Lin Xiao felt as though an invisible hand had clenched around his heart, nearly stopping it from beating.
The air around him was thick with a strange blend of sweat, dust, and cheap incense. Some of the young boys and girls wore anxiety across their faces, others brimmed with anticipation, while more still shared his own confusion and unease.
This was Qingyang City, a city nestled on the borderlands of the Skywind Kingdom. And today was the day that would determine the fate of every sixteen-year-old in the city—the annual cultivation aptitude test.
It had been three months since Lin Xiao had transmigrated into this world known as the "Xuan Yuan Continent," yet he still felt as though he were living in a bizarre dream. He had originally been an ordinary college student on Earth, but after an accident, his soul had crossed over into the body of an orphan who was also named Lin Xiao. This world's Lin Xiao had lost both parents, low-ranked pioneers, in a beast tide. They had left him nothing but a dilapidated little house in the slums.
"Next, Lin Xiao!"
A stern-faced middle-aged man in a gray robe called out loudly, his voice utterly devoid of emotion.
Lin Xiao took a deep breath, suppressed the tremor in his heart, and walked up to the raised platform at the center of the square.
A crystal pillar more than three meters tall stood atop the platform. Its surface was smooth as a mirror, yet streams of light seemed to drift slowly within it. This was the Spirit Testing Pillar, capable of determining whether someone possessed cultivation aptitude and what grade that aptitude was.
"Place your hand on it and pour in all your focus." The gray-robed man issued the concise command.
Lin Xiao did as instructed. A cold sensation spread from his palm. He closed his eyes and tried his utmost to concentrate his mental power in his hand.
One second, two seconds, three seconds...
The Spirit Testing Pillar showed no reaction.
Whispers began rising from below the platform.
"Hey, look at that guy. His Spirit Testing Pillar does not have even a trace of light." "Another piece of trash? What a waste of time." "I told you, what good aptitude could an orphan from the slums possibly have?"
The mocking, sarcastic voices pierced Lin Xiao's ears like needles. He gritted his teeth, fine beads of sweat seeping from his forehead as he squeezed out every last ounce of strength.
Finally, just as his mental power was nearly exhausted, a faint white glow slowly lit up at the base of the Spirit Testing Pillar. The light was so dim it resembled a candle guttering in the wind. It crept upward less than a finger's breadth before running out of strength, flickered twice, and went completely dark.
"Pfft..." Someone below the platform laughed without any attempt to hide it.
A flash of unconcealed disgust and impatience crossed the gray-robed man's face. He waved a hand as though shooing away a fly. "Mortal-Grade Inferior aptitude. No cultivation value. Next!"
"Mortal-Grade Inferior..."
Those four words struck Lin Xiao's heart like a sledgehammer. He knew that in this world where strength reigned supreme, they were tantamount to a sentence of social death. He would be assigned to the harshest mines or fields, struggling at the very bottom of society for the rest of his life until he died in obscurity.
He walked down from the platform in a daze. The surrounding crowd automatically made way for him as if avoiding the plague, their gazes filled with contempt and schadenfreude.
At that moment, a translucent pale-blue panel that only he could see abruptly appeared before his eyes.
[Name: Lin Xiao] [Realm: None] [Level: 0 (0/10)] [Strength: 4 (The mortal limit is 10)] [Agility: 5 (The mortal limit is 10)] [Mental Power: 6 (The mortal limit is 10)] [Talent: Unawakened] [Cultivation Method: None] [Skills: None]
This was the "game panel" that had come with him when he transmigrated. For the past three months, no matter how he studied it, the data on the panel had not changed in the slightest. Like a cold observer, it merely recorded his weakness objectively.
"Well, if it isn't the great genius of our slums, Lin Xiao? So, how did your test go?"
A mocking voice came from the side.
Lin Xiao looked up and saw three youths around his age blocking his path. The one in front was tall and burly, with a face full of flesh, and he was sizing Lin Xiao up with a teasing gaze.
Wang Hu.
He was a notorious bully in the slums. Relying on his strong body, he had bullied plenty of other orphans in the past.
Lin Xiao did not want trouble. He only wanted to leave this suffocating place as quickly as possible. Lowering his head, he tried to go around them.
"Stop!" Wang Hu grabbed his shoulder, his grip as strong as an iron clamp. "I'm talking to you. Are you deaf? I asked how your test went!"
"Mortal-Grade Inferior," Lin Xiao said quietly. He could feel the malice in Wang Hu's hand.
"Hahahaha!" Wang Hu burst into exaggerated laughter as though he had heard the funniest joke in the world. "Mortal-Grade Inferior? I thought it was something impressive! Trash like you thinks you deserve to take the test with us?"
The two lackeys behind him also burst into laughter.
"Brother Hu, you tested as Mortal-Grade Superior! In the future, you'll be a lofty cultivator. Why bother arguing with trash like him?" "Exactly, Brother Hu. Don't let this garbage dirty your hands."
The smile on Wang Hu's face grew even smugger. He patted Lin Xiao's face, not lightly, the gesture laden with humiliation. "Did you hear that, trash? From now on, walk around me whenever you see me. Otherwise, I'll beat you every time I see you!"
After saying that, he shoved Lin Xiao hard. Lin Xiao staggered and nearly fell to the ground.
Everyone around them watched as if enjoying a show. No one spoke up to stop it. In this world, weakness was the original sin.
Lin Xiao clenched his fists, his nails digging deeply into his flesh. He stared fixedly at Wang Hu's departing back, humiliation and fury blazing in his eyes. He knew this was only the beginning. Without strength, he would forever be trampled beneath others' feet.
He dragged his heavy steps away from the square. Instead of returning to that shabby little house, he wandered aimlessly toward the barren mountains outside the city. He needed a place, somewhere he could lick his wounds alone.
The setting sun stretched his shadow long, making it appear especially lonely.
The light in the woodland of the barren mountains was dim, and the chirping of insects rose and fell one after another. Lin Xiao found a relatively clean rock and sat down, his mind in utter chaos. Was this how his life was going to be?
Just when his heart had turned to ashes, three figures emerged from the depths of the woods and blocked his way down the mountain.
It was Wang Hu and his two lackeys again.
"Kid, I didn't expect you to dare come to a place like this alone. You've got some nerve." Wang Hu cracked his knuckles with sharp popping sounds, a malicious sneer on his face.
Lin Xiao's heart sank sharply. He rose to his feet and watched them warily. "What do you want?"
"What do we want?" Wang Hu sneered. "What was that look in your eyes back at the square today? You dissatisfied? What I hate most is the dissatisfied look in the eyes of trash like you!"
Another lackey chimed in, "Brother Hu, stop wasting words on him! That rundown house his parents left behind is in a pretty good location. We can cripple him and throw him into the mountains to feed the wolves. Then won't that house become ours?"
"That's right! No one will know if a trash orphan dies anyway!"
Killing intent!
Lin Xiao could clearly feel the undisguised killing intent in their words and their eyes! They did not merely want to teach him a lesson. They truly wanted to kill him and seize his only shelter!
A chill shot from the soles of his feet straight to the crown of his head. He had never imagined that just one look, one verbal clash, would bring about a lethal calamity. The cruelty of this world far surpassed his imagination.
"You... you dare!" Lin Xiao's voice trembled, whether from rage or fear, even he did not know.
"Just watch whether we dare!"
Wang Hu roared, his fist as large as a sandbag whistling through the air as it smashed directly toward Lin Xiao's face!
The punch was heavy and powerful. With Lin Xiao's mere 4 points of strength, if it landed squarely, he would likely be knocked unconscious on the spot.
At the threshold of life and death, Lin Xiao's mind went blank.
At that very instant, the blue panel before his eyes began flashing wildly, lines of blood-red text popping up one after another.
[Warning! A fatal attack is incoming!] [Scanning target: Wang Hu] [Realm: Body Refinement First Level (Strength and agility have surpassed the mortal limit)] [Weakness analysis: Unsteady lower body. His left knee joint has an old injury; when exerting force, his left leg stalls for an instant!] [Optimal response: Immediately roll to the right to evade the frontal attack, then attack his left knee with all your strength!]
In that flash of lightning and flint, Lin Xiao did not even have time to think. His body had already completely obeyed his survival instincts and the panel's prompt!
He rolled clumsily to the right, barely avoiding Wang Hu's fist. The force of the punch grazed his cheek, scraping his skin painfully.
"Hm?" Wang Hu was surprised that his punch had missed, and his body swayed slightly from using too much force.
Now!
A fierce glint flashed through Lin Xiao's eyes. Without bothering to stand, he lunged forward on all fours and rammed his shoulder viciously into Wang Hu's left knee with every ounce of strength in his body!
Crack!
A bone-splitting sound that set teeth on edge rang out.
"Ah—!"
Wang Hu let out a pig-slaughtering scream. Clutching his left leg, he dropped to one knee, cold sweat instantly covering his face as agony twisted his expression.
The two lackeys were dumbstruck. They had never expected Lin Xiao, an ant in their eyes, to severely injure Wang Hu in a single instant.
Having succeeded with one strike, Lin Xiao's heart pounded wildly and adrenaline surged through him. He did not hesitate for even a moment. He sprang up from the ground and ran the instant the other two had yet to react!
He knew that with his meager strength, he could only rely on catching them off guard. Once they reacted, he would undoubtedly die.
"Trying to run? Catch him! I'll tear him into ten thousand pieces!" Wang Hu howled hysterically through the pain.
The two lackeys woke as though from a dream and immediately chased in the direction Lin Xiao had fled.
Lin Xiao ran for his life, cold wind pouring into his throat and cutting it like knives. He could hear the footsteps and curses behind him drawing closer and closer. His stamina was draining rapidly, and his legs felt as heavy as though they had been filled with lead.
No, at this rate, they'll catch me sooner or later!
His gaze swept rapidly across his surroundings, his mind racing at high speed.
[System prompt: Thirty meters ahead, behind the bushes on the right, there is a steep slope. The bottom of the slope is covered in loose stones.]
The panel's prompt appeared again.
Lin Xiao steeled his heart and made his decision. He abruptly changed direction and plunged headlong into the thicket.
The two pursuing him had not expected him to turn suddenly, and they charged in after him.
"Ah!"
"Help!"
Two screams rang out in quick succession. The moment they rushed into the bushes, they stepped into empty air and tumbled down the steep slope. The rocks below immediately carved bloody wounds across their bodies. One of them struck his head against a sharp rock and fell silent on the spot.
Lin Xiao hid on the other side of the bushes, gasping for breath. Listening to the wails below the slope and then the final silence, his face turned deathly pale.
Before he could catch his breath, a vicious gust of wind suddenly came from behind him.
It was Wang Hu!
He had actually dragged his broken leg after him and chased him here through the agony! His eyes were bloodshot, his face savage, like a wild beast ready to choose someone to devour.
"You little bastard, I'll kill you!"
Using his remaining right leg to push off, Wang Hu pounced on him and pinned Lin Xiao firmly beneath him. He raised his fist and began raining blows madly down at Lin Xiao's head.
Pinned down and unable to move, Lin Xiao could only use his arms to protect the vital areas of his head.
Bang! Bang! Bang!
Every punch landed like a hammer. Lin Xiao felt as though the bones in his arms were about to break, and the searing pain made his vision go dark.
At this rate, he'll beat me to death!
His intense desire to survive unleashed the last of his strength. Struggling, he groped blindly across the ground with his hands.
Suddenly, he touched something cold and hard, with a sharp edge.
A rock!
[System prompt: The target has lost reason to rage, leaving all defenses exposed. The temple is a fatal weakness!]
A mad blood-red gleam flashed through Lin Xiao's eyes.
He hesitated no longer. With his last scrap of strength, he gripped the stone in his hand and smashed it viciously down upon Wang Hu's temple!
Splat!
A dull sound rang out, like a watermelon being smashed open.
Wang Hu's movements froze instantly. The madness and savagery on his face congealed, and the light in his eyes swiftly scattered.
Warm, sticky liquid splashed all over Lin Xiao's face.
Wang Hu's massive body went limp and collapsed heavily atop him.
He was dead.
Lin Xiao lay motionless on the ground, allowing the corpse that still retained a trace of warmth to press down on him. He stared blankly at the dark sky, where a few bleak stars could be seen through the gaps in the leaves.
After a long while, he suddenly shoved Wang Hu's corpse away, turned over, and vomited violently onto the ground.
Stomach acid, bile—he wished he could vomit out all his internal organs.
He had killed someone.
Although it had been in self-defense, the warm blood, the sensation of bones shattering, the moment a life had slipped away in his hands—all of it transformed into nightmares that whirled madly through his mind.
His hands shook uncontrollably. Terror and nausea rising from the depths of his soul nearly swallowed him whole.
Just as his mind was on the verge of collapse, that familiar blue panel appeared again.
[Successfully killed a Body Refinement First Level cultivator: Wang Hu] [Experience gained: 10 points] [Level up! Current level: 1 (0/20)] [Strength +1, Agility +1, Mental Power +1] [Achievement unlocked: First Kill] [Achievement reward: Novice Gift Pack x1]
The cold, emotionless mechanical notifications formed an incomparably eerie contrast with the bloody, brutal scene.
As Lin Xiao watched the numbers shift on the panel, his vomiting and trembling slowly subsided almost miraculously.
He looked at his improved attributes, then at the Novice Gift Pack lying silently in the virtual inventory, and finally at the corpse beside him that had already gone cold. A thought rose uncontrollably from the depths of his heart.
In this world... killing people could grant experience, could level him up, could make him stronger.
He struggled to his feet, wiped the blood and vomit from his face, and gave Wang Hu's corpse a complicated look. Then he glanced at the two lackeys below the steep slope, dead or alive unknown.
He did not deal with the bodies. He knew he had to leave this place immediately.
Staggering, he headed in the direction of Qingyang City.
Moonlight spilled down, turning the forest behind him into a ghostly domain.
After returning to the dilapidated little house in the slums, Lin Xiao slid the bolt into place and sank to the floor with his back against the cold wooden door.
In the darkness, he slowly spread open his palm. It seemed as if the sensation and warmth of killing still lingered there.
Fear, guilt, lingering dread... all kinds of emotions still churned within him. But he knew there was no turning back now.
Everything that had happened today had taught him the most real, and also the bloodiest, lesson of this other world.
—If he wanted to survive, he had to use every means at his disposal. He had to become stronger than everyone else!
His gaze finally settled on the faintly glowing gift pack icon on the panel before his eyes.
This was his only hope.
He extended a trembling hand and gently tapped the [Novice Gift Pack] in his mind.
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