"Pfft—"
A sharp pain pierced Lin Chen's chest, and the cold steel of a family sword was buried deep in his heart.
He stared at the young man in front of him, his own cousin Lin Hao, with a face full of malice and greed.
"Trash, you really thought you could keep the Azure Cloud Token? This is the fate of a useless cripple!"
Lin Hao's laughter was like a knife, cutting through Lin Chen's last breath.
The last thing he saw was the contemptuous eyes of his own clan, the people who had betrayed him, crippled his cultivation, and finally killed him for a mere token.
Despair, hatred, and unwillingness flooded his soul as darkness swallowed him whole.
...
"Ugh..."
Lin Chen gasped for air, his eyes snapping open.
The cold stone floor, the dilapidated wooden bed, the faint smell of medicinal herbs—this was his old room in the Lin Family's outer courtyard.
He looked down at his hands, young and unscarred, and then at the bronze mirror on the wall.
A sixteen-year-old face stared back at him, full of youthful vigor, not the haggard, dying man from seven years later.
"I... I'm back?"
A flood of memories rushed into his mind: the betrayal, the murder, the endless humiliation he had suffered in his previous life.
But this time, it was different.
A cold, mechanical voice echoed in his mind, clear and sharp:
[Ding! Supreme Sign-In System has successfully bound to host Lin Chen!]
[Daily sign-in reward available! Do you wish to sign in now?]
Lin Chen's eyes lit up with a fierce, burning light.
The Supreme Sign-In System!
The legendary cheat that only existed in myths had come to him!
This time, he would not be the trash that everyone trampled on.
This time, he would take back everything that was his.
This time, he would climb to the very peak of the world, and make all those who had wronged him kneel before him!
"Sign in!" he whispered, his voice trembling with excitement and vengeance.
[Sign-in successful! Congratulations to host for obtaining: Divine Body of Primordial Chaos (Fragment), 10,000 Spirit Stones, and Low-grade Immortal Sword — Frost Edge!]
A warm current surged through his body, and a surge of power he had never felt before filled his veins.
Outside the door, the sound of mocking laughter and footsteps drew near.
"Hey, that trash Lin Chen is still alive? Let's go teach him a lesson again!"
Lin Chen stood up, his eyes cold and sharp.
The game had just begun.
And this time, he was the one holding all the cards.
The cold stone floor, the dilapidated wooden bed, the faint smell of medicinal herbs—this was his old room in the Lin Family's outer courtyard, the place where he had spent the most humiliating years of his life.
He looked down at his hands, young and unscarred, and then at the bronze mirror hanging on the wall. A sixteen-year-old face stared back at him, full of youthful vigor, not the haggard, dying man from seven years later.
"I... I'm back?"
A flood of memories rushed into his mind: the betrayal of his own clan, the crippling of his cultivation, the cold steel of his cousin's sword piercing his heart, and the endless laughter and contempt that had haunted his final moments.
Hatred burned in his chest, hot and fierce. But this time, it was mixed with a wild, desperate hope.
[Ding! Supreme Sign-In System has successfully bound to host Lin Chen!]
A cold, mechanical voice echoed in his mind, clear and sharp, cutting through the chaos of his thoughts.
[Daily sign-in reward available! Do you wish to sign in now?]
Lin Chen's eyes snapped open, blazing with a light that had never been there before.
The Supreme Sign-In System!
The legendary cheat that only existed in the tales of immortals had actually chosen him!
This was his second chance. This time, he would not be the trash that everyone trampled on. This time, he would climb to the very peak of the world, and make all those who had wronged him kneel before him!
"Sign in!" he whispered, his voice trembling with excitement and vengeance.
[Sign-in successful! Congratulations to host for obtaining:]
[1. Divine Body of Primordial Chaos (Fragment): Grants immense physical strength and resistance to all poisons and curses.]
[2. 10,000 Spirit Stones: A basic currency for cultivation.]
[3. Low-grade Immortal Sword — Frost Edge: A sharp blade infused with ice attribute energy.]
A warm current surged through his body, spreading from his dantian to every limb and bone. His muscles tensed, his bones creaked, and a surge of power he had never felt before filled his veins. The faint pain in his chest from being beaten earlier vanished completely, replaced by a boundless vitality.
Outside the door, the sound of mocking laughter and heavy footsteps drew near.
"Hey, that trash Lin Chen is still alive? I thought he'd be dead after we beat him this morning!"
"Let's go in and teach him another lesson! Maybe we can take his last few spirit stones for wine!"
The door was kicked open roughly, and three young men swaggered in, their faces twisted into cruel grins. They were the bullies of the outer courtyard, who had made Lin Chen's life a living hell every day since he was a child.
The leader, a burly boy with a scar across his cheek, sneered and pointed at Lin Chen.
"Trash, you're still lying in bed? Get up and kowtow to me, or I'll break your other leg!"
In his previous life, Lin Chen would have cowered in fear, covering his head and begging for mercy. But now, as he stood up, his eyes were cold and sharp, like a blade unsheathed from its scabbard.
The power of the Divine Body of Primordial Chaos flowed through him, and he could feel that even the strongest of these three was no match for him now.
"You want me to kowtow?" Lin Chen's voice was low, calm, and full of a dangerous edge that made the three boys freeze.
The scar-faced boy was stunned for a moment, then burst into laughter.
"Haha! Look at this trash! He's actually talking back! Did you hit your head too hard this morning?"
He took a step forward, raising his fist to strike Lin Chen's face.
But before his fist could land, Lin Chen moved.
In a flash, he grabbed the boy's wrist, his fingers like iron clamps.
"Ah! Let go! You're hurting me!" The scar-faced boy's face twisted in pain, his wrist creaking as if it was about to break.
Lin Chen's eyes were cold as he looked down at him.
"Next time, think twice before you call me trash."
With a light twist of his wrist, he sent the boy flying across the room, crashing into a wooden table and smashing it to pieces.
The other two boys stared in shock, their mouths hanging open. They had never seen Lin Chen move so fast, or hit so hard.
"You... you dare to hit us?!" one of them stammered, his voice trembling.
Lin Chen stepped forward, his gaze sweeping over them, and the two boys instinctively stepped back, their faces pale with fear.
"Get out of my room," he said, his voice cold and final. "And tell everyone in the outer courtyard—Lin Chen is no longer the trash you can bully."
The three boys didn't dare to say another word. They scrambled to their feet, picked up the unconscious scar-faced boy, and fled the room as if the devil was chasing them.
Lin Chen stood alone in the quiet room, looking at his own hands. The power was real. The system was real.
His path to revenge, to immortality, had finally begun.
Outside the window, the first light of dawn peeked over the mountains, painting the sky in a golden hue.
A new day had come. And for Lin Chen, a new era of supremacy was about to dawn.