"Is it really that serious?" I asked.
"Of course. Why would I lie to you?" the blue soul replied.
"Look, we've crossed the bridge. There are two portals ahead — one green, which is for reincarnation, and another silver, for Transmigration. Go straight, and you'll find a man holding a black book. He will tell you which portal you should choose. That's all I can do for you; the rest is up to you," the blue soul said.
With that said, he turned and flew off in another direction.
I stood there, eyes fixed on the black mist, hesitating whether to step inside or not. After a moment, Haaa—I'm already dead. What worse could possibly happen now?
I walked for a few hours, and sure enough—at the end of the road, there was a man in black, holding a book. His eyes were closed, and he gave off a strange, mysterious vibe. I tried to do what the blue soul told me. I stepped closer, but then, all of a sudden, the man in black opened his eyes and stared straight at me.
[Hmm... A mortal? How rare. Let's take a look at your life and death.]
[Name: Alex Winterborn | Age: 26 | Cause of Death: Crushed by a truck while saving a child]
[A regular person with no notable achievements in life.]
[Evaluation: Normal, but kind-hearted.]
[Reward: Soul Transmigration]
[Hah… Haven't seen someone like you in a long time. Should I say you're lucky, or just really unlucky? If you had been born a million—no, ten million—years earlier, you might've become a true powerhouse. What a pity.]
[Step into the Silver Portal.]
'What the f*** is my luck really that bad'
"Sir, are you sure there's no other way?"
[No. Now hurry—I have other matters to attend to.]
As soon as those words left his mouth, a murderous aura crashed over me—I almost pissed myself.
Without hesitation, I darted into the silver portal. The moment my foot crossed the threshold, everything went blank.
—--------------------------------
I opened my eyes slowly, pain flooding every inch of my body. It felt like every bone was screaming in agony.
Where... am I? Ahhh... my head... It hurts.
Suddenly, unfamiliar memories surged into my mind—fragments that didn't belong to me. The name attached to this body was Fang Jianyu. A beggar.
What? I've become... a beggar?
I glanced around, my vision blurry but clearing. I looked around the surroundings and found that I was inside a run-down temple. From the memories, I gathered that Fang Jianyu and his father had lived here.
As I was thinking, I suddenly heard a cold, mechanical voice echo directly inside my mind.
[DING!]
[Eternal Gate System initializing…]
[Synchronization complete. Welcome, Host: Fang Jianyu.]
"A system? Like in a novel?" I muttered, stunned. "This... this is insane."
'Status'
'[Eternal Gate System] – Status Panel
Name: Fang Jianyu (Alex Winterborn)
Race: Human
Realm: Mortal Body
Strength: 1
Agility:1
Intelligence: 1.9
Vitality: 1.2
Endurance: 1
Reflexes: 1.2
Will: 1
Next Multiplication in: 24h
Passive Skill: [Eternal Doubling – LV Max]
Description: All base stats double every 24 hours. Cannot be interrupted.
◑◑◑◑◑◑◑◑◑○◑
Fang Jianyu stared at the glowing interface hovering before him, his mouth agape with disbelief. The transparent blue screen confirmed what countless web novel protagonists had experienced—he'd actually received a system upon transmigration. The web novel gods hadn't been lying after all.
Within seconds, understanding of the system flooded his consciousness, as though the knowledge had been directly uploaded to his brain.
His particular system centered around status points. The true power lay in its unique function: every 24 hours, all accumulated status points would double automatically. And this doubling would continue indefinitely, creating exponential growth that, theoretically, could reach astronomical levels.
A hesitant smile tugged at the corner of his lips. This changed everything, didn't it? With a system backing him, surely he could seek out legendary opportunities, unearth ancient treasures, and eventually conquer this cultivation world or Martial world, right?
Are you stupid? Hell no!
The smile vanished as quickly as it had appeared. He sighed, massaging his temples. Still, it wasn't entirely hopeless. He has hopes to survive. For now, survival meant adhering to Cultivation World Rules 101: Don't bully any trash-talented boy named Chen Mo (inevitably the protagonist destined for greatness). Don't insult servants named Lin Feng who perform odd jobs around sects (invariably concealed dragons waiting to reveal their true power). Don't call Zhou Feng a Trash(the protagonist destined for greatness). And most importantly, don't even glance in the direction of any lady named Li Yao (guaranteed future cultivation empress with a harem of powerful admirers).
"Keep a low profile. Don't flaunt your strength. It's better to live as an ordinary citizen than to draw attention as a martial artist or cultivator." I said.
Let's survive until tomorrow.
As I was lost in thought about the future, the air around me suddenly grew scorching hot.
"Why is it getting so hot?" I muttered.
I looked up—and my heart stopped. A massive fireball was hurtling straight toward the temple.
"What kind of hell-level difficulty is this?!"
I ran with everything I had, barely escaping with my life. Just as I caught my breath, brilliant red and blue sparks lit up the sky.
Then, a cold voice rang out, cutting through the chaos like a blade.
"Zhou Feng, so what if you've inherited the Blood Ancestor's inheritance? Do you really think that makes you worthy of the Saintess? Keep dreaming!"
Another bold voice rang out, full of righteous fury:
"Worthy or unworthy... Who are you to decide?"
" Is that so? Get ready to die."
[Thunder art : Thousand Thunder Technique ]
High above, one of the masters raised his hand, and faint arcs of lightning began to dance around his fingertips. The air tightened. In the next instant, a storm of thunderbolts exploded from his palm.
"Heh… You think you're the only one with advanced techniques? Let me show you the true power of the Hao Clan."
[Flame Art: Great Destruction Flame — Fourth Stage]
A deep rumble echoed as crimson fire coiled around his arms, burning hotter with each breath. The air shimmered, and the sky above twisted from the sheer heat as a wave of searing flame surged outward.
I hid behind a tree, unsure of what to do. After a few hours, the noise finally stopped. I couldn't help wondering what happened, so I slowly made my way back to the battlefield.