A young man tossed and turned in bed, a pained expression on his face.
"Aah! What the hell is this pain? Did I drink that much?!"
Last night, he was celebrating with his bandmates the success of their first show.
In his 28 years, he'd been in several bands, but none had worked out for various reasons; last night's show was incredible.
They celebrated all night, drinking like there was no tomorrow.
"Damn it! I knew I shouldn't mix drinks!"
While complaining, he looked around and got a shock.
"What is this? My God, what did I do yesterday? This isn't one of those situations from the movie 'The Hangover,' is it?"
He found himself in a simple but well-organized room that seemed to have been built inside an exquisitely carved cave.
The main thing was that the whole decoration had an air of "old China"; he felt like he was in a period drama. "Did I end up in a motel with a themed suite?"
Before he could think more about the situation, an even more excruciating pain attacked his mind.
"Argh! What the hell…"
Just as the pain came quickly, it was gone in an instant.
"I transmigrated!"
He was perplexed.
Just like him, this body was also called Xu Ming, and not only that… he was also a musician.
But that's not the main focus; the issue is that he's in a cultivation world, with immortal cultivators who can flatten mountains and dry up seas.
Xu Ming may be a fan of web novels, but he prefers the comfort of the modern world to the rampant and barbaric slaughter of those fantasies.
"That's it, I'm finished…"
Before he could continue to lament, more information about this world surfaced in his mind.
This immortal cultivation world is different from what he's used to reading.
It seems we're in the golden age of cultivation, and resources are vastly abundant. Sects have extremely terrifying ancestral monsters.
Even small sects have powerful ancestors still present.
Small squabbles occur, but there are no more large-scale wars and rampant massacres, as all sects, large or small, possess some level of deterrent power.
This has led the world into a period of "cold war."
All disputes over territory, resources, and influence are resolved through non-violent means.
That is, in this world, cultivation sects compete through soft power.
Currently, music, books, and theater are being given greater consideration.
Even if your cultivation talent is rubbish, if you excel in any of these arts, you can join a large sect and make a name for yourself.
Of course, if you're talented, it's even better.
"Hahahaha, this is wonderful!!!"
Xu Ming couldn't contain his excitement.
"A world of fighting and death is one thing! But since things are this way, this is perfect for me."
The more he thought about it, the more excited he became.
Every young person dreams of transmigrating into an immortal cultivation story, just like the protagonists in novels. To live adventures, romances, grow more powerful, and achieve immortality.
And what if the dangers of death were removed from the equation? EVEN BETTER!
Xu Ming fell to his knees as tears streamed down his face.
"Thank you, gods! I always thought all those losses in gambling were bad luck, but in reality, I was just accumulating good fortune for today. THANK YOU!"
It might seem strange that he accepted the current situation so quickly, but despite seeking success in life, everything is starting to go well for him.
Xu Ming had nothing truly tying him to his old world.
His parents passed away early, shortly after he turned 18. He didn't have a girlfriend or anything like that.
His only passion was making music, or more specifically, being on stage, performing for an audience. Be it a crowd or just three people in some random bar.
He doesn't know what kind of good deed he did, but he ended up in a world where he could live his dream as a nerdy reader and his dream as a musician at the same time.
"Okay, I need to calm down, or I might end up having a heart attack from being so excited! This would be a joke to all the transmigrated people."
He took a few deep breaths.
Even though his excitement hadn't lessened, at least he was less euphoric.
He even managed to stop crying tears of joy.
After calming down, Xu Ming finally understood the situation he was in.
"My beginning seems a bit turbulent."
He sighed in resignation.
He doesn't have great cultivation talent, only average at best! With his 4-element spiritual root, reaching the Foundation Establishment realm is a miracle.
At 17 years old, his greatest achievement is only the 1st Qi Gathering level.
Of course, this is also due to the fact that he is an independent cultivator. No family, no sect, no support.
Luckily, he was born with supernatural beauty and a beautiful voice.
Xu Ming learned to play the Guzheng zither and began giving small performances in squares and taverns to earn some spirit stones for his cultivation.
He achieved some success, largely due to his good looks and voice, but he wasn't talented enough in singing or playing the instrument to truly break through as a star.
But luckily, a week ago, while performing in a village square, an opportunity arose.
Hua Qingshi, the master of one of the peaks of the Heavenly Martial Path Sect, was passing by and accepted him as one of her direct disciples.
That's both luck and bad luck!
The Heavenly Martial Path is a sect of brutes with muscles where their brains should be.
They were once an extremely powerful sect with influence in many domains, but since the new era began and soft power warfare was implemented, the sect has been losing ground.
Not only that, they are the target of constant mockery.
The reason is easy to imagine.
Just imagine a bunch of warriors who only know how to fight all day, being forced to create art.
"Ugh…"
"It's not like there's no solution, but man… it could be a slightly easier start."
After letting out a frustrated sigh, Xu Ming stood up and went to a corner where a pile of paper lay beside his guzheng.
He briefly read what was there and almost automatically threw it away as if he were getting rid of a piece of coconut he accidentally picked up from the floor.
"What the hell is this?! How can someone have the ability to write something so embarrassing, meaningless, and offensive at the same time???"
All the papers were song lyrics.
All extremely awful.
Xu Ming couldn't help but look at it with a certain disgust.
He wasn't a virtuoso lyricist, but he was capable of writing a passable song.
But this guy here? Besides his good looks and beautiful voice, he's a lost cause.
Now he understands why he managed to get into this body; the original owner died of stress and despair.
He's only been in the sect for a week, and tomorrow, visitors from powerful sects will arrive.
Among thousands of disciples, he is currently the most promising to entertain and prove that the Heavenly Martial Path Sect is second to none, even in terms of art.
For a sect to show its worth in these times, it's not enough to just be good at performing; you need to create your own songs, books, and plays.
Unfortunately, the body's former owner was terrible at creating.
Afraid of losing the opportunity of a lifetime that had appeared before him, he gave his all to create something, but all he managed to write was in lyrics that don't even deserve to be quoted.
"Ah! Rest in peace, my comrade. I will live this life for you and make this whole world my fandom."
As soon as he said that, Xu Ming felt as if electricity passed through his entire being, and then he felt lighter, with a clearer mind and more responsive.
It seemed that this time, he had truly completed the assimilation of the old Xu Ming's soul.
He paused briefly in remembrance.
"Okay, now I have to prepare. I only have one day."
"Which approach should I take?"