Lin Chen regained consciousness after a brief silence — and a wave of joy instantly surged through his body.
Reflexively, he reached toward the holographic panel floating before his eyes, as if trying to grasp the fortune that had just descended upon him.
His hand, however, passed straight through empty air.
He froze, confused, before realization dawned on him: in novels and games, system interfaces were rarely physical. Usually, you interacted with them through mental energy.
Determined to try, Lin Chen focused his mind on the panel. The moment he did, the system responded.
Name: Lin Chen
Age: 18
Realm: second-stage Qi Refinement (First-stage Qi Refinement)
Talent: Item Enhancement
Seeing the glowing panel, Lin Chen couldn't help grinning.
"Heh… guess I've just been too anxious," he muttered sheepishly.
Now that he was sure he had a cheat system, excitement bubbled up inside him. Grabbing his hoe, he began digging with vigor.
Each swing produced a familiar notification sound.
Ding!
Hoe Experience +1!
He kept going nonstop until the metal blade started to feel heavy in his hands. Then, another notification appeared.
[Hoe Level 0: 10/10]
[Hoe Level 0 → Level 1]
Lin Chen's eyes lit up. He wondered what would happen when an item leveled up.
But no dazzling light or dramatic effects followed — only a slight change in the status window above the hoe.
[Hoe Level 1: 0/100]
A hint of disappointment crossed his face, but he quickly brushed it aside. What mattered most was that he finally had hope for a better life.
He swung the hoe again, curious if anything had changed.
Clang!
The result was the same. The soil yielded no differently than before.
"That's strange… why does it feel exactly the same?" he murmured.
He tried a few more swings. Nothing new — only the numbers in the window climbed slowly.
[Hoe Level 1: 6/100]
After a moment's thought, only one explanation came to mind.
"Could it be that the level's just too low to show effects?"
With no better guess, he decided to keep digging until something happened.
Hoe Experience +1!
Sweat poured down his back, yet he didn't feel exhausted. On the contrary, he felt oddly energized.
Finally, another message appeared.
[Hoe Level 1 → Level 2]
[Hoe Level 2: 1/300]
Still nothing changed. No new effect, no glow, no special power.
Exhausted, Lin Chen sat down and stared blankly at the hoe's status screen.
"What's wrong with my panel? Did it break?" he muttered.
"If it's broken… what am I supposed to do now?"
He shook the hoe, called the system again, even prayed to it — but nothing worked.
How ironic, he thought bitterly. If he never had a system, he'd simply accept hardship.
But to have one that didn't work… somehow, that hurt more.
Tears welled in his eyes. Lin Chen broke down, his quiet sobs swallowed by the hole he had dug.
Even as an orphan in his past life, he had never felt this lonely.
His muffled cries filled the pit — fragile, helpless, and heavy with sorrow. Thankfully, the hole was deep enough that no one could hear him.
After a while, he calmed down and returned to burying the rotten chickens, his movements slow and weary.
When he finished, he still couldn't let go. He glanced once more at the hoe, hoping for a hint — but nothing changed.
Frustrated, he tried contacting the system again. This time, new information appeared in his mind.
[Talent: Item Enhancement]
1. Three slots available for binding items. Bound items will display noticeable effects when leveled up.
As he read, a thrill shot through his veins. His earlier despair vanished in an instant.
"Three contract slots… so that's what I missed all along?"
A laugh burst from his lips.
"Hahaha! So you're not broken after all — my system's just too smart for me!"
Without wasting a second, Lin Chen hurried home. This time, he would study every detail of his golden finger.
He glanced around nervously on the way, afraid someone might notice his odd behavior. Ironically, that made him look even more suspicious.
Fortunately, he made it home without incident.
Inside, he locked the doors and windows, sat cross-legged on his bed, and closed his eyes in focus.
"Heh… I knew it! My system isn't broken — it's amazing!"
Apparently, he could level up any item, but the effects only appeared if the item was bound to him. He had three contract slots, each for one item.
Then, another line of text appeared beneath the talent.
[Talent: Item Enhancement]
2. Allows the user to view detailed information of bound items.
"Isn't this just like an item panel from the games I used to play?" he said, grinning.
He scanned the room for something to test on. The only thing nearby was an old, yellowed book.
[Item: Five Elements Cultivation Manual]
Description: A basic manual teaching the absorption of five elemental Qi.
Too vague. He tried another.
[Item: Low-Grade Spirit Stone]
Description: Contains condensed Qi energy; commonly used for cultivation.
He sighed. "Still the same… only bound items show details."
The talent was awkward — not useless, but not the overpowered cheat he'd imagined either.
He checked the rest of his belongings. Nothing stood out. Then, suddenly, his vision blurred and his body went weak before he collapsed.
Thud!
"Ugh… my head…" he groaned, clutching his temples.
A sharp pain pulsed inside his skull — a reminder that the ritual had drained his body and lowered his cultivation. He still hadn't recovered.
When the pain faded, he muttered, "Looks like I need to be more careful when using this Item Info skill."
The ability felt even more disappointing now — weak, limited, and draining his mental energy.
A few moments later, the clucking of chickens echoed from outside.
At first, Lin Chen ignored it. But soon, the cries turned weak and pitiful.
Panic shot through him. Those chickens were his only source of income — he couldn't afford to lose them.
Behind the house, eleven scrawny birds stood unsteadily. Lin Chen quickly scattered feed, terrified they might starve.
When they began eating, he exhaled in relief. "Can these even sell for a decent price anymore?"
He sighed deeply. The body's previous owner had caused so many problems. Four chickens gone already — three used in a ritual, one as a failed contract. Now, only eleven weak ones remained.
"What a waste," he muttered.
He refilled their food and water, but as he lifted the last bowl, something strange happened.
Ding!
[Item: Old Chicken Bowl]
Description: A cracked bowl with faded chicken patterns. Used for feeding chickens for many years. Saturated with chicken scent and Qi, comforting to poultry.
Lin Chen's eyes widened. "Huh? My Item Info skill activated on its own?"
He hadn't triggered it.
"Did the skill glitch out?"
But as he stared longer, a thought struck him. "Or maybe… this bowl is actually special?"
It didn't look extraordinary — just old and cracked. Still, his instincts told him otherwise.
"What if… I try binding this bowl?" he whispered.
Not out of recklessness, but caution — he wanted to test his system with something harmless.
"Better to waste a slot than risk my life," he said softly, summoning the system.
At once, a faint connection formed between him and the bowl. The air around him began to stir.
Lin Chen let out a helpless chuckle.
"Heh… this body failed to contract a chicken, but managed to contract a chicken bowl instead?"
Before he could finish laughing, a sudden gust of energy wrapped around him.
Whoosh…
A cocoon of blinding light enveloped Lin Chen's body.