The porridge was warm.
Perhaps that was the only thing convincing Kael that all of this was real—not some bizarre dream, not a hallucination on the brink of death, but a new reality he had to face. The warmth on his tongue, the soft texture sliding down his throat, the steam rising and dampening his face.
Lily sat beside him, both hands folded over her knees, watching him eat with an… intense gaze.
"You know," Kael said between spoonfuls, trying to ease the awkwardness, "if you keep staring at me like that, the porridge is going to get cold."
Lily smiled. "I already ate. This is specially for you."
"She really cares," Kael thought, feeling a different kind of warmth spread through him—not from the food. In his previous life, he had friends too—but friendships in the modern world were often conditional. Help as long as there's profit. Care as long as it's not inconvenient.
But the girl in front of him… she brought porridge in the dead of night, sat beside a sick person who wasn't even family, with eyes that were genuinely worried.
"Maybe this world isn't as bad as it seems."
[PANDORA SYSTEM DETECTED HOST THOUGHTS]
[NOTE: EXCESSIVE OPTIMISM WAS THE CAUSE OF DEATH FOR 34.7% OF PREVIOUS HOSTS]
[RECOMMENDATION: MAINTAIN VIGILANCE]
Kael nearly choked.
"Can you not pop up while I'm eating?"
[SYSTEM DISPLAY SETTINGS CAN BE CUSTOMIZED]
[DOES HOST WISH TO CHANGE SETTINGS?]
"Later. Busy right now."
Lily tilted her head, noticing Kael suddenly go quiet with the bowl still in his hands. "Kael? You okay? Your face looks weird."
"Ah, i-it's… the porridge is really good," Kael deflected awkwardly. "Really delicious. Did you cook it yourself?"
Lily nodded, a faint blush coloring her cheeks. "I learned from my mother back then. Before she…" Her voice trailed off, her eyes dimming for a moment, but she quickly forced another smile. "Never mind. The important thing is that you're healthy now."
Kael studied her. From this body's memories, Lily had always been there—the neighbor who never left. Her parents died in the same monster attack that took Kael's parents—the massive raid five years ago that destroyed a quarter of Yunlan City. Since then, the two of them had survived on their own, but Lily had often helped the younger Kael.
"Lily," Kael called softly.
"Hm?"
"Thank you."
Two simple words. But in this new world, amid all the uncertainty, they felt heavy with meaning.
Lily smiled, and even through the dirt on her face and the patched clothes, that smile felt like light inside the dilapidated shack.
"It's my duty as your neighbor," she said. "Besides, you're like my little brother. Even if we're not related by blood."
Little brother.
Kael turned the word over in his mind. In his old life, he had been an only child. No siblings. Now, in this twelve-year-old body, someone considered him family.
[WARNING: EMOTIONAL BOND DETECTED]
[STATUS: TRIGGERING HIDDEN SYSTEM EFFECT]
[EFFECT: SOUL STABILITY INCREASED BY 3%]
[EFFECT: NATURAL RECOVERY INCREASED BY 5%]
[EFFECT: UNLOCKED BRANCH QUEST – "FAMILY PROTECTION"]
Kael raised an eyebrow as he read the notification.
"Wait… the system responds to emotions?"
[ANSWER: PANDORA SYSTEM IS DESIGNED TO ADAPT TO THE HOST]
[HOST EMOTIONS INFLUENCE SYSTEM FUNCTIONS]
[POSITIVE EMOTIONS CAN UNLOCK HIDDEN FEATURES]
[NEGATIVE EMOTIONS CAN INCREASE COMBAT EFFICIENCY]
[HOST IS AN EMOTIONAL BEING. THE SYSTEM ACCOMMODATES THIS.]
Kael frowned. This system… was complicated. But at least he had one clue: emotions mattered. Unlike most systems in the novels he used to read, which were usually cold and purely calculative.
"But wait… BRANCH QUEST? Like a side mission?"
[DEFINITION: BRANCH QUESTS ARE ADDITIONAL MISSIONS NOT DIRECTLY RELATED TO THE MAIN OBJECTIVE]
[COMPLETING BRANCH QUESTS GRANTS EXTRA REWARDS]
[BRANCH QUESTS CAN INFLUENCE THE STORY FLOW]
Kael sighed. Too much information for the very first night.
"Kael?" Lily touched his forehead. "Your fever's gone down. But you still look dizzy. Rest. I'll stay with you."
"You're going to watch over me? All night?" Kael was surprised. "But your house…"
"I already brought my blanket," Lily said, pointing to the rolled-up cloth in the corner. "Don't worry. I used to do this a lot when you were smaller. Remember? When you fell from the tree and broke your leg?"
Kael tried to access the body's memories. Vaguely, flashes came—Lily carrying him, running to the village healer, crying and shouting for help.
"She… she really is like my older sister," Kael thought, feeling another wave of warmth. "Even without blood ties, she treats me like family."
[BRANCH QUEST UNLOCKED: FAMILY PROTECTION]
[OBJECTIVE: PROTECT LILY FROM ANY DANGER]
[DIFFICULTY LEVEL: VARIABLE (DEPENDS ON CIRCUMSTANCES)]
[REWARD: ??? (DEPENDS ON SUCCESS)]
[NOTE: THIS QUEST IS PERMANENT AND CANNOT BE CANCELED]
[QUEST FAILURE: DEATH OF LILY OR HOST]
Kael read the quest with mixed feelings. On one hand, it was a burden. On the other… he didn't mind at all.
"Alright," he said to Lily. "But you have to rest too. Don't stay up watching me all night."
Lily laughed softly. "Look at this kid, acting all grown up now?" She ruffled his hair. "I'll sleep soon. For now, finish your porridge."
Kael obeyed, scraping the bowl clean to the last drop. When it was empty, he felt something strange in his stomach—not ordinary fullness, but a warm sensation spreading throughout his body.
[DETECTION: QI ENTERING HOST BODY FOR THE FIRST TIME]
[SOURCE OF QI: PORRIDGE COOKED WITH WATER FROM THE SMALL SPRING ON YUNLAN MOUNTAIN]
[QI CONTENT: EXTREMELY LOW – 0.00001 UNIT]
[EFFECT: OPENED FIRST MERIDIAN – 0.01%]
[EFFECT: INCREASED UNDERSTANDING OF QI – 2%]
Kael froze.
"This porridge… contains qi?"
[EXPLANATION: IN LAYER-7 REALITY, ALL THINGS CONTAIN QI IN VARYING AMOUNTS]
[FOOD FROM NATURAL INGREDIENTS HAS LOW QI CONTENT]
[FOOD FROM FIERCE BEASTS OR RARE PLANTS HAS HIGHER QI CONTENT]
[CULTIVATION PILLS HAVE VERY HIGH QI CONTENT]
[QI STONES ARE THE PUREST SOURCE OF QI]
Kael's mind spun. So in this world, even ordinary food could aid cultivation? Albeit in tiny amounts?
"Lily," he asked suddenly. "Where did you get the water you used to cook this porridge?"
Lily blinked, confused by the abrupt question. "From the small spring on Yunlan Mountain. Why?"
"Is there anything special about that spring?"
"Everyone says the water tastes fresher than well water," Lily shrugged. "But nothing special. Just regular water."
Kael fell silent.
"A mountain spring. Low qi content but still detectable. Maybe… maybe that's a good starting point?"
He remembered all the cultivation novels he'd read. Usually the main character had some early advantage—finding a secret cave, receiving an unexpected inheritance, meeting a crazy master. But him? He got a system and a small spring.
"Yeah, not bad."
[NOTE: HUMILITY IS A GOOD TRAIT]
[BUT DO NOT FORGET: HOST POSSESSES 1,000,000% DAO COMPREHENSION ACCELERATION]
[EVEN WITH THIS WATER, HOST CAN PROGRESS FASTER THAN ORDINARY CULTIVATORS]
Kael gave a faint smile. The system could be annoying, but it also knew how to encourage him.
"It's getting late," Lily said, stretching. "I'll sleep over there in the corner. If you need anything, wake me up."
Kael nodded and lay back down on the straw bed. Lily unrolled her blanket in the corner, and within minutes, her soft breathing filled the quiet shack.
Silence settled.
Outside, the three moons cast dim light through the cracks in the wooden walls. Kael stared at the ceiling, thoughts racing.
He had died.
He had transmigrated.
He had received a system.
He was being hunted by a dark entity.
And he had a neighbor who cared.
"First day," he thought. "And so much has already happened."
[MAIN MISSION: SURVIVE – FIRST 24 HOURS]
[TIME REMAINING: 18 HOURS 47 MINUTES]
[STATUS: SAFE – FOR NOW]
Kael snorted. "Safe for now" sounded suspiciously like a veiled threat.
He closed his eyes, trying to sleep. But his mind was too active. Information about cultivation, the system, the dark entity—everything swirled.
"System," he called mentally. "Explain the basics of cultivation in this world."
[REQUEST ACCEPTED]
[OPENING BASIC KNOWLEDGE MODULE: CULTIVATION IN LAYER-7 REALITY]
[CULTIVATION SYSTEM – LAYER-7 REALITY]
FUNDAMENTALS:
Cultivation is the process of absorbing qi from the environment, purifying it within the body, and using it to strengthen soul and flesh.
HUMAN CULTIVATION STAGES:
PREPARATION STAGE (FOUNDATION)
· Opening Meridians (9 levels)
· Forming Dantian (lower, middle, upper)
· Gathering Qi (initial stage)
LOW STAGE (MORTAL)
· Qi Gathering (9 layers) – Accumulating qi in the dantian
· Body Tempering (9 layers) – Strengthening the physique with qi
· Meridian Expansion (9 layers) – Widening qi pathways
MIDDLE STAGE (SPIRITUAL)
· Spirit Core (9 layers) – Forming an energy core in the dantian
· Nascent Soul (9 layers) – Soul beginning to separate from body
· Divine Awakening (9 layers) – Spiritual consciousness awakens
HIGH STAGE (IMMORTAL)
· Soul Formation (9 layers)
· Body Integration (9 layers)
· Tribulation Passage (9 layers)
HEAVENLY STAGE (GODLY)
· Earth Immortal (3 sub-stages)
· Heaven Immortal (3 sub-stages)
· Golden Immortal (3 sub-stages)
· Primordial Immortal (3 sub-stages)
· Dao Ancestor (3 sub-stages)
[NOTE: THESE ARE ONLY THE BASIC STAGES IN LAYER-7 REALITY]
[BEYOND THIS EXIST HIGHER STAGES INVOLVING DIFFERENT REALITY LAYERS]
[FOR NOW, FOCUS ON THE PREPARATION STAGE]
Kael read it with wide eyes.
"This… there are so many levels?"
[ANSWER: CULTIVATION IS AN ENDLESS JOURNEY]
[AVERAGE TIME PER STAGE FOR ORDINARY CULTIVATORS: 10–100 YEARS]
[TALENTED CULTIVATORS: 1–10 YEARS PER STAGE]
[GENIUSES: MONTHS PER STAGE]
[MONSTERS: WEEKS PER STAGE]
[HOST: ??? (DEPENDS ON SYSTEM UTILIZATION)]
Kael frowned. "Meaning?"
[MEANING: HOST POSSESSES 1,000,000% DAO COMPREHENSION ACCELERATION]
[HOWEVER, THAT ACCELERATION IS USELESS WITHOUT QI TO COMPREHEND]
[WITHOUT QI, ACCELERATION IS MEANINGLESS]
[SO THE QUESTION IS: WHERE WILL THE HOST OBTAIN HIS FIRST QI?]
Kael went quiet.
Good question.
He was a poor orphan in a small city. No money for cultivation pills. No connections to enter a sect. He couldn't even feed himself without Lily's help.
"This…"
[RECOMMENDATION: MAKE USE OF AVAILABLE RESOURCES]
[THE SMALL SPRING ON YUNLAN MOUNTAIN CONTAINS QI]
[YUNLAN MOUNTAIN IS ALSO RICH IN WILD PLANTS WITH LOW QI CONTENT]
[START THERE.]
Kael nodded slowly. Made sense. But…
"Isn't that mountain dangerous? Aren't there monsters?"
[INFORMATION: YUNLAN MOUNTAIN IS A LOW-LEVEL SMALL MOUNTAIN]
[MOST MONSTERS THERE ARE LEVEL 1–3 (EQUIVALENT TO PREPARATION STAGE HUMANS)]
[IN HOST'S CURRENT CONDITION, ENCOUNTERING A MONSTER = 99.9% DEATH]
[RECOMMENDATION: DO NOT GO TOO DEEP]
[SEARCH FOR PLANTS NEAR THE FOOTHILLS]
Kael exhaled. At least there was a plan.
He glanced at Lily sleeping soundly in the corner. In sleep, her face looked younger, more vulnerable. Kael remembered the quest the system had given—protect Lily.
"I'll do that," he vowed silently. "She's the only family I have in this world."
[DETECTION: HOST COMMITMENT TO QUEST DETECTED]
[EFFECT: SOUL STABILITY INCREASED 2%]
[EFFECT: BOND WITH LILY STRENGTHENED]
[HIDDEN EFFECT: ??? (WILL UNLOCK WHEN CONDITIONS MET)]
Kael ignored the notification and closed his eyes. First night in a new world. Tomorrow, the adventure would truly begin.
Morning arrived with a rooster's crow.
Not an ordinary rooster—the sound was louder, deeper, like a mix of chicken and wolf. Kael opened his eyes, disoriented for a moment before last night's memories flooded back.
Shack. Lily. System. New world.
He sat up. His body still ached but felt far better than yesterday. Lily was no longer in the corner. From outside came the sounds of water being drawn and wood being split.
Kael walked to the door and opened it gently.
Morning sunlight greeted him—warm golden light, tinged with faint purple at the edges. The sky was clear blue, with the three crescent moons still faintly visible on the western horizon.
In the small yard in front of the shack, Lily was splitting firewood.
The fifteen-year-old girl gripped an old axe, swinging it with efficient, practiced motions. Not weak movements—those of someone long accustomed to hard labor. Sweat glistened on her forehead, small muscles flexing in her arms.
"Lily," Kael called.
She turned, breaking into a wide smile. "Good morning! You're up? Sit down, I'll make breakfast."
Kael approached and sat on a large stone near the woodpile. "You woke up really early."
"Habit," Lily shrugged. "Lots to do. I have to split wood to sell at the market, gather vegetables on the mountain, then…" She paused, realizing something. "Eh, you stay here. Your body just recovered."
Kael gave a faint smile. "I can help."
"No way." Lily was firm. "You rest. I'll handle today's work."
Kael wanted to argue, but seeing the determination in her eyes, he backed down. For now.
But in his heart, he made a promise—soon or later, he would be the one protecting Lily, not the other way around.
[MAIN MISSION: SURVIVE – FIRST 24 HOURS]
[TIME REMAINING: 8 HOURS 23 MINUTES]
[STATUS: SAFE – FOR NOW]
[NOTE: VIGILANCE STILL REQUIRED]
Kael read the notification while watching Lily split wood. Eight more hours and the first mission would be complete. Then the system would unlock more features.
"What happens after that?" he wondered.
[ANSWER: WAIT AND SEE]
"Annoying."
But before he could think further, a distant shout shattered the morning quiet.
"BEASTS COMING DOWN THE MOUNTAIN! DOWN THE MOUNTAIN! EVERYONE INSIDE!"
Kael turned toward the sound. A middle-aged man was running down the village path, frantically beating a small drum. His face was deathly pale.
Lily dropped the axe, her expression changing. "No…"
"What's happening?" Kael asked quickly.
"Wild beasts descending from the mountain," Lily whispered, hands trembling. "Like five years ago. When my parents…" She couldn't finish.
[WARNING: THREAT DETECTED]
[LOW-LEVEL MONSTERS DESCENDING FROM YUNLAN MOUNTAIN]
[PROBABLE CAUSE: DISTURBANCE AT THE MOUNTAIN PEAK]
[THREAT LEVEL TO VILLAGE: LOW (DUE TO GUARDS)]
[THREAT LEVEL TO HOST: HIGH]
[RECOMMENDATION: HIDE]
But Kael barely registered the advice. His eyes were fixed on Lily—shaking, pale, eyes vacant, trapped in memories of five years ago.
"Lily." He grabbed her hand. "Look at me."
Lily met his gaze, tears welling.
"I'm here," Kael said calmly. "We'll be okay. Come on, inside."
He pulled her into the shack and barred the door tightly. Through cracks in the wall, they could see the situation outside.
Villagers ran in panic, barricading themselves in homes. A few men with swords and spears gathered in the center of the village—they were the village guards, low-level cultivators hired to protect the people.
And from the direction of the mountain, a rumbling began.
The ground trembled.
Dust rose.
And then, for the first time, Kael saw them.
Monsters.
The creature was the size of a buffalo, but with black scaled skin, horns on its head, and glowing red eyes. Its mouth was full of fangs, saliva dripping and sizzling on the ground. Sharp spines lined its back.
"Wolf Lizard," Lily whispered, voice barely audible. "Level 2. Equivalent to Body Tempering human."
Kael swallowed hard. Body Tempering? That was two full stages above his current condition—which hadn't even begun cultivation.
"System, can I fight that?"
[POWER CALCULATION]
[HOST: PREPARATION STAGE (MERIDIANS NOT YET OPENED)]
[WOLF LIZARD: LEVEL 2 – BODY TEMPERING LAYER 1]
[POWER GAP: 3 FULL STAGES]
[PROBABILITY OF VICTORY IN DIRECT COMBAT: 0.00%]
[PROBABILITY OF SURVIVAL IF HIDING: 78.3%]
[RECOMMENDATION: HIDE]
Kael gritted his teeth. He hated feeling powerless.
Outside, the village guards were already preparing. Five men, all adults armed with various weapons. The oldest—a white-haired man with a scarred face—stepped forward, sword drawn.
"Wolf Lizard," he muttered. "Just one. We can handle it."
But then, from behind the trees, a second appeared.
A third.
A fourth.
Not one.
Ten.
"GODDAMN IT!" one guard shouted. "THEY'RE PACKED!"
Kael felt his blood run cold. Ten Level 2 monsters. Against five village guards who were probably only Level 2 or 3 themselves.
This wasn't a battle.
It was an impending massacre.
[CRITICAL WARNING]
[THREAT ESCALATED: MULTIPLE MONSTERS DETECTED]
[PROBABILITY OF VILLAGE DESTRUCTION: 67.8%]
[PROBABILITY OF HOST AND LILY SURVIVAL: 12.4%]
[RECOMMENDATION: PREPARE FOR WORST-CASE SCENARIO]
Kael's heart pounded. He looked at Lily—still trembling, eyes vacant, lost in past trauma.
"Lily…"
He had to do something.
But what?
He couldn't even cultivate yet. He was just a twelve-year-old with a weak body and a locked system.
[URGENT NEED DETECTED]
[UNLOCKING EMERGENCY FEATURE: SYSTEM OVERRIDE]
[THIS FEATURE CAN ONLY BE USED ONCE IN CRITICAL CONDITIONS]
[DOES HOST WISH TO ACTIVATE?]
[WARNING: OVERRIDE WILL CONSUME 50% SOUL STABILITY]
[SIDE EFFECT: EXTREME PAIN, 23.7% CHANCE OF COMA]
[POSITIVE EFFECT: ACCESS TO ONE EMERGENCY ABILITY]
Kael read the notification with hesitation.
"This… is like an ultimate move?"
[DEFINITION ACCURACY: 89.7%]
Outside, the guards had begun fighting. The clash of weapons and monster roars deafened the air. One guard fell, torn apart by a Wolf Lizard's claws.
Time was up.
Kael took a deep breath.
"Activate."
[SYSTEM OVERRIDE ACTIVATED]
[SACRIFICING 50% SOUL STABILITY…]
[SOUL STABILITY: 73% → 23%]
[SELECTING EMERGENCY ABILITY…]
[SELECTED: INSTANT DAO INSIGHT – 10 SECONDS]
[EFFECT: FOR 10 SECONDS, HOST CAN INSTANTLY COMPREHEND ANY ASPECT OF DAO]
[RECOMMENDATION: USE TO UNDERSTAND MONSTER WEAKNESSES]
[COUNTDOWN: 3… 2… 1…]
And the world changed.
Suddenly Kael saw—not with physical eyes, but with an expanded consciousness that pierced through layers of reality.
He saw the flow of qi in the monsters' bodies. Weak points at their joints. Patterns in their attacks. Even fragments of their past—how they hatched from eggs in dark caves, how they grew by devouring rotting flesh, how they…
[REMAINING TIME: 7 SECONDS]
Kael focused. "How do I defeat them quickly?"
Knowledge flooded in.
Wolf Lizards had one primary weakness—behind the neck, right beneath the largest spine, was an unprotected qi node. A precise strike there would paralyze them instantly.
But to reach it, one had to move faster than them. Or…
[REMAINING TIME: 3 SECONDS]
"Or?"
Or use bait. They were blind to stationary objects but extremely sensitive to movement. If someone could draw their attention…
[REMAINING TIME: 1 SECOND]
"Understood."
[INSTANT DAO INSIGHT ENDED]
[SIDE EFFECT: ACUTE PAIN BEGINNING IN 5 SECONDS]
Kael's head felt like it had been struck by a hammer. He nearly collapsed but held on. Lily was still trembling beside him, unaware of what had just happened.
"Lily," Kael said, voice shaking from the pain. "Listen. I have a plan."
Lily looked at him, her eyes slowly focusing.
"You have to stay here. Don't come out no matter what."
"But Kael, you—"
"I'll come back." Kael smiled, even as the pain threatened to knock him out. "Promise."
Before Lily could stop him, Kael opened the door and ran outside.