"Woah… so this is what it feels like to be a cultivator," he mumbled as he clenched his fist. It felt at least twice as strong as before.
He could feel the new power coursing through him — heavier, denser, but perfectly controlled. It was already overwhelming after receiving the physique and bloodline, but now, after officially beginning cultivation…
He had stepped into a whole new level.
But...
"It's really... shitty," Rei Lin muttered as he sat cross-legged, sensing the ambient Spirit Qi around him.
He closed his eyes, trying to absorb it — but the energy was thin, scattered like dust in the wind.
"I won't be able to cultivate properly after reaching a higher level with this pathetic amount of Spirit Qi," he grumbled in frustration.
Just then, a new line flickered across his vision:
[Host can access Cultivation Online.]
"Huh? What do you mean?" Rei Lin paused, narrowing his eyes. "How can a game solve this problem?"
The system responded immediately.
[Host, I've analyzed the Cultivation Online headset. It uses a Spirit Transfer and Soul Avatar Creation Array.]
[Which means… it might not be a game at all — but another reality.]
"…What?" Rei Lin's brows furrowed. "You're saying... it's real? Not just some VR simulation?"
[Yes, Host.]
[Also — there is something else the host has yet to learn.]
[Until now, Host had only accessed the legacy features — but the true name of this system is the "Super Trading System."]
[This system allows Host to trade across the infinite multiverse — anything from low-level herbs to forbidden cultivation techniques, even divine bloodlines.]
[Host can exchange almost any item, at any time.]
A new window expanded, glowing softly.
[The system supports two main types of trading:]
Equal Trading:
Host can trade one item for another of similar value.
Example: A rare herb for a cultivation pill, or a mid-grade weapon for a similar artifact.
➤ No limit on usage.
Random Trading:
Host can trade any item — no matter how worthless — and receive something completely random in return.
If lucky, Host could trade a spoon and receive a supreme treasure.
➤ Limit: 1 use per 24 hours. ]
"Woah, so this is what led Shi Yun to rise to the peak," Rei Lin mumbled, then looked to the side — at the same device that had almost taken his life and then granted him another. He sighed as he picked the headset from the ground, placed it on his head, then lay on the bed and tapped the side button.
"Let's see," he said as the bed's light faded and he was immersed in a white space. "Déjà vu," he blinked in the shining expanse, then a crack appeared in the middle of the white space as a woman in a red, fiery dress stepped out of it. She appeared to be holding a wine glass as she walked into the room.
"Hmm… another normal-looking mortal," she said lazily, swirling the glass with a smile. She walked barefoot as a crystal ball floated behind her.
"Mortal, place your hand on it," she said lazily as he pressed his hand on the crystal ball.
It was not his system screen — but rather the Cultivation Online game screen.
Name: ???
Cultivation: None
Legacy: None
Bloodline: ???
Physique: Sun and Moon Celestial Physique
Physical Strength: 3,400
Mental Strength: 2,750
Soul Strength: 9,210
Physical Defense: 9,110
Mental Defense: 11,121
Seeing the screen, the woman's eyes widened as she stared at it.
"What…?" she whispered, rubbing her eyes a few times, then looked straight at him.
"What are you?" she asked bluntly.
Rei Lin just looked at her silently. With Shi Yun's memories, he was no longer some naive boy who would drool over her Divine beauty. In Shi Yun's past, he had seen women far beyond this.
"Why are you so rude?" Rei Lin said, crossing his arms as he held her gaze.
The woman blinked, then tilted her head with a soft hum.
"This mortal…" she muttered.
She couldn't recall the last time someone dared to talk to her like this. Then again, she figured most mortals didn't know what it meant to face someone at her level. Not someone standing on the path of cultivation.
She cleared her throat and set the wine glass down. It hovered magically beside her, as a token suddenly appeared in her hand.
"Keep this. If fate wills it, we will meet again," she said, handing him a token and then a ring.
"Have this too. It will help you a bit on your journey," she added, her tone casual.
Rei Lin looked at it calmly. He could sense it was a high-grade spatial storage ring, but he didn't react. Instead, he narrowed his eyes and replied,
"Woman, I don't even know you. Why would I take a ring from you?"
Once again, the woman in the fiery red dress looked stunned.
"What do you mean?" she asked, an unfamiliar expression flashing across her face.
"Well, where I come from, when a woman gives a man a ring, it's often for... a proposal. When you ask someone to marry you, you usually give them a ring. Isn't that normal?" Rei Lin said with a smile, though his tone remained neutral.
The woman stared at the ring in her hand, silent for a moment.
"…It's just a storage ring. It's a spatial treasure — it's not a big deal. This one is a powerful artifact called the Crimson Phoenix Ring. It can store not just items, but even a living being." she explained, clearly a bit flustered.
She handed it to him anyway and walked off, muttering under her breath.
"Strange mortal… I'll meet you again."
She vanished in a trail of light.
The scene around Rei Lin changed — the white space faded as he opened his eyes and found himself in a grand, ancient hall.
He was now inside a large beginner area of Cultivation Online.
All around him, new players were spawning — some looking confused, others amazed — while an old man stood in front of them. He wore long robes, his aura calm but commanding.
The old man began to speak.
"Welcome to the World of Cultivation. Here, strength determines your path, and survival is earned through effort and will. I will now explain the basics of Spirit Qi and how you may absorb it into your dantian. Pay attention — north, south, east, and western continents all have different rules…"