[The Strongest Choice System is binding to the host.]
[Please wait…]
Su Chen blinked.
Once.
Twice.
Nothing had changed.
Floating in front of his face was an obnoxious display of glowing text—like something you'd see in a cheap video game interface. The text flickered, casting an eerie glow on the dim room around him.
Before he could even think to scream, a mechanical voice echoed inside his mind—crisp, cold, and annoyingly impersonal.
Before he could open his mouth, more text appeared:
[System binding complete. Assigning the first and most crucial choice of your new life…]
Wait, what? A choice? What choice?
Su Chen's mind was still grappling with the reality of transmigrating, and now, there was some strange system giving him options? This couldn't be real. He rubbed his eyes again, hoping the vision would vanish, but no, the text remained.
The voice spoke again:
[Choice 1: Follow the path of your predecessor and become a "Son of Luck."]
Reward: Protagonist Aura
(Attracts attention from powerful figures, inevitable conflict with powerful foes, and a higher risk of assassination. If you're lucky, you'll survive. But do you want that? Can you handle that?)
Additional Reward: Break the first shackle of the Ancient Sacred Body. (Total shackles: 10)
[Choice 2: Abandon the path of a Son of Luck and walk the road of a Villain.]
Reward: Villain Aura
(Instant respect, fear, and a growing sense of superiority. You will be hated and feared, but you'll also attract enemies who will stop at nothing to bring you down. It's a tough road, but it'll be paved with power.)
Additional Reward: Ancient Sacred Body will be replaced with the Absolute Chaos Physique.
[Choice 3: Forge your own path, neither Protagonist nor Villain.]
Reward: Outsider Aura
(A path so low-key that people forget you exist unless you decide otherwise. Your presence will go unnoticed by all but the most perceptive. That means you can avoid conflict... for now.)
Additional Reward: Innate Dao Fetus Physique Origin (evolves into the legendary Innate Sacred Dao Fetus Body – rapid cultivation speed, natural Dao affinity, and no shackles holding you back.)
[Choice 1: Follow the path of your predecessor and become a "Son of Luck."]
Reward: Protagonist Aura
Congratulations! You'll now attract mysterious elders, ancient legacies, secret waifus, and random power-ups falling from the sky like spiritual candy. Unfortunately, you'll also attract: bloodthirsty young masters, psychotic sect geniuses, and assassination attempts at least twice a week. Survive if you can, you walking flag!
Additional Reward:
Break the first shackle of the Ancient Sacred Body.
(Shackles remaining: 9. Pain increases per shackle. Please scream responsibly.)
[Choice 2: Abandon the Son of Luck nonsense and walk the road of a Villain.]
Reward: Villain Aura
Instantly gain the ability to smirk ominously, monologue stylishly, and make young protagonists tremble at your name. You'll be feared, envied, and probably cursed at by readers. Enemies will come crawling out like cockroaches, but hey—each one is free EXP.
Warning: No matter how powerful, how handsome, or how many realms you conquer…
you will eventually be defeated by a protagonist with plot armor thicker than your skull.
(Recommended coping mechanisms: sarcasm, fake deaths, or early retirement.)
Additional Reward:
Your pitiful Ancient Sacred Body will be uninstalled with extreme prejudice.
Now installing: Absolute Chaos Physique™.
(Side effects include excessive arrogance, stylish evil laughs, and a 78% increase in dramatic cloak-flipping.)
[Choice 3: Forge your own path, neither Protagonist nor Villain.]
Reward: Outsider Aura
No plot armor, no plot bullets—just you, a forgotten background character with a mysterious vibe. People won't notice you unless you kick their dog or steal their heavenly treasure. Danger level: Low. Cultivation speed? Now we're talking!
Additional Reward:
You're now born with the Innate Dao Fetus Physique Origin.
(Evolves into the legendary Innate Sacred Dao Fetus Body—no shackles, no limits, just pure cheat-level cultivation. Think of it as the spiritual version of having a VIP pass to heaven.)
Su Chen stared. Hard.
His brain, which was still reeling from the shock of transmigrating into someone else's life, could barely process what he was seeing. The options seemed... unreal.
Wait. This was the system? The thing that all those cultivation webnovels talked about? The cheat?
His heart raced, but no matter how many times he rubbed his eyes, the glowing text didn't go away.
"This can't be real," he muttered, half-laughing, half-sighing. "This is what I've been reading about my whole life."
As if acknowledging his acceptance, a sudden wave of information smashed into his mind.
For a few horrifying seconds, it felt like someone was trying to stuff an entire Wikipedia database into his skull.
When the mental assault finally stopped, he understood:
This system wasn't here to babysit him or crack jokes. It had one job—give him big life choices. Choose correctly, profit. Choose wrong... well, that's on him.
A basic interface unfolded before him:
[Name: Su Chen]
[Realm: Mortal]
[Species: Mortal]
[Physique: Ancient Sacred Body (10 Shackles)]
[Techniques: None]
[Scriptures: None]
[System Storage: Empty (can only store non-living items temporarily)]
He could feel the weight of the choice in front of him. This was it. His future.
His mind raced through the implications.
Choice 1 sounded like a dangerous gamble. A "Son of Luck" might get a lot of attention, but that came with enemies who were probably stronger than anything he could handle. His predecessor had lived that life, and even though luck was on his side, it wasn't a guarantee of safety.
Choice 2 sounded tempting—after all, who didn't want power? But the idea of constantly being chased down by stronger cultivators didn't sit right with him. Villains were rarely happy in stories, and they always ended up losing to the protagonist.
But Choice 3...
Su Chen's eyes fell on it. Forge your own path. It was the one that gave him control, the one where he could avoid the spotlight and live a quiet life, carving out his own fate.
If he tried to play the traditional protagonist or villain card, he was basically signing up for endless plot armor battles, love triangle dramas, and surprise betrayal arcs. And then, forgot about all of this even he can survive some years, would be a question??
No thanks!
His eyes locked on the third option.
No drama. No endless betrayals. Just power without the hassle, if he truly wanted it.
This wasn't the path of a protagonist or a villain. It was the path of someone who didn't want to be part of the story—someone who just wanted to live.
His fingers twitched. He didn't hesitate.
"I choose option three," Su Chen muttered to himself.
Ding!
"Congratulations to the host for successfully choosing Option 3. Reward: Origin of the Innate Sacred Dao Fetus Physique!"
Then, first, a golden barrier surrounded the hut, mainly for protecting it from the impact that was going to happen now.
A golden light exploded into existence, filling the small hut with divine brilliance. Su Chen barely had time to react as he felt an enormous force enter his body. His surroundings blurred as the light intensified, engulfing him completely.
His body felt like it was being pulled apart and remade, reshaped from the inside.
The light formed into a golden circle around him, crackling with energy. Then, shackles—semi-transparent golden chains—appeared on his skin. They pulsed for a moment... then began to dissolve, fading into nothing.
An enormous surge of blood and qi erupted from Su Chen's body, crashing against the golden barrier protecting the hut.
Boom!
Su Chen could feel his body strengthening—muscles expanding, bones reforming, blood changing color.
Inside the hut, it felt like heaven itself stirred. Thunder rumbled in the distance.
Meanwhile, the poor hut groaned like a dying old man in the storm.
Yet somehow, it all held together, mainly due to the golden barrier protecting it.
The shackles of his predecessor's body melted away, leaving behind a purity of blood and Qi. His entire being was refined, the impurities washed away as if they had never existed.
The pressure on his body was immense, and for a moment, Su Chen thought he might collapse. But then the sensation faded.
He felt... strong. Unbelievably strong. He was barely aware of his surroundings, lost in the sensations of his newly evolving body.
Minutes passed. The hut was still intact, though the ground had cracked beneath him from the sheer force.
Su Chen exhaled, his breath steadying. He felt... different. Stronger. There were no shackles holding him back now. His cultivation surged, far beyond the Body Refining Realm in an instant—something that would have taken years, maybe decades, for others to achieve.
But here he was. Sitting in a small hut, in his pajamas, casually transcending realms with the help of a system.
If this was cheating, then he didn't care.
He grinned to himself. This was the beginning of his real path.
But then, a thought struck him.
This wasn't a single-player game.
There were other Sons of Luck. Villains. Cultivators chasing after power. And they were probably going to notice him, if he didn't completely blend into this world.
Maybe it wasn't as easy as it seemed.
He didn't let that thought linger.
He would become strong now. He would learn to adapt.
And whatever came next—he would be ready for it.