Pain came before awareness.
It was not sharp enough to knock him unconscious again, nor mild enough to ignore. It existed everywhere at once—deep in his bones, tangled in his muscles, clogging his chest with each labored breath.
Shen Yuan woke with a violent cough, his body convulsing as cold air tore into his lungs. He rolled onto his side instinctively and retched, emptying his stomach onto damp earth mixed with decaying leaves.
For a long moment, he could do nothing but breathe.
Slow. Shallow. Controlled.
The air smelled of moss, wet soil, and something faintly metallic. Above him, branches intertwined so densely that only thin strands of pale light filtered through. Somewhere in the distance, something growled—low, heavy, and unmistakably alive.
Shen Yuan froze.
Forest, he thought hazily. Definitely not a hospital.
That realization came with a second wave of pain as he tried to move. His limbs felt heavy, sluggish, as though they were filled with sediment instead of blood. Even lifting his hand caused dizziness to surge behind his eyes.
"…This is bad," he muttered.
His voice sounded unfamiliar.
That bothered him more than the pain.
He lay still, forcing his breathing into a steady rhythm. Panic would only waste energy, and energy felt like a limited resource right now.
Fragments of memory began to surface—not his own.
A boy born to ordinary cultivator parents. No clan. No sect. No backing.
Parents who died years ago during a minor beast tide, leaving him alone in a world that valued strength above all else.
Talent testing day.
The crystal barely reacted.
Low-grade aptitude. Almost nonexistent.
The verdict had followed him ever since.
Waste.
Dead weight.
Someone who should stop dreaming.
Even children mocked him openly, secure in the knowledge that he would never rise high enough to matter.
And today—this day—the boy had entered the forest alone.
Not because he was brave.
Because he was desperate.
There had been rumors of a spirit herb deep within the Outer Blackwood Forest, something capable of cleansing the body and improving cultivation talent. It was a long shot. Dangerous.
But it was his last option.
The memory ended in blood.
Fangs.Claws.Pain tearing through flesh.
Shen Yuan closed his eyes.
"So I died," he murmured. "Again."
The thought was strangely calm.
He pushed himself upright with effort, bracing a hand against the trunk of a nearby tree. The bark felt rough, real. Too real for a dream.
His body responded sluggishly but obediently.
This isn't my body, he realized. But it's mine now.
He scanned his surroundings carefully. Ancient trees towered overhead, their roots thick and twisted like exposed veins. The forest was old—older than cultivation sects, older than human settlements. Spiritual energy lingered in the air, but it was chaotic, uneven, and faintly oppressive.
This was not a place meant for the weak.
Shen Yuan swallowed and examined himself with clinical detachment.
Weak physique.Chaotic meridians. Spiritual energy so impure it barely circulated.
No wonder this body failed, he thought.It was never properly cultivated.
As that conclusion settled, something stirred within him.
Not pain.
Presence.
"Primordial Edict System initializing."
Shen Yuan stiffened.
"…System?"
The word surfaced naturally, as though he had always known it would exist.
A subtle pressure enveloped his awareness—not oppressive, not warm. Simply absolute.
"Body analysis in progress."
A strange clarity washed over him, as if unseen hands were mapping his existence down to its smallest details.
"Analysis complete"
"Condition: Severe"
"Body impurities: 73%."
"Meridian blockages: Extensive."
"Innate talent: Sealed."
Shen Yuan's eyes narrowed.
"Sealed?"
"Confirmed."
"Seal origin: Congenital combined with external interference."
He absorbed this in silence.
So it wasn't that this body lacked talent.
It had been locked.
That changed everything.
"Can it be undone?" he asked quietly.
There was a brief pause.
"Yes."
"Recommended action: Immediate stabilization."
A flicker of relief surfaced—quickly suppressed.
"Then guide me," Shen Yuan said. "Don't fix it for me. Just tell me what to do."
"Acknowledged."
Good. He disliked shortcuts anyway.
The system did not overwhelm him with knowledge. Instead, it explained—precisely and patiently.
Cultivation, it said, was not merely absorbing energy.
It was the refinement of existence.
The body had to be strengthened to withstand greater forces. The meridians had to be clear enough to circulate energy safely. The soul had to be stable enough to house power without fracturing. The spirit had to perceive the Dao clearly.
Spiritual energy—Qi—was only fuel.
"Without refinement," the system explained, "energy destroys its container."
Shen Yuan understood immediately.
Like pouring boiling water into fragile glass.
His current state was proof.
The system continued.
This world was divided into realms.
The Mortal Realm, where ordinary humans lived and died. The Spirit Realm, where cultivators and sects dominated—where he currently was.Above that, the Heavenly Realm, home to Dao Lords and immortal sects. Beyond lay the Void Realm, fractured and lawless And at the very foundation—the mythical Origin Realm, where world laws were born.
"Cultivation is cumulative," the system emphasized."Errors compound."
A weak foundation limited all future growth. Flawed meridians could never be fully repaired. A damaged Dao Heart would eventually shatter.
Most cultivators rushed.
They paid for it forever.
Shen Yuan exhaled slowly.
Then starting at the bottom isn't a disadvantage, he realized. It's an opportunity.
"Current location identified," the system continued.
Understanding expanded outward.
He was in the Outer Blackwood Forest, a dangerous region on the edge of a minor cultivation territory. Sect disciples avoided it. Qi here was unstable. Spiritual beasts roamed freely.
This was where the unwanted were sent.
The expendable.
The original body had not been expected to return.
Shen Yuan's expression hardened slightly.
So even my death was acceptable.
Fine.
Following the system's guidance, he moved—slowly, painfully—deeper into the forest, avoiding beast territories and unstable Qi pockets. Each step cost him effort. Each breath burned.
At last, he found it.
A shallow cave hidden behind hanging vines, its interior dry and faintly warm. Natural formations along the walls subtly gathered spiritual energy—not much, but enough.
Shen Yuan collapsed inside, back against stone, chest heaving.
"Temporary shelter identified."
"Good," he muttered. "I'm done nearly dying for today."
He sat cross-legged with difficulty.
"Explain what comes next," he said quietly.
"Primary directive: Survival."
"Secondary directive: Body cleansing and foundation stabilization."
Shen Yuan closed his eyes.
No parents. No sect. No allies.
Only a damaged body, a dangerous forest, and a system that acknowledged his existence.
That would have to be enough.
"I was called a waste," he said softly."Let's see how wrong they were."
Far above the forest canopy, the world continued as it always had—unaware that something long dismissed had begun, slowly and carefully, to change.