Xiao Zhainan had suffered from epilepsy since childhood. Most of the time he was fine, but once a seizure hit, he would lose all awareness, convulse endlessly, and no one knew when he might accidentally bite his tongue and die. He often wondered about this himself—how many times had people around him pulled him back from the brink of death?
When he was little, living with his mother, she never dared to take her eyes off him for fear something would happen. Later, when she passed away during his college years, he ended up sharing a dorm room with his childhood friend Cao Yi. Despite being a man, Cao Yi gave off the vibe of a full-time mom—cooking delicious meals, nagging constantly, and taking meticulous care of him.
But Cao Yi had his own life too. The moment he started dating was also the moment Xiao Zhainan "ascended." How ridiculous was that? His best bro went out on Valentine's Day with his girlfriend and came back to find one person missing and one corpse added to the room.
Sorry, bro—scared you half to death.
At just twenty-five, Xiao Zhainan's "ascension" came early. But he had no regrets. Living constantly under the shadow of death had made him open-minded. He always did whatever he wanted, went wherever he pleased, and enjoyed life to the fullest—because who knew when it would all suddenly end? The only regret he had was not clearing his browsing history.
Even as his soul drifted away, he could still see Cao Yi's face drained of color, sitting paralyzed on the floor, while his own body lay there stiff, purple-faced with blood and saliva at the corner of his mouth. Then, all of a sudden, his soul felt as if it were a strand of hair being sucked into a vacuum cleaner. Everything went black.
Bzzz, bzzz, bzzz—
The sound of static echoed in the darkness. Xiao Zhainan could hear something like electricity, like machinery, but saw nothing.
[Notification: System initialization complete.+100 points – First Login Reward+50 points – Daily Login Reward]
What the hell? Why was it still pitch black? What was with the points? Wasn't he supposed to go to heaven or hell after death? What "daily login"? Was this logging into some heavenly system? He'd lived cheerfully, never tricked or wronged anyone—surely he deserved heaven, right?
"Hey, heavenly system, why is it so dark? You guys don't have lights up here? Feels more like I've gone to hell!"
[Lighting has not been activated because host has not awakened.]
The voice was flat, mechanical. Yo, so heaven uses AI now? Really keeping up with the times. But wait—what did it mean "not awakened"? He was dead, wasn't he? Shouldn't a soul only have one state?
[Host has recovered stamina. Awakening in 5… 4… 3… 2… 1…]
Suddenly, light flooded the room. His eyes stung from the brightness. He blinked hard, rubbed them, and finally managed to see clearly—only to be greeted by the tear-stained face of a beautiful young woman he didn't recognize.
No way. Did he already bump into a random girl in heaven before he could even see straight? The girl suddenly threw herself into his arms and cried out—
"Brother!"
Brother? Brother whose? Him? Since when did he have a little sister?
While his head was still full of question marks, the AI voice chimed again:
[Congratulations, host. Achievement unlocked: "Soothing Your Sister's Resentment." Reward: Unlocking family memories.]
The moment it finished, a splitting headache hit him. Memories of an unfamiliar family surged into his mind like a tidal wave.
"Xiao Cang?"
The name slipped out before he realized it. His throat was hoarse, as if he'd been sick. The girl clutched his hand in delight.
"Brother, how do you feel? Are you in pain anywhere? Wait, I'll get the physician!"
Before he could say another word, she bolted.
Seriously? Heaven has role-play mode now? Why was this girl dressed like someone from a period drama, and why was she calling for a physician instead of a doctor?
…
And that was how Xiao Zhainan realized: he hadn't gone to heaven or hell at all. He'd transmigrated into a third-rate cultivation novel he'd once skimmed on the YY web forum—the very same book he dropped halfway through for being unbearably bad.
Even worse? He wasn't even the protagonist. He was some background cannon fodder named Liu Zikhen, with a cute twin sister Liu Zican who seemed destined to get tangled up in the male lead's messy love triangle.
And, just his luck, the so-called system that came with him was a stingy taskmaster that set deadlines, deducted points whenever the "key character" wasn't happy, and basically forced him to hug the protagonist's thigh for survival.
From office deadlines… to ancient-era deadlines.
This system really knew how to play.
Running out to the courtyard of the residence, Xiao Zhainan suddenly thought, if this were a xianxia novel, could it be that he actually knew how to use lightness skill? Thinking was doing—he tried to tiptoe, and sure enough, spiritual energy in his body surged like an electric current. In an instant, his body became as light as a cloud, and with a single leap he landed directly atop the courtyard wall.
Wow, amazing! He really could use lightness skill. This Liu Zikhen body wasn't bad at all. Just as he was marveling in joy, he failed to notice his footing and nearly slipped, almost falling. His heart jumped into his throat! The shock made his chest ache faintly; perhaps the injuries of this body still hadn't completely healed—it was, after all, a mortal wound. After hopping along the wall for a while to test his abilities, he suddenly remembered—where exactly was he supposed to go now to complete the mission?
Although the system said that coming within one li of a key character would trigger a notification, with the mortal realm being so vast, how long would it take? Perhaps it would be better to go look for the most important characters in the plot. So, start with the story's male protagonist, right? He remembered that at the beginning of the book, that person was still a disciple of some sect with "Qing" in its name. If he asked around on the street, surely people would know.
With that thought, he leapt from rooftop to rooftop with lightness skill, heading to the most crowded district. Feeling that suddenly grabbing passersby to question them would be awkward, he decided to enter a tavern instead. Naturally, before stepping inside he had to check his Qiankun pouch to see if he had money. Fortunately, he hadn't transmigrated into a penniless character; there was still some silver to spend.
Back in his real-world life, Xiao Zhainan often went out drinking with friends—not because he particularly enjoyed it, but since everyone invited, he joined. He was sociable and didn't like spoiling the mood. His favorite drink had always been Korean soju, mainly because it came in many fruity flavors, wasn't too strong, and could be sipped without fear of getting too drunk. However, in this ancient era, there was no hoping for sweet, refreshing fruit wines. So he blindly ordered a jar of Osmanthus Wine and, while at it, kept the waiter back to ask questions.
"Hey, brother, do you know if there's a sect around here with the word Qing in its name?"
The waiter looked at him in puzzlement, his eyes openly saying, Did you fall from the sky to ask such a common-sense question? That look made him feel a bit guilty. Was it a stupid question? But after the confusion passed, the waiter still politely smiled and said:
"Esteemed guest, that's a tough one—sects with Qing in their name are countless, big and small alike. Aren't you yourself wearing the robes of Qingyang Temple?"
"Qingyang Temple?"
"Yes. Unless the guest is wearing someone else's robes by mistake?"
"No, no, I was just injured and my head feels a little muddled. My little sister prepared these clothes for me," he hastily explained, trying to cover up the strangeness of his words and attire.
The waiter looked as if he understood, kindly pointed out the directions, then quickly ran off at the call of the shopkeeper. With no time to waste, as soon as the wine arrived, Xiao Zhainan paid, took the jar, and left, heading in the direction the waiter had indicated.
On the way, he observed the people and scenery around him to see if he could pick up any knowledge. After all, this was a completely unfamiliar world, so he thought it best to be cautious. But in truth, along the way the streets and people didn't differ much from what he had seen in period dramas and cultivation films before.
Using lightness skill, he soon reached the foot of the mountain path leading up to Qingyang Temple. Looking up at the endless steps soaring skyward, he nearly cried—at least three thousand steps! By the time he climbed those, his legs would abandon him. He suddenly felt deeply grateful to the inventors of cable cars. Did ancient people really spend half a day training their stamina just by climbing mountains?
System: [Suggestion: Host may use sword-riding.]
Xiao Zhainan silently gave a thumbs-up, moved to tears by the system. You're the best, giving me a gameplay tip like this. He circulated spiritual energy—though he had never learned any cultivation technique, when he performed the spell he felt an uncanny familiarity, as if it were a habit of this body. Energy flowed into the sword, and it instantly flew out, hovering in mid-air, waiting for him to step on.
Alright then—if you insist.
Xiao Zhainan stepped onto it, heart surging with excitement. His first time sword-riding! What man wouldn't be thrilled? Excited, yet also a bit afraid—afraid he wouldn't stand steadily and one misstep would send him rolling down the mountain, beyond saving. Cautiously, he tested the sword at the foot of the mountain. At first he wobbled, but after a few tries, he realized he shouldn't stand with his feet together; spreading them slightly apart gave more balance. Once he got used to it, he dared to fly up toward Qingyang Temple.
If Cao Yi were here, he would definitely circle him ten times, then carry him into the sky just to scare him—after all, Cao Yi was afraid of heights. That would've been fun.
Thinking of Cao Yi made him a little sad. They had lived together for seven years, been close friends for another five before that—almost twelve years altogether. He had gotten used to thinking of him first whenever he encountered something fun. Yet now he would never see him again, not even having had a chance to say goodbye.
While lost in thought, the sword carried him to the sect's main gates. He descended lightly and sheathed the sword. The sect looked large—clearly not a small one. In the training ground straight past the gates, a few people in white daoist robes with light blue hems, embroidered with mountains, clouds, pines, and cranes, were practicing. Looking at his own clothes, he realized he was indeed wearing the sect's uniform.
Xiao Zhainan walked forward, intending to enter, but suddenly crashed into an invisible barrier at the gate, drawing everyone's eyes with the loud noise. Was he expelled already? Why was there a barrier blocking him?
"Ah, Senior Brother Zikhen!" A teenager around fifteen or sixteen dropped the broom he'd been using to sweep and rushed over.
"You're awake! That's wonderful!"
"Why can't I enter?" Xiao Zhainan wanted to ask, Who are you? but thought it would be strange, so instead asked something else.
"Didn't Sister Cang tell you?"
"She didn't have the chance. I ran off first."
"That strike accidentally infused demonic qi into your body. Qingyang Temple's barrier repels demonic qi, so for now you can't enter. But the elders are working on a solution. For the time being, you and Sister Cang will have to stay outside."
Xiao Zhainan thought, wasn't Duan Yahan also supposed to be a fellow disciple of the protagonist? If he had half-demon blood, wouldn't this barrier reject him too? How did he even join the sect in the first place? There must be some hidden reason—or maybe the author of this book had simply broken their brain and dug a giant plot hole.
"Well, about Young Master Wei…" Before he could finish, the boy gave him the same puzzled look as the waiter earlier, forcing him to swallow his words.
"What Young Master Wei? Why are you being so formal today?"
Not formal—he just couldn't remember the guy's name clearly, and didn't want to call it wrong.
"In fact, Brother Siyue isn't here today. We got an urgent report that there were traces of demonic qi from Duan Yahan in Miaoyin Mountain, so he went there with Elder Chongqian to hunt him down."
"I see. I urgently need to meet him. Which way is Miaoyin Mountain again? I think I hit my head when I was injured—my memory is a bit fuzzy." Having learned from being treated like he'd fallen from the sky twice already, Xiao Zhainan preemptively explained his forgetfulness. The junior's expression spelled out Ah, that explains it, and he patiently gave directions.
After bidding farewell to his sect mates, Xiao Zhainan sword-rode straight to Miaoyin Mountain. Flying around here and there took him an entire day, and by the time he arrived the sun was already setting. Tired as he was, it was still fruitful—for as soon as he entered the mountain's boundaries, the system's notification popped up:
[Key character detected within one li radius.]