The first thing Wei Liang felt was pain.
Not the dull, distant kind—but sharp, cracking pain that split through bone and flesh like dry wood snapping under a hammer.
"Still not dead?"
A voice sneered above him.
Another kick landed in his ribs.
Crack.
Air fled his lungs. His body curled instinctively, but there was nowhere to retreat. The ground beneath him was packed dirt, cold and damp, carrying the faint scent of ash and rot—typical of the lower courtyards of Ashen Peak Sect.
"Useless trash," someone spat. "Can't even carry spirit coal properly."
Wei Liang tried to breathe, but his chest refused to obey.
For a brief moment, there was nothing but darkness.
Then—
Memory flooded in.
Not his.
Not entirely.
A cramped apartment. A glowing phone screen. Endless web novels about cultivators defying the heavens—
—and then a fall.
A sudden, final impact.
Silence.
Then this body.
Wei Liang's eyes snapped open.
Dust blurred his vision. Above him stood three young men in gray robes, the insignia of outer disciples stitched onto their sleeves. Their expressions were familiar—not to him, but to the body he now occupied.
Mockery.
Disdain.
The weakest always recognized the weakest.
"Oi," one of them crouched, grabbing Wei Liang by the hair and forcing his head up. "You're pretending again?"
The man's breath smelled of cheap spirit wine.
"Get up. You still owe us three more loads from the furnace."
Wei Liang didn't respond.
Not because he couldn't.
Because he was thinking.
Seventeen years old. Outer servant disciple. No talent. Frequently beaten.
The memories aligned quickly, cleanly.
Too cleanly.
So this is transmigration.
Another kick slammed into his stomach.
This time, Wei Liang reacted.
Not outwardly—but internally, something shifted.
The panic that should have come never arrived.
Instead, there was only a quiet, almost detached clarity.
Three opponents. All at Qi Condensation Layer 2. Bodies strengthened slightly, but sloppy stance. No real combat training.
He noticed everything.
The uneven weight distribution of the one holding him.
The hesitation in the second's footwork.
The third… slightly slower reaction speed.
If I move now, I might disable one.
But his body—
Weak.
Too weak.
His meridians felt like dry, brittle threads. Qi barely flowed, thin and scattered. Even standing would be difficult, let alone fighting.
Wei Liang made a decision.
He let his head drop.
"Pathetic," the first disciple sneered, shoving him back into the dirt. "Look at him. Not even worth hitting."
Laughter followed.
Footsteps receded.
"Finish your work before nightfall," one of them called lazily. "Or we'll come back."
Silence returned.
Wei Liang lay still.
He didn't move immediately.
Instead, he listened.
Wind brushing against broken stone walls.
Distant clangs from the sect's forging grounds.
A faint crackling—the furnace.
No footsteps nearby.
Only then did he slowly push himself up.
Pain flared again, sharper now that the adrenaline had faded. His ribs protested. His left arm trembled under his own weight.
He sat there for a moment, breathing shallowly.
"…So it's real."
His voice was hoarse.
Dry.
Unfamiliar.
Wei Liang looked at his hands.
Thin. Calloused. Dirt embedded beneath cracked nails.
Not his.
But they would have to do.
He closed his eyes.
First priority: survive.
This world didn't care about past lives or morality. Strength dictated everything. Without it, he would die—either slowly, like this body had been, or quickly under someone else's whim.
He needed power.
And fast.
As if in response—
Something stirred.
Deep within his consciousness.
Not a sound.
Not a voice.
But a presence.
Wei Liang froze.
The world around him seemed to dim—not physically, but perceptually, as though something far more significant had just entered his awareness.
Then—
He saw it.
A pagoda.
Ancient. Towering. Endless.
It stood within a vast, empty expanse—his sea of consciousness—its structure formed from dark jade and cracked gold, exuding a pressure that made even his thoughts feel heavier.
Eighty-one floors.
Each one sealed.
Each one silent.
Wei Liang didn't move.
Didn't speak.
He simply observed.
So this is the system.
No glowing panels.
No cheerful notifications.
Only that massive, oppressive structure.
At the base—
The first floor trembled.
A faint, almost imperceptible shift.
Then—
A single object emerged.
Not floating.
Not handed to him.
It simply… appeared.
A small jade vial.
Its surface was smooth, but faint fractures ran along its edges, like something once whole that had been forcibly broken and pieced back together.
Wei Liang's gaze lingered on it.
Instinct told him what it was.
Not through words.
But through understanding.
A Qi Nourishing Pill.
Low grade.
But for this body—
A miracle.
He reached out.
The moment his consciousness touched the vial—
Wei Liang's eyes snapped open.
His hand was already raised.
And in it—
The jade vial.
He stared at it for a long moment.
No excitement.
No disbelief.
Only calculation.
Seven-day cycle? Or first activation reward?
He didn't know yet.
But one thing was certain—
This was his chance.
Slowly, carefully, Wei Liang uncorked the vial.
A faint medicinal scent drifted out—bitter, with a trace of something metallic underneath. Not pure. Not refined.
But potent enough.
He didn't hesitate.
The pill slid into his mouth.
Heat.
It exploded the moment it dissolved.
Not gentle.
Not controlled.
A surge of crude, violent energy tore through his meridians like floodwater through broken channels.
Wei Liang's body trembled.
Pain—worse than the beating—spread from his core outward.
His muscles seized.
His veins bulged.
For a moment, it felt like his body would tear itself apart.
Too fast.
His mind remained calm.
The body can't handle it.
He adjusted his breathing.
Slow.
Measured.
Guiding the chaotic Qi—not forcefully, but subtly, letting it follow the natural pathways, widening them just enough to prevent collapse.
It was inefficient.
But safe.
The cracked, brittle meridians began to stretch.
Not smoothly.
They resisted.
Each inch felt like dragging rusted chains through flesh.
Wei Liang didn't stop.
Pain is information.
He focused on it.
Used it.
Redirected the flow again.
Time lost meaning.
Minutes—or hours—passed.
Then—
A soft, almost inaudible sound.
Click.
Something opened.
A single meridian.
Then another.
The pressure eased slightly.
Wei Liang exhaled.
Not relief.
Acknowledgment.
Qi Condensation… Layer 1 stabilized.
Barely.
But enough.
The remaining energy settled, no longer rampaging, but circulating—thin, weak, but present.
Alive.
Wei Liang opened his eyes.
The world felt… different.
Sharper.
He could feel the faint traces of spiritual energy in the air now—like a thin mist brushing against his skin.
He stood.
Slowly.
His body still ached, but it obeyed him now.
That was enough.
Footsteps.
From the distance.
Returning.
Wei Liang turned his head slightly.
Three figures.
The same ones.
Earlier than expected.
"Oi," the lead disciple called out. "You still—"
He stopped.
His eyes narrowed.
Wei Liang stood upright now.
Not hunched.
Not broken.
Just… standing.
Calm.
"…You look different," the man muttered.
Wei Liang didn't respond.
He simply looked at them.
Not defiantly.
Not submissively.
Just—
Watching.
Measuring.
The silence stretched.
Something about it made the other two uneasy.
"Don't just stand there!" one snapped, stepping forward. "Get back to work—"
Wei Liang moved.
Not fast.
Not aggressive.
Just one step to the side.
But that single motion—
Perfectly timed—
caused the man to stumble slightly as his momentum carried him forward.
A small mistake.
But enough.
Wei Liang's eyes flickered.
Still weak.
But no longer prey.
The lead disciple frowned.
"…Tch. Forget it. Move faster next time."
They turned away again.
But this time—
They didn't kick him.
Didn't touch him.
Wei Liang watched them leave.
Then slowly turned his gaze toward the distant peaks of the sect.
Ashen smoke curled into the sky.
Above it—
The fractured heavens loomed, jagged scars stretching across the firmament.
Silent.
Watching.
Wei Liang's expression didn't change.
But deep within—
The pagoda stood.
Unmoving.
Waiting.
"…Let's see," he murmured quietly.
"Which one of us uses the other first."
End of Chapter 1