The wind carried the scent of pine and damp earth, a familiar comfort that did nothing to soothe the gnawing ache in Li Wen's stomach. He sat on a worn reed mat in the crowded Outer Disciple dormitory, the low murmur of dozens of other youths a constant backdrop to his hunger.
It had been three days since he'd arrived at the sprawling grounds of the Green Cloud Sect. At eighteen, Li Wen was no longer a boy, but he felt like one here. Back in his village, he was a man who could haul sacks of grain all day. Here, he was just another anonymous face, accepted not for his potential, but because the sect needed a large pool of disciples to act as a screening ground for the truly talented. The path to the Inner Sect, a place of jade palaces and boundless spiritual energy, felt less like a path and more like a cruel joke. Their living quarters were a massive wooden hall, thick with the smell of unwashed bodies and burning incense. Their only instruction came from a thin pamphlet titled "Basic Body Tempering." Li Wen's training was going poorly. He could perform the Basic Fist Form a dozen times before his arms felt like lead, a direct consequence of his poor diet. His Qi reserves, a term he barely understood, were practically non-existent.
He closed his eyes, trying to focus on the meditation technique described in his pamphlet. But all he could feel was the constant throbbing of his empty stomach and the chatter of his peers.
"Hey, farmer," a sneering voice said. Li Wen opened his eyes to see Wei Yong, a lanky boy who had been a constant source of taunts since day one.
"Your body still smells like the fields," Wei Yong continued, kicking a small stone that skittered across Li Wen's mat. "You should have stayed on your farm, where you belong."
Li Wen simply stood up, folded his mat, and headed for the communal latrines, the one place he could find a moment of peace. As he walked through the grounds, he saw the Inner Sect disciples. They wore fine silk robes and moved with a grace that seemed to defy gravity. A powerful aura of spiritual energy emanated from them, making his own struggles feel insignificant. He overheard two of them laughing about a new open tournament for Inner Disciple candidates. It was clear they were not talking about anyone from his crowded dormitory; they were talking about the few, the chosen, who had already shown signs of greatness.
He finally reached a small, secluded grove of bamboo trees where the latrines were located. He found a rock and tried to meditate again, pushing away the hunger and shame. He had promised his family he would return a powerful cultivator, but he was failing. He didn't have the right lineage, the right resources, or the right talent. He was just a farmer's son with calloused hands and a fierce, but fragile, determination.
As the sun began to set, a strange warmth bloomed in his dantian, the spiritual energy center of his body. It was a gentle, humming heat, like a low, resonant bell ringing in a quiet valley.
[DING!]
The sound, sharp and clear, wasn't heard with his ears, but felt directly in his mind. Li Wen's eyes shot open.
"Who… who is there?" he whispered, his heart pounding.
[Huh? Who am I?]
The thought was raw, confused, and filled with a childlike wonder. Li Wen looked around, but there was nothing. No one. Just the swaying bamboo and the rustling leaves.
"Is someone playing a trick?" he asked, his voice trembling.
[Ding!] The sound came again, but this time it was accompanied by a flash of vivid images, a flood of information that slammed into his mind. He saw rules, commands, and a single, overarching directive: to guide a host. It was all new, yet strangely familiar.
[I… I am a System. A guide for a chosen disciple. Yes. That's it.] The voice was still hesitant, as if piecing itself together in real time. [My core directive is to provide missions and rewards to a host, aiding them on their cultivation journey.]
The warmth in his dantian flared again, and Li Wen felt a profound sense of awe. A system? He didn't know the word, but he understood the meaning. A guide. A partner. A chance. He had heard the whispered legends, but he had always dismissed them as fables. But now, it was happening to him.
[Analyzing host… Initialization complete. Connecting… successful!] The system's voice was becoming more confident, less scattered, like a newborn AI learning its own functions as it went.
[HOST: LI WEN]
Cultivation: Body Tempering Stage 1
Spirit Root: Low-Grade
SKILLS
Active
Basic Fist Form:
Level: 1
Mastery: 1/100
Basic Sword Form:
Level: 1
Mastery: 1/100
Simple Breathing Technique:
Level: 1
Mastery: 1/100
A message appeared in his mind, overlaid on his vision like a panel he could see but not touch.
[MISSION: Meditate during 1 hour. REWARD: Minor Qi Condensing Pill.]
Li Wen stared at the words. It was a task he had just been trying to do, and now it came with a promise of a reward. The system's presence hummed in his dantian, a newfound companion. It felt naive, almost innocent, like it was as new to this as he was.
He closed his eyes again, and this time, the meditation was different. The system's presence was a gentle anchor, helping him focus. The hunger, the shame—it all began to fade. He felt the spiritual energy of the world around him as a gentle stream, and with the system's guidance, he began to pull it in, drop by painstaking drop.
An hour later, the sun had fully set, and the grove was shrouded in darkness. Li Wen's legs were stiff, but the warmth in his dantian had grown into a steady, comforting fire.
[MISSION COMPLETE: Meditate during 1 hour. REWARD: Minor Qi Condensing Pill.]
A new prompt appeared in his mind:
[Claim Reward: YES / NO]
Li Wen didn't hesitate. He willed a thought toward the 'YES' option. A small, smooth porcelain pill, faintly glowing, materialized in his hand. He stared at it, his eyes wide with wonder. The legends were real. This was real.
[Wow! You did it! You completed your very first mission! That was so, so good!] The system's excitement was palpable, a pure, unadulterated joy. It felt like a small child clapping for its hero. [What an amazing start! My host is a natural-born genius! A born warrior! I just know you're going to be so great!] The praise was constant and over-the-top, almost like a bootlicker.
Li Wen couldn't help but smile. He swallowed the pill. A wave of heat rushed through his body, and the Qi he had gathered was condensed and purified, making his Qi reserves feel fuller and more potent than ever. It was an exhilarating feeling.
That night, Li Wen slept soundly for the first time since he had arrived. He dreamed of a world where a farmer's son could rise above his station, where he was strong, and where the whispers in his mind were the only guide he would ever need.
He woke up the next morning feeling different. He could feel the Qi in his body, a small but undeniable presence. He walked to the training grounds, found an empty patch of grass, and took a deep breath. He began to practice the Basic Fist Form. The punches felt crisper, the blocks more solid. He performed the form a dozen, two dozen, fifty times, his body feeling stronger with each repetition.
[Oh! Look at you go! You're doing so, so well! Just look at that form! I can feel the power flowing through him!] The system's voice, full of unbridled praise, was like a proud friend watching from the sidelines.
A new message appeared in his mind's eye:
[MISSION: Perform the Basic Fist Form 100 times. REWARD: Basic Fist Form Mastery +1.]
The mission appeared again, a new goal to strive for. Li Wen smiled. He wasn't a genius, and he knew it. But now, he had something better. He had a system. He had a guide. He had a path. And he was going to walk it, no matter how difficult it was. He was going to rise, not just for himself, but for his family, and for the promise of a destiny that was now within his grasp.