On the Verdant Cloud Continent, strength decided everything. Clans rose and fell depending on their cultivators, and every disciple dreamed of reaching the peak. Xu Wulian, however, wasn't one of them.
He sat cross-legged on a thin mat in his small courtyard, sweat dripping as he forced his weak qi to flow. At nineteen, he was neither a genius nor a failure—just painfully average. His cultivation was stuck at the third layer of Qi Condensation, a level most clan disciples passed years ago. His techniques were plain, his spirit root was ordinary, and his so-called "good looks"? They only brought him jealousy and trouble.
Back on Earth, Xu Wulian—once Lin Feng—was just an office worker who loved reading cultivation novels. Then, a freak lightning strike dropped him into this world. He thought he'd become a chosen one with cheats and treasures. Instead, he woke up as a nobody in the Xu Clan, a middling sect constantly outshined by stronger clans. After three years of training, he was still stuck.
"Another day wasted," he muttered, wiping sweat with his sleeve. Moonlight spilled over the courtyard, almost mocking him. He had tried everything—pills, meditation, even begging advice from elders who barely noticed him.
Still, the gap between him and the clan's geniuses only grew. Young Master Zho wielded flawless sword skills. Even the errand boy who brought him rice had broken through to the fourth layer last week.
Xu Wulian looked up at the stars and sighed. "What's the point of transmigrating if I'm just cannon fodder?"
As if answering him, a sharp ding rang in his head.
[Ding! SSS-Rank Affair System Activated!]
He froze. A glowing golden screen floated in front of him, words scrolling across.
[Host: Xu Wulian. Status: Mediocre Cultivator. Talent: Below Average. Charm: Heaven-Defying (Unused).]
[Warning: The Verdant Cloud Continent will collapse in 10 years due to imbalance in the Heavenly Dao. You can either perish with it… or conquer it.]
[First Mission: Begin an affair with the Rival Clan Leader's Wife, Madame Su of the Su Clan!
Reward: Yin-Yang Dual Cultivation Manual
Penalty: Loss of cultivation base.]
Xu Wulian's mouth went dry. He rubbed his eyes, but the screen didn't disappear. "An… affair system?" he muttered. "Is this a joke? Did some perverted immortal make this?"
The system's voice was cold and mechanical.
[This is no joke. The SSS-Rank Affair System is your path to power. Through forbidden relationships, you will gain skills, cultivation, and secrets to save this world. Refuse, and you will remain a nobody until the heavens crumble.]
Xu Wulian's heart raced. Madame Su? The wife of Clan Leader Su Liang, a peak core formation master who could crush him with a flick of his finger? She was famous for her beauty and her icy, untouchable nature. Approaching her—let alone seducing her—was suicide.
Willowshade was a small, dusty city in the vast Crimson Lotus Empire. Clans like the Xu and Su fought over scraps of land and resources. The Xu Clan's walls were cracked, their banners faded. Across the river, the Su Clan wasn't much better, though they liked to brag about their slightly bigger spirit stone mine.
Xu Wulian paced his small courtyard. The night smelled of willow trees and smoke from distant forges. Su Liang, leader of the Su Clan, was only a late Foundation Establishment cultivator—strong for Willowshade, but weak compared to Core Formation masters in bigger sects.
His wife, Su Yei, was the city's untouchable beauty. People whispered about her everywhere, and her icy, sharp gaze scared even grown men. Seducing her? Xu Wulian would rather fight a low-level spirit beast barehanded.
"This is insane," he muttered, kicking a loose stone. "Why not a system for alchemy or beast training? Why… affairs?" The golden interface hovered silently, its glow unyielding.
[Ding! Host, the Yin-Yang Dual Cultivation Manual will increase your qi and unlock Madame Yu's hidden constitution, a key to stabilizing the Heavenly Dao. Accept the mission or face oblivion.]
"Hidden constitution?" Xu Wulian frowned. "Is she secretly some divine phoenix or something?" The system gave no reply, only glowing text that seemed to mock him. Dual cultivation was a scandalous practice. If anyone in Willowshade found out, he could be exiled—or burned by Yu Liang's spirit flame.
He sank onto his mat, the weight of the penalty pressing down. Losing his cultivation would leave him mortal in a city where even street vendors had a spark of qi.
But the reward—a manual that could boost his weak cultivation—was priceless. In a place like Willowshade, where spirit stones were rare and techniques outdated, it was a lifeline. He looked up at the stars. Ten years. He had to act.
The Moonlit Blossom Festival was coming. Once a year, the Xu and Su Clans met in the central square under a shaky truce, showing off disciples to wandering cultivators or merchants.
Su Yei would be there, likely wrapped in silk and radiating disdain. Approaching her without being noticed would be like threading a needle in a sandstorm.
Xu Wulian stood and brushed dirt off his patched robes.
The next morning, he lingered at the edge of the Xu Clan's training yard.