I saw it.
Again.
The spotlight shone down on the stage. My name was projected on a giant screen. The crowd roared, waving posters of my characters—the ones I poured my soul into. Panels I drew, stories I bled for, printed and bound in glossy covers. People laughed, cried, felt—because of me.
A dream. My dream. To become a manhua artist the world would never forget.
Then it all faded—like pencil lines smudged away by a careless hand.
"Next stop, Silvergrove Central. Please ensure you have all your belongings before leaving the train. And mind the gap when stepping onto the platform," the announcer said, her voice snapping me back to reality.
I blinked.
Rain tapped lightly against the train window, and the world outside was a blur of gray steel and tired faces.
And then—"Boy..."
The voice wasn't from the speakers. It was something else. Something different—
"Boy! Wake up! The last station is coming soon," came a voice as I felt my shoulder being shaken by an old man. He was bald, had a white beard, and wore sunglasses.
"Stan... Lee?" I muttered.
"Hey, kid! I'm not dead yet. And I'm not Stan Lee, if you're mistaking me for a ghost or something. The last station is coming. Make sure to take your bag and push through the doors," the old man said.
As I slowly emerged from my fantasies, I looked around to check my surroundings. It was early morning, and I was sitting on a train that would soon arrive at Silvergrove Station.
My name is Jinwoo Kang. An average Korean manhua artist whose only dream was to succeed in creating a manhua that would be adapted by a great company. I had been drawing manhua for nearly a decade now, but not a single one of my works had received an anime adaptation.
But! That all changes today! Today is the day! Today, I was getting my very own manhua adaptation! This manhua was the most famous one I had ever made. As a reward, I received a black pendant necklace along with a check for 10 million won as a bonus for the contract!
And why was I sleeping on this train today? Well, it was exactly for that reason. Yesterday, I received a notice from the company stating that I needed to come to headquarters by tomorrow. It was odd, considering the short notice, but I didn't worry too much.
Why? Because my home and the office were only one station apart. After arriving at the station, I quickly booked a cab, as there were still 7 km between the station and the office.
After taking the cab, I arrived at the office. As I was entering, I suddenly heard a voice from behind.
"Get away from there!" someone shouted.
"Huh? Get away? Get away from what?" I wondered. It wasn't like I was standing near a road or anything dangerous.
At that moment, I saw a growing shadow on the ground. By the time I realized what was happening, it was already too late.
*Rubble* *Rubble*
Various construction materials—bricks, cement bags, wooden planks—fell on me, and I lost consciousness.
By the time the ambulance arrived, Jinwoo Kang was already dead.
Meanwhile, at the River of Reincarnation...
Currently, I was at a point where the river divided into two parts. One river had many people taking it, while the other had very few.
"Looks like I'm reincarnating..." I thought.
Suddenly, a thought came to me as I saw a man passing by. I asked, "Sir, do you know why no one is taking the third path?" I pointed in a direction. There, I could see a black, ominous-looking path. The other two rivers looked pure as heaven, but this one—this power—didn't belong to the heavens.
"Which path, young man?" the old man replied, confused. "I can only see two paths. Is there something wrong with your eyes?" he scoffed.
I didn't mind him. Instead, I eyed the path with great contemplation.
'Looks like this path is only visible to me...' I thought. 'And if it's exclusive to me, shouldn't I take it?'
'Hmmm... Hmmmm... Argh... Screw it, I'm taking the path. It's not like I can die when I'm already dead,' I decided, dashing into the portal.
As soon as I entered, the door closed behind me with a black, obsidian-like barrier. Suddenly, I started slowly sinking into the path. Not happy with this, I ran as far as I could before I completely sank.
...
Now, I was floating in an endless void of darkness. Wherever I looked, there was only darkness and nothing else. At that moment, the necklace on my neck began to dissolve into my chest. Waves of purple energy started to emanate from me, pushing the darkness away as my body began to rise.
Soon after,
My eyes opened once again as I regained consciousness.
"Huh? Didn't I sink in that damn river? Why am I standing over it now?" I wondered.
"Whatever, it's good that I'm still alive. Let's keep moving. I can't leave a half-eaten pie on the table, can I?" I mumbled, starting to walk again.
After some time, a portal of white light—so bright it could blind anything but souls—appeared at the end of the river. Slowly, I walked toward the portal and entered.
As I did, I lost consciousness again.
...
"Uwah! Uwah! Uwah!"
A woman lay on a bed, surrounded by several other ladies. She had long blonde hair and striking yellow eyes. Her beauty was beyond words—her features perfectly sculpted, her figure graceful and elegant.
She had just given birth to a child.
"Hah... Hah... Huff! Come here, my little prince," the woman said, her voice trembling with emotion.
"Madam Ariya! Look at the color of his hair! And his eyes! It seems the boy might be born with a special physique!" one of the women exclaimed, her eyes shining with excitement as she handed over the newborn.
"What beautiful black hair, and those silver eyes—they suit you so well, my child. His face resembles his father's, his nose is like mine, and those silver eyes... I don't know where they come from, but they're beautiful," Ariya said, her smile overflowing with love. After so many years of longing, she was finally blessed with a child.
At that moment, a man with grey hair and blue eyes entered the room. As he looked at the boy, a gentle smile spread across his face. In the world of cultivation, most cultivators studied karmic laws, so there was no doubt this black-haired child was his. He could feel the karmic bond between them—a connection only possible between father and son. The thought that the child might not be his, simply because of his hair color, never even crossed his mind.
"Logan! Look at our child! He's so cute. Look at him sleeping so peacefully. We finally have a child!" Ariya called out, her face radiant with joy, tears of happiness glistening in her eyes.
"Yes, yes! Come here, my prince, come to Daddy," Logan said, taking his son gently from Ariya.
"Oh, by the way, Ariya, have you chosen a name for him?" Logan asked, his curiosity piqued.
"Yes, I have! His name will be..."
...
Six months passed in the blink of an eye. In this world, after six months, a cultivator could remember everything from this age as long as they cultivated. The reason? The child's body would have fully adapted to their soul. After a few months of soul healing, they would finally be complete and ready to begin their cultivation journey.
Now, in a grand hallway, a small child could be seen running, his mother chasing after him. With a swift technique, she appeared in front of him, blocking his path to freedom.
"Mommy! I don't want to eat those yucky pills!"
Ariya knelt down, her golden eyes softening as she smiled. "But sweetheart, these pills will help you grow strong and healthy. Don't you want to become a great cultivator like Daddy?"
The boy pouted, puffing out his cheeks. "But they taste so bitter! Can't I just eat sweets instead?"
Logan, who had just entered the hallway, chuckled and scooped his son up into his arms. "If you take your medicine like a brave prince, Daddy will give you a sweet treat after. How about that?"
The boy's eyes sparkled. "Really? Two sweets?"
Ariya laughed, ruffling his hair. "Only if you promise not to spit out the pill this time."
He nodded vigorously, then scrunched up his face as Ariya handed him the pill. With a dramatic gulp, he swallowed it, sticking out his tongue in disgust. "Bleh! Still yucky!"
Logan handed him a small candy, and the boy's mood instantly brightened.
"Lucian, We need to have your spiritual root and cultivation talent checked, after which you can start cultivating."