The Leizhou Peninsula, once a wild, uncharted land, began its development tens of thousands of years ago as an advanced foothold into the Southern Sea cultivation world. Today, it has grown into a bustling, prosperous region.
To the north of the peninsula lies the Duan Yuan Mountain Range, teeming with demon beasts and untold dangers. But where there is peril, there is also opportunity. Whether it's the spiritual herbs that sprout from its slopes or the precious materials harvested from demon-beast corpses, cultivators flock here in droves. It is therefore common to see numerous demon-hunting teams active around the Duan Yuan Range.
Qingniu City, serving as a logistical hub for these hunting parties, is naturally lively and thriving.
Inside the main hall of a small courtyard—its walls plastered with red talismans—an eighteen-year-old youth sat before a bronze mirror, his face clouded with worry.
"It's over. I'm doomed… Starting out like this is hell. Having the Five Elemental Spiritual Roots is even worse than old Han Lao Mo's fate! At least I look a billion times better than his 'average' face."
This youth was named Wang Hao. Indeed, he had just been possessed by a modern soul.
Wang Hao had no clear idea what had happened. After work that evening, he grabbed a bite to eat, played video games late into the night with friends, and someone quipped,
"How dull… I miss those school days when we'd ditch class to hit an internet café and farm veggies online!"
Wang Hao laughed and shot back,
"Oh, come on—farming veggies isn't even a real game!"
Soon after, an overwhelming sleepiness washed over him. When he next awoke… he was in this cursed world.
Before he could even assimilate the host body's memories, the courtyard door burst open. A stern-looking young man, with sword-shaped brows and eyes shining like stars, strode in, his breath steaming coldly.
"I truly don't understand how your father managed to produce such a good-for-nothing like you. Bad aptitude is one thing, but you're lazy and always stirring up trouble!"
Wang Hao was dumbfounded. Pointing at the newcomer, he stammered,
"You… you're my father?"
"You brat! Now you can't even recognize your own father?" The young man exploded in anger and slapped Wang Hao so hard he went sprawling to the floor.
"Jesus!" Wang Hao cried out in pain. Yet as the pain rose, so did his memories. Yes—this youth was indeed his father: Wang Yanzhao, a prominent member of the Wang clan, a Foundation-stage cultivator and skilled alchemist. His youthful appearance came from practicing at the peak of the Qi Refinement Stage—higher cultivation purges more bodily impurities, naturally making one look younger.
Despite his appalling Five Spiritual Roots aptitude, Wang Hao had reached the Third Level of Qi Refinement—but not by his own talent. It had all been thanks to his father's elixirs.
Realizing this, Wang Hao shot his father a resentful glare. A heavy hand, but… an alchemist father is still a blessing. I can't afford to offend him now that I've transmigrated without any innate talent.
Before he could speak to ease the tension, Wang Yanzhao produced a small storage pouch from his chest and flung it at him. His eyes flickered with complex emotion as he said,
"I have failed your mother… I've tried to make it up to you all these years, but everything went awry, and I only fueled your stubborn temper."
Hearing this—and as his memories clarified—Wang Hao shivered. This sounded like the prelude to being cast out by his father!
"Your father may be an alchemist, but I can no longer support a spendthrift like you. I must secure your younger siblings' future. This is the last thing I give you. From now on, take care of yourself!" He sighed deeply, then added, "I've already dealt with that troublemaker wandering cultivator. Don't bother her again—or suffer the consequences!"
Casting one last glance around the familiar furnishings, Wang Yanzhao left without formally severing ties—but made it clear he would no longer clean up Wang Hao's messes.
When the door slammed shut, Wang Hao pounded the floor in frustration.
"What on earth is going on here!?"
"What do I do now? I don't even have a system… Wait—maybe I do!"
Speaking of systems, Wang Hao suddenly became aware of a mirror-like interface lighting up in his mind, displaying lines of text like a computer screen.
Staring at it, he leaped to his feet in astonishment:
"Holy—this really is a computer!"
He fumbled enthusiastically, but after several attempts realized it was a basic PC.
It contained various applications, including office suites. He opened the drawing program—identical to what he'd used in his former life.
"What good is this? Am I supposed to draft architectural plans in the cultivation world? Here, people use jade slips—3D and faster than any computer!"
Despite his disappointment, Wang Hao decided to study it seriously—and soon discovered its potential.
The computer was directly linked to his body: his eyes functioned like cameras, his ears like microphones, and his thoughts updated the display in real time.
For example, the very scene before him could be instantly rendered in the drawing software—and astonishingly, in full 3D with rendering and analysis tools.
"But this is useless, right? What am I going to do—work as an architect here…?"
Well, perhaps not entirely useless—at least not for Qi Refinement cultivators.
Advanced cultivators in the Foundation Establishment Stage possess divine senses hundreds of times keener than sight. "Dual cameras" wouldn't matter!
Still, Wang Hao pressed on. After all, everyone hated him; no one would notice if he died here. Better to use this time to explore his golden-finger system and understand this world before venturing out.
After the drawing app, he tested the "Virtue-Deficiency Map." Now this was useful—it detailed Qingniu City and its surroundings so precisely you could even discern a dog's fur color on the street.
On the map toward the Duan Yuan Range were skull icons. As an experienced gamer, Wang Hao knew the small skulls marked low-level demon beasts, the large ones high-level.
Of course, he'd have to verify that in person later.
The only limit was that the map only revealed areas his original body had visited. The rest stayed blank.
Fortunately, like in a game, simply entering an area revealed it fully.
Despite his predecessor never venturing deep into the Duan Yuan forests, much of the range was already unlocked on his map.
Wang Hao clicked through each icon, studying the apps. All had some potential use—though limited.
The map, for instance, helped avoid demon beasts and check road conditions. But cultivators could do that with their divine senses—and merchants sold updated mountain maps every few days.
His system's real edge was real-time data. While other cultivators had to sense a beast up close, Wang Hao could know its exact location in advance.