Ethan Carter had lived an ordinary life.
Painfully ordinary.
Born into a small apartment in a crowded city, he grew up watching his parents work tirelessly just to scrape by. His childhood passed quietly — school, homework, solitary dinners, and long nights spent alone. He was never exceptional. His grades hovered around average. His physical strength was mediocre. His talents, unremarkable.
Yet from a young age, Ethan harbored a secret world within his heart.
Stories.
Not just any stories — cultivation stories.
The first time he stumbled across a translated cultivation manhua online, something inside him awakened. Immortal cultivators riding flying swords across endless skies. Ancient sects guarding profound legacies. Heaven-defying techniques. World-shattering battles. Realms stacked upon realms, stretching beyond mortal comprehension.
Every chapter ignited his imagination.
Every story carved itself into his soul.
While other children dreamed of becoming doctors, athletes, or businessmen, Ethan dreamed of walking the path of immortality.
Night after night, he lay in bed, staring at the ceiling, imagining a glowing panel appearing before his eyes.
[Ding! Transmigration System Activated!]
He waited.
He hoped.
He prayed.
But dawn always arrived, and with it, the cold embrace of reality.
A Life Spent Waiting
Years drifted by like leaves in the wind.
Middle school became high school.
High school became college.
College became work.
Before Ethan realized it, decades had slipped through his fingers.
His life became a monotonous cycle.
Wake.
Commute.
Work.
Eat.
Sleep.
Repeat.
The office job drained him. Endless spreadsheets. Hollow meetings. Forced smiles. Each day felt like a slow erosion of the spirit. His youthful dreams dimmed, fading into fragile embers hidden deep within his heart.
Yet one thing never changed.
He never stopped reading.
Even as his hair turned gray and wrinkles etched themselves into his skin, Ethan continued devouring cultivation novels and manhua late into the night.
To others, it was childish.
To him, it was hope.
"Why do you still read that nonsense?" coworkers often scoffed.
"You're too old for fantasies."
"Grow up."
Ethan only smiled.
They could never understand.
Regret and Silent Prayers
Ethan never married.
Never had children.
Not because he lacked opportunity, but because his heart always felt… incomplete.
Somewhere deep inside, he believed his life was not meant to end here.
That one day, fate would open a door.
But fate remained silent.
As time passed, regret slowly settled within his bones — not regret for wealth, fame, or power, but for a single unfulfilled dream.
He never cultivated.
On his seventieth birthday, sitting alone in his dim apartment, Ethan finished reading yet another cultivation novel. The protagonist had shattered the heavens and ascended beyond all realms.
He closed his laptop slowly.
"How nice…"
Leaning back, he gazed at the ceiling.
"If reincarnation exists," he whispered, voice trembling, "please… let me go to a cultivation world."
The room remained silent.
Still, he continued.
"Give me a system. A cheat. A golden finger… anything."
A soft laugh escaped his lips.
"I don't need to be the strongest. I just want a chance."
That night, tears silently soaked his pillow.
The End of One Life
Age claimed him swiftly.
His body weakened.
His breath grew shallow.
One winter night, snow blanketed the silent city outside his window. Ethan lay in bed, watching the faint glow of a streetlamp flicker beyond the glass.
His heartbeat slowed.
Each breath felt heavier than the last.
Strangely, he felt calm.
"So… this is death."
Memories flooded his mind — immortal palaces, flying swords, divine beasts, endless heavens.
A faint smile touched his lips.
"I still hope…"
Darkness swallowed his consciousness.
And with that final breath, Ethan Carter's life came to an end.
Ding.
A mechanical sound echoed through boundless void.
[Soul compatibility detected.]
[Searching for suitable reincarnation world…]
[World Lock: Creation Realm — Confirmed.]
[Golden Finger System Binding in progress…]
[Binding Complete.]
Rebirth
Pain.
Cold.
Pressure.
Then — sensation.
Ethan's eyes snapped open.
Blinding light flooded his vision. He gasped, lungs filling with unfamiliar air. His heart thundered violently.
He lay upon cold stone.
Above him stretched a sky of swirling violet clouds and golden constellations that pulsed with divine radiance. Floating mountains drifted lazily through the heavens. Colossal beasts soared in the distance, their shadows blotting out entire regions.
Spiritual energy saturated the air, flooding his body with warmth and tingling vitality.
His mind went blank.
Then —
A translucent blue panel formed before his eyes.
[Creation System Activated]
Host: Ethan
Status: Reincarnated
Realm: Mortal Body (Unawakened)
Physique: Unknown (Sealed)
Fate Value: ???
Special Authority: Creation Privilege (Locked)
His breathing trembled.
His entire body shook.
"…I made it."
Tears streamed freely down his cheeks.
"I actually made it."