## Chapter 1: The Unseen Arrival & The Unnoticed Pebble
Wang Ling woke up choking. Not on water, but on air thick with the scent of wet earth, decaying leaves, and something sharp, like ozone mixed with rust. The last thing he remembered was the rhythmic thrum of the Shenzhen assembly line, the flicker of fluorescent lights, and the smell of solder. Then, blinding light, a sensation of being squeezed through a keyhole and stretched across infinity, and now... this.
He pushed himself up, spitting out gritty moss. His cheap blue factory uniform was torn and stained. Panic, cold and sharp, pricked him. Where was he? He looked up. And up. And *up*.
The sky was a bruised tapestry – swirling violets, deep indigos, streaked with unsettling emerald. Three suns hung in the vast expanse: one large and pale yellow, another smaller and fiercely orange, and a third, distant and cold. Trees like obsidian giants twisted towards the impossible sky, leaves shimmering like car-sized plates of blue and silver metal. The air hummed, vibrating in his bones. It felt heavy, alive, and terrifying.
"Okay," he whispered, voice raspy. "Definitely not the factory floor." Transmigration? Isekai? His factory-worker brain struggled. "Faulty capacitor? Or did Old Man Chen's weird baozi finally do me in?"
Before panic could fully take hold, a familiar chime sounded in his mind. *Ding!*
A clean, blue, see-through rectangle appeared before his eyes, utterly digital against the wild backdrop.
**[Welcome, Host!]**
**[Transmigration Protocol: Azure Dragon Continent (Mortal Dust Province, Black Iron Mountains Region) - Complete!]**
**[Universal Check-In System v.1.0 Activated!]**
**[Initializing Host Profile…]**
**[Name: Wang Ling]**
**[Species: Baseline Human (Transmigrated)]**
**[Cultivation Base: Null (Mortal)]**
**[Dao Comprehension: Negligible]**
**[System Function: Daily Check-in for Random Rewards (Curated for Host's Cultural Comfort!)]**
**[Inventory: Infinite Storage (Basic Tier) - Activated!]**
**[First Check-in Bonus: Unlocked!]**
A System! Wang Ling felt a flicker of hope. Maybe this wasn't so bad? Cultivation techniques? Flying swords? God-slaying powers? He'd read the webnovels.
"System?" he ventured. "Rewards? Cultivation manual? Something to *not die* in this... forest?"
The screen flickered.
**[First Check-in Complete!]**
**[Rewards Claimed!]**
**[1 x Family Pack Original Flavor Instant Noodles]**
**[1 x Stainless Steel Water Bottle (1L Capacity)]**
**[1 x Pack of Bamboo Disposable Chopsticks (10 Pairs)]**
A crinkly plastic-wrapped brick of noodles, a sleek silver water bottle, and a bundle of chopsticks appeared with a soft *plop* onto the moss. The bottle landed with a hollow *thunk*.
Wang Ling stared. Then stared some more. The silence pressed in. He picked up the noodles. The familiar cartoon chef grinned idiotically back. It felt like a bad joke.
"Noodles?" His voice rose, thin with disbelief. "Water bottle? Chopsticks?! I get thrown into a world with three suns and planet-eating trees, and my starter pack is... *lunch supplies*?" He kicked a small, moss-covered pebble near his foot in pure frustration. "Useless!"
The pebble, a smooth grey stone the size of a chicken egg, shot off his worn boot like a bullet. It didn't just roll. It *vanished*. A faint *whump* of displaced air ruffled Wang Ling's hair. Then, nothing. It was simply gone.
Wang Ling barely noticed. He was too busy glaring at the water bottle. "Great. Hydration while I'm being digested." Another unearthly shriek echoed, closer. He shivered violently. "Okay, priorities. Don't die. Find people. Shelter." He touched the noodles, chopsticks, and bottle. With a thought, they vanished into his System Inventory – a vast, intangible space he could sense but not see. Only his backpack remained. "At least *that* works." He hoisted it and picked a direction away from the shrieks.
* * *
Far below, deep within the tortured bedrock, slumbered the Earth Vein Dragon, *Di Long*. A colossal spirit beast born from leylines, serpentine and armored in obsidian and molten gold. For three thousand years, it had absorbed the planet's energy, dreaming of awakening as an Earth Sovereign. Its mere presence suppressed lesser beasts for hundreds of miles.
Wang Ling's kicked pebble didn't just fly. It *transcended*. It bypassed space, materializing not *on* the mountain, but *within* the deepest bedrock, at the core of Di Long's coiled form where its nascent Earth Core pulsed.
To the pebble, infused with a concept of "annoyance" amplified beyond comprehension by Wang Ling's unwitting will, the Earth Core wasn't power. It was an *irritant*. Like a buzzing fly.
There was no explosion. It was *erasure*. The pebble negated the Earth Core's existence. Millennia of power, the burgeoning consciousness… vanished. Replaced by absolute void for a nanosecond before rock collapsed silently inward.
The *effect* radiated outwards. The suppression aura blanketing the region disappeared instantly. Leylines shifted. The ground sighed, releasing profound tension. *That* caused a tremor.
* * *
Wang Ling trudged through monstrous ferns and over roots like petrified pythons. The air was cool, but sweat plastered his uniform to his skin. Every rustle made him freeze. He was an ant in a gargantuan cathedral.
He hadn't gone far when the ground beneath him gave a deep, rolling *lurch*. Not violent, but unsettling. A shower of giant blue leaves rained down. He yelped, ducking.
"Earthquake? Perfect," he muttered, scrambling. "Just what I needed!" The tremor subsided quickly, leaving unnatural stillness. The crushing feeling he'd felt since waking… it felt slightly less. He attributed it to the tremor passing. "Avoid earthquakes. And everything else."
Hours later (judging by the slow crawl of the three suns), the obsidian trees thinned. He saw open sky and sloping terrain. Hope sparked. He broke through the final ferns onto a rough path winding down a mountainside.
Below, in a vast valley encircled by jagged peaks scraping the multi-colored sky, lay a city. Verdant Spring City.
It was immense. Walls a hundred meters high built from cyclopean grey stone. Towers piercing the sky – some crystalline shards, others squat fortresses. Aviaries like stadiums held winged lizards and giant birds. And people were *flying*. On glowing platforms, shimmering swords, or under their own power, trailing colored light.
"Cultivators," Wang Ling breathed, terror replacing relief. He was a mortal. Less than dust among beings who laughed at gravity. He huddled behind a mossy boulder, watching the distant aerial traffic. How could he go down there? No language, no money, only noodles and a backpack. His uniform screamed "helpless outsider."
A low growl rumbled behind him, vibrating through the rock. Wang Ling froze. Slowly, he turned.
A creature like a nightmare warthog-komodo dragon hybrid emerged. Size of a small car. Spiky black fur. Six clawed legs. Armored head with downward-curving tusks dripping saliva. Four bloodshot eyes fixed on him. A Crimson-Horned Boar. More than enough to turn Wang Ling to paste.
Wang Ling's blood turned to ice. He couldn't run. Couldn't fight. This was it. Killed by a giant radioactive pig. He squeezed his eyes shut.
*Ding!*
**[Daily Check-in Available!]**
**[Host is in designated Safe Zone (Vicinity of Verdant Spring City)!]**
**[Would you like to Check-in now?]**
"NOW?!" Wang Ling shrieked mentally. "YES! CHECK-IN! DO SOMETHING!"
**[Daily Check-in Complete!]**
**[Reward: 1 x Plush Toy Golden Retriever Puppy (Batteries Not Included), 1 x Retro Gameboy Advance (Pokémon Emerald Cartridge Included), 1 x Bottle of Hot Sauce (Extra Spicy)]**
A soft *thump* landed on the moss between Wang Ling and the advancing Boar.
Wang Ling cracked one eye open. A fluffy golden plush dog sat there, goofy stitched smile, felt tongue. Utterly harmless. Next to it lay a purple-grey Gameboy and a bottle of bright red sauce.
The Boar stopped. Its four eyes locked onto the plush toy. It sniffed deeply. A confused rumble replaced the growl. Its head tilted. To the Boar's spirit senses, the toy radiated pure, ancient canine supremacy. The hot sauce bottle pulsed with volatile Fire/Poison essence. The Gameboy hummed with incomprehensible space-time energy.
The Boar took a step back. Then another. Its fur bristled with primal terror. It let out a high-pitched squeal, turned, and crashed back into the ferns, vanishing in a trail of flattened plants and the smell of fear.
Wang Ling blinked. The Boar was gone. Only the toys remained. He stared at the plush dog. "Did... did that monster just run from a *stuffed animal*?" He picked it up. Soft, new polyester smell. "Weird." He stuffed the Gameboy and hot sauce into his Inventory, keeping the plush dog ("Fluffy") clutched like a talisman. Emboldened by unlikely survival, he walked down the path towards the city.
* * *
Verdant Spring City was in subdued chaos. The tremor caused by Di Long's erasure had been felt. Wards flickered. Spirit beasts in menageries panicked. Cultivators sensitive to Earth Qi felt a profound, unsettling shift, a lifting of ancient pressure.
Elder Wen, head of the Geological Survey Guild (Peak Qi Refining), burst into his hall, face ashen. "Di Long! Its aura... *gone*! Not dormant! *Extinguished*! Erased from the leylines!"
Master An, head of the City Guard's Qi Perception (Mid Qi Refining), nodded grimly. "Confirmed. The suppression field over the Black Irons has vanished. Something annihilated a nascent Earth Vein Dragon. Effortlessly. Cleanly." Panic rippled. Destroying such a beast required Core Formation power or higher.
"No rifts. No celestial disturbances," An continued. "Localized. Brutally efficient." Theories swirled, but the source remained a mystery. No one sensed any overwhelming presence. Just... absence.
Old Man Fu, proprietor of the 'Restful Journey' inn near the western gate (Peak Qi Refining, barely clinging on), had felt the tremor and the unnerving silence that followed. He stood in his courtyard now, a sense of unease gnawing at him. He scanned the path from the mountains. Nothing unusual. Just the usual traffic.
He saw a figure trudging down the path. A young man, dressed in bizarrely simple, torn blue garments, carrying a rough pack, clutching a plush toy. He looked utterly ordinary. Frail. Radiating *no* Qi. A lost mortal. Fu sighed, about to turn away.
Then Wang Ling stumbled. Just a small trip on the uneven flagstones near the massive western gate. He caught himself quickly, clutching Fluffy tighter.
Old Man Fu *felt* it. Not from Wang Ling. From the *gate*. The ancient protective wards inscribed within the cyclopean stones – wards Fu knew intimately, having maintained them for decades – suddenly *flared*. Not visibly, but Fu felt their power surge, humming with unprecedented strength for a split second before settling back, *stronger* than they had been in centuries. It happened precisely as the young man stumbled.
Fu froze. His eyes snapped back to Wang Ling, who was now being waved through the bored-looking gate guards without a second glance. The guards felt nothing unusual. To them, he was just another ragged mortal.
But Fu *knew* his wards. That surge wasn't random. It coincided *exactly* with that stumble. Coincidence? Impossible. His heart hammered against his ribs. *Disguise. Supreme mastery.* This was no mortal. This was a being so powerful he could walk cloaked in absolute mundanity, his presence undetectable, yet his slightest accidental action could reinforce ancient wards! The plush toy? Likely a vessel for something profound! The stumble? A deliberate act, or an unconscious ripple of power?
Fu watched, awestruck and terrified, as Wang Ling entered the city, looking around with wide, overwhelmed eyes, utterly oblivious. Fu knew he had to act. Carefully.
* * *
Wang Ling entered the bustling city street. Noise hit him like a wall – shouts, animal cries, strange music. Smells of spices, roasting meat, sweat, and earthy herbs. Cultivators in flowing robes strode past, radiating faint glows of power. Shops displayed glowing crystals, sharp weapons, bizarre plants. He felt dizzy and small. He needed shelter. Now.
His eyes landed on a sign: 'Restful Journey Inn'. Simple. Hopefully cheap. Safer than the street. He shuffled towards it, head down, clutching Fluffy.
Old Man Fu saw him coming. He took a deep breath, smoothed his robe, and stepped onto the porch just as Wang Ling reached the bottom step, forcing calm into his voice. "Welcome, young man. Looking for a room?"
Wang Ling looked up. The old man looked kind, with wise eyes. He radiated calm, unlike the intimidating cultivators. Relief washed over him. "Uh, yes. Hello. Do you... have a room? For the night? Something... cheap?" He gestured weakly at his clothes. "I don't have much..."
Fu nodded, keeping his expression neutral, though his heart raced. "We have simple rooms. Clean. Quiet. One copper spirit stone per night, includes breakfast." He kept it practical, hiding his awe.
Wang Ling's face fell. "Copper spirit stone? I... I don't have any money. Yet. Is there... maybe work I could do? Sweeping? Washing dishes? Just for a bed?"
Fu saw the genuine desperation in the young man's eyes. This was part of the act, surely? The Dao of Humble Experience? Or perhaps a genuine test? He couldn't refuse without risking offense, but he couldn't treat him like a normal laborer either. "Work, hmm?" Fu stroked his chin. "The stable boy is sick. Need someone to muck out the stables behind the inn. Hard, smelly work. Pays one copper a day, includes a cot in the storage shed and simple meals. Interested?" It was the lowest, most unpleasant job he had. Offering it felt risky, but plausible for a desperate mortal.
Wang Ling's eyes lit up with desperate hope. Shelter! Food! "Yes! Absolutely! I can do that! Thank you, sir! Thank you!"
"Very well," Fu said, nodding. "Follow me." He led Wang Ling around the side of the inn to a small, smelly stable holding two placid, donkey-like creatures with shimmering hides. "Broom and shovel are there. Water pump out back. Cot's in the shed. Bin, the kitchen boy, will bring you stew and bread later. Start whenever you're ready." He turned to leave, then paused. "What should I call you?"
"Wang Ling, sir."
"Wang Ling. Welcome to the Restful Journey. Work hard." Fu walked away, his mind whirling. *He accepted the stable? Willingly? Is this part of his enlightenment? Or is he truly experiencing mortal hardship?* He resolved to watch, closely but discreetly. The Ward Surge was proof enough for him. The city's powerful cultivators sensed the Earth Dragon's absence but had no idea of the unassuming source now mucking out his stables.
* * *
Wang Ling surveyed the stable. It was small, smelly, but manageable. He found the rough broom and heavy shovel. He set Fluffy carefully on a relatively clean pile of straw. "Okay, Fluffy. Home sweet home... sort of." He took a deep breath, picked up the shovel, and got to work.
He worked steadily, focusing on the simple, physical task. Scoop manure, dump it in the cart outside. Sweep the straw. It was hard, smelly work, grounding him in a strange way. It was something *real* he could do. He was just a guy shoveling dung. No monsters, no flying swords, just sweat and dirt. It felt almost normal.
Later, Bin, a nervous-looking boy about fourteen, brought him a wooden bowl of thick stew and a hunk of coarse bread. He eyed Wang Ling and Fluffy warily but said nothing, placing the food on a cleanish patch of floor and scurrying away.
Wang Ling ate hungrily. The stew was simple but filling, with chunks of unfamiliar root vegetables and tender meat. The bread was tough but good. He felt a flicker of contentment. Shelter. Food. Work. He could figure this out. He just needed to stay hidden, work hard, and maybe, just maybe, the System would give him something useful tomorrow. Like soap. Or maybe... batteries for the Gameboy. He touched the Gameboy in his Inventory. A small piece of home.
He finished eating, cleaned his tools, and collapsed onto the rough cot in the small, adjoining storage shed. It was lumpy and smelled of old grain, but it was a bed. He pulled Fluffy close. Outside, the city buzzed with unseen energies and hidden powers. Inside the stable shed, the universe's most oblivious, omnipotent entity fell asleep, exhausted, dreaming of noodles and a life where kicking pebbles didn't accidentally delete primordial spirit beasts. The Azure Dragon Continent slept on, unaware of the quiet revolution mucking out a stable near the western gate. Only Old Man Fu, lying awake in his room above the inn, felt the faint, lingering echo of reinforced wards and knew the world had changed, one unnoticed stumble at a time.