Lucas felt his being reassembled with startling brutality. The blinding light abruptly gave way to a hot, heavy darkness... Then, suddenly, to the sensation of hard ground beneath his back.
He opened his eyes.
A gray, cloud-laden sky hung heavy above him. The air was fresh, laden with the smell of damp earth and crushed grass. Around him stretched hills dotted with brush, and not far away, he could see the high walls of a city with dark roofs bristling with torn banners.
Lucas slowly straightened, still dazed by the transfer.
He looked down at his hands, this time very solid, very real. Dirt stained his fingers. His body was lean and supple, built for combat. His muscles were lean, defined just the right amount to combine strength and agility. His face was angular, with sharp features, marked by a certain hardness. His dark eyes shone with a lively light, always in motion. His short black hair fell in messy strands over his forehead. His skin, slightly tanned, bore the marks of the wind and sun. He wore silver armor, marked with the symbol of a dragon coiled around a sword.
A flood of memories flooded his mind, making him feel as if he were reliving an entire existence in a few seconds.
His name was Lucas in his old world, but here, he was known as Lin Yue.
Lin Yue was born in a small rural village on the edge of the Azure Dragon Empire, a remote hamlet nestled on the edge of the Misty Forest, a land known for its spirit beasts and strange phenomena. The son of a hunter and a herbalist, he grew up surrounded by the dangers of the wilderness, learning from a young age to survive through his intelligence and instincts. Very early on, he showed a particular talent for combat. He had a rather imposing physique and possessed exceptional instincts for his age. He also had a natural knack for absorbing Qi, which allowed him to naturally strengthen himself with the help of spiritual energy.
At the age of ten, a dramatic incident changed his life: a spirit beast, a Spectral Tiger, ravaged his village. While many fled or died, Lucas, or rather Lin Yue, confronted the beast in an unprecedented way. He simply fought the spirit beast with his bare hands and killed it. His feat did not go unnoticed. Despite the fact that it was a Level 1 spirit beast, it was still incredible for a ten-year-old child barely in the first realm of cultivation to accomplish what he had done.
An Imperial Army captain on patrol witnessed the scene. Impressed, he decided to take him to the regional capital, Taiyun, to be trained as a special recruit within the Imperial forces. The following years were harsh.
The military discipline, the harshness of the instructors, the humiliation of the nobles who despised his peasant origins Lin Yue endured all of this with cold patience, slowly rising through the ranks through his own merit.
At twenty, he became a sergeant in the 3rd Division of the Azure Dragon Empire's army, a division renowned for operating on the most perilous borders, where spirit beasts and foreign powers plotted in the shadows. It was simply the harshness of the front lines.
And now, here he was, on the northern border, in the Baishan region, famous for its spirit stone mines... and its incessant conflicts.
A slight buzzing in his mind made him blink.
[Initializing...]
[Welcome, Lin Yue.]
Lucas no, Lin Yue felt a gentle warmth course through his veins.
A small translucent screen, invisible to others, appeared before his eyes.
As he expected, the system was indeed present, exactly as it was written on that blue screen in that mysterious space. He could feel it, like a diffuse presence in his mind. Lin Yue glanced quickly at his hands, then at the environment around him. Everything was new, foreign, but at the same time incredibly real. This body wasn't his, this place wasn't his homeland... and yet, he was definitely here. After a moment of silence, a big smile stretched his lips, and he burst into a hearty laugh, filled with excitement and a touch of madness.
"Hahaha! To think that I've truly realized my lifelong dream..." His eyes shone with an intense brightness, a mixture of uncontrollable emotions.
"Good. Since everything is truly real, there's no more room for doubt. I will live my new life to the fullest, without ever looking back."
As he made these new resolutions, a clear and imposing mechanical voice suddenly sounded in his mind:
[ I am an administrator. I've been tasked with providing you with as much information as possible about this universe and the workings of the system that will accompany you throughout your new existence. ]
Lin Yue, frowning, replied undaunted:
"Who tasked you with?"
[Unfortunately, you don't yet have the necessary status to access this information. I therefore ask you not to interrupt me so that I can continue to transmit all the essential data to you.]
"Tch... I kind of suspected as much, but it's still frustrating." Lin Yue shrugged, then took a deep breath.
"Anyway, go ahead, I'll listen to you seriously this time."
He closed his eyes, focusing all his attention on the voice.
[Very well. To begin, welcome to one of the countless Martial Universes. The world you are currently in is called Xuanyuan. It is a low-ranked world, located in what is commonly known as the Mortal Realm, a collection of different worlds and civilizations.]
[The Universe is divided into three great Realms: the Mortal Realm, the Celestial Realm, and the Immortal Realm. Each represents a stage in the elevation of living beings towards ultimate achievement. Regarding the Celestial Realm and the Immortal Realm, you are not yet ready to receive this knowledge. It will come in due time, as you progress.]
[Now, let's return to your current situation. The world of Xuanyuan consists of a single, colossal continent called Tianxu. This continent is so vast that it is approximately four times the size of the planet Earth you knew. Tianxu is divided into four great empires: the Azure Dragon Empire; the Finch Empire; the Black Tiger Empire; and the Heavenly Cloud Empire.]
[You are currently in the Azure Dragon Empire. At this very moment, you are enlisted in the Empire's armed forces and hold the rank of Sergeant, making you a senior officer within the army. Here is the military structure:
— Ordinary Soldiers
— Officers
— Senior Officers
— Generals
— And finally, the Supreme Commanders.]
[Your rank of Sergeant is currently the lowest among senior officers. Directly above you are: Corporal, Master Corporal, and then Commander. Then, a new hierarchical level awaits you, with increasing responsibilities and increased military power.]
[ Regarding cultivation, here are the different stages of the mortal world:
1- Body Strengthening Realm
2- Qi Condensation Realm
3- Foundation Establishment Realm
4- Innate Realm
5- Profound Realm
6- Profound Life Realm
7- Profound Death Realm
8- Reincarnation Realm
9- Divine Transformation Realm
10- Tribulation Realm]
[Currently, you are in the initial phase of the Innate Realm. Each realm is divided into four phases: Initial, Intermediate, Late, and Peak.]
[The grades of techniques, weapons, and artifacts are divided into five: Human, Mystic, Earth, Celestial, and Divine.]
[Pills are divided into ten ranks, from rank 1 to 10.]
[For spirit beasts, it's very simple, as there are ten stages of cultivation; spirit beasts are ranked from 1 to 10. So, a level 5 spirit beast is a spirit beast with the strength of a Profound Realm cultivator. It should also be noted that a spirit beast is generally stronger than a cultivator of the same strength.]
[As for your system, it's already within you. However, given your current situation, I strongly advise you not to activate it now. Wait until you're alone in a quiet enough place where you can discover it.]
[That's all for now; you'll have to find the rest yourself. Anyway, with your memories and the number of novels you've read, it won't be very difficult. See you soon.]
[Goodbye, and good luck in your quest.]
The voice faded slowly, leaving Lin Yue alone with his thoughts.
He remained silent for a few moments, digesting all these revelations. Then a smirk appeared on his face.
Lin Yue closed his eyes for a moment, letting the wind caress his face. His heart was beating harder than he had ever felt. This world, its rules, its system… Everything was real. He felt it in his flesh, in his breath, in the IQ that floated weakly around him.
He opened his eyes, an almost savage glow in his eyes.
"Haha...it's crazy. I'm really inside. A world of cultivation, spiritual beasts, limitless powers... And this time it's not a dream.
His hands clenched in fists.
"It's not a game anymore. It's my life now. And I will give everything. Climb the kingdoms, master the techniques, dominate the heavens…"