This Place Was Not Virtual

Qin Wangchuan thought the system would force him into a body, like possession.

But it didn't happen.

He found himself floating in mid-air, like a wisp of weightless smoke, and could see his hands when he looked down.

It's translucent; light and shadow slip through your fingers, and you can't grasp anything.

Divine Soul Body.

He floated in mid-air, with a brick house beneath his feet.

There was a small courtyard in front, with a Jujube Tree growing in it, and a few unripe fruits hanging from its branches.

Five or six people gathered outside a room, waiting anxiously.

Some people paced back and forth, some clasped their hands together and muttered to themselves, and some peered through the crack in the door.

A woman's suppressed cries came from inside the room, each one more urgent than the last.

The curtain was lifted, and the midwife peeked out, her face beaming with joy. "It's a boy! It's a boy!"

An uproar immediately erupted outside.

"Let me see! Let me see!"

"Don't push, don't push, please move aside--"

The midwife took the baby out of the swaddling clothes, smiled, and weighed it in her hand.

"Wow, it's quite big. Come on, let's weigh it--"

"Six pounds and eight ounces, sturdy!"

The baby was still crying, a small, wrinkled bundle held in the midwife's hands, like a rabbit that had just been skinned.

It was kicking its arms and legs wildly, its face covered in blood, looking utterly hideous.

He didn't feel anything.

This is just observation.

Separated by life and death, by two different worlds, it's like watching someone else's play.

A man took the baby from the midwife; his hands were trembling.

He looked down at the crumpled little thing in his arms, his eyes reddening, his voice choked with emotion:

"Qin Chuan, my child, Qin Chuan!"

Qin Wangchuan was slightly taken aback.

Qin Chuan.

I don't know if it's a coincidence or something the system did on purpose.

Only one word is missing.

As for the man...

His Qin Rang, and he is Martial Apprentice at the town's martial arts school.

He is also my father in this life.

Behind Qin Rang stood a burly middle-aged man, dressed in shorts with the sleeves rolled up to his elbows, revealing his strong forearms.

Several men dressed similarly stood nearby.

They were all burly and strong, clearly skilled in martial arts.

"Eldest Brother, look!" Qin Rang handed over the baby. "Look at this little guy!"

The middle-aged man took it, examined it for a moment, and nodded. "Your eyes and eyebrows resemble yours."

He paused, then added, "Don't be as reckless as you were when you were young."

Everyone burst into laughter.

Qin Rang laughed along, wiping his eyes, his voice still trembling:

"Don't worry, Eldest Brother, this kid will definitely be better than me in the future."

Qin Wangchuan floated in the air.

I just watched as these burly men huddled together, chattering excitedly about the baby's appearance, weight, and how tall he would grow.

Their hands were calloused, and their faces were scarred.

They spoke so loudly it sounded like they were arguing, yet everyone who took the swaddled baby handled it gently.

The day of my birth passed just like that.

Time flowed by like water past Qin Wangchuan.

He floated in the air.

Looking at that brick house, looking at the Jujube Tree in the yard, looking at the baby in the swaddling clothes growing up day by day.

On the day of the full moon celebration.

A table was set up in the middle of the courtyard, with several dishes of peanuts, several plates of cooked meat, and several jars of aged wine.

There were no lavish banquets like those in the Immortal Court, no throngs of distinguished guests.

Only a few burly men sat together, drinking from large bowls and eating large chunks of meat.

The atmosphere was just as good, if not more so, and perhaps even more exuberant.

Qin Rang stood up, raised his glass, and said, "This glass is for my elder Eldest Brother!"

"I, Qin Rang, lived a muddled life for the first half of my life. If it weren't for my Eldest Brother taking me as his apprentice and letting me join the martial arts school, I would never be who I am today."

"Eldest Brother, come here!"

Sitting opposite him was the burly middle-aged man— Jiang Zhuo.

He picked up his glass, saying, "It's all thanks to your own hard work," and raised it in a toast.

After downing the wine in one gulp, he put down the bowl, wiped his mouth, and looked at Qin Rang.

"Don't be careless."

"Martial Apprentice is only the first step. Although you have trained before, your age is a factor, and you only have five years."

"If you can't become Martial Practitioner within five years, you'll have to pack your bags and go home."

"I won't be able to help you then."

Qin Rang put down his wine cup and sat up straight.

"To be honest, Eldest Brother, I'm not very confident either, but..."

He turned to look into the inner room, where he could vaguely see his wife's silhouette projected onto the window paper. "For Chuan'er, I will try my best."

"Otherwise, don't end up like his father, who had no family support and could only drift aimlessly through life."

Upon hearing this, everyone burst into laughter.

"Who isn't!"

"Which of us didn't crawl out of the mud?"

"Come on, let's drink!"

Qin Wangchuan, feeling somewhat moved.

It's clearly stated on the system panel.

The person who loudly proclaims the future actually has no future at all.

Thinking of this, he let out a soft breath.

We should have added a bit more family affection back then.

Time continues to flow.

Qin Wangchuan gradually figured out the composition of the combat forces in this world.

Ordinary people can enter qualified martial arts schools and become Martial Apprentice through training.

Martial Apprentice can learn some Cultivation Method Secret Manual, which requires a high level of comprehension.

If one completes their studies within five years, they can pass various assessments and be promoted to Martial Practitioner.

The stronger Martial Practitioner possess the ability to fight ten opponents at once, making them prominent figures in their communities and earning them respect.

The government recognizes their status, and the martial arts school will assign them tasks with decent pay.

Further up, there are Cultivator.

Cultivator absorb the Heaven and Earth Spiritual Qi to strengthen themselves.

Legend has it that he can unleash all sorts of strange magical arts and defeat ten Martial Practitioner with a single hand.

"A novice cultivator."

Qin Wangchuan nodded.

Combined with the previous clues, he was almost certain that this was not a virtual world, but a real one.

The previous skill point allocation did not randomly generate a world.

Instead, the system found a matching world.

And this world is very likely located beyond the Three Thousand Provinces —in the Outer Domain.

Time seemed to fly by before Qin Wangchuan's eyes.

He saw the baby learn to roll over, sit, and crawl.

He saw Qin Rang carrying him on his shoulders, walking around the yard, humming an off-key tune.

I saw my mother sitting on the doorstep embroidering.

She would occasionally glance up at the father and son, smiling gently.

At the age of one and a half, "he" awakened his self-awareness.

One day, when Qin Wangchuan opened his eyes, he found himself no longer in mid-air.

He lay on the wooden bed, with a yellowed curtain above his head, and birds chirping outside the window.

He moved his fingers—his hands were small and chubby, with five fingers like five short lotus roots.

The perspective shifted from bystander to First Person.

But time continues to fly by.

At the age of three, Qin Rang officially became Martial Practitioner.

With more funds available, we not only renovated and expanded the house.

They also added a small courtyard behind the house, making it much more spacious.

In the same year, her mother passed away.

This is the script that Qin Wangchuan knows, but not everyone does.

Many people came to comfort and counsel him, but none of them could help Qin Rang get through it.

His hometown is in the far north. He came to this small town all alone and finally found a home.

Now that the family is broken up, he can't accept it.

He could only keep taking on dangerous missions, numbing himself with the constant risk of death.

Most of the time, Qin Wangchuan was home alone.

However, it's not that no one is taking care of them.

The school teacher had once been saved by Qin Rang, so they agreed to come and take Qin Wangchuan to school every day.

The teacher's surname was Chen. He was a thin, middle-aged man who wore round-framed glasses and spoke slowly and deliberately.

He appears at the door promptly every morning.

Holding Qin Wangchuan's hand, we walked along the bluestone path, crossed the small bridge in the town center, and headed to the school at the Town East End.

Days passed by.

During the system's accelerated time, Qin Wangchuan, though inside this body, was unable to make any choices.

For example, to avoid Qin Rang's death.

As if by fate, he was destined to die at the hands of bandits.

Day after day, time flies by.

Eating, sleeping, recognizing characters, reciting poems.

Except for that face.

Her skin was as white as a peeled egg.

Her eyebrows and eyes were also delicate, making her stand out among a group of children who were covered in dirt.

The children in town had little concept of good and evil; they just felt he was different from the others, so they liked to provoke him.

Apart from these, everything was ordinary and bland, like a bowl of plain water.

Until one person came along.

The girl from the next yard.

It wasn't because the girl was particularly pretty.

Although she was indeed pretty, with curved eyebrows and eyes that looked like crescent moons when she smiled.

It's because that face is so familiar.

"Eighth Sister?"