The world swam back into focus, the rough bark of a tree digging into my back. "Ah... wh-what happened?" I mumbled, pushing myself into a sitting position. The last thing I remembered was the screech of tires, the blinding headlights... death. So, this was it? The afterlife?
Then, a cold, mechanical chime echoed in my mind.
"Ding!"
A translucent window flickered into existence before my eyes, displaying stark white text:
Do you want to activate Godly Cultivation System? Y/N
My jaw dropped. "What? Don't tell me... I reincarnated?" A system? This had to be some kind of bizarre dream. But the tingling sensation in my fingertips felt undeniably real. "Yes," I breathed out, a strange mix of disbelief and burgeoning excitement bubbling within me.
"Ding!"
Host, you will now get the memories of this body.
A torrent of images, sensations, and emotions flooded my consciousness. My head throbbed, each new memory a sharp stab. Names, faces, places – they weren't mine, yet they were becoming a part of me. It was overwhelming, disorienting, and intensely painful.
Finally, the onslaught subsided, leaving me gasping for breath. "So..." I whispered, rubbing my temples. "This body's owner is also named Zhen Huan. And this world... it's the Mortal Realm. There are nine cultivation levels..." My mind reeled from the sheer volume of information. "...and the world is divided into four continents: Southern, Western, Northern, and Eastern."
And I'm at Southern Continent.
Just as I began to process this unbelievable reality, another chime resonated.
"Ding!"
Host, you successfully granted the memories, and now I'll provide you with the scenario of the Seven Ruthless Swords.
"Seven Ruthless Swords? What is this?" I asked aloud, my confusion mounting.
Another window materialized, this one filled with lore and a sense of ancient grandeur:
Scenario:
A god, in a desperate bid to vanquish the Ruthless Demonic King, forged seven celestial swords. However, during their final, cataclysmic battle, the Demon King's devastating power shattered the god's arm and crippled his leg. By a sliver of fate, the wounded deity managed to descend into this Mortal Realm, concealing his Seven Swords in various hidden locations across the land. Your destiny, Host, is to locate all Seven Ruthless Swords and ultimately confront and eliminate the Ruthless Demonic King in the vast expanse of outer space.
My eyes widened, taking in the gravity of the task laid before me. A god, a demonic king, celestial swords, outer space... This wasn't just reincarnation; it was a whole new epic unfolding. A normal high school student from morden world, now thrust into a world of cultivation, tasked with a god's unfinished mission.
A nervous laugh escaped my lips. "Well," I muttered to the silent trees, "this is certainly... unexpected." The fear was there, a cold knot in my stomach, but beneath it, a flicker of something else ignited. A sense of purpose, however daunting.
Zhen Huan, the high school student, was gone. Now, I was Zhen Huan, the inheritor of a divine quest. The path ahead was shrouded in mystery and undoubtedly fraught with peril, but one thing was certain: my new life had just begun. And it seemed it would be anything but ordinary.