Club lights flashed while music pounded through the entire room. The scent of expensive perfume, alcohol, and thin cigarette smoke mixed together, creating an atmosphere that felt warm yet burning. In the middle of it all, lin yuan sat casually on a wide black sofa, legs crossed, a faint smile decorating his face that always looked calm.
Several women surrounded him. Some rested their heads on his arm, while others clung to his shoulders. Their hands touched him lightly, their laughter moving in rhythm with the pounding music.
lin yuan raised a crystal glass, sipped red wine while looking at them with his dark blue eyes, that faint smile spreading charm effortlessly. No words, no exaggerated gestures—just the calm aura of a young master used to getting whatever he wanted.
Suddenly, the club door slammed open. All eyes turned toward the sound.
A man stepped inside, his kick sending the door flying several meters away. An aura of power and danger radiated from his steps, swallowing all the warmth in the room.
lin yuan straightened his body, eyebrow raised.
"…You?" he muttered with a tense yet stunned expression.
That face—he knew it. And even more shocking… he was still alive.
"lin yuan, today is the day you die," the man's voice was heavy, full of threat.
lin yuan stared at him flatly, a thin smile forming—mocking and full of contempt.
"My death day, huh? Funny… I don't even know who I should respect first: you, or that ridiculous courage of yours."
The man released his aura. Stable qi began spreading from his body—calm, yet deadly. The surrounding air seemed to get sucked away as chairs and lights inside the club trembled softly.
"Hah… how did you get here without even a scratch?" lin yuan muttered, his tone mixed between surprise and caution.
The man stared at him coldly, full of hatred. The qi covering his body carried overwhelming killing intent, forcing both people and even the surrounding air to hold their breath.
With one swing of his arm, a black qi blade shot toward lin yuan's neck while he was off guard.
lin yuan reacted too late—the first strike slashed across his shoulder. Blood sprayed out, soaking his black shirt and making the cold smile on his face disappear.
"You really think you can beat me with that pathetic strength alone?"
The man casually rolled his shoulder, completely ignoring lin yuan's existence.
Feeling ignored, lin yuan immediately decided to get serious and summoned his sword artifact. The blade gleamed coldly, releasing a deadly aura sharp enough to pierce the air.
With precise movements, he unleashed the Lin family's strongest technique—Thousand Shadow Slashes. Slash after slash shot forward at incredible speed, leaving trails of qi light tearing through the air.
The energy waves created spun wildly around him, throwing chairs, glasses, and tables aside.
The crackling sound of lightning filled the club, creating dramatic yet controlled chaos.
Facing that attack, the man remained standing tall. A dark artifact appeared in his hand, absorbing every slash from lin yuan.
"Hahahaha... just like I thought, you'd use your trump card right at the start of the fight."
lin yuan clicked his tongue in annoyance. "Ck… an artifact that can block Lin family techniques?"
"What's wrong? Are you scared now? This is a peak golden core artifact. With this, I'm truly unbeatable!" he shouted with complete confidence.
"Too bad… your luck runs out today," lin yuan mocked casually.
Suddenly, from beneath the man's shadow, a servant in a neat uniform appeared. Without warning, the servant's dagger pierced through his chest, making the man lose his strength and collapse.
"You bastard, always using dirty tricks."
lin yuan stepped closer, pressing his foot onto the man's head. His voice was cold and sharp.
"Tell me, how did you escape all this time, and where did you get that artifact?"
The man was busy trying to gather qi to break free, fury blazing in his eyes, but lin yuan only stared at him coldly.
"That dagger already sealed your qi. Your struggle is pointless."
The man shouted angrily while glaring at lin yuan.
"Coward! Fight me one-on-one if you dare!"
lin yuan looked at him with disgust, a mocking smile forming on his face.
"You want a one-on-one fight, right? Fine… I'll give you one."
lin yuan moved calmly yet with perfect precision. Attack after attack landed nonstop, all targeting the man's face. Waves of qi swept through the air while explosions of energy echoed around them. Before long, the man finally lost consciousness.
lin yuan stood up and drew his sword, ready to finish everything… but suddenly, a powerful aura pressed against his back from behind, making him freeze instantly.
Someone appeared—a man in Taoist robes—sending the nearby servant flying away like worthless trash.
lin yuan was shocked, thoughts racing. How was this possible? His servant was at mid Golden Core, one of the strongest experts around, yet had been taken down that easily.
He immediately bowed respectfully, voice firm.
"lin yuan of the Lin family pays his respects. Senior, may I know who you are… and what business brings you here?"
Without warning, the Taoist expert attacked. lin yuan's jade pendant activated, but shattered instantly.
lin yuan was shocked by that sudden attack. He already guessed someone would save that man, but he never expected some random side character would actually try to kill him despite his high status.
lin yuan glared sharply, his voice full of threat.
"You dare hurt him… I am lin yuan, the number one talent of the Lin family! If you kill me, my family will hunt you to the ends of the world!"
Feeling the situation slipping out of his calculations, he tried threatening the Taoist to make him hesitate.
The Taoist expert only laughed coldly.
"Number one talent? Back where I come from, you're nothing but trash."
Before lin yuan could react, the attack came too fast—sword, artifact, any defense at all, none of it could stop it. In an instant, the Taoist expert ended lin yuan's life.
...
...
...
lin yuan woke up in an empty space. There was no sky, no ground, not even sound. His consciousness felt light and hollow, as if torn away from the world itself.
["Tutorial Complete."]
lin yuan let out a slow breath, lips curling slightly. He hadn't expected the tutorial to end this quickly.
["You have died. The next process will begin shortly."]
["Preparing transmigration to the Main World."]
Damn it, I seriously didn't expect to die to some random npc. And that cockroach really is hard to kill.
A transparent panel appeared before him. Talent choices:
Trash Talent – Luck 150,000 – Talent 10
Mortal Talent – Luck 100,000 – Talent 25
High Talent/Genius – Luck 40,000 – Talent 30
Earth Talent – Luck 5,000 – Talent 40
Heavenly Talent – Luck -50,000 – Talent 50
lin yuan stared at Heavenly Talent. His memories jumped back to the previous world—how his talent hadn't been enough to save him from his enemy.
Whether because his luck was too low or for some other reason, every assassination attempt, conspiracy, and battle always ended with the protagonist surviving because of luck.
He swallowed hard and closed his eyes for a moment.
"…No. I don't want to deal with that extra difficulty again."
His decision landed on Mortal Talent. This talent was stable enough for growth while still large enough to provide meaningful effects from luck. On top of that, it was the optimal choice to combine with the talents he planned to choose later.
["Please choose spiritual roots."]
Fire
Water
Wood
Earth
Metal
Ice
Lightning
Wind
Poison
Yin
Yang
He chose Metal 70% and Lightning 30%, a combination far more perfect for a sword cultivator than what he chose before.
Previously, he had picked an even split between metal and lightning, 50%-50%, but experience proved that approach was too general. This time, with full focus on the sword path, he decided to use lightning as a supporting element—granting speed and flashes of energy to attack from unexpected angles, while metal remained the destructive core of his power.
"…This feels way better," he muttered, a faint smile appearing as confidence shined in his eyes.
["Next, please choose talents."]
["Background"]
Born Commoner (0)
Born Rich (2)
Born Noble (3)
Born Royal Family (4)
Born in Great Sect (4)
etc
[Physical Talent 2]
Regeneration
Enhanced Strength
Steel Body
Bone Reinforcement
Pain Resistance
Endless Stamina
Fast Reflex
Adaptive Body
etc
[ Mental Talent 2 ]
Iron Will
Absolute Focus
Cold Mind
Emotion Suppression
High Comprehension
Perfect Memory
etc
[ Energy / Cultivation Talent 2 ]
Energy Sensitivity
Fast Absorption
Pure Circulation
Meridian Expansion
Stable Foundation
Spiritual Compression
Energy Overflow
etc
[ Combat Talent 2 ]
Sword Handler
Blade Instinct
Weapon Affinity
Combat Genius
Killing Intent
Precision Strike
Reaction Boost
etc
[ Special Talent 2 ]
Luck Overflow
Hidden Aura
Danger Sense
Survival Instinct
Captivating Beauty
etc
[ Profession 10 ]
Genius Alchemy (Fire, Wood Spiritual Root)
Genius Forge (Fire, Metal Spiritual Root)
Genius Array (All Elements / Balanced Five Elements)
Genius Talisman Crafting (Light, Yang, Fire Spiritual Root)
Genius Beast Taming (Wood, Earth Spiritual Root)
Genius Puppeter (Metal, Yin Spiritual Root)
[ Spirit 10 ]
Elephant Spirit
Tiger Spirit
Eagle Spirit
Turtle Spirit
Serpent Spirit
etc
[ Physique ]
Supreme Bone (40)
Twin Divine Pupils (30)
Innate Sword Physique (10)
Solar Divine Body (15)
Five Elements Spirit Body (25)
Heavenly Lightning Body (20)
Titan War Body (25)
Eternal Frost Body (20)
Pure Yang Body (20)
Extreme Yin Body (20)
Starfall Body (25)
Heavenly Dao Body (40)
etc
Previous talents: Innate Sword Physique(10), Genius Array(10), Captivating Beauty(2), Born Royal Family(4), Combat Genius(2), Regeneration(2), Enhanced Strength(2), Pain Resistance(2), Fast Reflex(2), Adaptive Body(2), Iron Will(2), Absolute Focus(2), Perfect Memory(2), Weapon Affinity(2), Survival Instinct(2), Danger Sense(2).
[Selected talents exceed available points.]
"Huh… I picked those talents hoping the stats would stack after the tutorial ended. By remembering and understanding every talent I chose, I thought maybe I could keep the buff effects and save points for a powerful physique, and even if that failed, I'd still benefit from having a stronger body. But… looks like I need to change the plan now."
After thinking carefully, he finally made his choice.
Talent: Innate Sword Physique(10), Genius Array(10), Captivating Beauty(2), Born Noble(3).
He picked the most important talents from his previous attempt. Innate Sword Physique gave him extra buffs when learning and executing sword techniques, while Genius Array allowed him to read traps, manipulate the environment, and seize control of formations for precise counterattacks.
At the same time, Captivating Beauty and Born Noble gave him social advantages—making it easier to steal women away from the protagonist.
"Damn… I really want Pain Resistance," he muttered softly. "I lost limbs way too often when dealing with the protagonist before… But if I skip Captivating Beauty, I might end up falling into the protagonist's hands eventually."
He took a slow breath, weighing every option. This time, he couldn't take risks. Death in this world was real, and without Pain Resistance, every step had to be calculated perfectly to avoid suffering.
After all choices were confirmed, bright light wrapped around his consciousness. His body felt light, as if being pulled toward a new world.
"…Hope this isn't a stupid decision," lin yuan muttered.
[Transmigration initiated, destination: Tianyuan Continent]