Lu Chen was drowning in paperwork.
No,really—drowning. The stacks on his desk weren't just tall; they were tombstones for his social life. They gave off a vibe. You could smell the crushed dreams from the door. The office lights buzzed overhead, useless against the deep-down tired in his bones. His back was a knot from hunching. His stomach? An empty pit, already groaning at the thought of dinner: those sad, brick-hard noodles from the fridge that even the cockroaches avoided.
But nobody cared.Not a soul. Not even the bugs.
"Lu Chen! Move your ass!"
The voice came from above,followed by the shadow. His manager, Mr. Zhao, had a talent for appearing like a vulture sensing imminent death. "That report was due yesterday—actually, screw it. I'll just put my name on yours. Good… job." He yanked the papers from Lu Chen's limp fingers, smirked, and strutted off wearing that glow only a truly shameless thief can manage.
Lu Chen's mouth opened. "But I—"
"Save it,"Zhao tossed back, already halfway to the coffee machine. His tone was the verbal equivalent of a dismissive hand wave.
Nearby, a bunch of coworkers snorted. Not at him, they'd say. Just… nearby. They got promotions. Bonuses. Invites to karaoke nights full of fake laughter. He got the silent judgment of last week's leftovers.
"Manager's riding the nerd again."
"Poor guy."
"Shut up, you're worse."
He swallowed the bitterness. It tasted familiar. He was a ghost. A background character in his own life, only noticed when someone needed to pin the blame.
Screw this.
"I'm done.I quit. Go ahead, fire me. See if I care." He slapped the resignation letter down and walked out, leaving a room of stunned faces behind him.
Maybe it was for a new start. Who knows. But that night, the sky decided to cry about it.
Rain came down in sheets,turning the city into a smeared watercolor of neon and gloom. Lu Chen trudged across the street, his cheap briefcase thumping a soggy rhythm against his leg. Cars hissed past, desperate to get home, to warmth, to something that wasn't this.
A big delivery truck roared by with the same idea, its tires sending up a spray of gutter water.
Bonk.
A little pebble,kicked up from the asphalt like a cosmic afterthought, shot out and hit him right between the eyes.
The world didn't go black. It shattered.
He hit the pavement.Hard. Cold rain mixed with something warm trickling down his forehead.
Why...? Just when I thought I could start over... If I ever get another shot… I swear I'll never be weak again.
You know how they say your life flashes before your eyes? His did. It was a short, depressing film.
Then, nothing. Quiet. Peace, even.
…Until it wasn't.
Pain.
White-hot agony exploded in his ribs.He gasped—a tiny, pathetic sound.
"He's still breathing?This trash is stubborn!"
"Kick him again!Maybe his useless dantian will finally crack!"
"Hah!Look at the great genius wallow! He's mud now!"
The voices were young, cruel, and dripping with hate. Lu Chen forced his eyes open. Rain. Cold mud. Leather boots looming, ready for another go.
What the hell? Why do I feel… small?
Another kick. More agony. And with it—a flood of memories that weren't his.
A prodigy.A shining sword. A girl with a sweet smile asking for a favor. A forest, a monster, poison coursing through his veins. The same girl, her smile now ice, taking the prize from his dying hand. "It's over. You're worthless." The broken engagement. The fall from grace. The sneers. The name "Trash." A body, beaten and finished in the mud, its light going out… just like his had on a rainy street.
Two lifetimes of getting kicked down. Two lifetimes of powerlessness, slammed together in his soul. The weight of it was crushing.
I died. And I got reborn as… another punching bag?The unfairness of it burned worse than the poison still in his blood.
A boot swung for his face. In the mud, Lu Chen's hand clenched. A spark—tiny, furious—ignited in his chest. The rage of two betrayed souls became one single, silent promise.
No. Not again. This anger? I'm keeping it. And I'm going to shove it down the throat of every single person who caused it.
The moment the promise took root, the universe… paused.
CRACKLE-BOOM!
Thunder roared,then got stuck. The raindrops hung in the air, glittering. The boot froze an inch from his nose. Sound vanished. Everything just… stopped.
Then.
Ding.
[UNPARALLELED SYSTEM ACTIVATING…]
"Wha—?"Lu Chen croaked.
[Scanning Host…]
[Scan complete. Error. Error. Error.]
[WARNING: Host's biological data is an insult to cultivation. Strength: weaker than a sick chicken. Dexterity: a stunned sloth. Luck: you stepped on a deity's grave in a past life.]
"Hey!"he protested to the frozen air.
Ding-ding-ding!
[ERROR: Spiritual Roots—Shattered.]
[ERROR: Dantian—Looks like a stomped-on pie.]
[ERROR: Meridians—Clogged with what looks like spiritual sewage.]
[Host Rating: 0.0003 Stars. Suggestion: Uninstall immediately.]
Lu Chen's eye twitched. "Uninstall? I just got here!"
The system ignored him.
[Initiating Host Uninstallation… 1%… 5%…]
[Uninstallation Failed.]
A weird relief hit him."Ha. Can't get rid of me that easy."
[Failure Reason: Host's soul-bond is weirdly sticky. Analogy: Gum on the bottom of a god's shoe.]
A new voice slid into his mind. It was smooth, musical, and utterly annoyed.
<…What. Are. You.>
"Right now?Confused. A minute ago? Dead. Somehow, I've been promoted to 'universal stress ball.' Look at 'em go," Lu Chen shot back, a bit of his old office snark bleeding through.
The system let out a sound like a digital sigh.
A glowing blue screen popped up in front of him.
```
──────────────────────────────
[UNPARALLELED SYSTEM — STATUS]
──────────────────────────────
Name: Lu Chen
Age: 16 (Body) / 80 (Soul, feels older)
Title: Sect Trash | Professional Doormat
Condition: Bruised Everything | Broken Ribs (x3) | Soaked
Cultivation: GONE (Fell from: Body Tempering 7th Stage)
Vibes: Pitiable (Grandmas and stray dogs might like you)
SKILLS:
· Basic Sword (Lvl. 1): You know which end is pointy.
· Rock Body (Lvl. 1): You bruise like a peach, not a banana.
· Dodge (Lvl. 0): You really seem to enjoy getting hit.
INVENTORY:
· Ripped Robes (1 set)
· Sheer Spite (1 unit)
· Nothing. Seriously.
SYSTEM MOOD: Deeply Unimpressed
──────────────────────────────
```
Lu Chen stared. "'Vibes: Pitiable'? 'Enjoy getting hit'? Are you for real?"
the system said, as the frozen world around them began to groan back to life.
"So I'm a walking trash can.Cool."
"With my'vibes,' I'll settle for a pitying head pat."
Lu Chen's focus sharpened.He could still feel the cold, corroding poison in his veins—the stuff that killed this body's original owner. "Poison… makes me stronger?"
Before Lu Chen could curse, time snapped back.
The frozen boot slammed down—but Lu Chen was already rolling.It was clumsy, his body barely listening, but he moved. The kick grazed his shoulder.
The bullies blinked,shocked.
"Youdare dodge, trash?!"
"Your fiancée traded up!She's with a real cultivator now!"
"You belong in a ditch!"
Each word was a slap.But with each slap, something clicked.
Ding! Ding! Ding!
[Insult Points +210!]
[Praise Points +85!]
[Toxic Residue Detected! Converting 'Scar-Devil Venom'…]
[+200 Cultivation EXP Acquired!]
The lead bully, a guy with a face like a sneering rat, got in close. "What's that look? Brain finally break, trash?"
The system sighed in his head.
Ding-ding-ding-ding!
[AUTOMATIC 'DESPERATION GACHA' SPIN!]
[Spinning… Your luck is abysmal… Spinning…]
[Congratulations! You've failed so hard, you broke the curve!]
[REWARDS GRANTED!]
—Low-Tier Healing Elixir (It's basically god-juice here)!
—Basic Spirit Sword (It's sharp. Try not to trip on it)!
—Body Tempering Pills x10 (Don't choke)!
[Administering…]
Warmth, sudden and liquid-gold, flooded from his core. The elixir from his inventory just vanished, working instantly.
[Dantian Reconstruction… NOW.]
It felt like broken glass melting and reforging into something tough and brilliant.
[Dantian Restored!]
[EXP Lock: OFF!]
[Expending Cultivation EXP…]
Power.
Real,raw, undeniable power erupted inside him. It wasn't violent; it was a wave of pure, euphoric heat.
BOOM!Body Tempering Stage 1!
BOOM!Stage 2! 3!
He could feel his bones settling,his flesh tightening.
BOOM!Stage 4! 5!
Filth and rainwater steamed off his skin in a hot cloud.
[Excess EXP! Going for broke!]
BOOM-KABLAM!
Body Tempering Stage 6!
The rain sizzled where it touched him now. He pushed up from the mud—not a struggle, but a single, smooth motion. He stood up. He unfolded.
The bullies stumbled back. Their sneers melted into pure, wide-eyed "oh crap."
"H-his cultivation…?"
"He's…glowing?"
Lu Chen looked at his hands.The mud was gone, steamed away. He felt the new strength humming in his limbs, the restored dantian ready and waiting. He looked at the faces of the boys who'd been kicking him.
A smile spread across his face.It wasn't friendly. It was the smile of an office drone who'd had his report stolen and a betrayed prodigy who'd been left for dead, all rolled into one.
The system's voice,now with a flicker of dark curiosity, whispered:
aiting. What's your move, Host?>
Lu Chen cracked his knuckles. The sound was soft, but in the dead silence, it echoed.
He knew exactly what to do first.
[To Be Continued…]