Why am I crying?
Why can't I control my own hands?
Why am I sitting in a woven bamboo basket?!
He was tightly wrapped in a somewhat itchy linen blanket, staring straight up at a breathtakingly clear, starry night sky.
It did not take a genius to figure out what had happened. He had read enough novels in his past life to recognize the signs. However, he wasn't born into a warm bed surrounded by a loving, noble family. He was just an abandoned baby, left completely alone on the stone steps of what looked like an ancient temple.
Despite the cold, Ni Li felt a strange sense of calm wash over him. He had been given a second chance at life. In his previous world, he had been a nobody, just a regular guy working a dead-end job with no real family to speak of.
Before he could ponder his grand ambitions any further, the doors behind him swung open.
A small group of elderly men, all sporting incredibly long white beards and wearing blue robes, stepped out into the night. The leader of the group, an old man with deep wrinkles, noticed the basket immediately.
This was Sect Leader Qing of the Azure Cloud Sect.
Sect Leader Qing carefully knelt down and picked up the basket. The moment his calloused hands brushed against Ni Li's tiny body, the old man froze.
"By the heavens!" Sect Leader Qing gasped aloud. He almost dropped the basket in his sudden fright.
"This aura... the spiritual energy of the world is rushing into his tiny body as naturally as water flowing down a mountain! This is impossible!"
The other elders quickly gathered around, their faces pale under the moonlight. They were the core elders of the Azure Cloud Sect, a tiny, severely declining righteous sect that was currently struggling just to keep its doors open. They hadn't seen a talented disciple in decades.
"Sect Leader, is it what I think it is?" Elder Lin, the sect's chief alchemist, asked.
"Yes!" Sect Leader Qing said. "It is the Heavenly Dragon Constitution! It is a legendary physique that hasn't appeared in the mortal realm for ten thousand years! The heavens have not abandoned us! Our golden age is finally dawning because of him!"
Hearing this, the other elders immediately burst into joyous tears. They hugged each other, laughing and crying. The sight was incredibly touching. Ni Li, watching these old men celebrate his very existence with such pure happiness, felt a strange warmth bloom in his tiny chest.
In his past life, no one had ever celebrated him like this. Right then and there, Ni Li decided that these emotional old men were his people now.
Over the next few weeks, Ni Li was treated less like an abandoned orphan and more like a little emperor. The sect was poor, and their buildings were practically falling apart, but they gave him the absolute best of everything they had.
Since he was a baby and couldn't do much besides eat, sleep, and soil his cloth diapers, Ni Li spent all his time listening.
Standard to the rules of this new reality, he favored simply lying there and letting the elders explicitly tell him everything about the world while they took turns babysitting him.
Through Elder Lin's constant stories, Ni Li quickly grasped the lore of his new home. This world was known as the Azure Continent, a vast and ancient land where absolute strength ruled above all else.
Here, humans cultivated the ambient spiritual energy of heaven and earth to perform miracles. These individuals were known as cultivators.
A powerful cultivator could shatter massive mountains with a single punch, split wide rivers with a swing of a sword, and even fly freely through the clouds on flying treasures.
Cultivation was strictly divided into distinct stages: Qi Condensation, Foundation Establishment, Golden Core, Nascent Soul, and beyond.
Every step was a struggle against the heavens, requiring immense resources, talent, and sheer willpower.
However, humanity was not alone, nor were they safe. The Azure Continent was constantly under siege by terrifying creatures known as demons. These demons lurked in the dark territories known as the Shadowlands.
They were nightmarish beasts and corrupted, wicked spirits that fed exclusively on human flesh and negative emotions. The righteous sects, like the Azure Cloud Sect, were sworn to be the noble guardians of humanity, holding the line against the demonic tides.
Unfortunately, the Azure Cloud Sect was currently ranked dead last among the righteous factions. They were impoverished, weak, and constantly bullied by larger, wealthier sects.
Sect Leader Qing was only at the late stages of Foundation Establishment, a pitifully low rank for a sect master.
Yet, looking at Ni Li, Sect Leader Qing saw the ultimate weapon. He saw a future where the Azure Cloud Sect stood at the absolute pinnacle of the continent, striking fear into the hearts of demon kings and commanding the respect of emperors.
"You, little one," Sect Leader Qing whispered one afternoon, gently poking Ni Li's chubby cheek while feeding him expensive, spirit-infused goat's milk.
"With your supreme talent, you won't even need to try hard. The spiritual energy practically begs to enter your meridians. You are destined to be an immortal!"
Ni Li was lying comfortably in his intricately crib, dreaming happily of flying on cool swords and effortlessly throwing massive fireballs at ugly demons.
Suddenly, a crisp chime echoed directly within the center of his mind.
[Ding!]
[Host's soul has fully stabilized in the new vessel!]
[Talent Rarity: Ultra-Supreme.]
Ni Li practically wiggled with joy.
The blue, semi-transparent text hovered in his vision, pausing for a brief moment as if the mechanical entity was carefully calculating its next move.
[Generating suitable interface based on Host's current wealth, status, and worldly possessions...]
[Error. Analyzing current data...]
[Host possesses zero currency.]
[Host possesses zero properties.]
[Host is currently wearing a borrowed, low-quality linen rag.]
[Host is entirely dependent on the charity and handouts of elderly men for basic survival.]
[Conclusion: Host's socioeconomic status is at the absolute bottom of the mortal hierarchy.]
Ni Li blinked his innocent baby eyes. 'Wait. Hold on a second. What does my lack of money have to do with anything? I'm a baby! Of course I don't have a job!'
[Adjusting system parameters to perfectly match the Host's current lifestyle and primary method of acquiring resources.]
[Binding complete.]
[Welcome, Host, to the Mythical Beggar System!]
Ni Li choked on his own spit, letting out a coughing sputter that immediately alerted the two guards standing outside his door.
'What?!' Ni Li screamed in his mind, his tiny fists clenching in outrage.
'Beggar?! Did you just call me a beggar?! I have the Heavenly Dragon Constitution! I am the supreme hope of the righteous path!'
The blue screen ignored his mental protests and cheerfully displayed his very first status page.
[Host: Ni Li]
[Age: 1 Month]
[Cultivation Base: None]
[Class: Novice Street Urchin]
[Current Wealth: 0 Copper Coins]
[A true mythical beggar knows how to extract maximum charity from his targets. Using your current assets, successfully beg Sect Leader Qing for one (1) Low-Grade Spirit Nourishing Pill.]
[Reward for Success: +5 Begging Experience, Unlocks 'Pitiful Puppy Dog Eyes' Skill.]
Ni Li stared at the floating blue screen, completely dumbfounded. The grand, epic fantasy adventure he had been envisioning for the past month shattered into a million tiny pieces.
Hearing his coughing, Sect Leader Qing burst into the room.
"Little Dragon! Are you alright? Are you hungry again?"
Taking a deep breath, Ni Li screwed up his face, pushed his lower lip out as far as it would go, and prepared to throw the most spiritually demanding temper tantrum of his entire new life.