On the border of the Eastern Region of the Hidden Dragon Continent, inside a hidden cave dwelling in an unnamed barren mountain,
Yun Ce sat cross-legged. Pale-green Nascent Soul spiritual energy flowed slowly around him, but it could not conceal the aura of decay that had seeped into his bones.
He lifted his eyes toward the vast world beyond the cave, his gaze filled with endless weariness.
It had been 4,900 years since he had transmigrated into the world of Stellar Transformations.
Over those four thousand years, he had struggled to survive, progressing step by step from an Xiantian servant disciple of a small sect to the Nascent Soul stage. Then he had left the sect and secluded himself in a cave. In this remote Eastern Region, he had become a cultivator of some renown—not among the greatest, but no pushover either.
But the late Nascent Soul stage was no path to immortality.
His talent was mediocre, he had no heaven-defying cultivation techniques or powerful backing, and he had made it this far only through one life-or-death opportunity after another and a thousand years of unrelenting cultivation.
But his lifespan would not be extended by even a fraction just because he had worked hard.
"Another hundred years..."
Yun Ce murmured, his fingertips trembling slightly.
A late-stage Nascent Soul cultivator lived for no more than five thousand years. He had already lived 4,900, and the vitality within him was steadily withering. Even the Nascent Soul in his dantian had taken on a faint, ashen hue.
If nothing unexpected happened, he would pass away here in a hundred years, turning to a handful of dust and leaving not even the slightest trace behind.
He was unwilling to accept it.
He had not transmigrated just to wither away and die in obscurity.
He had seen Golden Core cultivators fly through the sky and burrow through the earth. He had seen Nascent Soul elders overturn rivers and seas. And in fragments of ancient texts, he had glimpsed the supreme beings who shattered the void and roamed the cosmos—Heavenly Immortals and Loose Immortals!
That was the life a cultivator was meant to live.
But his talent was limited. He could not even reach the threshold of the Void-Piercing Realm, and he saw no hope ahead.
"Could it be that I, Yun Ce, am destined to be no more than an insignificant speck of dust in this vast world?"
Just as despair took hold of him and his spiritual energy began to grow chaotic,
[Ding! A Child of Destiny has been detected. Binding conditions met!]
[The Sign-in System is activating...]
[Activation successful!]
A cold, mechanical voice suddenly rang out in Yun Ce's mind!
Yun Ce's eyes snapped open, his pupils contracting as a storm of shock swept through him.
A system!
The transmigrator's cheat had finally arrived!
[Host: Yun Ce]
[Realm: Late Nascent Soul (less than a hundred years of lifespan remaining)]
[Cultivation: 4990/5000 (Late Nascent Soul peak)]
[System Mission: Bind to the Child of Destiny, Qin Yu, become his master, and deeply bind your fates]
[System Reward: Permanent realm boost—always two major realms above Qin Yu! Unaffected by this world's heavenly tribulations. The system can conceal the host from the Heavenly Dao]
[Sign-in Location: Donglan Mountain · Cloud Mist Villa]
[Sign-in Rewards: Lifespan +1000 years, Super Marrow Cleansing Pill ×3, Heaven-Reaching Chart]
Qin Yu!
The Eastern Suppressing Prince Mansion!
Yun Ce understood everything in an instant.
The main story's starting point had finally arrived!
The Child of Destiny, Qin Yu, was only six years old. Because of his unusual innate dantian, he could not store inner force, and his father, Qin De, had ignored him. He was training alone on Cloud Mist Mountain. Today was the day he would become General Zhao Yunxing's disciple and begin his true cultivation!
And at this crucial moment, Yun Ce had obtained the Sign-in System.
Always two major realms above Qin Yu!
What did that mean?
When Qin Yu began learning External Martial Arts, Yun Ce would be at the Golden Core stage!
When Qin Yu reached Xiantian in External Martial Arts, Yun Ce would be at the Nascent Soul stage!
When Qin Yu reached the Golden Core stage, Yun Ce would be at the Void-Piercing Realm!
When Qin Yu reached the Nascent Soul stage, Yun Ce would be at the Emptiness Realm!
When Qin Yu became a Heavenly Immortal, Yun Ce would be a Mystic Immortal—or even an Immortal Emperor!
As long as he stayed with Qin Yu, his realm would rocket upward. He would never again have to worry about lifespan, talent, or cultivation techniques. And with the system concealing him from the Heavenly Dao, he would not even need to undergo tribulation!
"Heaven always leaves a way out!"
Yun Ce threw his head back and laughed. A thousand years of pent-up gloom swept away, and even his withering Nascent Soul trembled faintly, showing a trace of renewed life.
So what if he had only a hundred years left to live?
As long as he bound himself to Qin Yu, he could live forever and roam the cosmos!
"The Three Prefectures of the Eastern Region, Donglan Mountain, Cloud Mist Villa, Qin Yu..."
Yun Ce rose to his feet and brushed the dust from his robes, his gaze turning utterly resolute.
This time, he would no longer be an obscure passerby.
He would become the Master of Destiny, stepping onto Qin Yu's path of destiny and rising to the summit!
With a flash, Yun Ce turned into a streak of pale-green light and shot across the sky toward the Eastern Suppressing Prince Mansion, the most dazzling power in the Eastern Region.
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