Ye Chen had his face slammed into the dirt for the third time that morning, and he was starting to think the ground had developed a personal vendetta against his nose.
"Get up, trash." Young Master Wei Feng's boot pressed against Ye Chen back, grinding him deeper into the training yard's packed soil. "I need you to fetch my spirit herbs before noon, and you're wasting my precious cultivation time with your pathetic dodging."
Ye Chen tasted blood and dirt as he pushed himself to his knees. The other disciples in Wei Feng's coterie snickered from the sidelines, safe in their positions as actual talented cultivators rather than resource-starved orphans like himself.
"Yes, Young Master," Ye Chen mumbled, his fifth layer Qi condensation, pitiful for an eighteen-year-old, barely allowing him to stand without wobbling. Three years of being Wei Feng's errand boy, punching bag, and general scapegoat had taught the original Ye Chen to keep his head down and voice low.
Wei Feng snorted, his golden robes immaculate despite the morning's 'training session'."
"And make sure you get the right herbs this time. Purple-Veined Spirit Grass, not that worthless blue trash you brought last week."
Ye Chen nodded, keeping his eyes downcast as was expected of an outer disciple addressing the grandson of an Inner Sect Elder of the Azure Mountain Sect. His memory flashed to yesterday, Wei Feng bellowing about missing spirit stones, accusing him of theft, and then the unexpected, the Young Master's fiancée, Disciple Lin Mei, defending him.
The strange looks between Lin Mei and his body. The way she'd touched his arm when Wei Feng wasn't looking.
Except... that hadn't been him, had it? Those weren't his memories. They belonged to whoever had inhabited this body before... before what? Before Ye Chen had awakened here three days ago with another man's memories.
As Wei Feng strutted away, Ye Chen's vision suddenly flickered, and translucent blue text suddently appeared before his eyes.
[CELESTIAL GACHA SYSTEM ACTIVATED]
[WELCOME, WIELDER] [INITIALIZING...]
"A system?" Ye Chen's mouth went dry. The blue text hovered in his vision, visible only to him.
[Hidden Quest Completed: Endure the Tyrant's Wrath]
[Reward: 1x Minor Vigor Roll]
[Do you wish to Roll?]
"What the—" Ye Chen barely stopped himself from speaking aloud.
What was he looking at. Could anyone else see what he was seeing?
"Yes", he whispered tentatively
Dragon-Blessed Meridians:Your internal energy channels widen and toughen, mimicking the high-pressure conduits found in a young Drake. This allows your body to handle and process spiritual energy with far greater efficiency. When you cultivate, your core temperature rises with a low, draconic hum, granting you a natural immunity to the cold. As your foundation settles, these meridians physically reinforce your limbs from the inside out, allowing you to unleash explosive strikes that would normally cause a standard cultivator's arm to shatter from the sheer backflow.
Jade-Bone Marrow:The very core of your skeleton undergoes a mystical transmutation, turning your marrow into a dense, translucent substance that glows with the pale light of high-grade spirit jade. This acts as a secondary refiner within your own body; as Qi circulates through your bones. This also grants you a permanent 25% increase in bone density, making your ribs and skull nearly impossible to break from a blow of a cultivator of the same major realm. Additionally, the purified blood produced by this jade-marrow accelerates the healing of internal organ damage at twice the natural rate.
Vajra-Inscribed Needles: You receive a set of three heavy iron needles inscribed with microscopic golden runes. By tattooing these runes into the primary acupoints of your limbs using your own Qi, you unlock an ancient Buddhist Body-Tempering method. When you channel energy, your skin takes on a dull, metallic sheen, granting a passive armor effect that can turn aside ordinary steel blades or low-level spiritual projectiles.
Ye Chen ran. His legs pumped beneath him as he bolted from the training yard, ignoring the jeers and laughter following his retreat. The glowing blue text hovering in his vision felt like the first ray of sunshine after a month-long storm.
He practically flew through the Outer Sect compound, dodging startled disciples and nearly colliding with a medicine cart. His heart hammered against his ribs, not from exertion but from wild, desperate hope. This system, whatever it was, offered him a chance. A real chance.
When he finally slammed the door of his shabby quarters shut behind him, Ye Chen collapsed onto his thin sleeping mat, panting and wide-eyed.
"A reward roll? From that floating text thing?" he whispered to the empty room. "And all three options seem... incredible."
He pressed his palm against his chest, feeling the rapid drumming of his heart. After three years of being Wei Feng's personal doormat, the original Ye Chen had resigned himself to a life of servitude. But the new Ye Chen, refused to accept that fate.
"Dragon meridians would be amazing, but..." His fingers traced the fresh bruises forming on his arms. "I need something that works now. Something to keep me alive while I figure out what's happening."
The decision crystallized in his mind. "Jade-Bone Marrow. I choose the Jade-Bone Marrow."
The moment the words left his lips, the floating text disappeared with a soft chime. For a heartbeat, nothing happened.
Then the pain hit.
"AAAGGGHHH!" Ye Chen's scream died in his throat as his jaw locked tight, muscles seizing throughout his entire body. He collapsed onto the floor, convulsing as liquid fire seemed to pour into his bones.
Every vertebra in his spine felt like it was being individually crushed and reformed. His femurs, his ribs, his skull, each bone in his body began to burn from the inside out. The agony was so complete that he couldn't even form thoughts beyond the white-hot torture.
Through tear-blurred vision, Ye Chen watched in horror and fascination as his skin began to glow from within, a soft, jade-green luminescence that traced the outline of his skeleton. His marrow was literally transforming, becoming something otherworldly.
His teeth ground together so hard he feared they might shatter. Sweat poured from his body in rivulets, soaking through his thin disciple robes and into the dirt floor beneath him. The pain redoubled, focusing now on his sternum and pelvis, the largest repositories of bone marrow in the human body.
"Ancestors... help..." he gasped between spasms, rolling onto his back as his spine arched unnaturally.
The transformation lasted nine excruciating minutes, though to Ye Chen, it felt like nine lifetimes. When the final wave of agony receded, he lay motionless on the floor, afraid that the slightest movement would trigger another round of torture.
Slowly, cautiously, he flexed his fingers. No pain. He bent his elbow. Nothing but a strange, pleasant warmth radiating from within his arm.
Ye Chen pushed himself up to sitting position, marveling at how... different he felt. Stronger. Lighter
"Did it... did it work?" he whispered, examining his forearm. His skin looked normal, but when he focused his pitiful cultivation, he could feel a subtle glow emanating from within his bones, a reservoir of jade-like energy that pulsed in time with his heartbeat.
A sudden pounding at his door made him jump.
"Hey, trash! Wei Feng sent me to hurry your worthless ass up!" The voice belonged to Liu Cheng, one of Wei Feng's sycophants. "If you don't get those herbs soon, he'll break both your legs!".
Ye Chen scrambled to his feet and rushed to the door, yanking it open before Liu Cheng could pound again.
"I'm going right now," he said, brushing past the surprised disciple.
Liu Cheng sneered. "You look even more pathetic than usual. Did Wei Feng's beating finally knock something loose in your head?"
Ye Chen ignored him, hurrying toward the herb gardens at the eastern edge of the Azure Mountain Sect's vast territory. His body felt strange—heavier yet somehow more buoyant, as if his newly transformed bones were both anchoring him to the earth and trying to lift him skyward.
As he jogged down the winding mountain path, Ye Chen took stock of his situation. Three days in this body, in this world of cultivation that seemed ripped straight from fantasy novels he'd read in his previous life. Three days of confusion, of pretending to be the original Ye Chen to avoid suspicion. And now, somehow, a magical system was offering him power.
The Azure Mountain Sect loomed around him, a sprawling complex of pagodas, training fields, and meditation gardens carved directly into the living mountain. Massive waterfalls cascaded down cliff faces, their mist infused with spiritual energy that nourished the rare herbs growing in terraced gardens. Spirit beasts—tamed and untamed—roamed the upper reaches where only Core disciples dared to venture.
Ye Chen slowed his pace, catching his breath as he considered his precarious position within this cultivation powerhouse.
"The Azure Mountain Sect doesn't care if I live or die," he muttered to himself, carefully stepping around a group of meditating disciples. "To them, I'm just another talentless outer disciple, useful only for menial tasks."
And he wasn't wrong. The Azure Mountain Sect was notorious throughout the Eastern Continent for its brutal hierarchy. While it provided resources and protection from the chaotic outside world where wandering cultivators were hunted like game animals by stronger practitioners, it demanded absolute loyalty and regular tribute in return.
Every month, disciples had to contribute points earned through missions, herb gathering, or spirit beast hunting. Those who failed faced consequences that made Wei Feng's bullying seem gentle by comparison.
Ye Chen had heard whispers of disciples who couldn't meet their quotas—how the sect's Enforcement Hall would strip them of everything they owned, including family heirlooms and personal cultivation aids. Some were forced into decades-long servitude contracts that bordered on slavery, assigned to mine spirit crystals from the toxic depths of the Azure Mountain's core.
Others simply disappeared, their names stricken from the sect registers as if they'd never existed at all.
The original Ye Chen had been barely scraping by, surviving only because Wei Feng found him useful as a personal servant. But that existence was a slow death sentence. Without proper cultivation resources, he'd never advance beyond the early Qi Condensation realm, becoming weaker relative to his peers with each passing year until he inevitably failed to meet his quota.
The path narrowed as Ye Chen approached the herb gardens. Ahead, he could see the greenhouse where the Purple-Veined Spirit Grass grew under carefully controlled conditions. The herb was notoriously temperamental, requiring precise amounts of moonlight and water infused with specific mineral contents.
"Halt!" A burly guard blocked his path. "Identification and purpose?"
Ye Chen pulled out his outer disciple token. "Herb collection for Young Master Wei Feng."
The guard's expression softened slightly. Everyone knew Wei Feng's status as Elder Wei's grandson. "Which herb?"
"Purple-Veined Spirit Grass."
The guard raised an eyebrow. "That's restricted to inner disciples and above. You'll need special authorization."
Ye Chen's stomach dropped. Wei Feng hadn't mentioned that little detail. Typical. Send him on an impossible errand, then punish him for failing.
But something felt different today. Maybe it was the jade energy humming in his bones, or maybe it was the knowledge that a mysterious system was watching his actions, but Ye Chen straightened his shoulders and met the guard's gaze directly.
"Young Master Wei Feng is preparing for the Inner Disciple Selection Tournament next week. Elder Wei personally authorized this collection." It was a gamble—a massive one—but Ye Chen delivered the lie with perfect confidence.
The guard hesitated, clearly weighing the risk of denying an Elder's grandson against the protocol violation.
"Wait here," he finally said, disappearing into a small side building.
Ye Chen's heart hammered in his chest. If the guard actually checked with Elder Wei, he was dead. Literally dead. Lying about an Elder's authorization was punishable by crippling at minimum.
But a strange calm settled over him alongside the fear. For three years, the original Ye Chen had cowered. Maybe it was time to take some risks.
The guard returned, looking annoyed but resigned. "Fine. You're cleared for one stalk, no more. And you'll need these." He handed Ye Chen a pair of jade gloves. "The toxins in the stem will eat through your skin otherwise."
Ye Chen accepted the gloves with genuine gratitude. "Thank you, Senior Brother."
As he entered the greenhouse, a wave of multicolored spirit energy washed over him. Hundreds of rare herbs grew in neat rows, their spiritual essences creating a tapestry of scents and energies that made his newly enhanced marrow tingle pleasantly.
The Purple-Veined Spirit Grass stood in a corner, bathed in artificial moonlight. Its stalks glowed with an eerie violet luminescence, delicate veins pulsing with concentrated spiritual energy. Beautiful, and worth more than Ye Chen could earn in a year of regular missions.
As he carefully harvested a single stalk, Ye Chen's mind raced with possibilities. If the system continued offering rewards like the Jade-Bone Marrow, he might actually have a chance to break free from Wei Feng's control. To rise through the ranks of the Azure Mountain Sect on his own merit.
And maybe, just maybe, to discover why he had been brought to this world in the first place.
With the precious Purple-Veined Spirit Grass carefully wrapped in a protective cloth, Ye Chen began his trek back to Wei Feng. The stalk pulsed against his side like a tiny heartbeat, its value enough to make any outer disciple salivate. But halfway down the mountain path, disaster struck.
"Hey! You there! Stop!"
Ye Chen froze as three outer sect disciples emerged from a side path, their eyes locked on his package. The leader, a broad-shouldered brute with a nasty scar across his chin, pointed at the telltale violet glow peeking through Ye Chen's wrapping.
"Is that Purple-Veined Spirit Grass? How'd trash like you get authorization?"
Ye Chen's mind raced faster than a spirit beast on fire. Running wasn't an option, not against three outer sect disciples with higher cultivation bases. Fighting would end with him as a smear on the mountainside.
"It's for Young Master Wei Feng," he said, trying to keep his voice steady.
The leader snorted. "And I'm the Sect Master's lost son. Hand it over before we break your arms."
A wild, possibly suicidal idea popped into Ye Chen's head. He reached for his pitiful cultivation base, expecting the usual trickle of energy. Instead, he felt something new, the jade energy in his marrow resonating, amplifying his Qi flow.
"I really can't do that," Ye Chen said, backing up slowly. "But I can offer you something better."
"Oh?" The leader raised an eyebrow, amused. "And what might that be?"
"A show!" Ye Chen shouted, then spun around and leapt off the side of the path—directly into the void.
"WHAT THE—" The disciples' shocked voices faded as Ye Chen plummeted through the air, the wind screaming past his ears.
Only after jumping did Ye Chen remember a crucial detail, below this particular path wasn't certain death, but the legendary Mist Garden, where first-year disciples practiced basic movement techniques over cushioning spirit mists. If he could just angle his fall correctly...
"AAAAAAAAAAHHHHHHH!" His scream of terror transformed into wild laughter as he plunged through layers of multicolored mist. Each cloud slowed his descent slightly, the spirit energy tingling against his skin.
The jade energy in his bones hummed in response, and Ye Chen felt them absorbing impact after impact. A normal outer disciple would have shattered both legs upon landing, but when Ye Chen finally crashed into a dense purple mist bank near the bottom, he bounced like a rubber ball, tumbling head over heels before sliding to a stop on his back.
"I'm alive?" He patted himself down frantically, finding everything intact—including the precious herb. "I'M ALIVE!"
A circle of wide-eyed first-year disciples stared at him as if he'd grown a second head.
"That was at least a two-hundred-foot drop," one whispered.
"Did you see how he bounced?" another added.
Ye Chen scrambled to his feet, bowing apologetically to the startled meditation instructor. "Sorry for the interruption! Emergency shortcut!"
Before anyone could stop him, he bolted through the garden and into a maintenance tunnel he'd discovered during his first month at the sect. The tunnel, used by the groundskeepers to access the water circulation system, would take him directly to the living quarters, bypassing the main paths where those inner disciples might be searching for him.
As he ran through the dimly lit passage, splashing through ankle-deep water, Ye Chen couldn't help but grin maniacally. His bones felt incredible, light yet unbreakable, like they were made of something far superior to mere calcium.
"This system is the real deal," he panted, ducking under a low-hanging pipe. "I jumped off a cliff and survived!"
He emerged from the tunnel behind the outer disciples' quarters, soaking wet but triumphant. The sun indicated he still had plenty of time before Wei Feng's deadline. He'd deliver the herb, endure whatever abuse the young master had planned for him, and then...
And then what?
Ye Chen paused, catching his breath against a wall. For the first time in three years, he had options. The Jade-Bone Marrow was just the beginning. If he could complete more quests, earn more rolls...
A blue notification suddenly appeared before his eyes:
[Hidden Quest Completed: Defy Gravity and Live]
[Reward: 1x Minor Insight Roll]
"Are you kidding me?" Ye Chen whispered, fighting the urge to dance in the middle of the courtyard. "Another one already?"
[Do you wish to Roll?]
"Yes! Absolutely yes!"
Three options materialized:
Spirit-Sight Awakening:Your eyes undergo a mystical transformation, allowing you to perceive the flow of spirit energy in your surroundings. Cultivation resources, hidden formations, and even the true potential of other disciples become visible as colorful auras. This perception grows stronger as your cultivation base increases, eventually allowing you to identify poisons, illusions, and concealed experts with a glance.
Memory Palace:Your mind restructures itself according to an ancient mnemonic system, creating a vast internal landscape where information is stored with perfect recall. You can memorize formations, techniques, and scriptures after a single viewing, recalling every detail with crystal clarity. As this technique matures, you'll develop resistance to mind-affecting techniques and memory-wiping formations.
Whispers of the Elements:You gain an affinity with the five basic elements Water, Fire, Earth, Metal, and Wood revealing secrets about their nature and composition, to understand the relations between the elements
Ye Chen nearly choked on his own spit. Each option seemed more incredible than the last, but one stood out like a beacon. In a sect where knowledge was hoarded like treasure, where outer disciples were given the bare minimum of instruction...
"Memory Palace Technique," he whispered. "I choose the Memory Palace Technique."
The familiar burning sensation began, but this time centered in his head. Unlike the bone-deep agony of his previous transformation, this felt like cool liquid pouring through his skull, reorganizing his thoughts into neat, accessible patterns.
Ye Chen gasped as memories he didn't know he had suddenly clarified, cultivation techniques he'd glimpsed over shoulders, formation diagrams he'd seen while cleaning the library, conversations he'd overheard while serving tea to inner disciples. All of it was there, perfectly preserved and accessible.
"This is..." He struggled for words as his mind expanded in ways he couldn't have imagined. "This is incredible."
A shout from across the courtyard jolted him back to reality. Wei Feng was storming toward him, face twisted in rage, flanked by his usual toadies.
"WHERE HAVE YOU BEEN? AND WHY ARE YOU WET?" Wei Feng bellowed.
Ye Chen quickly composed himself, bowing low with the herb extended. "Young Master, I have your Purple-Veined Spirit Grass."
Wei Feng snatched it from his hands, examining it with narrowed eyes. "It's... actually the right one this time." He seemed almost disappointed not to have an excuse for punishment. "But you're still late, and you look like you fell in a river!"
"I apologize, Young Master. There was a... complication with the authorization, and I had to take an alternate route."
Wei Feng's eyes narrowed suspiciously. "What alternate route?"
"Through the Mist Garden," Ye Chen admitted, deciding a partial truth was safer than an obvious lie.
"The Mist Garden? That's halfway down the mountain!" One of Wei Feng's companions exclaimed. "How did you get there and back so quickly?"
Wei Feng silenced him with a glare before turning back to Ye Chen. "Never mind that. You've managed to do something right for once.
"Get out of my sight now," Wei Feng waved dismissively, already turning his attention to the precious herb. "I'll need you again tomorrow morning to carry my equipment to the training grounds."
Ye Chen bowed low. "Yes, Young Master."
He backed away, maintaining the subservient posture until he was out of Wei Feng's sight. Only then did he straighten, a small smile playing at the corners of his mouth. With two system rewards already activated, he needed time to cultivate, to see how these changes affected his spiritual energy.
Ye Chen hurried back to his quarters, cutting through a less-used path that wound between the herb drying sheds and the outer disciples' meditation garden. His mind was buzzing with possibilities, organizing cultivation techniques in his new memory palace, categorizing each scrap of knowledge he'd ever gleaned.
He was so engrossed in his thoughts that he almost missed the soft voice calling to him.
"Ye Chen, how are you doing?"
Ye Chen froze mid-step. The voice sent a jolt through him like lightning. His new memory palace instantly activated, images cascading through his mind with perfect clarity—the original Ye Chen's memories of that voice, that tone, the secret meanings behind those innocent words.
"Hello, Lin Mei."
He turned slowly to face her, and his heart skipped several beats.
Lin Mei stood before him, the afternoon sun casting a golden halo around her figure. She was breathtaking—long red hair flowing like liquid fire down her back, bright green eyes that seemed to pierce straight through his soul. Her face had that otherworldly beauty that only cultivators achieved, skin luminous with stored spiritual energy, features refined beyond mortal perfection.
A soft blush colored her cheeks as she stepped closer to him.
The memory palace flooded his consciousness with vivid recollections, stolen kisses behind the alchemy pavilion, whispered promises under moonlight, the softness of her breasts pressed against his palm as they hid from patrolling elders in a storage closet. The heat of her mouth, the little gasps she made when he touched her just right.
'By the number one death flag in every cultivation novel,' Ye Chen thought fainty. 'I'm actually cucking Wei Feng.'
"I was worried about you," Lin Mei said, glancing around to ensure they were alone. "I saw Wei Feng's 'training session' this morning. Are you hurt?"
Ye Chen struggled to compose himself, trying to reconcile the original Ye Chen's obvious infatuation with his own moral compass. This woman was engaged to Wei Feng, the same arrogant young master who had been grinding his face into the dirt hours ago.
"I'm fine," he managed, surprised at how steady his voice sounded. "It looked worse than it was."
Lin Mei stepped closer, her fragrance enveloping him, jasmine and something uniquely her own, a scent that triggered more intimate memories that made his face heat up.
"You're different today," she observed, her head tilting curiously. "Something's changed about you."
Ye Chen swallowed hard. The original Ye Chen had been head-over-heels for this woman, risking everything for their forbidden relationship. But the new Ye Chen saw flashing warning signs everywhere.
"Just trying a new cultivation technique," he replied, taking a half-step back. "It's helping with... perspective."
Lin Mei's expression fell slightly. "You're avoiding me." She reached out, her slender fingers brushing his wrist. "Ever since three days ago, you've been distant. Did I do something wrong?"
The touch sent electricity up his arm, and Ye Chen realized with alarm that his body was responding to her proximity in ways his mind wasn't prepared for. The original Ye Chen's muscle memory, perhaps.
"No, it's not that," he said, searching for words that wouldn't offend her or reveal his true situation. "I've just been... reevaluating some things."
"Reevaluating us?" Her green eyes glistened, threatening tears.
Oh hell. This was getting complicated fast.
"Lin Mei, you're engaged to Wei Feng," Ye Chen said carefully. "He's the grandson of an Elder. I'm a nobody outer disciple who has limited prospets. This—" he gestured between them, "—this can only end badly."
"I don't care about any of that!" Lin Mei's voice was fierce despite its softness. "I never wanted this arrangement with Wei Feng. My father forced it upon me for political advantage. You know this."
Ye Chen's memory palace confirmed her claim, revealing conversations where Lin Mei had sobbed against his shoulder, lamenting her fate as a political pawn in her family's ambitions.
"Still," Ye Chen insisted, "we need to be careful. Wei Feng would kill me if he found out, and your father would—"
"My father would understand if he knew what Wei Feng was really like," she interrupted. "The face he shows to the elders is not his true face. You've experienced his cruelty firsthand."
Before Ye Chen could respond, Lin Mei moved with cultivator speed, closing the distance between them. Her lips pressed against his, warm and insistent, tasting faintly of spirit fruits. His body responded automatically, arms encircling her waist, pulling her closer as memories of their past encounters flooded his mind.
When they finally broke apart, Ye Chen was breathing hard, his thoughts scattered.
"Meet me tonight," she whispered against his ear. "At our usual place. I have something important to tell you."
Then she was gone, disappearing around a corner with the grace only an inner disciple could command, leaving Ye Chen standing there with his heart pounding and his cultivation principles in shambles.
"I am so dead," he muttered to himself, running a hand through his hair. "If Wei Feng finds out, he'll feed me to his spirit beasts piece by piece."
[Hidden Quest Completed: Kindling a Forbidden Flame]
[Reward: 1x Minor Prestige Roll]
The blue text that appeared before his eyes made Ye Chen choke on his own breath.
"You've got to be kidding me," he whispered, looking around frantically to ensure no one was watching him talk to thin air. "The system considers cucking Wei Feng a quest?"
[Do you wish to Roll?]
"I... yes. Yes, I do."
Three options materialized:
Silver Tongue:Your words carry subtle spiritual weight, making your arguments more persuasive and your lies more believable. Those who hear you speak feel naturally inclined to agree with your perspective, though this effect weakens against targets of significantly higher cultivation.
Noble Bearing:Your posture, movements, and expressions unconsciously shift to mimic those of high nobility, granting you an air of authority that makes others hesitate to question or challenge you directly. Servants and those of lower status will instinctively defer to your commands unless specifically ordered otherwise by their masters.
Fate's Favorite: Fortune smiles upon you in small but significant ways. When faced with random chance, probability subtly shifts in your favor. Lost items appear in the first place you look, guards happen to be looking the other way when you need to pass, and accusers find their evidence mysteriously misplaced.