Darkness.
A weightless void without sound, without direction, without meaning. Su Chen floated inside it, feeling neither fear nor pain—only an odd sense of transition, as if he were standing between two worlds yet belonging to none.
"…Is this death?" he wondered.
His last memory on Earth flickered like a dim lantern. A rainy night. A slippery road. The bright glare of a truck. Then—
Impact.
And now… silence.
But the silence didn't last.
A voice echoed from everywhere and nowhere, ancient yet emotionless, like a distant whisper carried by eternity itself.
"Soul fitting… complete."
Su Chen jerked as if jolted awake.
The darkness cracked.
Light poured in.
A rush of sensations assaulted him—wind, cold, pain.
And then—
He opened his eyes.
A Foreign Sky
A vast blue sky stretched above him. Clouds drifted lazily, glowing with spiritual light far richer than anything he had ever seen on Earth. Strange symbols shimmered faintly across the horizon, as if the sky itself were alive with qi.
Su Chen gasped.
His body felt heavy, sore, and… different.
He pushed himself upright.
He was lying on a stone floor, surrounded by shattered porcelain pieces and spilled tea.
"What… where is this?"
He blinked hard.
He was inside an enormous courtyard, decorated with jade pillars and scarlet lanterns. Elegant pavilions rose in the distance. The clothing he wore—a pale blue robe embroidered with cloud patterns—was unfamiliar, yet the body wearing it felt even more foreign.
Footsteps echoed.
"Young Master Su, are you alright?"
A middle-aged servant rushed toward him, panic in his eyes.
"You collapsed during the clan meeting!
Should I fetch a physician?"
Young Master Su? Clan meeting?
Su Chen's mind raced.
He had transmigrated.
He truly had.
His chest tightened—fear, disbelief, curiosity all mixing together.
"No… I'm fine," Su Chen muttered automatically, though his voice sounded strange.
He looked down at his hands.
They were slender, pale, with faint calluses—hands belonging not to an office worker from Earth but to a young noble of some ancient clan.
A single thought pulsed in his mind:
This isn't my body.
Memories Not His Own
A sudden spike of pain stabbed his skull.
"Argh—!"
He clutched his head as a tidal wave of foreign memories crashed into him.
Images.
Names.
Faces.
Events.
A whole lifetime—eighteen years—unspooled inside his mind.
Su Chen.
The same name, but a different person.
The original owner of this body was the third son of a mid-level wealthy clan, the Su Clan of Greenwind Province. He was handsome but considered hopeless in cultivation due to poor aptitude. A laughingstock, often belittled by cousins and ignored by elders.
Worst of all—
The original Su Chen had just been poisoned.
A subtle toxin slipped into his tea during the morning clan meeting. Someone wanted him dead quietly. Someone from his own clan.
And the poison had succeeded.
The original Su Chen had died… and Earth's Su Chen had slipped into his empty vessel.
As the pain faded, Su Chen exhaled shakily.
"I really transmigrated… into a cultivation world."
He should've been terrified. Instead, excitement stirred in him. This world was filled with qi, martial techniques, ancient treasures, spirit beasts, immortal legends.
A world filled with opportunities.
But before he could process everything, the servant suddenly noticed something.
"Young Master… your hand! What is that light?"
"Huh?"
Su Chen looked at his right palm.
A tiny glowing symbol had appeared—like swirling lines forming a strange pattern, shimmering faintly with silver light.
"What… is this?"
He didn't get to wonder long.
His hand brushed against a broken tea cup piece at his feet—
FLASH!
Information surged into his mind.
Object: Ceramic Tea Cup Shard
Age: 12 years
Origin: Crafted in Emerald Cloud Valley
Material: Spirit porcelain infused with mild qi
Damage Cause: Sudden impact from fall
Residual Substance: Traces of "Silent Orchid Poison"
Su Chen froze.
"What… the hell?"
He touched another shard.
FLASH!
Silent Orchid Poison:
– Mildly lethal
– Causes fainting, then gradual organ failure
– Leaves no detectable traces after 6 hours
– Introduced by: Su Rong, Fourth Elder's son
Su Chen's breath trembled.
His ability…
It was like scanning an object's entire history.
Object Truth Vision.
The power to know the truth of anything he touched.
A chill raced down his spine.
"So that's how the original Su Chen died… murdered by his own cousin."
Rage flickered in him—not for himself, but for the young man whose life he now borrowed.
A life cut short unfairly.
But anger quickly hardened into something colder.
Resolve.
"If I'm living in your place… I'll avenge you."
A Crafty Cousin Appears
As if summoned by fate, a voice echoed from behind.
"Well, well… I heard you fainted, dear cousin."
Su Chen turned.
A handsome young man with smug eyes approached, hands folded behind his back. Two lackeys flanked him. His expression was full of fake concern.
"Are you feeling better, Brother Chen?"
Su Chen's fingers curled slightly.
His ability's earlier revelation rang in his mind.
Su Rong.
The very snake who poisoned the original body.
But Su Chen kept his expression calm.
"I'm fine," he said softly.
"Oh?" Su Rong raised a brow, disappointment flashing for a moment.
"How unfortunate. I was worried the poison—cough, the stress—was too much for you."
The slip was almost comical.
Su Chen smirked slightly. "Thank you for the concern."
Su Rong's smile tightened.
"You shouldn't push yourself. After all, someone with your… talent"—his eyes gleamed with mockery—"should take care not to strain his fragile body."
Su Chen stepped closer, letting their shoulders nearly touch.
His voice dropped to a whisper.
"Strange thing, Su Rong… you seem very nervous today."
Su Rong stiffened.
"W-What are you implying?"
"Nothing," Su Chen said casually, walking past him. "But accidents have consequences. You should be careful too."
For the first time, Su Rong looked unsettled.
Good.
Let the snake tremble.
A New Life Begins
Su Chen headed toward the inner garden, where no one could overhear him.
He clenched his right palm, watching the faint silver mark glow.
This power… if I use it well, it could change everything.
He touched a nearby stone lantern.
FLASH!
Object: Stone Lantern
Weak Point: Cracks on northwest edge
Material: Mid-grade spirit stone
Contains hidden compartment
Su Chen opened the compartment instantly—inside lay a small pouch containing two low-grade qi stones and a silver jade token.
His lips curled.
"Useful. Very useful."
He looked at the sky.
"Original Su Chen… your life was stolen.
But now—
I will rise, not just for myself, but for you."
His eyes burned with determination.
"This world will remember the name Su Chen."
Far in the distance, thunder rumbled across the horizon as if the heavens themselves acknowledged the birth of fate's new variable.
The transmigrated seeker had awakened.