Staring at the newly popped-up system notification, Hikaru Uchiha rubbed his chin, lost in thought.
The reward boost was real—+1000% Idle Training Speed wasn't something he could ignore.
But with greater reward came greater danger.
His rational mind urged caution: perhaps it was wiser to abandon this world, wait a month for cooldown, and play it safe.
After all, impulse and recklessness were often indistinguishable until it was too late.
He was about to do just that—
When a strange instinct surfaced in his heart.
Not a premonition, not logic.
Something deeper.
A sense that if he passed on this world, it wouldn't just be about missing loot or XP—
He'd be turning his back on a fate-level opportunity, something irrevocable.
Something cosmic.
And right in the middle of that internal tug-of-war—
The system chimed again.
[World Upgrade Detected]
Current top combatant strength: Near Celestial Immortal Realm.
Do you still wish to enter?
Hikaru's heart jumped.
But then he read carefully.
"Near" Celestial Immortal.
Not quite there.
He relaxed a bit.
He knew the gap between Earth Immortal and Celestial Immortal was no mere step—it was a chasm.
So while the strongest in this world might be threatening, they weren't yet a real danger to him.
That was enough to tilt the decision.
Despite his overwhelming confidence, Hikaru wasn't arrogant.
This world's sudden upgrade was suspicious.
Any force that could spike a world's grade like this—was something far from normal.
Still, decision made, delay was pointless.
This time… he would go alone.
No distractions.
No liabilities.
Before leaving, he gave a quick farewell to Tsunade and the others, released Kaguya and Chinatsu from his pocket dimension, and then—
Activated the World Gate.
A flash of light.
And he vanished.
The moment Hikaru landed, he nearly dropped his jaw.
This… is supposed to be a modern world?!
Yes, there were high-rises. Roads. Electricity poles.
But—
Above him, a sword cultivator zoomed by, leaving a glowing trail in the sky.
"...Really? Flying swords? In this setting?"
And then—he looked to the side.
An advertisement billboard.
Not for cars, or smartphones.
For medicinal pills.
"Refine your core. Strengthen your bones. The #1 supplement for modern cultivators—Refined Gold Spirit Pills!"
"...You gotta be kidding me," Hikaru muttered.
This world had somehow merged cultivation with modern society.
What was supposed to be a low-level "oddity-hunting" arc had turned into a full-blown fantasy cultivation cyber-city.
Weren't (Gifted) supposed to be rare in this timeline?
He thought of Ma Hongxian, a character from the original world who dreamed of creating a peaceful cultivation utopia.
'Bro didn't even start yet, and this world already did it for him…'
While Hikaru stood frozen in confusion—
A motorcycle screeched to a halt beside him.
A uniformed officer stepped off, flashing a badge.
"Comrade, I'm JC Enforcement. Use of teleportation techniques in public zones is prohibited.
Please come with me to register your movement credentials."
His tone was polite—but firm.
Hikaru forced a smile.
'This world cultivates… but still has surveillance tech everywhere. Can I at least get a proper xianxia experience?'
Still, he understood—he had no registered identity here.
If he followed this officer, there was a good chance he'd be exposed before he could even start.
Then things got… weirder.
The officer took out a device resembling a phone and scanned him.
Routine.
Until the officer's eyes widened.
"Huh? That can't be right… There's no record of your identity. No registration. Nothing."
Hikaru sighed internally.
Obviously. I'm not from here.
But at least now he didn't have to make up a name and background.
As the officer stood frozen in shock, Hikaru made his move.
A flick of the finger—
And he vanished, leaving only a trail of wind behind.
By the time the officer recovered, Hikaru was long gone.
Panicked, he radioed his HQ.
"This is Unit 3! Unknown individual just disappeared! Zero identity trace—requesting backup!"
But Hikaru was already several blocks away.
He now stood before a towering skyscraper, its name displayed in bold characters:
Tianxia Corporation.
He narrowed his eyes.
'This world's changed. If I can't rush in sword blazing, I'll need a reliable partner.'
In his memory, Feng Zhenghao was the guy.
Scheming. Shameless. Pragmatic.
But most importantly—a reliable ally if you were on his side.
Perfect.