Rain poured from the sky like the heavens themselves were mourning.
In a dim alley lit only by flickering streetlights, Lin Feng stood over a wounded stranger, blood staining his shirt. Sirens blared in the distance, but they were too far. The attacker had already fled, leaving only chaos behind.
"Hang on," Lin Feng said, pressing down on the man's wound. "Help is coming."
The stranger, an old man with cloudy eyes, smiled faintly. "You… have a kind heart."
Lin Feng shook his head. "Anyone would've done it."
The old man's smile widened. "No… not everyone would sacrifice their life… for someone they don't know."
Lin Feng paused. "What are you—?"
A sharp pain tore through his back. He gasped, falling to his knees. He looked down—his hands were red. Blood. His blood.
He had been stabbed.
The old man chuckled, voice suddenly filled with power. "A soul like yours… deserves another chance."
Darkness wrapped around Lin Feng like a cold blanket. His vision blurred, his thoughts faded… and then—
Ding!
[Divine Path System initializing…]
[Host soul detected: Lin Feng]
[Searching for suitable vessel…]
[Transfer complete.]
When Lin Feng opened his eyes, the rain was gone. The air was dry and filled with the scent of herbs. He sat up abruptly, realizing he was in a wooden bed, inside a humble room. His body felt strange—lighter, younger, yet unfamiliar.
"What… is this?" he muttered.
Then the voice came again.
Ding!
[Welcome to the cultivation world of Xuanjie.]
[You are now the host of the Divine Path System.]
[Current status: Body of a fallen outer disciple. Cultivation: None.]
[Beginner Quest: Survive the next 24 hours.]
Lin Feng's breath caught.
"This… this is not Earth."
He stood and walked to a mirror on the wall. The face staring back at him was not his own—it belonged to a boy of about sixteen, with sharp features and a faint scar across his brow.
"What the hell is going on…"
[Do you wish to begin your path, Host?]
Lin Feng closed his eyes, then exhaled slowly. Whatever this world was, wherever he was… there was no going back.
"Yes," he whispered. "Let's begin."