Pain.
That was the only thing Lin Feng remembered clearly.
Not glory. Not talent. Not hope.
Just pain.
"Trash like you still hasn't quit?"
Laughter echoed across the training hall.
Lin Feng lay sprawled on the cold metallic floor, his vision blurred, his body trembling. Blood dripped from the corner of his mouth, staining the academy uniform he could barely afford.
Above him stood three cadets—clean, uninjured, and smiling.
Zhao Kai stepped forward, looking down like a king judging a corpse.
"You're impressive, I'll give you that," he sneered. "Most cripples would've dropped out months ago."
A sharp kick slammed into Lin Feng's ribs.
CRACK.
A strangled gasp escaped his throat.
"Still coming back every day just to get beaten…" Zhao Kai crouched slightly, gripping Lin Feng's hair and forcing his head up. "Do you enjoy this?"
The surrounding students laughed.
No one intervened.
No one ever did.
Lin Feng's lips moved weakly.
"…I just want… to cultivate…"
For a moment—
Silence.
Then—
Explosive laughter.
"Cultivate?" one of them mocked. "With those broken meridians?"
"Even a dog has a better chance than you!"
Zhao Kai's grip tightened.
"Listen carefully," he said, voice cold. "You are not just weak."
"You are worthless."
He released Lin Feng's head and stood.
"Beat him again."
The blows came without mercy.
Punches. Kicks. Boots crushing bone and flesh.
Lin Feng didn't fight back.
He couldn't.
His body didn't respond.
His meridians—shattered since birth—couldn't circulate even the smallest trace of qi.
In a world where power defined everything…
He was less than nothing.
Minutes later—
They left.
Laughing.
Bored.
Lin Feng remained on the ground.
Alone.
Broken.
"…Why…" he whispered.
His fingers dug weakly into the floor.
"…why was I even born into this world…"
Around him, the training hall resumed as if nothing had happened.
Students trained.
Weapons clashed.
Energy surged.
No one looked at him.
To them—
He was invisible.
Slowly… painfully…
Lin Feng forced himself to sit up.
Every movement felt like his body was tearing apart.
But still—
He moved.
Because stopping meant accepting it.
Accepting that he would never change.
Never rise.
Never matter.
"I won't…" he muttered, teeth clenched.
"I won't stay like this…"
But even as he said it—
A bitter truth echoed in his mind.
You've been saying that for years.
And nothing changed.
That night—
Lin Feng collapsed in his dorm.
A small, dim room at the edge of the academy.
Bare walls.
Broken equipment.
A life that reflected his worth.
He stared at the ceiling.
Empty.
Silent.
"…Maybe…" he whispered.
"…this is just my limit."
And then—
Everything went black.
BOOM.
Fire.
Light.
Screaming metal.
Memories that didn't belong to this world flooded his mind.
A laboratory.
Advanced machines.
Equations beyond imagination.
And himself—
Standing at the center of it all.
Confident.
Brilliant.
Respected.
"Energy compression at this scale… it's possible…"
His past self smiled.
A genius.
A man on the edge of changing humanity itself.
Then—
A shadow behind reinforced glass.
Watching.
Waiting.
"…So you finally made your move," his past self muttered.
No fear.
Only understanding.
The explosion came next.
Silence.
Lin Feng's eyes snapped open.
He was back.
Same room.
Same broken body.
Same worthless existence.
"…So I really died…" he whispered.
"And came back…"
His breathing grew uneven.
Two lives.
Two memories.
One truth.
In his past life—
He had stood at the top.
In this one—
He was at the very bottom.
A slow… dangerous smile formed on his lips.
"…Good."
"If I climbed once…"
His eyes sharpened.
"I can do it again."
"Oi, trash. You alive or dead?"
The door slammed open.
Zhao Kai.
Again.
Like a curse that wouldn't go away.
"You didn't come to training today," Zhao Kai said, stepping inside. "What? Finally gave up?"
He walked closer.
Slow.
Mocking.
Lin Feng didn't respond.
Didn't look afraid.
Didn't look broken.
That… was new.
Zhao Kai frowned.
"…What's with that face?"
Lin Feng slowly stood.
His body trembled.
Weak.
Unstable.
Still broken.
But his eyes—
Were completely different.
"You're right about one thing," Lin Feng said calmly.
"I was worthless."
Zhao Kai smirked. "Glad you finally underst—"
"But not anymore."
Silence.
Something shifted in the air.
Subtle.
But real.
[Ding.]
A voice echoed.
Cold.
Mechanical.
Absolute.
[System Activation Detected.]
[Dao Devourer System Initializing…]
Zhao Kai's expression hardened.
"…What did you just say?"
Lin Feng didn't answer.
Because in front of him—
A glowing interface appeared.
And everything…
Was about to change.
[To Be Continued…]