[Modern World - Seoul, Korea - 3:47 AM]
**CLICK. CLICK. CLICK.**
Chen Wei's fingers moved fast on his phone screen. His eyes burned from staring at the bright screen for 18 hours straight. Another chapter done. Another cultivation story finished.
"Wow, this Young Master got face-slapped again," he said to his empty room. His voice was hoarse from not talking to anyone for three days. "Same story, different name. But why do I keep reading?"
His small apartment was a disaster zone. Empty ramen cups covered every surface. Some had green mold growing inside. Manhwa books were stacked to the ceiling in towers that looked ready to fall. His computer still had 27 tabs open - all cultivation stories, web novels, and manhwa sites.
The smell in the room was terrible. When was the last time he showered? Tuesday? What day was it now?
Chen Wei was 25 years old. No job. No girlfriend. No friends. No life outside these stories.
But he knew everything about cultivation stories. Every trope. Every plot twist. Every way a Young Master could get face-slapped.
**[You have read 2,847 cultivation manhwa/manhua]**
**[You have written 156 web novels]**
**[Total views on your stories: 847]**
**[Current income: $12 this month]**
**[Days since leaving apartment: 8]**
The status window in his head wasn't real. Chen Wei just liked to imagine his life as a game. It made the emptiness hurt less.
"I should sleep," Chen Wei yawned. It was almost 4 AM. Again. His back hurt from sitting in the same chair for so long. His neck felt like stone.
But then he saw it. A new story notification popped up on his phone.
**"New Release: Azure Heaven Chronicles - The Complete Edition"**
Chen Wei's tired eyes lit up. "Complete edition? How many chapters?"
He clicked the link. His eyes went wide.
**[Azure Heaven Chronicles]**
**[Genre: Cultivation/Xianxia]**
**[Status: Complete]**
**[Total Chapters: 1,000]**
**[Rating: ★★★★★ (Perfect Score)]**
**[Reviews: "Best cultivation story ever written"]**
"One thousand chapters?" Chen Wei sat up straight. "And perfect rating? This has to be fake."
He scrolled down to read the first review:
*"This story will change your life. The author understands cultivation better than anyone. After reading this, you'll see the truth behind all other cultivation stories. Warning: Once you start, you can't stop reading."*
Chen Wei laughed. "Yeah right. I've read every cultivation cliche in existence. Nothing can surprise me anymore."
But his finger was already tapping the first chapter.
"Just one more story," he whispered. "Then I'll sleep. Then I'll fix my life. Tomorrow."
He had said the same thing for three years.
---
## [6 Hours Later - 9:23 AM]
Chen Wei's coffee had gone cold hours ago. His phone battery was at 5%. His eyes were so dry he could barely blink.
But he couldn't stop reading.
"No way... NO WAY!" he shouted at his phone. "The MC just discovered the Eternal Dragon's inheritance! But wait, there's also the Phoenix bloodline? And he's the reincarnation of the Void Emperor?"
This story was different. The author knew every cultivation trope but twisted them in ways Chen Wei had never seen. The power system was complex but made perfect sense. The characters felt real.
**BUZZ BUZZ**
His phone vibrated. Low battery warning.
"Shit! I need to charge this!" Chen Wei jumped up too fast. His legs were asleep. He crashed into his tower of manhwa books.
**CRASH!**
Books fell everywhere. But Chen Wei didn't care. He needed to keep reading. He crawled to his phone charger and plugged it in.
"Chapter 847," he panted. "Only 153 chapters left. I can finish this today."
His stomach growled loudly. When was the last time he ate? Yesterday morning?
"Food later. Story first."
---
## [Day 2 - 11:15 PM]
Chen Wei's body was shutting down. His hands shook as he held his phone. His vision was blurry. His heart felt weird - too fast, then too slow.
But the story was incredible. The MC had just reached the Immortal Realm and discovered that the entire universe was just one small cultivation world among billions.
"The scale of this story..." Chen Wei whispered. "It's insane. How did this author plan all of this?"
He tried to stand up to get some water. His legs gave out. He fell back into his chair.
"Just... just a little more. Almost finished."
**Chapter 967: The Truth Behind Heaven**
Chen Wei's eyes went wide as he read. The story was revealing that all cultivation worlds were actually created by beings called "Readers" who lived outside the story universes.
"Meta-fiction?" Chen Wei said. "The author is breaking the fourth wall. But why does this feel so real?"
His chest hurt. His left arm felt numb.
"I'm fine," he told himself. "Just tired. After I finish this story, I'll sleep for 20 hours."
---
## [Day 3 - 4:17 AM]
**Chapter 999: The Reader's Choice**
Chen Wei's vision was tunneling. Everything around his phone screen was dark. But he had to know how it ended.
In the story, the MC had become so powerful that he could see outside his own universe. He could see the "Readers" who were reading his story. And he had a choice: stay in his fictional world, or break free and become real.
"This is crazy," Chen Wei mumbled. His voice didn't sound right. "But what would I choose? Stay in a story where I'm powerful? Or be real but weak?"
His heart was beating wrong. Too slow. Each beat hurt.
**Chapter 1000: Beyond the Story**
Chen Wei's finger shook as he scrolled to the final chapter.
*"And so, the Immortal Emperor made his choice. He would break free from the story that bound him. But to do so, he needed a Reader who truly understood the cultivation path. A Reader who had lived and breathed cultivation stories until they became more real than reality itself."*
Chen Wei's breath caught. "Is... is the MC talking to me?"
*"If you are reading this, Reader, then you are the one I have chosen. You have read thousands of cultivation stories. You understand the patterns, the tropes, the hidden truths behind the words. You have sacrificed your real life for these fictional worlds."*
"Stop," Chen Wei whispered. Tears ran down his face. "This isn't real."
*"But what if I offered you a choice? What if you could enter a real cultivation world? Live the life you've only dreamed about? Have the power you've read about for years?"*
Chen Wei's phone screen started glowing brighter. Too bright.
*"The price is simple. Your old life ends here. Your old world disappears. You become part of the story. Do you accept, Reader?"*
Chen Wei tried to put his phone down. But he couldn't move his arms.
**THUD.**
His heart stopped.
Chen Wei felt himself falling forward. His face hit the phone screen. But instead of hard glass, it felt like falling through water.
The last thing he saw was text on the screen:
**[Story Complete: Azure Heaven Chronicles - 1,000 chapters read]**
**[Achievement Unlocked: Ultimate Reader]**
**[Choice Accepted: Enter the Story]**
**[Transmigration Initiated...]**
**[Welcome to Azure Heaven Realm]**
Then everything went black.
---
## [Unknown Time Later]
*Drip. Drip. Drip.*
Chen Wei heard water somewhere. His head felt like someone had hit it with a hammer.
"Am I... alive?"
He opened his eyes slowly. Blue sky. White clouds that looked painted on heaven. Fresh air that tasted sweet and clean.
"This isn't my room."
He sat up carefully. Green grass stretched in every direction. Tall mountains rose in the distance like giants. A small village with traditional Chinese houses sat in a valley below him.
"Where the hell am I?"
The air smelled like flowers and herbs. No car exhaust. No city smells. Just clean, pure air that made his lungs feel better with every breath.
Chen Wei looked down at his hands. They were smaller. Younger. His arms were thin but healthy-looking.
"These aren't my hands."
A woman's voice screamed from the village: "WEI'ER! WHERE ARE YOU?"
Chen Wei turned toward the sound. A woman was running up the hill toward him. She looked about 40 years old. Pretty face but worried eyes. She wore simple blue robes like something from a historical drama.
"Wei'er! You're awake! Thank the heavens!" She reached him and hugged him tight.
Chen Wei's brain stopped working. This woman felt completely real. She smelled like jasmine flowers and medicinal herbs. Her hug was warm and desperate, like a mother who thought her child was dead.
"Who... who are you?" Chen Wei asked. His voice sounded different. Higher. Younger.
The woman's face turned pale. "Wei'er, I'm your mother! You hit your head yesterday when you fell from the tree! Do you not remember me?"
Chen Wei stared at her. Mother? But his real mother lived in Busan and hadn't talked to him in two years.
**DING!**
Suddenly, golden text appeared in the air in front of Chen Wei's eyes:
**[Welcome to Azure Heaven Realm]**
**[System: Omniscient Reader's Cultivation - ACTIVATED]**
**[Current Identity: Chen Wei, Age 16]**
**[Original Soul: Deceased (Tree fall accident)]**
**[New Soul: Integrated successfully]**
**[Cultivation Level: None (Mortal)]**
**[Location: Chen Family Village, Outer Province]**
**[System Functions: Character Analysis, Plot Detection, Death Flag Recognition]**
Chen Wei blinked hard. The text was still there. Only he could see it.
"This is impossible," he whispered.
The woman - his new mother - touched his forehead with gentle fingers.
"No fever. But you're acting very strange, Wei'er. Do you really not remember me?"
Chen Wei looked at her again. Above her head, new text appeared in a blue box:
**[Lin Suhua - Worried Mother Type]**
**[Age: 41]**
**[Cultivation: Qi Gathering 3rd Level]**
**[Relationship: Mother (Original Chen Wei)]**
**[Threat Level: None]**
**[Character Type: Supporting NPC - Tutorial Guide]**
**[Hidden Trait: Former Sect Disciple]**
**[Death Flag Status: Safe]**
"Holy shit," Chen Wei said without thinking.
"WEI'ER! Watch your language!" his mother scolded, but her eyes showed relief that he was acting more normal.
But Chen Wei wasn't listening. He was staring at the information floating above her head. This was exactly like the manhwa "Omniscient Reader's Viewpoint" that he had read 50 times.
But this was real life. His new life.
He was inside a cultivation story. And he had a system that let him see character information like a video game.
"I'm not dreaming," he whispered. "I really transmigrated."
---
## [Later That Day - Chen Family House]
The Chen family house was simple but clean. Wooden walls, paper windows, and furniture that looked hand-made. It felt like stepping into a historical drama.
Chen Wei sat at a low wooden table. His new family was eating dinner around him. The food smelled amazing - rice, vegetables, and some kind of meat soup that made his mouth water.
But Chen Wei couldn't focus on the food. He was too busy reading the character information above everyone's heads.
**Father: Chen Daoling**
**[Honest Farmer/Village Chief Type]**
**[Age: 45]**
**[Cultivation: Qi Gathering 5th Level]**
**[Character Type: Tutorial NPC - Authority Figure]**
**[Personality: Hardworking, Protective, Simple Values]**
**[Death Flag Status: Medium Risk]**
**Sister: Chen Ling**
**[Cute Little Sister Type]**
**[Age: 12, No cultivation yet]**
**[Character Type: Motivation/Protection Target]**
**[Personality: Cheerful, Innocent, Hero-Worship toward brothers]**
**[Death Flag Status: High Risk - Kidnapping Possible]**
**Elder Brother: Chen Hao**
**[Hardworking Big Brother Type]**
**[Age: 19]**
**[Cultivation: Qi Gathering 7th Level]**
**[Character Type: Stepping Stone/Sacrifice Flag]**
**[Personality: Responsible, Self-Sacrificing, Protective]**
**[Death Flag Status: CRITICAL - 87% death probability in next 7 days]**
Chen Wei almost choked on his rice. His brother had an 87% death probability?
"Wei'er, are you okay?" Chen Ling asked. She had such an innocent smile. "You keep staring at us funny."
"I'm fine," Chen Wei said quickly. He looked at his brother. "Brother, are you planning to do anything dangerous soon?"
Chen Hao laughed and ruffled Chen Wei's hair. "Dangerous? I'm just a farmer, little brother. The most dangerous thing I do is chase away wild chickens that try to eat our vegetables."
But Chen Wei could see more text appearing above his brother's head:
**[Hidden Event Detected: Bandit Attack - 3 days remaining]**
**[Chen Hao Death Probability: 76% (Heroic Sacrifice)]**
**[Village Destruction Probability: 45%]**
**[Civilian Deaths Expected: 12-25]**
**[Event Trigger: Chen Hao discovers bandit scout]**
"Oh no," Chen Wei whispered. His new family was about to be destroyed by a classic cultivation story event - the tutorial village massacre.
"What did you say, Wei'er?" his father asked.
"Nothing, father. I just... I think I need some fresh air."
Chen Daoling nodded. "The head injury might be affecting you. Rest well tonight. Tomorrow we'll have the village healer check you again."
But Chen Wei wasn't listening. His mind was racing through every cultivation story he had ever read.
This was bad. Really bad.
He had transmigrated into a cultivation world. But not as the main character. He was just a random villager in the starting area where bad things happened to give the real MC motivation.
And his new family was about to die in three days.
Unless he could change the story.
[To Be Continued...]