Lu Zhen was holding a bucket of water, weighing around two hundred kilograms.
His forehead was sweaty, and his eyes were melancholic, occasionally glancing up at the sky as he let out a series of sighs.
He, Lu Zhen, was truly miserable after transmigrating.
While other transmigrators lived luxurious lives and received 'golden finger', he was forced to do chores for the sect.
If he refused, he would eventually be expelled and forced to walk the mortal path.
A path he did not desire.
Since his transmigration, he had made a promise to himself: that he would become immortal.
"If this system didn't freeze ninety-nine percent of the time, that would be great."
Lu Zhen, noticing the locked purple numbers in front of him, couldn't help but roll his eyes in discontent.
In a foul mood, he continued walking with heavy steps, his breathing worsening as he strained.
An hour later, Lu Zhen, exhausted, arrived at a brick-surrounded well.
His task was to fill it to the top, which, for some unknown reason, seemed to sink halfway every day.
"The last bucket for today."
Lu Zhen, relieved, lifted the bucket to chest height and poured it down.
The liquid flowed from the mouth of the bucket into the well like a waterfall, colliding with the clear water below.
The container rose like a galloping horse, completely filling the well.
Lowering the bucket, Lu Zhen didn't look at the well anymore and headed straight for the lodging, dragging his tired body along the dirt road.
....
At eleven in the morning, after the first period of service, the servants gathered in the dining hall for lunch.
Lu Zhen, starving, grabbed a bowl of rice with meat and went to a solitary table in the corner of the hall.
Sitting down, he placed the bowl on the plank and began eating in large mouthfuls.
As Lu Zhen ate, more servants entered the dining hall.
The once quiet place became lively, with many chatting about their experiences while others, out of solidarity, chose to eat in silence.
This ordinary scene was interrupted by the arrival of an indifferent young man, causing nearly everyone to stop eating and stare at him.
The young man ignored the gazes and continued walking to get his food.
"Trash!" a servant sneered.
The young man stopped and cast a threatening look at the one who spoke.
"What did you say?" he said coldly, staring at a burly, muscular man.
"Why are you looking at me like that? I'm just stating the truth — you're trash!" The man laughed, undaunted.
The young man, not taken seriously, emitted a dangerous glint in his eyes.
Clenching his fists, he etched this humiliation into his memory and moved on.
"Brother Huo, who is he?"
The thug sitting next to the man asked in a low voice.
"Lin Fan, the sect's genius disciple," Zhang Huo said loudly, wanting everyone to hear the name.
It worked.
The servants, upon hearing the name, were shocked, glancing at Zhao Huo in surprise and then at Lin Fan, nearly tripping over the floor.
"Hahaha! The former genius who walked high is now just a pathetic ant."
"Serves him right! Who told him to plot against our saint? The sect was still kind enough to let this bastard stay here!"
Laughter echoed throughout the dining hall.
Lin Fan, who just wanted to get his food, had red eyes from irritation.
'Endure it!' he forced himself to bear the humiliation.
....
Lu Zhen, while eating, was interrupted by these conversations.
At first, he observed everything curiously; after hearing about Lin Fan, his eyes narrowed, and his mouth slightly opened.
"Protagonist? Isn't this exactly the opening scenario of a third-rate novel?"
"Did I transmigrate into a book and not realize it?"
Lu Zhen's emotions were turbulent.
As he pondered this turmoil, the purple numbers only he could see changed:
[100%]
With this new estimate, a systematic, emotionless voice echoed in the depths of Lu Zhen's consciousness:
[First target found: Lin Fan]
[The young man from Black Star City, born with the Celestial Fire Veins.
A genius never seen in a hundred years in this small town.
At five, he opened his first meridian; at ten, he had already opened all twelve meridians of the human body.
Forming the dantian, he entered the Qi Refinement Realm and was accepted as a personal disciple of the Master of the Immortal Feather Sect.
At fifteen, he successfully cultivated ninety-nine drops of spiritual Qi.
Entering the final stage of Qi Refinement, he was one step away from Qi Transformation.
But before attaining this glory, he was deceived by his childhood love, and his veins was extracted.
To complete the humiliation, the two-faced saint begged to spare his life.
In reality, she wanted to humiliate him even more by sending him to serve as a servant.
With flames burning in his heart, he promised to take revenge at all costs.]
[Heavenly Dao Blessing Level — Red: A pawn with above-average luck, capable of dominating an entire region.]
[Cheat — Body Transformation Art: Acquired during an adventure in the Sword Ruins.]
[Anti-Heavenly Dao System activated.]
[Humiliate the heavens! Humiliate the pawns of the Celestial Dao! To hell with fate.]
[Every time a chosen one spits blood, the host will receive rewards, which vary depending on the level of the chosen one and the ruined events in their life.]
[DING!]
[The counterattack destiny of the chosen Lin Fan has begun.]
"..."
'A Villain Destiny System? This is crap! How the hell am I supposed to defeat someone exuding protagonist aura as a mere servant?'
Lu Zhen wanted to cry, but had no tears; his current situation was terrible.
'Not entirely hopeless, I'm still stronger than a cripple, I guess…'
This was a hypothesis he had, but he wasn't keen on testing it.
After all, the other side had a body technique that would surely enhance his combat ability and experience.
Since arriving in this xianxia world, Lu Zhen hadn't even fought a chicken.
"System, where's the rookie gift?"
[...]
Receiving no response, Lu Zhen became furious.
How the hell does this system expect him to defeat a protagonist while being far below him?
Frustrated, Lu Zhen returned to eating with a bitter expression.
But he stopped when he saw a figure seated across the table.
It was Lin Fan, the person he was supposed to humiliate.
Looking at him, Lu Zhen felt a mix of emotions pass across his eyes.
At this moment, he could stay silent, letting the atmosphere remain peaceful.
Or try to make friends to live a peaceful life when Lin Fan ascended.
These two options crossed his mind, but in the end, he chose neither.
Staring at Lin Fan, he muttered in a cold tone:
"Scram. I don't want your bad luck, nor the fame of hanging with trash."