Chapter 1: About to Die of Starvation, the System is Here
Taiping Dynasty — Qingcheng County, Yongcheng City.
In the secluded backyard of a worn-down courtyard, a young man lay sprawled on a wooden recliner, his face pale and lips dry. Despite the hunger draining the color from his cheeks, his handsome, otherworldly appearance and tranquil temperament made him look like a banished immortal, descended from the heavens.
"Sixteen years… It's already been sixteen years since I came here," the young man muttered, his voice weak yet clear.
His name was Lin Chen, and he was not of this world.
In his previous life on Earth, Lin Chen had been nothing more than a lowly assistant in a modest herbal medicine shop. One rainy evening, a customer had urgently requested a delivery. Dutifully, Lin Chen mounted his bicycle and set off—only for the brakes to fail as he descended a steep hill. He crashed headfirst into a tree. Death was instant.
When he next opened his eyes, he had been reborn into a strange and ancient world—a realm where legends roamed, where immortals flew on swords, and martial artists could crush boulders and kill elephants with a single strike.
He was born into the once-prominent Lin family, only to witness its destruction moments after his birth. His father—the head of the household—and nearly all of their bloodline were slaughtered by a powerful clan from the capital.
Only Lin Chen survived.
Cradled in the arms of an aging servant who had once sworn loyalty to his father, he was whisked away to the outskirts of Yongcheng City, where they lived in obscurity. For eight years, the old servant raised him quietly, avoiding attention.
And then the old man died.
With no one left to rely on, Lin Chen had survived on the meager savings the servant left behind. But in this harsh world, money vanished quickly, and jobs were scarce—especially for someone like him. In a city overflowing with desperate people, no one wanted to hire a boy with a pretty face who looked more like a noble than a laborer.
Now, sixteen years old, Lin Chen was on the verge of starving to death. He hadn't eaten in half a day, and every hour that passed made him feel colder, weaker.
In this city, power ruled all.
Yongcheng was controlled by two great families—the Liu family and the far more powerful Wang family. It was said the Wang family was backed by a late-stage Xiantian realm master, someone only one step away from Grandmaster.
Beneath the families were three major gangs: the White Tiger Gang, the Water Dragon Gang, and the Beggar Gang. Each served as the sharp blade and dirty hands of the families, cleaning up messes and keeping the city's shadows in order.
Of the three, the White Tiger Gang was the strongest. Its leader was a Martial Arts Master, and the gang boasted three Bone-Strengthening Realm elders. That alone made them one of the dominant forces in the underworld.
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Lin Chen's eyes drifted downward to the jade pendant resting against his chest. He had worn it since birth—an item many transmigrators might suspect to be their so-called "golden finger." Maybe a hidden master resided within it? Or perhaps it contained some ancient family inheritance?
He had tried everything to activate it—blood drops, incantations, spiritual probing. Nothing worked. In the end, he'd given up and assumed it would awaken when the time was right.
"Maybe… today's that day?" he murmured bitterly. But he no longer had the strength to care.
He closed his eyes and let out a long, weary sigh.
Just then, a crisp, mechanical sound rang in his ears.
> [Ding! Life-threatening condition detected — host is on the verge of starvation. Activating the Eternal Cultivation Simulator to ensure host's survival.]
Lin Chen's eyes shot open.
"…What?"
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