing Daniel, Alfie grabbed him by the neck. "Doctor Miracle, please come with me and check on a patient. He's about to die. Is there any way you can save him?"

Daniel frowned. "No. Treating patients consumes my own spiritual energy. I'm not obligated to treat a stranger."

Alfie quickly said, "Oscar Geller is a well-known entrepreneur and philanthropist in Qranross. If you really can cure him, he will reward you generously."

Daniel was about to refuse when Conor said, "Mr. Geller Senior? Isn't he in good health? And isn't he a skilled martial artist? Why would he suddenly be dying?"

Then, he turned to Daniel and said, "Daniel, go have a look. Oscar was a close friend of your father's, and our company had many dealings with the Geller family. He's a good person."

Chapter 4

Daniel nodded silently in response.

Seeing that he agreed, Alfie grew excited and pulled him along, rushing toward the VIP suite on the top floor.

On his way, Alfie asked for Daniel's name and background. He was stunned to learn that Daniel had no formal training in traditional or modern medicine.

Before long, they reached the hospital's top-tier VIP ward.

Inside, over a dozen medical experts stood with grim faces. State-of-the-art machines beeped incessantly, filling the room with tension.

"Make way! I've brought a miracle doctor," Alfie declared, pulling Daniel to the bedside. "This man just woke up a patient who had been in a vegetative state for three years. Let Dr. Ashcroft take a look at Mr. Geller Senior."

On the bed lay Oscar, his white hair and beard framing a face flushed purple. His eyes bulged outward, with the delicate blood vessels clearly visible. He was barely clinging to life.

"Dr. Ashcroft," Alfie explained quickly. "Mr. Geller Senior has severe heart failure. We've tried everything, but we can't stop the deterioration of his cardiac cells. Do you have any solutions?"

Daniel reached out and placed his hand on Oscar's chest. Using his spiritual energy, he traced the problem to its root.

"The issue isn't with his heart. It's his lungs," he stated calmly.

"What? His lungs seem fine," Alfie replied, puzzled.

Brady Park, a well-known medical expert from Gimlin, sneered nearby. "Alfie, you're a university-trained doctor with years of experience. How could you fall for this pseudoscience?"

"Professor Park, he's the real deal!" Alfie defended. "He woke a vegetative patient with a single move. I didn't believe in traditional medicine before, but now, I'm convinced!"

Brady rolled his eyes dismissively.

Daniel ignored them. Without a word, he struck Oscar's chest with a powerful slap.

"Hey! What are you doing?" Brady yelled. "This is reckless and dangerous!"

Alfie urged, "Professor Park, please trust Dr. Ashcroft. Just wait and see."

Suddenly, Oscar's body convulsed violently. The heart monitor by the bed emitted a sharp tone before flatlining. He was dead.

"Mr. Geller Senior's heartbeat has stopped! Administer the adrenaline quickly! Prepare the operating room! We'll start the operation in one minute! Prepare for chest surgery, open the airway, and initiate extracorporeal circulation."

The room descended into chaos.

"Stop wasting your time!" Brady shouted bitterly. "He's dead. There's no saving him now. I've known Mr. Geller Senior my whole life, and now, we're separated by life and death."

Alfie stood frozen, his mind blank with shock. Although he believed Daniel was a miracle doctor, he seemed to have killed Oscar.

Brady turned to look at Alfie, gritting his teeth and saying, "Alfie, as an associate chief physician, you've fallen for traditional medicine, leading to this medical accident! If it weren't for you, Mr. Geller Senior could have lived at least three more days."

He huffed. "Just wait for the Geller family to deal with you!"

Alfie trembled, pulling at Daniel's sleeve. "You… You should leave now. Without a medical license, you'll face criminal charges."

Daniel smiled faintly and patted him on the shoulder. "Don't worry. I can save him."

"Save him? You just killed him!" Brady shouted, furious.

Without another word, Daniel placed his palm on Oscar's forehead and struck again.

Suddenly, Oscar, whose heartbeat had already stopped, began coughing violently. With a loud retch, he spat out a mouthful of thick, blood-streaked mucus.

Afterward, he opened his eyes, dazed and confused.

The heart monitor beeped steadily, indicating a normal rhythm. The heart failure had been reversed.

"He's alive! He's really alive!" Alfie cried out in joy. "Not only is Mr. Geller Senior alive, but even his heart is functioning properly now. The heart failure is gone!"

"A miracle! This is a miracle!"

"Incredible! Is traditional medicine truly this powerful?"

"I've never seen anything like this in 40 years of practice!"

Brady stared at Daniel in shock, his expression a mix of awe and disbelief.

Rushing forward, he shoved Alfie aside and grabbed Daniel's arm. "You're a miracle doctor—a true miracle doctor! I was blind and a fool stuck in my ways. Dr. Ashcroft, please take me as your student. I'm done with modern medicine. I want to learn from you!"

Daniel simply waved him off. "What I practice isn't entirely traditional medicine. You wouldn't understand it. Besides, I didn't bring him back to life. I told you his real issue was in the lungs.

"Cold-induced blood clots in his lungs caused the heart failure. My earlier strike induced a temporary state of suspended animation to help his body build strength and expel the blockage."

The crowd murmured in sudden understanding.

Then, Daniel turned to leave.

On the bed, Oscar grabbed his hand firmly. He said, "Dr. Ashcroft, you've saved my life. I must show my gratitude. Wait a moment. My granddaughter will be here soon. She will fulfill all your requests."

Daniel tried to decline, but Oscar stubbornly held on.

Before long, the door swung open. A stunning woman in a violet dress rushed in, her face full of worry.

"Grandpa! Are you okay? How did your condition worsen so suddenly?" she asked anxiously.

Daniel turned and froze in surprise. "Charlene?"