"Trash."
The word echoed through the Lin Clan's courtyard like a death sentence.
"Useless bastard."
"Still can't form even a single Qi thread."
"Why's he even still alive? He stains the clan name."
A crowd had formed beneath the carved jade pillars of the martial arena. Their faces were full of disdain, their laughter biting, but none were louder than Lin Xue, the favored genius of the Lin Clan and the eldest son of the patriarch.
"You think being born to the main bloodline means something?" Lin Xue sneered, towering over a collapsed body. "Blood doesn't mean anything if you can't even cultivate."
On the ground, Lin Feng trembled. His robes were torn. His lip was split. His vision blurred from the blood pooling around his eyes. His stomach curled with nausea, but worse was the searing humiliation in his chest.
The very clan he was born into. The family he called his own. Now they jeered at him, spat on him like vermin, and treated him like a failed experiment.
Because he was different.
He was born without a spiritual root.
No cultivation. No Qi. No future.
Even in a world overflowing with martial power, spirit beasts, and ancient legacies, Lin Feng was powerless. And powerlessness was worse than death.
"Get up," Lin Xue mocked, kicking dust into Lin Feng's face. "Didn't your father once say you'd surpass all of us? Look at you now. Dead weight."
Lin Feng said nothing. He didn't have the strength.
Lin Xue's foot slammed into his ribs.
CRACK.
Pain tore through Lin Feng's side. The world spun. He gagged.
His fingers clenched the dirt.
He wanted to scream.
To curse.
To fight.
But all he could do was lie there.
Bleeding.
[Failure to awaken spiritual root: Confirmed.]
[System binding… paused.]
[Warning: Host's life force critically unstable.]
[System suspended.]
The voice—cold and mechanical—echoed somewhere deep in his soul.
He didn't hear it.
He couldn't.
Because as the clouds above twisted in unnatural patterns, as lightning flashed and winds howled, fate began to stir.
And fate never asked for permission.
Above the Lin Clan's ancestral grounds, the sky blackened like ink poured across heaven.
Priests halted their prayers. Cultivators paused their training. Even the birds fled the treetops in waves of frightened screeches.
From the heavens, a bolt of golden lightning descended.
It was not thunder.
It was judgment.
BOOOOOOOOOM!!!
The impact shattered the courtyard.
Stone exploded. Dust mushroomed. Screams erupted as disciples fled.
And at the center of the crater…
…was Lin Feng's body, charred and still, surrounded by flickering arcs of golden light.
The clan thought he had died that day.
They buried what remained of him outside the city walls, under a nameless gravestone. No funeral. No honors. Just a pile of dirt and a quickly forgotten disgrace.
But Lin Feng wasn't dead.
Not yet.
Somewhere Else.
He opened his eyes to a forest soaked in crimson light.
The sky above was alien. Two moons—one blood red, one pure white—hovered in tandem. Trees dripped with a glowing blue sap, and the air shimmered with motes of energy.
It wasn't Earth.
It wasn't the Mortal Realm.
And his body—
He sat up.
No pain.
No injuries.
He felt alive. More alive than he ever had in his entire life.
[Omniscript System Rebooting…]
[System Successfully Bound.]
[Welcome, Lin Feng. You are now the sole host of the Omniscript System.]
His eyes widened.
A system? Like the ones in those ancient myths? Legends spoke of cultivators granted immortal cheats from the stars—beings chosen by fate, given the power to rewrite the heavens.
[Mission 001: Survive the next 24 hours.]
[Reward: Unlock Basic Status Panel + Skill Tree Access]
[Penalty: Death]
"Wait, what?"
Suddenly, a low growl echoed from behind him.
Dozens of glowing red eyes stared at him through the thick trees. Beasts—twice the size of wolves, fur as dark as ink, teeth like jagged blades.
Crimson Hounds.
He didn't know how he knew their name, but he did.
And instinct told him one thing.
They were hunting him.
[System Tip: Nearby threats detected – Host survival probability: 8%. Initiating emergency tutorial.]
[Skill Unlocked – Basic Movement Enhancement (Temporary)]
Lin Feng didn't need more convincing.
He ran.
Through twisting trees and crimson fog, he sprinted as if his life depended on it—because it did.
His feet moved faster than they ever had before, his lungs expanding with new strength, his reflexes sharper, his body lighter.
Was it the system?
Was he dreaming?
No—this was real.
But so were the monsters behind him.
They howled as they gave chase, snapping at his heels, bounding over roots and rocks with inhuman speed.
[Obstacle detected: Ravine – 4 meters wide]
[Skill Temporary Boost Activated]
He leapt.
For a heartbeat, the world slowed.
He flew through the air.
He landed hard—rolling into a thicket of bluegrass that sizzled at his touch.
He didn't stop running.
Hours passed. Maybe minutes. Time blurred in adrenaline.
Eventually, he found a cave—small, hidden by ferns, its entrance shielded by jagged stones.
He collapsed inside, panting, soaked in sweat.
The hounds didn't follow.
[Time Remaining: 17 hours, 39 minutes]
Lin Feng lay there, staring at the glowing status screen hovering above his head.
For the first time in his life, he didn't feel like trash.
He felt chosen.
Flashback – Two Years Ago
A boy kneeled before his father.
"I don't understand. Why can't I cultivate?"
The old man—Lin Jian—had eyes like steel, yet filled with sorrow.
"Because this world is cruel. And not all men are born equal."
"But I can still train. I can—"
"You will try. And they will crush you for it."
Lin Feng gritted his teeth.
His father rested a hand on his shoulder.
"One day, the heavens may give you a chance. But you must be ready to seize it."
Back to Present
[System Milestone Reached – First Escape Successful]
[Partial Reward Granted: Basic Status Panel Unlocked]
A glowing screen unfolded.
[Host: Lin Feng]
[Realm: None]
[Physique: Mortal Body (Unknown Variant)]
[Energy: 3/100]
[Skills: Basic Movement Enhancement (Temporary)]
[System Points: 0]
[Condition: Stable]
"Still at the bottom," he whispered. "But… I've never even been on the ladder before."
He sat in silence for a long while.
Then he grinned.
A bitter, cracked, hungry grin.
"Let's see how far this ladder goes."
[Day One – End]
[Mission 001: Completed.]
[Reward: +10 System Points | Skill Tree Access Unlocked | Basic Qi Absorption Unlocked]
[New Mission: Slay a Crimson Hound before sunrise.]
[Bonus: Deliver a humiliating kill to earn your first Title.]
His fingers clenched.
"Come then, beasts."
"Let me return the favor."