The last thing Jian Long remembered was the taste of blood—iron and regret—as his skull cracked against the Beijing alleyway pavement. His final coherent thought wasn't fear or anger, but bemused annoyance:
"Of course I'd die over 50 yuan and half a sausage skewer."
Then—nothing.
Until...
Cold.
Not the gentle chill of winter, but the soul-deep freeze of existence being stitched into unfamiliar flesh. Jian Long's eyes flew open to a sky the color of a fresh bruise, swirling with constellations that pulsed like living things. One cluster formed a sneering face that winked at him before dissolving into the shape of a sword bisecting a mountain.
"Either I'm hallucinating," he croaked, throat raw as if he'd been screaming, "or the internet café was spiking their energy drinks with something spectacular."*
He sat up slowly. Naked. Naturally. Because why would the universe spare him that humiliation? The grass beneath him shimmered with unnatural dew—each droplet a tiny mirror reflecting fractured scenes:
A woman in violet robes weeping black tears that burned holes in stone
A crow plucking out its own feathers one by one
A sword plunged into an altar, its hilt vibrating with trapped screams
Jian Long touched his collarbone where a sword-shaped birthmark throbbed. "Well. This is new."
[Heavenly Dual Dao Protocol Activated]
The words seared across his vision in gilded crimson script before resolving into a voice like honey poured over a dagger's edge:
"Host successfully transmigrated. Congratulations on achieving the bare minimum."
Jian Long grinned. "Let me guess—cheat codes come standard?"
"Incorrect. Host inherits:"
A corpse's identity (discarded after failed awakening ritual)
Sealed Yin-Yang Reversal Core physique (currently at 0% functionality)
Karma debt (from 26 years of Earthly degeneracy, including but not limited to: stealing your neighbor's WiFi to watch cultivation dramas, trolling forum moderators, and that incident with the fire extinguisher and the police drone)
This system's profound regret
"Karma?" Jian Long scoffed, rolling to his feet. "Since when does the universe care about—"
A gust of wind carried the scent of plum blossoms undercut by something darker—burnt hair and ozone. Jian Long dove behind a twisted pine tree just as five figures emerged from the mist.
The women moved like unsheathed blades given human form. Their violet-and-silver robes—each embroidered with a single descending sword at the hem—flowed around bodies honed to lethal perfection. At their head strode a cultivator whose every footstep made the air tremble. Her eyes, the pale green of poisoned jade, scanned the clearing before locking onto...
A corpse.
His corpse.
Jian Long's breath hitched. The dead face—his face—was frozen in a rictus of agony, ritual markings still smoking across its chest in the distinctive spiral pattern of the Velvet Sword Pavilion's awakening ceremony.
"Well," he mused, "that explains the wardrobe shortage."
"Another failure," the lead cultivator said, nudging the body with her boot. A silver bell tied to her sash chimed with the motion, its sound making Jian Long's teeth ache. "Dispose of it before the crows develop a taste for human flesh."
As two junior disciples dragged the corpse away, a third—a girl with foxlike features—paused, nostrils flaring. "Elder Sister Lian, I smell—"
"A rat, probably." The elder flicked her sleeves, revealing hands crisscrossed with scars that glowed faintly blue. "The outer disciple trials begin at dawn. Focus on preparing rather than chasing shadows."
When the last robe vanished into the mist, Jian Long exhaled. His breath came out tinged blue—a phenomenon the system promptly flagged:
"Qi Rejection Symptom: Host's foreign soul destabilizing mortal vessel. Estimated collapse: 72 hours without cultivation."
"Fantastic. What's plan B?"
"Option 1: Die painfully as your organs crystallize (Recommended if you enjoy pretty light shows)
Option 2: Locate the scroll buried near your corpse's left foot (Suggested for hosts with survival instincts)"
The dirt yielded a bamboo scroll sealed with black wax that shimmered like a beetle's carapace. When Jian Long cracked it open, the characters slithered like living things before resolving into elegant script:
"Heavenly Pulse Massage Art: First Gate of the Dual Dao"
"Massage?" Jian Long's eyebrow climbed. "My cheat skill is giving happy endings?"
"How reductive. This technique manipulates qi pathways through strategic touch. The 'massage' is simply the vector—like using a sword to deliver poison rather than brute force."
A twig snapped behind him.
Jian Long turned to find a girl standing three paces away, her sword already drawn. Up close, he recognized the singed hems of an outer disciple's robe and the telltale flush of someone who'd recently failed a breakthrough. Her qi roiled like a stormcloud—unstable and dangerous.
"You're supposed to be dead." Her blade trembled slightly. "The awakening ritual always kills those without aptitude."
Jian Long rose slowly, the scroll casually tucked behind his back. "And yet here I stand. Makes you wonder what else the sect's lied about, doesn't it?"
Her sword flashed up to his throat. "Who. Are. You."
"Jian Long. Recently deceased. Currently reborn. Future headache of the Velvet Sword Pavilion." He grinned as the system pinged:
[New Target Analyzed]
Name: Su Ling
Age: 17
Cultivation: Qi Condensation (Unstable)
Compatibility: 81% (Ideal First Partner)
Recommended Approach: Provoke emotional response to destabilize guard
So he added: "Also, your meridians are a disaster. I can smell the qi leakage from here—like rotten fruit stuffed with gunpowder."
Her blade nicked his skin. "Liar!"
"Am I?" Jian Long let his fingers brush her sword hand—barely a whisper of contact.
[Heavenly Pulse Massage Art: Initiated]
Golden light erupted where skin met skin. Su Ling gasped as the unstable qi cyclone inside her suddenly stilled, the chaotic energy funneling into orderly spirals along her meridians. Her sword arm dropped.
"What... what did you..."
Jian Long watched the system notifications flood in:
[First Successful Qi Transfer!]
Yin-Yang Reversal Core: 0.1% Unsealed
Host's Lifespan Extended by 14 Hours
New Skill Unlocked: Qi Perception (Basic)
He leaned close, inhaling the now-stable plum blossom scent of her qi. "Tell me, little sword fairy—how many others has the sect discarded like trash?"
Her widened eyes reflected the truth: Too many.
Beyond them, the abandoned corpse's fingers twitched—just once—before crumbling to ash.
System Status
Host: Jian Long
Physique: Yin-Yang Reversal Core (0.1% Unsealed)
Cultivation: Mortal (Qi Perception Unlocked)
Techniques:
Heavenly Pulse Massage Art (Novice)
Lifespan: 86 Hours Remaining
Karma Debt: -1,000 (Shameless Rebirth Penalty)
Quest Log:
Survive Velvet Sword Pavilion's Initiation (3 Days Remain)
Unseal Physique to 1% (Current: 0.1%)
Threat Level: Rising (Sect Detection Risk: 39%)