Zeng Haofeng blinked at the blue panel floating in the air.
It wasn't made of Qi. It wasn't divine will. It wasn't even illusory formation magic.
It was... something else.
Something technological.
Something he never knew it exist.
[Urban Cultivation System Activated.]
[Host: Zeng Haofeng (Soul Rank: Celestial Emperor)]
[Current Body: Mortal Grade 1 – Severely Malnourished, Spirit Veins Destroyed]
[Synchronization Complete. Commencing System Tutorial...]
He narrowed his eyes. "System?" he croaked, voice hoarse.
A second screen appeared with cheerful, automated energy.
[Welcome, esteemed cultivator! You have reincarnated in the Techno-Modern World, a spiritual wasteland devoid of Qi but filled with strange power known as 'Electricity.']
[To survive and cultivate in this world, you must adapt. The Urban Cultivation System will assist you in fusing ancient techniques with modern advancements.]
Zeng Haofeng rubbed his temple. "Electricity? I've seen a Thunder Dragon sneeze more terrifying things…"
But the next lines caught his full attention.
[Tutorial Mission: Acquire a Smartphone.]
[Reward: Skill – Technomancer's Glance (F-Rank): Ability to instinctively comprehend simple modern devices.]
[Failure: You will remain an ignorant mortal unable to interact with 99.9% of this world's tech. Good luck.]
"Smart...phone?" he repeated slowly.
His stomach growled. He looked down at his withered body. Clearly, the first priority was nourishment. He needed energy. Lots of spirit stones. Couple of essence pills. Some roasted demon leg, maybe.
Instead, the nurse returned with a tray of something even more terrifying.
"Hospital lunch," she said kindly, setting it on his lap.
Zeng Haofeng stared at the contents. A block of soggy rice. A piece of gray meat wrapped in plastic. And something labeled 'low-sodium pudding.'
"...Is this edible? Or it is poison?" he whispered.
"No. It's high in nutrients."
He poked it with a fork. It jiggled. Sentient? Possibly. Edible? Dubious.
But he ate it anyway. He had eaten Centipede King liver once to survive. This was merely a different flavor of hell.
After the meal, the nurse left. Zeng Haofeng waited ten more minutes, then slowly removed the IV from his arm, wincing at the sting. The wires were sticky, unnatural. Binding. He hated them.
He try to stood and nearly collapsed.
His knees buckled. His legs were jelly. He grabbed the IV stand and used it as a makeshift staff.
"I once leapt over mountains... and… uugh… now I struggle to stand," he muttered stubbornly. "How far I have fallen."
But he was Zeng Haofeng. The man who singlehandedly cleaved the Sky Demon Sect in half because they interrupted his tea time. Weakness was temporary.
Outside the room, he shuffled slowly down the hallway. He saw strange glowing signs. Arrows. Numbers. Mechanical doors that opened automatically. Giant glass screens playing images of people shouting at each other and he thoughts, moving paintings?
He needed knowledge.
And so, naturally, he attempted to meditate in the hospital lobby.
Cross-legged on the cold tile floor, in a lotus pose, he tried to summon the Qi around him.
He inhaled.
And promptly choked on someone's vape cloud.
"Yo, what's wrong with this weirdo?" said a teenager nearby, tapping at a glowing rectangle in his hand.
Zeng Haofeng stared at the device. "Is that… a 'smartphone'?"
[Quest Objective Sighted.]
[Hint: You may 'borrow' one through force, persuasion, or divine destiny.]
[Warning: This world has laws. You will be arrested if you act like a Xuanhuan protagonist in public.]
He looked back at the teenager. The boy was too engrossed in a cat video to notice the danger.
Zeng Haofeng, weakened though he was, still had divine instincts.
He did not attack.
He waited.
He observed.
Then he watched the boy plug the phone into a white cord on the wall and leave it charging while going to the bathroom.
[Opportunity Detected!]
[New Passive Skill Unlocked: Shameless Timing (F)]
[Effect: +30% chance to succeed in morally questionable actions when done confidently.]
Zeng Haofeng picked up the phone as naturally as if it were his own.
The system chirped.
[Smartphone Acquired!]
[Reward: Skill – Technomancer's Glance (F-Rank) obtained.]
[You can now intuitively grasp basic functions of most modern tech. Accessing device…]
Suddenly, the world exploded in knowledge.
His mind flooded with images. Search engines, GPS, app stores, video streaming services.
"Oh... So many cat videos," he whispered in awe.
He tapped the screen and opened something called 'YouCube.' A man on the screen was unboxing a miniature vacuum cleaner that danced when plugged in.
"So this is… a robot?" Zeng Haofeng frowned. "Where are its soul formations? Its core arrays?"
[New Idea Detected: Cultivation Path Branching…]
[Initializing: Techno-Dao Fusion Tree]
[Skill Fragment Gained: Robotic Refinement (Locked)]
[Requirement: Learn basic electronics.]
Suddenly, it clicked.
This world had no Qi but it had something else. Circuits. Signals. Energy flows. It was structured.
It wasn't that different from formation arrays.
He grinned, teeth flashing.
"If this world has no spirit beasts, I will build my own."
And then, the phone vibrated in his hand.
[Limited-Time System Offer: Urban Starter Pack Available!]
[Would you like to claim your free bundle?]
[Yes] [Of course] [Take my soul]
Zeng Haofeng clicked 'Yes' without hesitation.
The system pulsed again.
[Reward Claimed: 100 Urban Points, Beginner Electronics Manual (Digital), One Virtual Assistant: Pixie]
A voice chimed in his head. Feminine. Slightly sarcastic.
"Hello, host. I'm Pixie, your guide to not dying in traffic or electrocuting yourself while building robot swords. Let's get you rich and overpowered, shall we?"
Zeng Haofeng blinked. "You are… a spirit?"
"I'm a chatbot with god-tier sass. Close enough."
He stepped outside the hospital.
he looked up at the sun and its light hit his face. He raised a hand to block the glare.
The streets were filled with massive metal chariots roaring past. It was vehicles, his new knowledge told him. He narrowed his eyes and stepped onto the road.
A horn blared. A car screeched.
Zeng Haofeng calmly struck a stance, channeling all the power he thought he had left.
"I shall stop you with my—"
WHAM.
The world spun.
He was airborne.
And then… darkness.