Year 1473 of the Great Qian Dynasty.
Manzhou, Linshui Commandery, Lechun County.
Inside a crumbling temple to a forgotten mountain god, a young man slowly struggled to sit up. His entire body felt as if it had been torn apart and clumsily stitched back together.
"Where… am I?"
Looking around at the shattered roof beams and dust-covered altar, Xiao Bieli was completely bewildered.
Wait a second—wasn't he just out with some clients last night, blowing nearly twenty grand at a club? How the hell did he end up here? Who was messing with him?
A sharp sting shot through his mind.
Run!
I'll hold them off!
—
Scene after scene of memories not his own flooded into his head.
"…I really transmigrated?"
After a long daze, he finally pieced together the fragments. Yes, this wasn't his original body anymore.
The one he had replaced was also named Xiao Bieli—third young master of the Xiao clan in Lechun County. His mother had died giving birth to him. His father, the clan's second master, had betrothed him at age six to Lin Qingyuan, the daughter of the powerful Lin family. The two had grown up as childhood sweethearts.
But three years ago, Lin Qingyuan entered Cangyuan Sword Sect, one of the Nine Sects and Six Clans, becoming a direct disciple. The Lin family moved away to Qingzhou, and the engagement had since become meaningless.
Just yesterday, a Cangyuan outer disciple named Lin Hai came to Lin'an. That same day, Xiao Bieli's uncle, Xiao Fusheng, personally tried to kill him. Were it not for his father and a few loyal retainers fighting desperately to spirit him away, he would already be dead.
Even so, he had watched his father cut down under Xiao Fusheng's sword. His father, a seventh-rank cultivator, had wounded Fusheng badly in return—but Xiao Bieli himself had been stabbed during the escape.
The original owner hadn't survived. Which was why he was here now.
From the fading twilight outside, not much time had passed since the original's death.
"Damn it… Dad only named me 'Bieli' because he liked that old poem about parting with a hook blade, and now fate really drags me into this? What a joke."
He looked down. His chest bore a deep sword wound, so raw it exposed bone. Blood still seeped from it. Just moving hurt like hell. If this continued, he wouldn't last the night.
"…System?" he muttered.
After all, in the novels he had devoured in his past life, every transmigrator came with a system.
No response. His face darkened.
Don't tell me I'm going to die the moment I cross over? Could I at least respawn back home? If not, this was the worst deal ever!
"…System Daddy?"
Ding!
Enemy-Slaying EXP System initializing… Complete.
Binding successful.
The Enemy-Slaying EXP System is at your service, dedicated to making you the strongest under heaven!
Slay enemies to gain experience points and special rewards. EXP can be used to increase martial proficiency.
Xiao Bieli's heart leapt.
Just as he thought—those web novel authors weren't lying!
According to this world's knowledge, there really were experts who could split mountains with a sword or sever rivers with a single slash. And this body wasn't untalented—just one step away from refining blood and birthing true inner power, the threshold of the Ninth Rank.
In this world, martial cultivation ranged from Ninth Rank (lowest) to First Rank (highest). Above First Rank were the so-called Land-Immortals.
Ding!
Severe injuries detected. Initiating automatic repair.
A warm current spread through his body, like soaking in a hot spring. The pain ebbed, the torn flesh knit back together, and within a few breaths even the gaping wound on his chest had vanished.
Ding!
Newbie gift pack detected. Claim now?
"Claim!"
Ding!
Congratulations, Host has received: Master-level manual The Muscle-Tendon Classic, martial art Windstorm Blade Technique, weapon Hundred-Forge Saber, and 1,000 EXP.
Xiao Bieli's eyes went wide.
The Muscle-Tendon Classic? The legendary Shaolin inner cultivation art, said to have been created by Bodhidharma himself! It could reshape the body, cleanse the marrow, and was famed as one of the strongest foundations in existence.
"Claim!"
Memories poured into his head as though he had trained for years. His meridians shifted, expelling filth as black, greasy residue seeped from his pores, filling the air with a foul stench.
At once, a faint trickle of inner force stirred in his dantian, circulating through his limbs before pooling back again.
"…I actually broke through?"
In disbelief, Xiao Bieli realized he had already stepped into Peak Ninth Rank. The original owner had trained for years without success, and yet with just five percent proficiency in the Muscle-Tendon Classic, he had surpassed that bottleneck.
He glanced at the saber in his hand.
With a casual swing—
Crash!
The offering table beside him shattered into splinters.
"So this… is the power of a true martial cultivator."
His system panel flickered before him:
Host: Xiao Bieli
Cultivation: Peak Ninth Rank
Martial Arts:
Muscle-Tendon Classic (5/100)
Windstorm Blade (5/100)
Ripple Palm (10/100)
Black Tiger Fist (20/100)
Experience: 1000
"Thank god for the newbie pack. Without it, I'd have nothing to work with."
Still, his martial arts proficiency was low. Ripple Palm and Black Tiger Fist were just basic Xiao clan techniques, hardly worth investing in. The real value lay in the Muscle-Tendon Classic and Windstorm Blade.
"Let's start small. Burn 100 EXP to upgrade the Muscle-Tendon Classic."
Heat surged in his core as inner force swelled—but when he checked, the proficiency hadn't budged.
"…So that's how it is. The Classic is an inner art, way higher grade than Windstorm Blade. EXP costs must be insane."
"Fine then. Burn 500 EXP on Windstorm Blade."
Instantly, decades of blade practice crashed into his mind. His proficiency jumped.
Panel update:
Windstorm Blade (30/100)
"Each 100 EXP raises it by five points. Not bad."
He frowned. "But Lin Hai and my uncle won't give up unless they see my corpse. I can't afford to stay weak."
"Use all remaining EXP. Boost Windstorm Blade again."
Warmth spread through his arms as mastery deepened.
Windstorm Blade (50/100)
He gripped his saber, a grim smile tugging at his lips.
"At this level, the Windstorm Blade is solid enough. From now on, my EXP goes into the Muscle-Tendon Classic."
Just then, heavy footsteps thundered outside.
"Hurry up!"
"There's blood here—he must be close."
"The Patriarch said alive or dead, we bring him back."
A band of armed men burst into the ruined temple.
The leader's eyes lit up when he spotted him.
"There! It's Xiao Bieli!"