The rain drummed steadily against the apartment window as Chen Wei rubbed his tired eyes, the blue light from his computer screen casting eerie shadows across his cluttered desk. Empty coffee cups and instant ramen containers formed a fortress around his setup—evidence of another all-nighter spent diving deep into the latest cultivation webnovel.
"'Starting With an SSS-Rank Swordsmanship Talent,' huh?" he muttered, scrolling through the latest chapter. "At least this one has decent world-building, unlike that garbage I read yesterday where the MC became invincible after three chapters."
Chen Wei, 24, software engineer by day and cultivation novel addict by night, had read hundreds of these stories. The familiar formulas had become comforting—transmigration, systems, face-slapping young masters, collecting beauties, building empires. But lately, he found himself yearning for something more sophisticated, something that truly explored the potential of these concepts.
His phone buzzed. A text from his manager: "Chen Wei, don't forget about the presentation tomorrow. The client meeting is at 9 AM sharp."
"Shit," he whispered, glancing at the clock. 3:47 AM. He needed at least a few hours of sleep, but this novel had just reached a crucial empire-building arc, and he wanted to see how the author handled the political complexities.
"Just one more chapter," he promised himself, the same lie he'd told for the past six hours.
As he clicked to the next page, his mind wandered to a discussion he'd had with his college roommate years ago: "If you could transmigrate into one of these stories, what would you do differently?"
Chen Wei had always been confident in his answer. Unlike the typical protagonists who stumbled through their advantages, he would approach it systematically. He understood business management, organizational psychology, and historical empire-building strategies. He'd read extensively about different mythologies and their power systems. Most importantly, he understood the common mistakes that led to empire collapse.
"Empire building isn't just about having strong cultivation," he'd argued. "You need sustainable economic systems, meritocratic governance, technological innovation, and cultural unity. Most of these protagonists just rely on personal strength and lucky encounters."
A flash of lightning illuminated his apartment, followed by thunder that seemed to shake the building. The power flickered, and Chen Wei quickly saved his reading progress.
"That's my cue to finally get some sleep," he said, stretching his cramped muscles.
He shut down his computer and prepared for bed, his mind still buzzing with thoughts about cultivation realms and empire management strategies. As he drifted off, he found himself imagining what kind of system he would want if he ever found himself in such a world.
Something focused on long-term development rather than instant gratification. A system that rewarded strategic thinking and sustainable growth rather than just combat prowess. Maybe something that could help integrate modern knowledge with cultivation world mechanics...
The alarm clock shrieked at 7:30 AM, jolting Chen Wei from his too-brief sleep. He stumbled through his morning routine, grabbed a quick breakfast, and headed out into the drizzling morning rain.
The presentation went better than expected. The client, a manufacturing company, was interested in implementing their new inventory management system. As Chen Wei explained the software architecture, he found himself drawing parallels to resource management in cultivation novels—how efficient allocation and long-term planning always trumped short-term gains.
"Excellent work, Chen Wei," his manager said as they left the meeting. "Take the afternoon off as a reward. You've been putting in crazy hours lately."
Chen Wei decided to celebrate by visiting his favorite bookstore. He enjoyed browsing the physical manga and light novel section, even though he did most of his reading online. There was something satisfying about holding an actual book.
As he walked through the shopping district, rain beginning to fall more heavily, he noticed a small crowd gathered around a street intersection. Emergency vehicles were arriving, their red and blue lights reflecting off the wet pavement.
"Truck ran a red light," someone in the crowd was saying. "Hit three pedestrians in the crosswalk."
Chen Wei felt a chill that had nothing to do with the weather. He'd read enough webnovels to know how these scenarios usually played out. But this was real life—people didn't just get hit by trucks and wake up in cultivation worlds.
As he turned to leave, his phone rang. His mother's contact photo filled the screen.
"Wei-wei, are you okay? I just saw the news about the accident in your district. You weren't—"
"I'm fine, Mom. I'm nowhere near—"
A horn blared suddenly, impossibly loud and close. Chen Wei looked up to see a delivery truck, its brakes screaming against wet asphalt, sliding sideways through the intersection. Time seemed to slow as he realized with crystalline clarity that he was directly in its path.
His last thought before impact was absurdly mundane: "Oh, come on. This is such a cliché."
Darkness.
Then, gradually, awareness returned—but something was wrong. The pain he expected was absent, replaced by a strange floating sensation. When he tried to open his eyes, he saw not the hospital ceiling he anticipated, but an endless expanse of swirling, luminescent mist.
"Welcome, Chen Wei."
The voice was neither male nor female, emanating from everywhere and nowhere. It carried the weight of eons and the warmth of starlight.
"I... died, didn't I?" Chen Wei's voice sounded strange in this space, echoing with harmonics that seemed to resonate through his very essence.
"Your mortal form has indeed perished. But endings in one realm often become beginnings in another. You have been chosen, Chen Wei. Your soul resonates with frequencies of ambition, strategy, and untapped potential."
A form began to coalesce in the mist—not quite human, but familiar enough to communicate with. It appeared as a constantly shifting figure, sometimes resembling an ancient emperor, sometimes a cosmic entity, sometimes just a gentle presence.
"Chosen for what?"
"To walk the path of cultivation and empire-building in a realm where such things are not merely fiction, but the fundamental laws of existence. You will be granted a second life, Chen Wei, but not without purpose."
The entity gestured, and images began flowing through the mist—vast continents filled with cultivators soaring through clouds, mighty empires spanning thousands of miles, ancient beings of immense power walking among mortals, and at the center of it all, the promise of unlimited growth.
"The Eternal Empire System has waited countless eons for a suitable host. You will be its bearer, its partner in reshaping the destiny of Tianxuan Continent. But know this—great power demands great responsibility. The system is not a toy, nor a guarantee of easy success. It will provide opportunities, but you must seize them with wisdom and courage."
Chen Wei felt a surge of excitement mixed with apprehension. Everything he'd dreamed about while reading countless novels was being offered to him, but the entity's tone suggested this would be far more challenging than any fictional portrayal.
"What exactly is this system?"
"A creation of a civilization that transcended mortal understanding, designed to nurture exceptional souls toward ultimate enlightenment. It will assist you in building not just an empire of territory and subjects, but an empire of cultivation, knowledge, and spiritual evolution."
"And if I refuse?"
"Then you will proceed to whatever afterlife awaits your soul, and another will be chosen. But I sense you will not refuse, Chen Wei. You have spent too many nights dreaming of such possibilities."
Chen Wei found himself smiling despite the surreal circumstances. The entity was right—how could he refuse the opportunity to live out his deepest fantasies, armed with modern knowledge and a mysterious system?
"I accept."
"Then let your new journey begin."
The mist swirled around him with increasing intensity, and Chen Wei felt his consciousness being pulled into a whirlpool of light and sensation. His last coherent thought before the transition was a mix of excitement and determination:
This time, I'll do it right. I'll build an empire that lasts forever.