Earth 2025.
In a hospital room, a person lies in bed while friends and family gather around him, crying.
'Finally, I can finally rest. I'll no longer be a burden to my family.'
Edward, 27 years old, died from cancer. He lived a normal life with a loving family and friends.
Due to cancer, he didn't manage to live his full life, he was always in the hospital. He was discharged once and able to receive treatment that helped him survive. Yet his body was too frail to fight the cancer cells.
Edward can feel his body giving up. It can no longer fight the cancer, and he's aware these might be his final moments with his family and friends.
As he closes his eyes, ready to accept death, everything around him becomes silent.
No sounds. He can't even feel his body or move a finger. He tries to open his eyes, but he can only perceive darkness.
After a while, a rugged sound can be heard. Slowly, there's a light. He can't see clearly, but it illuminates the darkness.
He tries to talk and open his mouth, but all he hears is the cry of a child. His vision slowly recovers, and he sees that he has become a baby.
Ten years later, he is no longer named Edward. He's known as Sun Ether. He is the son and only heir of his faction. They've existed for hundreds of years, but it can still be said they're in their infancy. Most ancient factions have existed for thousands of years.
They're called Heaven Sun Sect, categorized as one of the strongest clans within the Red Country.
Red Country is the third largest country that exists today, housing countless factions.
Sun learned that this world is so vast that only 15% of the land and 1% of the sea have been explored. The rest remains unknown to everyone.
Of that 15% explored land, around 3–5% is also marked as a red zone, areas with abundant resources but from which, once you enter, they say you can never leave.
There's no exact population count, but based on the records he read, it's 3–5 times the population of Earth.
Twenty years later, as the son who will inherit everything, Sun lives like a king. But he's aware of this type of story.
He understands that with this type of power and wealth, something will eventually happen. That's why he used everything in his power to focus on making himself stronger, and he did. He became known as the genius of the century. At age 20, he managed to break through to the Early Stage of Vital Essence Realm.
Most people don't reach this stage until around age 100, after countless life-and-death experiences and constant fighting.
Sun didn't know that dying once would grant him unbelievable learning capability. His awareness from his previous life also helped.
One year later.
Sun's fears came true. He learned too late that his father had offended an elder from an ancient faction dating back thousands of years.
Upon the faction's arrival, they gave people the choice to leave or die with the sect. It didn't last long, almost everyone chose to leave and began running.
They knew that offending an ancient faction would result in death. Since their faction had offended one, they chose to leave everything and run.
It was cruel, and it was the first time Sun experienced the true terror of this martial arts world.
Everyone who chose to stay fought hard but died in the end. His family was also massacred. Sun fought and was able to repel one of the elders and kill countless members of the enemy faction.
Due to his family's death, he chose to consume his life force to strengthen his power, knowing it would result in being crippled or death.
Sun fought hard. Even unconscious, he was like a beast moving on instinct.
After a day, everyone from Heaven Sun Sect was dead except Sun. The enemy lost a considerable number of people, but they didn't care, those were just cannon fodder. They deliberately left him alone in the sect. They didn't care if he lived or not, because he would be crippled if he survived. What could a beggar do to an ancient faction?
They swiftly left Heaven Sun Sect and returned to their faction.
Sun was on his knees, unconscious. Looking at him, most people wouldn't think he was still alive.
After a while, Sun slowly opened his eyes. With a weak body, he carefully looked around him, only to see his home reduced to wreckage with nothing left standing.
Sun's body was too weak to move. He lost consciousness again.
Like wind, news of Heaven Sun Sect's destruction swiftly reached everyone's ears.
"How could Heaven Sun Sect be destroyed like that?"
"It was because the Sect Leader offended an elder from an Ancient Faction. Who in their right mind would do that?"
"They also let Sun live while they killed everyone. Imagine, he was able to kill countless warriors and repel one of the elders. Unfortunately, he's now crippled."
The news of Heaven Sun Sect's destruction became the talk of Red Country and reached the ears of nearby countries as well.
Two years later…
Within Red Country, in a certain abandoned part of Heaven Sun Sect, a campfire is lit with meat hanging over it while a young man laughs like crazy.
"Yes! I can finally eat meat. It's been a week since I had a proper meal."
This man is Sun. Two years after his sect's destruction, he was able to recuperate and heal some of his wounds, but his cultivation has been destroyed. He's worse than a normal person. He suffered permanent damage to his meridian and body. Most of his broken bones didn't even heal properly.
He can't walk straight anymore. For two years, he struggled to heal himself. He no longer has anyone in this world. Even if he wants revenge, he doesn't have the power or wealth to do so.
After a while, he smells the aroma of the cooking meat. He grabs it and takes a good bite.
"Delicious!" Sun said, as he continues with his meal.
After a good meal, Sun rests his body and lies in the makeshift bed he made.
'Died from cancer, now everyone in my family is dead. I'm crippled and can't do anything against the ones who did this. I'm simply a joke. Is this my fate? Am I really destined to be miserable?'
Sun thinks as he contemplates what he should do, but everything is useless now that everything around him is destroyed. He closes his eyes, getting ready to sleep, when an unfamiliar sound can be heard in his head.
[System - Worldbound Ascension, Activated!]
[Admin Privilege - Level 1, Activated!]
[Detected Host Realm and Cultivation destroyed…]
[Recreating cultivation for current body of the host…]
[Cultivation Path: Worldbound Path (Stage 1 — Anchor Awakening)]
"What?" Sun was quite familiar with this, it's a golden finger. He was dumbstruck and didn't know how to react.
He pinches himself, and knowing this is all true, he forces himself to jump for joy.
[Please prepare for both body and spirit synchronization…]
"Wait! Hold o—" Sun said as he instantly receives a jolt in his body. He immediately feels a mysterious power sweep through his whole body, skin, blood, bone, and marrow.
CRACK
He can feel and hear the crackling sounds within his body. The mysterious power is trying to reconstruct his body to create a better vessel for the power he's about to receive.
"What the hell is this…" Sun said as he bears the pain for torturous hours.