Chapter 1: Exile of the Sword Star
The storm howled across the jagged peaks of the Abyssal Mountains, lightning casting jagged shadows over the bloodied figure staggering through the mud and snow.
XIAO Tian, once hailed as the Sword Star of the Xiao Clan, was a prodigy who had reached Martial Disciple - High Level at the age of sixteen. But his brilliance sparked jealousy. His uncle, Xiao Han, and his cousin, Xiao Feng, feared his growing talent and rising prestige.
Their hatred peaked when Xiao Tian was betrothed to Namgoong Qingxue, the fifth daughter of the Namgoong Clan—one of the Five Great Beauties of Jianghu. Though the engagement had been arranged through external channels, and his father never knew the details, it elevated Xiao Tian's status far above what his uncle and cousin could tolerate.
They conspired in secret, forging evidence that Xiao Tian was cultivating a forbidden technique. On the day he was to be formally announced as the next clan heir, he was denounced by the elders. His cultivation was crippled, his dantian shattered, and he was cast out into exile.
But Xiao Han wasn't done. Fearing that Tian might one day recover and return for revenge, he secretly sent assassins to finish the job before the snow settled.
And then—just when the final blade should have pierced his heart—something awoke.
A surge of foreign memories. A flash of modern knowledge.
"Earth...?"
His Earth soul, dormant until now, awakened inside his broken body. The soul of a gamer, a strategist, a system-savvy mind, now merged with the ruined genius of the Xiao Clan.
He fell to his knees beneath a broken pine tree. The wind screamed. The heavens roared. And yet, amid the storm, a voice echoed in his mind.
[Initializing...] [Sea King Summoning System Activated.] [Welcome, Host. You have been chosen to inherit the Soul of the Thousand Seas.] [Free Starter Gift Pack Granted: 2x Bronze Summons, 1x Silver Summon.] [Each summon grants one character, one ability, and 10% of their cultivation realm.]
[Summon Ranks Defined:] • Bronze: Martial Disciple → Martial Master • Silver: Martial Master → Martial Lord • Gold: Martial Lord → Martial Emperor • Diamond: Martial Emperor → Martial God [Each cultivation realm has four levels: Low, Medium, High, Peak.]
Xiao Tian blinked. Then he laughed—a dry, disbelieving sound.
"No way... A system? In this world too?"
[Opening Gift Pack...] [Bronze Summon 1: Buggy the Clown - Martial Disciple (Peak)] [Acquired Ability: Chop-Chop Strike. Realm Boost: Martial Disciple → Martial Artist (Low).]
[Bronze Summon 2: Koby (Post-Marineford) - Martial Master (Low)] [Acquired Ability: Observation Awareness. Realm Boost: Martial Artist (Low) → Martial Artist (Medium).]
[Silver Summon: Franky - Martial Master (High)] [Acquired Ability: Armored Fist - Cola Powered Punch. Realm Boost: Martial Artist (Medium) → Martial Master (Low).]
A torrent of power surged through his body. Bones snapped into place. Tendons realigned. Strange energy pulsed through him—part elastic, part mechanical, part instinctual.
As the assassins descended on him, cloaked in black and drenched in killing intent, Xiao Tian rose to his feet, eyes glowing with cold clarity.
He didn't speak.
He moved.
The first assassin lost his head to a Chop-Chop swipe. The second collapsed after Tian vanished and reappeared behind him, thanks to Koby's battle awareness. The last screamed as Franky's Armored Fist tore through his ribcage like steel through paper.
Xiao Tian stood amid the snow, surrounded by corpses.
The heavens didn't abandon me. They merely forced me to forge my own.
The world would soon hear rumors of a strange cultivator wandering the martial realms. A rogue with bizarre abilities and unstoppable momentum. A swordsman with fire in his fists and storms in his steps.
They would call him many things:
Heretic. Demon. Pirate.
But none would know the truth.
None would know that every ability he used, every power he unleashed, came not from stolen manuals or demonic inheritance...
...but from a system only he could access.
This is my second life, Xiao Tian vowed, eyes burning beneath the storm. And I will rise not as a disciple... but as a king.