The box sat on his bed like a sacred relic, its surface gleaming under the afternoon sun. A simple label on top read:
"Immersive VR Headset – Cultivation Online Edition."
Seventeen-year-old Rei Lin couldn't stop smiling. He tore the tape off with trembling hands, heart pounding as the lid opened to reveal the sleek headset — a black and silver crown of glass and metal.
"Finally…" he whispered, laughing softly. "I can finally play it."
For months, he'd scraped money together — skipping lunches, doing tutoring, even selling his old console — all for this moment. For the chance to log into Cultivation Online, the world's most realistic cultivation game. A virtual realm where mortals soared through the skies and bent the elements to their will.
He lifted the headset from the box with reverence, like it was some kind of divine artifact. But as he turned to place it on the charging pad, his foot caught on a cable tangled by the bed.
Snap.
Everything slowed.
He stumbled, arms flailing, and the world spun. His head struck the corner of the bed frame with a sickening crack. Pain exploded through his skull, then—
—darkness.
No thoughts.
No sound.
No pain.
Just fading warmth… and a final breath he never even realized he'd taken.
Meanwhile…
In another world, under a blood-red sky, a blade pierced through the chest of a young cultivator named Shi Yun. He coughed blood, collapsing to his knees as a shadowy figure walked away.
"I was… supposed to transcend…" he whispered.
And then, both souls — one from Earth, one from the world of cultivation — unraveled at the same time.
Somewhere beyond space, beyond rules and fate, something shifted.
Somewhere beyond space.
Beyond rules.
Beyond fate.
A sudden sea of white swallowed everything.
Rei Lin blinked, shielding his eyes from the blinding glow. He stood in an endless void — no sound, no ground, just infinite light pressing gently against his skin.
Across from him stood another figure — calm, composed, cloaked in flowing robes stained with fresh blood. His dark hair drifted like mist, and his eyes shimmered with ancient fatigue.
Shi Yun.
"So… it's you," the man said, voice low but clear.
Rei Lin staggered a bit, confused. "What… is this place? Who are you?"
Shi Yun tilted his head slightly, then smiled with quiet acceptance. "It doesn't matter who I am. What matters is — you're the one chosen."
He held out his hand.
In it, a small, glowing crystal shard floated gently. It wasn't warm or cold, but its presence made Rei's soul tremble.
"Take this," Shi Yun said.
Rei hesitated, stepping back instinctively. "Why? What is it?"
Shi Yun looked at him — not with hostility, but with the resignation of someone who had let go.
"A fragment of what's left of me. A gift, or perhaps… a curse. Something that can help you in what's coming."
Before Rei could protest, the shard floated forward and gently pressed into his chest. It sank inside without pain — and instantly, time twisted.
A sharp wind surged through the void. Rei clutched his chest as the world shattered around him like glass.
Suddenly, glowing blue letters appeared in front of his eyes:
[Super Trading System Activated]
User: [Rei Lin]
Soul Compatibility: 99.7%
Error: Host Body Not Found. Reconstructing Host Shell...
Status: Rebirth Initiated
Back in the fading void, Shi Yun stood still, his figure becoming translucent.
"My journey ends here," he whispered. "I won't steal another's life… but perhaps, my will can live on through you."
He gazed upward as his body dissolved into a soft burst of light — not tragic, not fearful… just peaceful.
Meanwhile, back in Rei Lin's room, something impossible happened.
The lifeless body that had collapsed moments ago twitched. A faint glow pulsed from within his chest. His cracked skull mended. The dried blood that had gushed like a fountain vanished, as if time itself had reversed.
Everything was back to normal.
Or… it appeared to be.
Gasp!
Rei Lin jolted awake, clutching his chest and gasping for air. Sweat clung to his skin.
"What a weird dream..." he muttered, blinking rapidly as he sat up in bed. His eyes scanned the familiar walls of his room. The Cultivation Online headset still lay beside him in its open box.
"I guess I was so tired I even dreamed about dying," he chuckled nervously, rubbing his head.
Just then, a mechanical voice echoed in his mind.
[Rebirth Complete]
[Welcome, Host, to the Super Trading System]
[You have inherited the legacy of Shi Yun.]
"The fuck?!" Rei Lin stumbled back, heart pounding as a golden screen hovered in front of him, glowing with yellow golden energy.
The system's voice echoed calmly, as if none of this was shocking:
[Host, relax. I am a powerful system once used by Shi Yun, a cultivator who rose to the level of a Celestial Saint Emperor.]
[He was betrayed by those closest to him. When he activated his final rebirth sequence, he found your soul — pure, compatible, and full of untapped potential.]
[Rather than steal your life, he chose to pass on his legacy… entrusting it to someone who had only lived for 19 years, yet still had the will to stand again.]
[Would Host like to review the contents of the inherited legacy?]
Rei's mouth opened, then closed again. He was still in his room. Still alive. But… something had changed.
Shi Yun… Celestial Saint Emperor… betrayal… rebirth...
And now a system? Just like in all those cultivation novels he used to read?
He stared at the glowing interface, heart still racing.
"...Screw it. Show me what I got."
[Acknowledged.]
[Opening Shi Yun's Legacy...]
[Host has obtained: Shi Yun's Main Cultivation Technique — Primordial Elephant Hell-Suppressing Art]
[Host has obtained: Shi Yun's Physique — Sun and Moon Celestial Body]
[Host has obtained:...]
[Loading...]
[Loading complete.]
A long list began unfolding in front of him — golden text shimmering like divine scripture. There were techniques, treasures, manuals, battle experiences, and even incomplete memories of battles against powerful sects and ancient beasts.
Rei Lin stared blankly at the screen, mouth hanging open in disbelief.
"What the hell..."
His eyes darted across the list. There were names he couldn't even pronounce. Arts that sounded like they came from forbidden realms. And bloodline traits that didn't seem human.
He reached out instinctively — the screen rippled like water.
"...It's f***ing real," he whispered.
Then, he started laughing. Not nervously — madly.
A week ago, he was scraping coins to buy a headset.
Now?
He had a cultivation system, a dead celestial's legacy, and apparently… a second chance at life.