It was an unremarkable night in an unremarkable place—except for the corpse slowly cooling on the pavement. Chen Mu had expected his death to be slightly more dramatic. At the very least, he had imagined he'd die saving a kitten from a fire or punching a corrupt CEO in the face. Instead, he died clutching a convenience store microwave burrito.
Truck.
Burrito.
Dead.
He felt cheated.
And then he opened his eyes.
Except he didn't have eyes anymore.
"Initializing host consciousness..."
A screen blinked to life in what he could only assume was the void.
> Welcome to the Grandmaster Simulation System!
> Current Form: Spectral Soul
> Vessel: Jade Ring (Damaged, Dusty, Slightly Sticky)
> Initializing Bluff Matrix... Done.
> Congratulations! You are now the soul of a ring.
> Objective: Convince others you are a legendary cultivator.
> Note: You are currently powerless.
Chen Mu tried to scream.
No mouth. Right. Also no body. Just... ring consciousness?
He began to panic. Until the system calmly chimed again.
> Tutorial activated: Lying With Confidence.
> Reward: +1 Bluff Point.
---
Meanwhile, somewhere in the Eastern Shadow Sect, a young man tripped and landed face-first into a pile of shit.
Lin Tian groaned, his mouth full of something that definitely wasn't spiritual energy.
"Another fine day in the immortal arts," he muttered, spitting out hay.
He was an outer sect disciple, which was a polite way of saying he was a servant with slightly more dignity than the chickens. If cultivators were dragons, he was the worm stuck under a dragon's toenail.
And with his broken meridians and fractured spirit root, he couldn't even absorb Qi properly.
"Maybe I should just go back home and become a fisherman," he muttered.
But then he saw it—a faint glint in the dirt, half-buried beneath a pile of discarded robes behind the alchemy hall. A ring. Plain, jade-green, cracked around the edge.
He picked it up.
It pulsed.
---
Chen Mu woke up again, but this time, he was no longer in the void. He was inside a ring.
And someone was holding him.
"Oh crap," he whispered.
Only the voice didn't come out weak. No, it echoed.
It BOOMED.
"You dare disturb my slumber, mortal?"
Lin Tian yelped and nearly threw the ring away.
Chen Mu didn't know why his voice sounded like a mix between thunder and death metal, but hey, he wasn't complaining.
> System Notice: You have activated Voice of Authority (Lv.1).
> +5 Bluff Points for accidental intimidation.
> Current BP: 6
Okay, okay—stay calm. Pretend you know what you're doing. Just... say something wise.
"Er... o-omnipotent spirit, I-I didn't mean to offend!" Lin Tian stammered, bowing so fast he gave himself whiplash.
Chen Mu seized the moment, his non-existent heart pounding.
"Ahem... You have awakened... me. Uh, not many have the fortune—or misfortune—to do so."
> +3 Bluff Points for vague ominous nonsense.
"What is your name, mortal?"
"Lin Tian, honorable... uh, master-in-the-ring?"
> +1 BP for being called "master." Ego stabilized.
"I am... I think I am... the Heaven-Cracking Grandmaster. Yes. That sounds... familiar."
He winced inwardly. That was too much, right?
> +10 BP: Successfully established false identity.
> System reward unlocked: [Beginner Fire Palm Technique]
Chen Mu blinked internally. That worked?
> Description: A low-tier technique that lets you heat your palm slightly. May ignite paper.
"So... master," Lin Tian whispered, hands trembling, "are you... here to guide me?"
Chen Mu paused.
He had no idea how to cultivate.
He had no idea how this world worked.
He was a dead guy in a ring.
But this was his shot.
"Yes. I think... that is why I'm here. Probably. And you, uh, you seem like you could use some guidance."
"I have a fractured spirit root," Lin Tian admitted miserably. "Everyone says I can't cultivate."
Chen Mu latched onto that.
"Ah. Yes. Of course. I could sense that. Very... cracked. Definitely flawed."
> +5 BP for pretending to sense something based on what was just said.
"But fear not. Under my grand tutelage, even flawed... uh, cultivation people... can achieve greatness."
> +7 BP: Encouraging BS successfully delivered.
> Total BP: 27
---
That night, Lin Tian sat cross-legged in his tiny servant hut, listening with rapt attention as the ring glowed faintly.
"We begin with the Fire Palm. Focus your Qi into your palm... no, your other palm. No—the other 'other' palm. Gods, you're hopeless."
"I'm sorry!" Lin Tian cried. "I think my Qi went into my stomach!"
"Good. That means it's circulating. Possibly. Maybe. Try burping fire."
> +2 BP: Completely made-up technique instruction.
> +1 BP: For using 'burp fire' as legitimate cultivation advice.
Lin Tian obeyed.
He burped.
A spark flew from his mouth. Tiny. But real.
Chen Mu stared in disbelief. The Fire Palm worked?
> System Notice: Disciple has shown minor improvement. You gain +1 Soul Strength.
This... might actually work.