That was the first thing Ye Xuan felt.
A dull, throbbing pain spread through his skull as his consciousness slowly returned.
His body felt strangely light.
His breathing was unfamiliar.
Even the air entering his lungs felt different.
Ye Xuan frowned.
Where am I?
He tried to open his eyes.
At first, everything was blurry.
A wooden ceiling.
A small window.
Sunlight.
The faint smell of herbs.
He remained still for several seconds.
Then his memories came rushing back.
A city street.
Rain.
Headlights.
A sudden impact.
And then—
Nothing.
Ye Xuan's eyes widened.
"Am I... dead?"
His voice sounded young.
Far too young.
He immediately sat up.
"Ah!"
Pain shot through his body.
Ye Xuan grabbed his head and grimaced.
"What the hell?"
He looked down.
A thin pair of arms.
Small hands.
Simple clothes made from rough fabric.
This wasn't his body.
Ye Xuan stared at his hands for several seconds.
Then he slowly turned toward the small bronze mirror hanging beside the bed.
His reflection appeared.
A young boy stared back at him.
Around thirteen years old.
His facial features were delicate but exceptionally handsome.
His skin was fair.
His hair was strangely white.
And his eyes...
Golden.
Not brown.
Not hazel.
Golden.
Like two pieces of molten gold.
Ye Xuan stared at the reflection.
"..."
He touched his face.
The boy in the mirror did the same.
He pulled his cheek.
The boy pulled his cheek.
He opened his mouth.
The reflection opened its mouth.
Ye Xuan finally muttered,
"Well..."
He looked at himself again.
"At least I didn't transmigrate into an ugly guy."
Silence.
Then he nodded seriously.
"That's important."
Before he could continue admiring his new face, a voice suddenly came from outside.
"Xuan'er!"
The wooden door opened.
An elderly woman entered carrying a bowl of medicine.
She froze when she saw Ye Xuan sitting upright.
Her eyes immediately became red.
"Xuan'er!"
She hurried over and placed the bowl on the table.
"You finally woke up!"
She grabbed his shoulders and examined him from head to toe.
"Does anything hurt? Your head? Your chest? Should I call Doctor Chen?"
Ye Xuan blinked.
The woman's worried expression was unmistakably genuine.
Something inside him softened.
Although he didn't know her...
His new body's memories did.
She was Grandmother Lin.
The woman who had raised him after his parents died when he was young.
Ye Xuan's expression softened.
"I'm fine, Grandma."
The words came naturally.
Grandmother Lin stared at him.
Then she suddenly hugged him.
"You scared me to death!"
Ye Xuan's body stiffened.
He wasn't used to this kind of affection.
But after a moment, he gently placed his hand on her back.
"I'm sorry."
Grandmother Lin wiped her tears.
"Don't scare Grandma like that again."
"I won't."
She looked at him suspiciously.
"You've been unconscious for three days."
"Three days?"
"Yes."
Ye Xuan looked toward the window.
The village outside was peaceful.
Children were running between wooden houses.
Farmers were working in the fields.
Birds flew across the blue sky.
Everything looked ordinary.
Too ordinary.
Yet something felt different.
Ye Xuan looked at his hands again.
"Grandma..."
"Hm?"
"Where is this?"
Grandmother Lin frowned.
"Our village, of course."
"No, I mean..."
Ye Xuan hesitated.
"Which country?"
Grandmother Lin looked confused.
"Country?"
"Yes."
She stared at him for a moment before laughing.
"You really hit your head."
Ye Xuan's mouth twitched.
"Maybe."
Grandmother Lin sat beside him.
"This is Azure Wind Village, inside the Great Yan Empire."
Ye Xuan's eyes narrowed.
Great Yan Empire?
That name wasn't familiar.
"What continent?"
Grandmother Lin became even more confused.
"Continent?"
Ye Xuan's expression slowly changed.
A strange possibility appeared in his mind.
He looked outside.
The sky.
The trees.
The distant mountains.
Everything looked natural.
But the spiritual energy in the air...
He could somehow feel it.
Very faintly.
Yet it existed.
Ye Xuan's pupils contracted.
"Grandma..."
"Yes?"
"Are there... cultivators in this world?"
Grandmother Lin's expression became serious.
"Of course."
Ye Xuan's heart skipped a beat.
"How strong?"
She thought for a moment.
"I don't know. People say powerful cultivators can move mountains and split rivers."
Ye Xuan swallowed.
"Anything else?"
"Some can fly through the sky. Some can live for hundreds of years. The strongest experts can even establish enormous sects and rule entire regions."
Ye Xuan fell silent.
So it was true.
He had transmigrated.
And not into an ordinary fantasy world.
He had entered a cultivation world.
A faint smile appeared on his face.
"Interesting."
Grandmother Lin looked at him.
"Why are you smiling?"
Ye Xuan immediately stopped.
"I'm not."
"You clearly were."
"You must have seen wrong."
Grandmother Lin sighed.
"This child..."
She stood up.
"Rest. I'll bring you some food."
After she left, Ye Xuan remained silent.
His expression gradually became serious.
He looked at the ceiling.
"So I'm really in another world."
He had read countless cultivation novels back on Earth.
He knew how dangerous these worlds could be.
Weak cultivators were nothing more than ants.
Powerful cultivators could destroy entire cities.
And resources were everything.
Without talent, resources, techniques or powerful backing...
Survival would be difficult.
Ye Xuan rubbed his chin.
"Fortunately, I seem to have been given a pretty good face."
He looked toward the bronze mirror.
"White hair, golden eyes..."
He smiled.
"Definitely protagonist material."
A sudden mechanical voice echoed inside his mind.
DING!
Ye Xuan froze.
A translucent screen appeared before him.
[Check-In System Successfully Bound!]
[Host: Ye Xuan]
[Age: 13]
[Cultivation: None]
[Talent: Ordinary]
[Bloodline: Human]
[Physique: Ordinary]
Ye Xuan stared at the screen.
"..."
His breathing became heavier.
A system.
He actually had a system.
His heart began beating rapidly.
"System?"
No response.
"Hello?"
Silence.
Ye Xuan frowned.
"Are you broken?"
The system finally responded.
[The system is perfectly functional.]
Ye Xuan's eyes lit up.
"So you're conscious?"
[Unfortunately.]
"..."
Ye Xuan's expression twitched.
"Unfortunately?"
[Yes.]
"Why?"
[Because the system has been assigned a host who talks to himself.]
Ye Xuan's mouth opened.
Then closed.
He took a deep breath.
"Fine. What can you do?"
[The system is a Check-In System.]
[The host can check in at locations and receive rewards.]
"That's it?"
[The system is capable of many functions.]
"Such as?"
A brief silence followed.
[The system refuses to spoil the host.]
Ye Xuan narrowed his eyes.
"You have an attitude problem."
[Confirmed.]
Ye Xuan almost laughed.
This system was ridiculous.
"How do I check in?"
[The host may check in once every twenty-four hours.]
[Special locations may provide additional check-in opportunities.]
"Reward?"
[Random.]
"How random?"
[Extremely.]
Ye Xuan smiled.
"Then let's try it."
He looked around the small wooden house.
"This counts as my location, right?"
[Correct.]
"Then..."
Ye Xuan raised his hand.
"Check in."
For a moment, nothing happened.
Then—
DING!
The system's voice suddenly became solemn.
[First Check-In detected.]
[Special reward activated.]
Ye Xuan's eyes widened.
[Congratulations, Host!]
[You have received the Newcomer Gift Package.]
[You have received: Primordial Chaos Physique.]
[You have received: Ancient Golden Bloodline.]
[You have received: Supreme Cultivation Talent.]
[You have received: Perfect Foundation.]
[You have received: Nine Heavens Body Tempering Art.]
[You have received: Ten Spirit Gathering Pills.]
[You have received: One Storage Ring.]
[You have received: 10,000 Low-Grade Spirit Stones.]
[You have received: 100 Contribution Points.]
Ye Xuan stared.
His lips slowly parted.
"..."
Then his eyes began shining.
"System."
[Yes?]
"I love you."
[The system recommends maintaining appropriate boundaries.]
"You're the best."
[The system accepts this statement.]
Ye Xuan laughed.
Then he noticed something.
"Wait."
He looked at the first reward.
"Primordial Chaos Physique?"
[Correct.]
"What does it do?"
[The Primordial Chaos Physique possesses extraordinary compatibility with spiritual energy, physical cultivation, bloodline evolution and various cultivation paths.]
Ye Xuan's eyes widened.
"And the Ancient Golden Bloodline?"
[A powerful ancient bloodline. Its full abilities will gradually awaken as the host's cultivation increases.]
"And Supreme Cultivation Talent?"
[The host's cultivation comprehension and spiritual affinity have reached an exceptionally high level.]
Ye Xuan's smile grew wider.
"This is..."
He clenched his fists.
"...ridiculous."
A warm current suddenly spread through his body.
His bones cracked.
His muscles tightened.
His blood began flowing faster.
Boom!
A powerful energy erupted inside his body.
Ye Xuan's eyes widened.
The world suddenly became clearer.
He could hear birds outside.
He could hear the wind passing through leaves.
He could even feel the spiritual energy floating through the air.
His body was changing.
Bones.
Muscles.
Meridians.
Blood.
Everything was being reconstructed.
The process lasted several minutes.
Then—
Silence.
Ye Xuan opened his eyes.
Golden light flashed through his pupils.
He slowly exhaled.
A faint white mist escaped his mouth.
He clenched his fist.
Power.
Real power.
He had never felt anything like it.
The system spoke again.
[Transformation complete.]
[Current cultivation: Body Tempering Realm — Third Layer.]
Ye Xuan stared at his hands.
"Third layer already?"
[The host received cultivation assistance from the Starter Package.]
Ye Xuan nodded.
That made sense.
But then another notification appeared.
[Special Talent Detected.]
[Supreme Cultivation Talent has been awakened.]
[Talent Rating: Unrated.]
Ye Xuan blinked.
"Unrated?"
[The system is unable to accurately evaluate it.]
He smiled.
"That sounds good."
[It is.]
"How good?"
[Very.]
"How very?"
[The system refuses to satisfy the host's curiosity.]
Ye Xuan sighed.
"You're annoying."
[The system considers this a compliment.]
He laughed.
Then he looked toward the window.
The peaceful village remained unchanged.
Nobody outside knew what had just happened.
Nobody knew that the ordinary boy who had been unconscious for three days now possessed an extraordinary physique and bloodline.
Nobody knew that his cultivation had already begun.
And nobody knew that the future of this small village had just changed.
Ye Xuan stood.
His body felt lighter than ever.
He walked toward the door.
Before opening it, he suddenly stopped.
"System."
[Yes?]
"Can I check in again tomorrow?"
[Yes.]
Ye Xuan smiled.
"Good."
He opened the door.
Sunlight fell across his white hair.
The village stretched peacefully before him.
Children played.
Farmers worked.
Smoke rose from cooking fires.
For the first time since his transmigration, Ye Xuan smiled genuinely.
He had lost his old life.
But perhaps...
His new one wouldn't be so bad.
He looked toward the distant mountains.
Somewhere beyond them existed sects.
Clans.
Empires.
Ancient beasts.
Powerful cultivators.
And a world far larger than this tiny village.
Ye Xuan's golden eyes slowly narrowed.
"Since I've been given another life..."
A confident smile appeared on his face.
"Then I'll live it properly."
He paused.
"And preferably..."
His smile became slightly mischievous.
"...with plenty of beautiful women."
[The system has recorded the host's priorities.]
Ye Xuan's expression changed.
"Hey."
[Cultivation: secondary.]
"Don't misunderstand."
[Beautiful women: primary.]
"That's not what I—"
[The system understands.]
Ye Xuan rubbed his forehead.
"This system is going to be troublesome."
From somewhere inside the house, Grandmother Lin's voice suddenly came.
"Xuan'er! Come eat!"
Ye Xuan immediately responded.
"Coming!"
He turned toward the house.
For now, he was still just a boy from a small village.
But his journey had already begun.
And soon...
A certain powerful cultivator would pass through this ordinary village.
She would notice the unusual spiritual fluctuations surrounding a young boy.
She would investigate.
She would discover his terrifying potential.
And she would make an offer that would completely change Ye Xuan's life.
"Become my disciple."
But that...
Would be the beginning of another chapter.