In the vast and desolate Manghuang Continent, the Northern Wasteland Mountain Range stretches endlessly for millions of miles.
Countless peaks, large and small, are scattered across the range—estimated to number one hundred thousand in total.
The area is a convergence of spiritual energy and demon qi, shrouded in mist and rarely visited by humans.
At the foot of one towering green mountain, deep within an ancient, overgrown forest where ancient trees pierce the sky and dense foliage forms a thick canopy, lies a cave hidden beneath layers of leaves.
At the damp and warm bottom of the cave, three eggs rest quietly.
Suddenly, a sharp cry pierces the silence from the middle egg. The shell cracks open slightly, revealing a bald, shiny head.
Then come two gleaming eyes, nostrils flaring, and two tiny pointed teeth.
"Sssss?"
"Wow... Where the hell am I?"
Xu Chengxian's mouth hangs open as he takes in the dim surroundings, his mind reeling from the sudden transition.
Trying to wiggle his body, he felt no limbs—just the tip of a hairless, bare tail twitching slightly.
"Sssss!"
He stuck out his tongue again.
Upon closer inspection, it was fleshy red and forked—a snake's tongue.
"So… I've turned into a baby snake?"
So what if he had transmigrated—did he really have to come back as not even human?
…Not being human didn't sound too bad.
Some people are born in Rome; others are born to be workhorses.
Xu Chengxian? He figured he was born with the divine physique of a mule or a horse—because mules and horses are destined to have no wives and no kids.
Being a beast of burden is exhausting. Every day, all he wanted to do was lie flat—as flat as a sun-baked, rock-hard salted fish.
But he also couldn't bring himself to give up entirely.
A true man lives in this world—how could he live a life of mediocrity and insignificance?
So he'd get motivated in bursts, only to fall right back into a cycle of eating, loafing, and waiting for death.
Which just made him even more worn out.
But now… he wasn't even human anymore.
"Sssss!"
Xu Chengxian was actually starting to feel a little excited.
He turned his bald little head to look around and noticed the other two eggs on either side still hadn't moved.
He stretched the tip of his tail out and poked each one in turn.
No response.
Sss~
None of the snake eggs in the same nest had hatched yet. So was he coming out this early a little too eager?
High risk of becoming a hardcore overachiever.
That simply wouldn't do at all.
"Ah-ha~"
Suddenly, a wave of drowsiness hit him.
Instinctively, he lifted the tip of his tail to cover his mouth and let out a big yawn. Had those days of overworking and pulling all-nighters finally caught up with him—even after transmigrating?
Or was this just an instinctive habit of baby snakes?
But then he thought, whatever.
If he was tired, then he'd just sleep.
He wasn't human anymore—no more waking up before dawn and grinding till midnight, no more forcing himself to go to school or work or chase after self-improvement.
This life, he'd eat when he wanted, sleep when he wanted.
Sleep until the sky turned pitch black, the sun and moon vanished from sight...
[Ding!] Detected that the host's desires align perfectly with the system!]
[Ding!] The Infinite Qi and Blood Growth System has automatically bound successfully!]
[Host: Xu Chengxian]
[Race: Water-Repellent Snake]
[Rank: Unranked (To reach Tier 1 Demonic Beast, Qi and Blood must exceed 1,000 points)]
[Qi and Blood: 12]
[Physical Constitution: 12]
[Soul Spirit: 62]
[Combat Skills & Divine Abilities: None]
[Refinement Points: 0/0]
Ohhh boy.
Xu Chengxian's eyes suddenly widened in shock.
"So… this is my golden finger from crossing over?"
It had arrived so quickly—he hadn't even had time to process being reborn as a snake before this system popped up.
"System? Are you still here?" he asked aloud, his voice tinged with disbelief.
"Does it really let me get stronger without any effort?"
[Please note, the system has completed activation.]
[Every second the host sleeps will grant 1 point of Qi and Blood, with no upper limit.]
[Qi and Blood is the foundation of primal essence and the starting point of cultivation.]
[Consuming refinement points allows you to refine Qi and Blood to temper your body, soul, and enhance divine arts and combat techniques.]
[Qi and Blood +1+1+1...]
A soft, rhythmic chime filled his mind, each "ding" accompanied by a surge of warmth. Xu Chengxian leaned back against the cave wall, his tail flicking lazily behind him.
"This is too good to be true," he muttered, a grin spreading across his face. "No more early mornings or endless grind. This lifetime, I'll eat when I want, sleep when I want!"
He closed his eyes, already imagining a future where he could laze around all day, his strength growing effortlessly with every snooze.
[System will randomly issue tasks. The host may obtain divine arts, combat techniques, spirit fruits, spirit seeds, or refinement points as rewards. Please complete tasks in your free time between naps.]
[Qi and Blood +1+1+1...]
The background sound of his rising Qi and Blood was oddly soothing, like a lullaby urging him deeper into slumber. Xu Chengxian let out a contented sigh, his mind drifting as the numbers kept climbing.
Outside the cave, the wind rustled through the ancient trees, but inside, all was peaceful—except for the occasional flicker of excitement in his chest.
"Who cares about being human anymore?" he thought, a mischievous glint in his eye. "This is way better."
Xu Chengxian's eyes suddenly widened in shock.
"So… this is my golden finger from crossing over?"
It had arrived so quickly—he hadn't even had time to process being reborn as a snake before this system popped up.
"System? Are you still here?" he asked aloud, his voice tinged with disbelief.
"Does it really let me get stronger without any effort?"
[Please note, the system has completed activation.]
[Every second the host sleeps will grant 1 point of Qi and Blood, with no upper limit.]
[Qi and Blood is the foundation of primal essence and the starting point of cultivation.]
[Consuming refinement points allows you to refine Qi and Blood to temper your body, soul, and enhance divine arts and combat techniques.]
[Qi and Blood +1+1+1...]
A soft, rhythmic chime filled his mind, each "ding" accompanied by a surge of warmth. Xu Chengxian leaned back against the cave wall, his tail flicking lazily behind him.
"This is too good to be true," he muttered, a grin spreading across his face. "No more early mornings or endless grind. This lifetime, I'll eat when I want, sleep when I want!"
He closed his eyes, already imagining a future where he could laze around all day, his strength growing effortlessly with every snooze.
[System will randomly issue tasks. The host may obtain divine arts, combat techniques, spirit fruits, spirit seeds, or refinement points as rewards. Please complete tasks in your free time between naps.]
[Qi and Blood +1+1+1...]
The background sound of his rising Qi and Blood was oddly soothing, like a lullaby urging him deeper into slumber. Xu Chengxian let out a contented sigh, his mind drifting as the numbers kept climbing.
Outside the cave, the wind rustled through the ancient trees, but inside, all was peaceful—except for the occasional flicker of excitement in his chest.
"Who cares about being human anymore?" he thought, a mischievous glint in his eye. "This is way better."
[The amount of Qi and Blood required to break through to higher tiers will continue to increase. Host, be sure to seize every moment and sleep as much as possible.]
[Qi and Blood +1+1+1...]
As the system continued its announcements, the rhythmic "+1" for each point of Qi and Blood sounded incredibly soothing, blending perfectly with the background tones—it was almost hypnotic.
Xu Chengxian listened half-asleep, thinking to himself: Getting stronger just by sleeping? This is way too good.
This was a world where demonic beasts and monsters roamed freely. He was genuinely worried that, at his current size—about the thickness of a pair of chopsticks used for hot pot—he'd be mistaken for a spicy stick snack and gobbled up the moment he ventured out.
Having the ability to defend himself would definitely help.
After all, who wanted to die? Everyone wanted to live—and to live well, if possible.
Every second spent asleep earned him 1 point of Qi and Blood.
To advance to Tier 1 Demonic Beast status, he needed to break through 1,000 points of Qi and Blood. That meant 1,000 seconds.
There were 60 seconds in a minute.
1,000 divided by 60? Well, subtract 600 first—that leaves 400. Then 400 divided by 60… six times six is thirty-six…
A little over sixteen minutes.
Xu Chengxian curled back up into the nest, closed his eyes, and instinctively used the tip of his tail to tuck the cracked eggshell back over him. All the while, he was mentally calculating how long it would take him to level up.
And with that, he decided to sleep a little longer.
Why not sleep now, if not now?
What could he possibly do in just 16 minutes?
This time, he was going to sleep deeply, sleep fully—sleep until he woke up naturally.
Ideally, he'd wake up as the strongest being under heaven...
"Damn you, old bastard—you... Huh?"
"I—I'm... I'm not dead?! I knew it!"
Just as Xu Chengxian had drifted off into a deep, peaceful slumber, a woman's voice suddenly rang out inside his mind—first filled with rage, then bursting with excitement. It startled him so badly that his little tail gave a sudden twitch.
Half-asleep, he murmured to himself: Huh? What's going on? Who's not dead?
"I am the Heavenly Empress of the Sacred Dynasty, the Lingxiao Empress. How could I possibly die so easily!"
"Hah, that damn old bastard never saw this coming, did he? Daring to use a pretty boy to trick me? Just you wait—I'll make sure you all pay once I get back!"
Empress?
Lingxiao?
Who was that?
Xu Chengxian slowly came to his senses, realizing that he might have just heard some kind of movement outside the eggshell.
Had one of his siblings—his brother or sister—just hatched?
He poked his little head out to take a peek.
Right in front of him, he locked eyes with a pair of bead-like eyes nestled within a vibrant shade of green.
As a baby snake, he could sense auras—and with just one glance, he knew it was his younger sister.
He opened his mouth, ready to say hello, when the little green snake suddenly made a face of utter disgust.
Then, once again, that familiar voice echoed inside his mind.
"Hmph? This little snake with barely-open eyes and a dumbfounded expression—so this is the loser who just so happens to share my body? And it's a patterned snake?! Ugh, the colors are hideous. Bleh!! My eyes!! I hate anything messy and disorganized!"
"But… since it's my elder brother, even if it's untalented and nowhere near as brilliant and ice-cold smart as me, I'll graciously take pity on it. In the future, I'll let it pull my royal carriage as a dragon horse."
With that, the little green serpent ducked its head back into its shell.
Xu Chengxian: (•_•)?
She's disgusted, sure—but she's still willing to give him the noble position of a dragon horse that pulls her carriage. Now that's the spirit of an empress. Old man here gives her a solid "6" in respect.
"Thank goodness I'm a solid color!"
"Hehe!"
"..." A female emperor, carrying the weight of vengeance, was actually thrilled about getting the skin color she liked.
You could call it open-minded—or just incredibly carefree.
"I'm going to cultivate!"
"A mere ordinary little snake? Fine by me!"
"Just watch—I may have been reborn as a snake with impure bloodlines, but I will still achieve the path of an Emperor!" The little empress spoke with full confidence and boundless enthusiasm.
Xu Chengxian thought to himself, Right now, you can barely dig a tunnel without struggling.
"My Sacred Dynasty encompasses all things, and we have no shortage of demonic beast cultivation techniques. The most supreme among them is… the Ten Thousand Demons Emperor Art! That's the one for me!! Haha!! As wise and mighty as I am, to have remembered it all perfectly—how brilliant am I!"
"Hmph, cultivate I shall!! I will take back everything that belongs to me!"
…
The vengeance-driven little empress threw herself wholeheartedly into cultivation, her mind focused and free of distractions.
Xu Chengxian waited a moment, but didn't hear her voice in his mind again.
Deciding to go back to sleep, he settled in.
The last nap had been amazing—his whole body had felt warm and cozy, like soaking in a hot spring. When he woke up, he could feel a rich, surging flow of Qi and Blood coursing vigorously through him.
It had been an absolutely delightful experience.
"Did the system congratulate me in my dream? Something about me reaching Tier 1 Demonic Beast status… and getting +1 Refinement Point?"
He glanced at his status panel.
[Host: Xu Chengxian]
[Race: Water-Repellent Snake]
[Rank: Tier 1 (To reach Tier 2 Demonic Beast, Qi and Blood must exceed 10,000 points)]
[Qi and Blood: 1168]
[Physical Constitution: 12]
[Soul Spirit: 62]
[Combat Skills & Divine Abilities: None]
[Refinement Points: 1/1]
Tier 1 already? How long did that take... Eh, who cares, time to sleep again!
One quick nap, one instant promotion—heck yeah, this is the life!
But just as he closed his eyes and started to drift off, a strange, cackling laugh suddenly exploded inside his mind.
"Hehehe!"
"This mighty one has returned to life!"