Jia Ma Empire, Magical Beast Mountain Range.
The originally clear and sunny skies above Magical Beast Mountain suddenly erupted with thunder and lightning.
At the peak of a solitary mountain nestled between steep cliffs—
At that very moment, a bolt of violet lightning split the sky and crashed down with terrifying speed!
"Crack—"
A piercingly loud explosion shredded the vegetation across the mountaintop in an instant.
The scent of scorched flesh filled the air, lazily drifting with the breeze.
"Fuck!"
An unwilling curse echoed through the mountain.
"Where the hell is this?"
Xuan Chen calmed himself and looked around at the unfamiliar surroundings. On instinct, he reached up and touched his nose.
ROAR!
Before he could react, a thunderous roar exploded from nearby.
He turned just in time to see a burly black tiger with white stripes lunging at him with murderous intent.
As death closed in, a white light suddenly shot out from the center of Xuan Chen's forehead.
BOOM!
A gruesome, blood-splattered scene unfolded right in front of his eyes.
The fierce tiger that had been ready to rip him apart only a second ago now lay dead, its corpse still smoking from the blast. Xuan Chen's hands trembled, his heart racing with adrenaline as he looked around in shock.
"O confused transmigrator..."
"Merge with me... and you will experience an unparalleled kind of 'pleasure'."
That eerie, echoing voice drifted through the mountain peak like a ghostly whisper.
"Bullshit!"
Xuan Chen snapped, then instinctively reached into his pants pocket—only to remember that he'd been broke and without smokes for a whole day.
"Foolish transmigrator... Merge with me, and you will gain an unprecedented power! You will recline on the knees of beauties, and awaken with the power to decide life and death!"
The seductive voice, unwilling to accept rejection, only pushed harder—offering bait that was hard to refuse.
"You think I'll just merge because you say so? Where the hell is my dignity?"
"Besides, you keep calling me 'transmigrator' over and over—who the fuck knows what you really are?"
Gurgle...
While Xuan Chen argued with the mysterious voice, his stomach chose the worst moment to betray him.
Awkwardly, he bent down and grabbed the chunk of tiger meat that had been roasted to near perfection by the white light. He didn't care if it was clean or not—he tore off a chunk and started chewing.
Gotta admit, for a beast that tried to kill him, the tiger sure tasted damn good.
Pure, natural flavor without a hint of additives. It had a surprisingly distinct and satisfying texture.
Once full, Xuan Chen finally took the time to examine his surroundings.
He was standing atop a relatively vast mountain.
Compared to the nearby peaks, this one had only one flaw—its summit looked like it had been scorched by fire.
As he was wondering who or what could've caused such destruction, his eyes fell on a large stone stele, cracked like a spider web.
Snap...
He reached out and touched it lightly. The steel instantly crumbled into fine particles and scattered across the ground.
Even though it shattered, the terrifying characters once engraved on it—"Those who set fire to the mountain will rot in prison"—remained seared into his mind.
Without wasting another second, Xuan Chen took off running downhill like his life depended on it, not caring whether the mountain was safe or not.
But he hadn't even covered a hundred meters before a group of vicious-looking thugs armed with swords came striding menacingly his way.
"Holy shit!"
"You've got to be kidding me—already getting robbed?!"
Xuan Chen didn't hesitate. Without checking whether they'd seen him, he dove behind a thick nearby tree to hide.
…
"What the hell? I swear I just saw someone over there—how'd they vanish in a blink? Am I seeing things?"
One of the thugs, a pale-skinned young man with long hair and crossed eyes, spoke in confusion.
His companion beside him uncorked a wine gourd from his waist, took a heavy swig, and clicked his tongue. "Told you to lay off the women. Now look at you—hallucinating already."
"You've got a serious case of kidney failure, man. Better get that checked."
Their ruthless teasing didn't faze the cross-eyed guy. Instead, he narrowed his eyes, scanning the area with sharp focus.
At last, through sheer determination, his gaze locked onto the thick tree.
"So you're hiding here!"
Cross-eyed or not, the momentum of his sword throw made it clear—this guy was a sword expert!
Boom—
The massive tree exploded as his sword pierced clean through. Xuan Chen, who'd been hiding behind it, went pale from shock.
Hearing the approaching footsteps, that ghostly voice echoed once again.
"Kid, if you want to survive, merge with me now. Otherwise, once they find you, kiss your ass goodbye. Literally."
Hiss—
Xuan Chen sucked in a cold breath. He didn't think the voice was wrong at all!
He had a good-looking face, sure—but with a strangely delicate and androgynous air.
With danger on all sides, he gritted his teeth and chose to merge with the system!
Ding!
Congratulations, the host has bound with the Male God System!
This system shall serve and protect its host!
Verifying host identity...
Binding complete...
Host: Xuan Chen
Identity: Male God
Personality: Good
Age: Seventeen
…
Due to the host having no cultivation (combat strength: trash)
System will now provide a one-time free power-up. Whether this boost becomes permanent depends on the host's situation!
BOOM...
Just as the thugs reached the shattered tree—
A sudden thunderclap exploded in their ears, forcing them to stumble back in shock!
"That sound... isn't that the same as the explosion from the mountaintop earlier?"
"Don't mess with me, man... That shit's terrifying..."
Panic began to spread among them. Even the cross-eyed guy trembled as he reached for the sword he'd launched.
"If you dare touch that, I'll cut your fucking hand off."
As he gripped the hilt, a cold, angry voice came from behind the tree.
Furrowing his brow, the cross-eyed youth roared in rage. In the next instant, he sliced the tree apart with a single blow!
BANG BANG BANG...
The tree shattered, wood flying in all directions.
As the dust settled, the group laid eyes on a young man with a pretty face and a decent physique.
"So you're the one threatening to chop off my hand?"
Seeing it was just some fresh-faced brat, the cross-eyed youth's fury ignited.
"Get the fuck down!"
Just as he was about to kill Xuan Chen, a burly, greasy man beside him licked his oily lips and advanced toward Xuan Chen step by step.
"Not gonna lie... One punch from me, and you might die."
Seeing the guy's slimy skin and perverted expression, it was clear what kind of "punch" he meant.
In the past, Xuan Chen definitely would've run like hell.
But now—things were different. He had cultivation!
"Hahaha..."
"I don't know if your punch will kill me, but mine might make you wish you were dead!"
The greasy brute sneered.
Guys like him only got more excited the more their prey resisted.
BANG—
Just as the bastard stepped within reach and his buddies readied to enjoy the show, something strange happened...
###
Early Access On P@treon // Aszarell.