Darkness.
Then, burning light.
Shen Junming's eyes snapped open.
He gasped, sitting up on a wooden bed inside a dim room that smelled faintly of herbs and damp wood. The bed creaked under him. His heart pounded in confusion. He remembered his apartment catching fire after a sudden short circuit. Then, nothing.
But this wasn't a hospital.
A translucent screen hovered in the air.
• Name: Shen Junming
• Rank: Third-Rate Villain
• Age: 20
• Cultivation: Qi Refinement – 2nd Stage
• Affiliation: Shen Clan, Merchant Branch
• Status: Awaiting Entry Test – Heavenly Dragon Sect
Notice: You have taken over the body of Shen Junming. Assimilation complete.
"What the hell…?"
He blinked. Memories not his own surged through him.
The original Shen Junming was from the Shen Clan. Arrogant, entitled, and short-sighted, he had once tried to drug an heir from the main family because he was obsessed with her beauty, but he was caught.
The truth was quietly buried. To the public, it was said that he had simply gone mad and attempted to poison someone. To protect the clan's reputation, his father, who managed the family's finances, arranged for Junming to be sent away. The official reason was that he would enter a sect to prove himself and earn redemption.
So now he, a modern man, had woken up in the body of a Third-Rate villain.
A knock came at the door.
He stood up slowly, opening it.
A girl stood outside, arms crossed, her long sleeves fluttering in the breeze. Her features were sharp, beautiful, with dark eyes full of contempt.
"You better not embarrass the Shen Clan tomorrow," she said. "My Senior Brother will show everyone how trash you are."
She turned with a snort and left without waiting for a response.
Shen Junming blinked.
From the original's memories, he recognized her, Shen Xueya, a proud cousin from the same Clan. Head over heels for her Senior Brother, and saw everyone else as beneath her. The Senior Brother, Liang Chen, was the golden boy. Talented, handsome, admired. He, Shen Junming, was the stain on their perfect team.
The three of them, along with two more girls, had traveled together from Shen County. The two girls had already passed the entrance exam and become outer disciples. Now, Chen, Xueya, and Junming were here for their turn.
Junming closed the door, sat on the edge of the bed, and sighed.
He called up the system screen again, eyes falling on his current realm: Qi Refinement – 2nd Stage.
"…It takes 4th Stage to pass the initial test."
He had no sword skills, no cultivation training. Just memories. Just pressure.
He sighed again.
The next morning, the Heavenly Dragon Sect gates loomed tall and wide, carved with sword patterns that shimmered in the rising sun.
Applicants gathered like a restless sea.
Junming stood at the back, silent, eyes scanning the grand courtyard. Stone platforms were set in front of a massive staircase leading to the inner halls. Several elders in long robes sat on the upper steps, observing.
Voices rose as a figure walked forward.
"It's Liang Chen!"
"Look at his posture… So righteous!"
"No doubt he'll pass easily. Probably a core disciple in the future!"
One of the Elders whispered to another. "He has a powerful aura. Uncommon among his age."
Liang Chen stepped forward, calm and elegant. He placed his palm on a smooth, glowing stone at the center of the platform.
The stone pulsed.
Golden light burst upward, steady and strong.
A murmur spread through the crowd.
"Such potential…"
"He has a High-Grade Fire Root!"
Elders nodded. "Excellent. Very rare."
Liang Chen turned, modestly bowing before walking down.
Next, Xueya stepped forward.
Gasps.
"She's so beautiful…"
"That's Shen Xueya, right? Daughter of the Shen Clan's fourth elder?"
"She's almost as talented as Liang Chen, they say."
She placed her hand on the stone. A silver-blue glow radiated outward. Not as strong as Liang Chen's, but close.
"Middle-High Water Root. Still very good," an elder commented.
She turned, spotted Junming at the back, and sneered.
"Watch and learn, coward."
He gave her a faint smile.
Then, it was his turn.
No cheers. Just murmurs.
"That's the guy from the Shen Clan… the crazy one."
"Didn't he try to poison someone once?"
"Why's he even here? Waste of a spot."
He ignored them, walking forward steadily. He placed his hand on the stone.
Silence.
Silence.
"Tch. As expected of a waste."
"No reaction at all? Even the testing stone finds him beneath notice."
"He might be the first in sect history to have no spiritual root."
"He's not even qualified to sweep the outer courts."
Then—
A blinding surge of color.
Purple, gold, blue, interwoven light shot into the sky like lightning bolts.
The stone shook slightly. A low hum echoed across the courtyard.
An elder stood up.
"Triple-root convergence? No—this… this is something else…"
"His spiritual root is…" another elder murmured, "Heaven-Grade?"
"Impossible. Such root quality…"
"This far exceeds… Liang Chen's potential."
Liang Chen's eyes narrowed.
Xueya's jaw dropped. Her face flushed with disbelief.
Junming turned slowly, letting the last of the light fade.
He walked back toward the rear benches, glancing once at Xueya, who looked away quickly.
He smiled.
Last night, while fiddling with a loose floorboard under the bed, he found a small box. Inside was a single pill, wrapped in yellow cloth. The original Shen Junming had hidden it, planning to sell it later, as his father had recently halved his allowance.
Junming held the pill between his fingers, uncertain.
"What good is this…? Even if I eat it, I'm not a real cultivator…"
Then, the screen flashed.
Would you like to consume this pill?
Item: Pill (High-Grade)
Effect: Increase cultivation + spiritual root quality
Efficiency: 100%
Junming raised a brow.
"100%...? Isn't the average just 40 or 50 percent?"
Junming stared at the screen, his brows slowly lifting. A mix of surprise and suspicion flickered in his eyes.
"But if it doesn't work, and I don't know cultivation, then eating a high-grade pill like this is basically suicide."
He held the pill up to the light, hesitating.
Then he shrugged. "Screw it. If I'm going to die tomorrow, I might as well go out glowing."
He swallowed the pill.
His whole body felt like it caught fire, then froze, then burned again. His breath tightened. Then, clarity—spiritual energy flowing into his dantian like a river breaking a dam.
Cultivation: Qi Refinement – 6th Stage
Spiritual Root: Enhanced
He passed out with a smile.
The rest of the tests continued.
A girl with flowing white hair touched the stone. Strong potential.
A girl in a blue robe followed. Good result, solid.
A fiery-orange-haired boy came next, his root glowed like the sun.
The rest faded into mediocrity. Many failed. Some left crying.
Then came the duels.
Out of all the candidates who took the spiritual root test, more than half had failed. Those who passed still had one more hurdle to cross. They had to win a sparring match. Killing was forbidden, but injuries were common.
One by one, names were called.
Swords clashed. Techniques flew. Some fights ended fast, others took effort.
Finally—
"Final Match: Shen Junming vs. Liang Chen."
Gasps.
"They both topped the spiritual root test!"
"First and second place, going head-to-head…"
"This'll be brutal…"
"Liang Chen's always been my favorite, but Shen Junming..."
"Maybe it was a fluke."
"Or maybe Liang Chen's finally met his match."
Junming walked onto the platform. Across from him stood Liang Chen, sword already drawn.
"You should've stayed home," Liang Chen said, voice steady.
Junming unsheathed his sword slowly.
"Funny. I was about to say the same to you."