But as the fog of confusion faded, Leo's heart was filled with a feverish excitement.
He was an avid reader of web-novels and light novels, and no stranger to stories of transmigration. The light pearl overhead and the stone-wood ancient architecture screamed to him that he was in a cultivation or magic type world.
And that thought filled Leo with great happiness and excitement. He, like every reader out there, had dreamed of transmigration. And now that he had transmigrated, he could fulfill all his imaginations.
He could soar above lofty peaks, and dive deep into uncharted oceans. He could fight gigantic monsters and slay powerful demons. He could grow in the heat of thrilling battle, and rest in the arms of a harem of beauties.
He was in a cultivation world, a place where he could do things no man dared to imagined on Earth. And he was thrilled and ready for it.
But as his heart calmed, a question surfaced.
Aren't I supposed to get this body's memories. How else would I know what situation I am in? Who am I? What is this world exactly?
As soon as he thought about this, sharp pain exploded in Leo's head as a torrential rush of information flooded his brain. He had finally received the memories of his new body.
Images after images flashed before his eyes. Emotions he had never felt, thoughts he had never had, and dreams he had never seen rose unbidden to his mind. An entirely new and different soul fused into his. The soul of not Leo Carter, but Leon Starsky.
---
A child, barely 5-years old, sat cross-legged in a spacious, luxurious room. His uncle sat behind him, pressing his palms on the child's back. Both adult and child had their eyes closed, and a deep frown creased the man's face. Then he removed his hands and said, "What a shameful disappointment to the name of the Starsky clan. You, filthy child, are a piece of trash! Your father brought no honor to the clan, even by dying, and you will not either. You have no Qi Root. You cannot cultivate." The boy's innocent heart broke as the uncle he loved so much called him a trash.
The same child, now 10-years old, was walking down the road of the Starsky clan district. Suddenly, loud, boisterous laughter rang out behind him. "Everyone, look who has decided to grace us with his presence. The honorable son of the late clan chief, Young Master Leon himself! Come, boys, let us greet him properly." Then he and his group of boys ganged up on the weak child and started tossing and hitting him around like a ragdoll. That night, the boy slept shivering under a thin ragged blanket, bruises all over his body, lips bloody and torn, and both eyes blackened.
A 15-year old Leon Starsky stood in front of the entire clan assembly, as his fiance, Fiona Light, tore the marriage contract, and with cold disdain, said, "You and I belong to different worlds. You are a piece of garbage lying in the mud, while I am the future Saintess of the Holy Light Church. Don't try swallowing more than you can chew."
Leon, now 18-year old, stood again in the same clan assembly as he was expelled from the clan, and sold off to a slave trader in a place far from the clan.
He had died of starvation and weakness in the prison cell of the slave trader, only for his another soul to enter his body just a he died.
---
When the memories were complete, Leo just sat, frozen, dumbfounded, digesting all the information… and feeling all the pain.
It all came down to a single thing.
I… cannot cultivate?
All his dreams shattered in that single moment. Dreams of wielding powers equivalent to that of gods. Dream of soaring with the first rays of the sun as they streaked across the dawn sky, and drinking wine beneath the serene radiance of the moon. Dreams of sitting on a throne at the peak of existence, possessing supreme power, and overlooking all of creation itself. Everything he had dreamed of was impossible to do.
The reason?
He was, in this world of cultivators, born a mortal. In a world where even children could achieve the 1st stage of Body Refining, he had no cultivation. Why? Because he had no Qi Root.
The cultivation system in this world was based solely on Qi. And to absorb Qi, one needed a Qi Root. Everyone had a Qi Root in this world… except Leo.
His pity for Leon Starsky was completely overshadowed by his despair and rage. He felt like screaming towards the sky, swearing to dismantle every bit of truck-kun for giving him such a transmigration. Who the hell gets transmigrated to a cultivation world, only to realize they can't cultivate?!!! Damn you, fate! Damn you, truck-kun!!
He was punching the bed and rolling around in anger, until a thought hit him.
But wait… I'm a transmigrator. So, don't I get a cheat?
Just as he thought of this ray of hope, a sound chimed in his mind. And as that sound chimed, soft, elegant and ethereal, Leo realized what it was like to listen to heavenly music. Relief… Warm, beautiful, glorious relief washed over him because that sound was…
[Ding!]