[New writer here. If you have any suggestions, please leave a message for the author.]
[Brain storage area]
[The pace of this book is relatively slow, and the system doesn't have much of a presence.]
[The author would like to make this clear in advance: this book contains some livestreaming and gaming content.]
[First, let me put up a disclaimer: this is a parallel world, and all characters who appear are adults.]
In Ning City, inside a clean room.
Ling Yun abruptly sat up in bed.
Looking at the familiar surroundings, he wore a thoroughly bewildered expression.
"I'm not dreaming, am I? Have I been reborn?"
Ling Yun still couldn't believe it.
His life had always been utterly ordinary. After graduating from a junior college, he had stayed home and wasted his days, with nothing particularly notable about him.
Whenever people mentioned him, they would rack their brains and barely manage to squeeze out a single sentence: "That kid... he's pretty honest."
It was as if that one pale footnote was all his life had left.
The only thing he had in common with protagonists was that both his parents were dead.
The process of his rebirth had been simple enough. He had gone outside, been hit by a heavy truck, and lost consciousness. When he woke up, he had arrived in this familiar place.
Ling Yun had grown up in an orphanage.
When he was three, he had been adopted by his foster parents.
His foster parents had also been orphans, and the two of them had grown up in the same orphanage.
Later, they had worked hard together in society, fallen in love, and gotten married. However, after being unable to have children for a long time, they had decided to adopt one from an orphanage.
His foster parents had treated Ling Yun very well.
He had enjoyed a happy childhood.
But during his third year of junior high, his foster parents had died in a car accident.
They had left him a house, assets, and compensation money totaling 1.3 million yuan.
Since his foster parents had been orphans as well and had no relatives, Ling Yun had once again begun living alone.
Without parental supervision, and with him spending every day after school cooped up in the house reading novels and playing games day and night, he had ultimately only managed to get into a junior college and lived off his parents' compensation money.
"This life, I definitely have to make it magnificent!"
Just then, a cold, emotionless mechanical voice suddenly rang out in his mind:
[Beep! A strong will to survive has been detected, and it is compatible with spacetime fluctuations... Cultivation Assistance System binding successful.] [Loading identity information for this plane... Loading complete.] [Host: Ling Yun.] [Identity background: Both parents deceased. The Sect's Relief Hall provides basic resources. Completed nine-year Immortal Path initiation education.] [Current achievement: After undergoing arduous cultivation and passing numerous examinations, successfully admitted to 'Ning City First Sect.'] [Plane coordinates: Canglan Continent, Ningzhou City Region.] [Novice guidance activated...]
"A cultivation system? Canglan Continent? Ningzhou City?"
Ling Yun froze, and then a powerful sense of incongruity surged through him.
He abruptly grabbed the phone beside his pillow. The familiar brand logo was there, and the screen clearly displayed the date: September 1, 2019, 6:15 a.m.
He rushed to the window and pushed it open. Down below was the familiar breakfast stall, bicycle bells rang crisply, and in the distance stood the outline of the buildings of Ning City No. 1 High School.
This was clearly the modern city where he had lived for more than a decade! Where had this so-called cultivation continent come from?
"System!" Ling Yun shouted inwardly. "Are you sure the coordinates are right? Everything here clearly says I'm in Ning City, Huaxia, on Earth!"
[System coordinates confirmed: Canglan Continent, Ningzhou City. The host's perceptions may be inaccurate. It is recommended that the host adapt to the rules of this plane as soon as possible.]
The system's voice remained as emotionless as an ancient well, carrying an unquestionable certainty.
"..." Ling Yun was speechless.
Could this system have damaged its brain during the transmigration?
But... a cultivation system in a modern city? This bug... seemed kind of interesting?
"Forget it. Whether it's Canglan or Ning City, having a system makes me the boss! System, what functions do you have?"
[This system exists to assist the host in reaching the pinnacle of the Immortal Path. The host has been detected as a novice entering the immortal sect, with a shallow foundation and mediocre comprehension. The following novice gift pack has therefore been issued:] [1. Top-tier Comprehension: Never forget anything seen, understand all techniques, infer a hundred things from one, and naturally comprehend the Dao.] [2. Qi Refining Pill (Low-grade) x1: Contains pure spiritual energy and can help Qi Refining Stage cultivators break through a minor realm.] [Claim?]
"Claim!" Ling Yun answered without hesitation.
As soon as he spoke, an indescribably refreshing sensation swept through his mind. It was as if ravines that had been blocked for years had instantly been opened.
Countless blurry fragments of memory became crystal clear. His thoughts raced at an astonishing speed, and knowledge that had once been obscure and difficult now seemed as simple and clear as lines on his palm.
At the same time, a black pill the size of a longan, giving off a faint fragrance, appeared in his palm.
Ling Yun swallowed the pill without hesitation. It dissolved the instant it entered his mouth, transforming into a scorching torrent that surged toward every part of his body!
Excruciating pain arrived alongside an unbearable stench.
A large amount of thick, black filth poured from every pore of his body, reeking and nauseating. His stomach churned violently as well.
Enduring the dizziness and nausea, he staggered into the bathroom.
After an indescribably painful struggle, all the filth was gone.
When the warm water washed away the last trace of grime, Ling Yun stood before the mirror and could hardly recognize himself.
"Jeez, is this really me?"
Ling Yun's aura in the mirror had completely shed its former dejection. His eyes were clear and deep, carrying a transcendent calm and mystery, as if he were an exiled immortal who had just descended into the mortal world.
His looks were so handsome that words could not describe them. Put it this way: his appearance was actually on par with that of the esteemed readers.
At the same time, his body had undergone tremendous changes. His originally emaciated body had grown solid muscles, and his abs had changed from blurry outlines into six clearly visible blocks.
He now felt terrifyingly strong. With one punch, he could kill a mooing cow.
"System, what is my current strength?"
[Host's realm: Qi Refining Stage (Early).] [Body data initially enhanced: Approximately 150 kilograms of explosive force in one arm; maximum sprinting speed approximately 12 meters per second.] [Warning: Such cultivation is equivalent to an ant in the perilous Cultivation World. The host is advised to maintain reverence, develop steadily, and never flaunt his abilities.]
"An ant?"
Feeling the surging power within his body, Ling Yun curled his lips into an amused smile.
In the system's so-called "Cultivation World," he might be an ant, but in this modern city called Earth... this strength was enough to transform his life completely.
"Develop steadily? Got it. Stay low-key in the early game, and later on... don't eat beef?"
A thought flashed through his mind, making even him laugh at himself.
At the same time, he asked the system about the realms of cultivation.
[The realms of cultivation are divided into Qi Refining, Foundation Establishment, Golden Core, Nascent Soul, Spirit Severing, Void Refinement, Void Integration, Great Vehicle, Tribulation Transcendence, True Immortal, Mystic Immortal, Golden Immortal, Grand Unity Golden Immortal, Grand Luo Golden Immortal, Primordial Chaos, and Eternal Realm.]
"Good grief, the Eternal Realm? I'm in a modern city, and you've given me such an absurdly high power ceiling."
Ling Yun was practically dying of pleasure. It was like playing a cracked game where he started out invincible.
[Today is the new student registration period for Ning City First Sect. The host is requested to proceed to the sect residence and register immediately.] [Quest: Register on time. Reward: Storage Space (Infinite Space).]
"First day of school?"
Ling Yun glanced at the date on his phone and confirmed it.
Ning City No. 1 High School was the key high school he had barely gotten into in his previous life with a score of 602 on the middle school entrance exam. It was also where his decadent life had begun.
In his previous life, because of the blow dealt by his foster parents' deaths, he had drifted through high school in a daze, utterly lacking in presence.
"This life... I'll start over here!" An unprecedented fighting spirit ignited in his eyes.
Although it was still early, he decided to leave immediately.
He had to commute from home. The secret of cultivation could not be exposed in a shared dormitory.
After quickly washing up and wolfing down a few mouthfuls of instant noodles, Ling Yun wheeled his somewhat old mountain bike out the door.
The morning air in Ning City was slightly cool.
As he rode, familiar street scenes swept past him, but Ling Yun's state of mind was completely different.
In his previous life, he had seen only gloom. Now, everything seemed to overflow with vitality.
His memories of Ning City's schools also surfaced clearly: the elite No. 1 High School, with a cutoff score of 600 or higher; the ordinary No. 2 High School, with a cutoff of around 380; and the vocational schools that took in the rest... His predecessor had managed to squeeze into No. 1 High School, so he had at least had some foundation.
Twenty minutes later, the magnificent gates of Ning City No. 1 High School came into view.
Looking at the bustling new students and parents brimming with youthful energy at the entrance—parents were allowed onto campus on the first day to help carry luggage—Ling Yun took a deep breath and locked up his bicycle.
"What I owed in my previous life, I'll repay twofold in this one!"
He strode onto campus. His tall, straight figure, transcendent aura, and peerlessly handsome face instantly drew countless gazes like a magnet.
The originally noisy registration crowd actually quieted down a little as he passed. Countless looks, either amazed, curious, or bashful, focused on him.
Ling Yun had never experienced such a scene before. Even after living two lifetimes, he couldn't help feeling a strange ripple in his heart.
In his previous life, he had been a Little Transparent in the crowd. Now, he had become the center of attention.
He suppressed the discomfort in his heart, but the corners of his lips still rose slightly of their own accord.
Under the amazed yet enthusiastic gaze of the teacher at the registration desk, Ling Yun smoothly completed the formalities and received his school uniform and military training uniform. He also learned his class: Senior Year One, Class Three.
Holding the clothes he had received, Ling Yun headed toward the teaching building.
Before you continue