This Is My Turf

Normally, one completed the mission in the novice world, became an official Reincarnator, and only then set foot in the Main God Temple.

But Huang Shang was different.

After waking up from a car accident, he found himself in a boundless sea of stars. A shapeless presence communicated with him, identifying itself as the Heavens Consciousness and offering him a choice of sides.

Would he become a true Reincarnator?

Or would he become a spy, infiltrate the Main God Temple, and ultimately destroy it to restore peace to the Heavens?

At the time, Huang Shang had been utterly bewildered. It wasn't until after he experienced Book and Sword that he understood his situation and weighed the pros and cons.

First of all, Huang Shang knew he didn't really have much choice.

Though the Heavens had given him a choice, would they target him if he refused to choose?

It was like a boss magnanimously offering you two options, only for you to fail to read the room and get fired the next day for entering the office left foot first.

The Main God Temple and the worlds of the Heavens were two colossal forces, and they were also opposing factions.

Setting aside good and evil, the Main God Temple currently had the upper hand. Its countless Reincarnators were invading the Heavens and plundering their resources. The Heavens were on the back foot, their territory deeply infiltrated, which was why they needed to infiltrate the Main God Temple in turn and defeat the enemy from within.

That raised the question: since Huang Shang could be selected, other Reincarnators might be selected too.

If Huang Shang refused, could the Heavens afford to let him live, when doing so might endanger future spies?

Reporting to the Main God Temple was an option, but Huang Shang didn't know whether that mass of Heavens Consciousness had tampered with him somehow.

What if he tried to report it, only to blow himself up instead? That would be quite the joke.

Of course, Huang Shang had also considered whether the Heavens were capable of infiltrating the Main God Temple.

The Heavens Consciousness had given him a card, claiming it was a Universal Card that could let him disguise himself as any character from a story.

Chen Jialuo had been a test of that ability.

With this in mind, Huang Shang had rehearsed a scene in advance.

He would pretend to sell the Character Card for Chen Jialuo and sign a contract.

If the contract went through, that would prove the Main God couldn't see through Chen Jialuo's disguise. The Main God Temple wasn't omnipotent; the Heavens really could deceive it, and infiltration held promise.

If the Universal Card were exposed, that would mean the Heavens were completely incapable of opposing the Main God Temple. In that case, he shouldn't go looking for trouble. He'd risk reporting them directly, sell out the Heavens, and gamble on a way to survive.

The result had been reassuring.

The Main God Temple couldn't see through it!

No matter how dangerous the future might be, at least in this moment, he had stumbled upon a unique opportunity!

As for whether he could become the protagonist, that would depend on his efforts from here on.

After eating his fill, Huang Shang left the restaurant and, guided by the Main God's Mark, headed toward an apartment complex.

As he approached, he saw Reincarnators coming and going in droves.

This was where Reincarnators below one-star rank lived.

The Main God Temple had a comprehensive system for evaluating Reincarnators' strength, records, and current condition.

In general, they were ranked by stars.

One star was the lowest, and nine stars the highest.

Those who hadn't reached one-star rank were the dregs.

And the dregs lived in apartments.

As he entered a single-person apartment, Huang Shang felt as if he'd returned to the impossibly expensive housing market of the Magic City. He couldn't help but grimace.

The housing problem—the eternal torment.

For fuck's sake, he'd come all the way here and still couldn't escape it.

The Main God Temple was doomed.

In truth, this was the Main God Temple's way of pushing the Reincarnators to improve.

Once you became a one-star powerhouse, you immediately got a big villa, complete with a training ground and full-dive simulations. Your treatment changed in an instant.

For now, though, he'd have to keep living in his cramped little place!

Huang Shang didn't bother tidying up. He flopped onto the bed and opened the Reincarnator panel.

[Reincarnator: Huang Shang]

[Number: 89757]

[Essence: 1.3]

[Qi: 1.4]

[Spirit: 1.1]

[Character Card: Chen Jialuo]

[Ability Card: Hundred Flower Wrong Fist]

[Item Cards: Dragon-Returning Jade*1, Flying Swallow Silver Shuttle*1]

[Reincarnation Points: 100]

[Overall Rating: Unranked]

The three basic attributes seemed simple, but in fact, they covered a lot of ground.

Essence covered strength, agility, flexibility, and so on. Qi covered blood and vitality, internal energy, lifespan, and so on. Spirit covered mental strength, vitality, talent, and other values.

The three complemented one another; none could be missing.

In Western terms, they were strength, constitution, and intelligence.

An ordinary person's essence, qi, and spirit were all one. And don't assume Reincarnators could easily reach ten or even a hundred. Since these were composite ratings, even increasing one by 0.1 wasn't easy.

Huang Shang's current stats seemed to show only a slight increase, but in an actual fight, he'd already be a capable fighter in the world of Book and Sword Gratitude and Revenge.

Of course, compared with the other newcomers, this improvement was nothing special.

The Character Card for Chen Jialuo was fake. Once that was taken out of the equation, his other gains were meager.

Huang Shang's novice world really had been a novice world.

He didn't regret it.

What he'd done most in that world was observe.

He'd observed how real the worlds of the Heavens were, and how Reincarnators treated the characters in those stories. He'd also considered which path he should take.

With all that groundwork in place, the first proper world he entered would be the key to making his fortune.

Besides, as far as he was concerned, the Reincarnator panel was only a façade.

His infiltration targets in the worlds of the Heavens were the real path to quickly increasing his strength.

Having made up his mind, Huang Shang closed his eyes and was soon fast asleep.

His performance earlier had been convincing enough. For now, he would stay holed up in his apartment, cram as much historical knowledge as he could, and wait for the next world to open.

After a Reincarnator experienced one of the worlds of the Heavens, the Main God Temple arranged a rest period of anywhere from ten days to three months, depending on their condition.

If they were the impatient sort, they could set off on their next journey through the Heavens after ten days.

If they wanted to rest, they could wait until three months had passed before entering again.

Huang Shang planned to go straight in after ten days.

The longer he waited, the more could go wrong. The sooner, the better.

All three meals were delivered automatically. Huang Shang never left his apartment, not even to step outside the inner door, and trouble naturally stayed far away.

Ten days later.

He arrived at the teleportation area.

On the platform stood row upon row of enormous portals. Reincarnators, some alone and some in groups, streamed inside.

Huang Shang looked around and saw that the worlds of the Heavens were divided into Eastern and Western settings, clearly separated.

You could choose not only which world to enter, but also the point in the story at which you arrived.

The Main God Temple had made one requirement especially clear, though.

Star rank came with perks.

Huang Shang took a deep breath and walked toward the Eastern worlds. Soon, he made his choice—

Demi-Gods and Semi-Devils!

This was the world with the highest average level of martial arts among Jin Yong's stories and the greatest number of powerful figures. It was more than enough to realize some of his plans.

Huang Shang stepped through the portal. His body suddenly felt light, and as the world spun around him, he turned into a streak of light and shot away.

For other Reincarnators, from that moment until they actually entered the story world, everything would be beyond their control. They would be dazed and confused, left with no choice but to follow the Main God Temple's arrangements.

But Huang Shang was different.

The Universal Card spun within him, radiating a strange power. Huang Shang felt his head swell, and his soul seemed to leave his body. From high above, he watched himself enter the teleportation passage, cross between planes, and finally arrive outside a blue planet.

A transparent barrier enveloped the planet. It was the Heavens' protection for the various worlds.

Outside the planet, stars of all sizes circled, waiting for the Main God Temple's power to break through the barrier and enter the world.

These were the star-ranked Reincarnators, the Main God Temple's main force.

Huang Shang witnessed the scene, his thoughts shifting as his intangible soul darted toward the planet.

Without the slightest resistance or sound, he passed through the barrier.

"Just as I thought. This is where I belong!"

I'm releasing this chapter early for the contract signing. From now on, updates will return to their usual times: noon and 6 p.m. Please support the new book with recommendations and favorites!