"Li Ming, a pack of cigarettes and a lighter."
Li Ming chuckled, handing over the cigarettes and lighter. "Same price as always, Uncle Kui."
The middle-aged man in front of the counter—Uncle Kui—took the items, expertly tore open the pack, pulled out two cigarettes, tossed one to Li Ming, and placed the other between his lips. With a flick, he lit it.
He inhaled deeply, letting the smoke fill his lungs, then exhaled slowly.
"Cough cough....."
"Almost choked."
Grumbling, he pulled a twenty-yuan note from his pocket and handed it over.
"Here's your change—three yuan," Li Ming replied.
He placed the cigarette between his lips, retrieved three coins from the cash box, and watched Uncle Kui casually pocket them.
"You should really smoke less. It's bad for your health."
"Not smoking doesn't guarantee health. Anyway, in this world, the sooner you die, the sooner you reincarnate."
With a scoff and a wave, Uncle Kui turned and left.
"Yeah... we're all born to suffer," Li Ming murmured.
He lit the cigarette, took a long drag, and exhaled. A bitter smile tugged at his lips.
"At least for now, things are stable. Who knows how long it'll last."
He leaned back in the chair behind the counter.
"I wonder if I'll even live to see City Lord Luo rise to power. Sigh... whatever happens, happens."
Li Ming wasn't an ordinary man.
He was a transmigrator—reborn into the world of Swallowed Star, a web novel he'd once read.
Here, the strong reigned supreme, and the weak were nothing more than stepping stones.
He had arrived three years ago, hopeful, thinking he was the protagonist. But reality quickly beat him down. Years of tireless cultivation resulted in only a mildly stronger body.
As for martial arts? He couldn't even see the threshold.
Eventually, he gave up. He settled for running the convenience store left by his parents, raising his two younger sisters, and simply surviving.
Sometimes he fantasized: one day, Luo Feng would rise. The price of living on Earth would skyrocket. He could sell the property, buy a place on a remote life planet, and roam the stars.
Wishful thinking.
He wasn't a cultivator—just a regular person. Even living a hundred years wouldn't be enough to see that dream realized.
Still, hope was better than nothing.
[Detected: Host shows negative mindset and passive acceptance. Initiating system: Activate Infinite Life Simulator?]
A mechanical voice echoed in his mind.
"System?"
Li Ming blinked in disbelief.
Three years in this world, he had already resigned himself. Now, out of nowhere, a system appeared?
Was it mocking him?
"Activate."
He got up, locked the shop's door, and gave the command.
[System activated. Enable Life Simulator?]
[Current use requires 1000 currency. Balance: 0 ?]
"Money?"
He hesitated, then grabbed a note from the counter.
"Recharge."
[Recharge successful. Balance: 100]
The bill vanished instantly.
1:1 conversion? One simulation cost 1000 yuan.
Li Ming checked the cash box—barely 5,000 in total.
He took out 900 more.
[Recharge successful. Balance: 1000][Enable Simulated Life?]
"Yes."
Text appeared in his vision:
[Age 21: You begin to cultivate.]
[Age 22: One year passes, no progress. Slightly stronger physique.]
[Age 23: Still no breakthrough.]
[Age 24: A powerful man desires your twin sisters as concubines You resist You die in a single punch.]
...That was it.
Li Ming stared silently.
Even just trying to survive... was this hard?
After a pause:
"A powerful man?"
A cold chuckle escaped his lips as he stood up.
[Simulation ended. Choose your reward:]
1. Martial arts realm
2. Martial arts insights
3. Final half-day memory before death
"Two."
He needed strength.
Knowledge surged into his mind—three simulated years of martial cultivation.
"With this... I should at least match a junior student of the Limit Martial Hall."
Three years in the simulation, three years of real-world effort—six years just to be average.
Li Ming's talent was clearly poor.
If not for the system, he might've died a nobody.
"If twenty years isn't enough, then thirty. If not thirty—then a hundred."
Determination burned in his eyes.
Each simulation cost 1000 yuan. A hundred years meant 34 simulations. That's 34,000 yuan.
To a future martial artist? That was nothing.
City Lord Luo had received villas, secret manuals, and startup capital worth tens of millions. Even if Li Yue couldn't match him, half a million should be feasible.
"Recharge."
[Recharge successful. Balance: 4200]
[Enable Simulated Life?]
"Yes."
Text unfolded once more:
[Age 21: You begin cultivation.]
[Age 22: Small breakthrough—Limit Martial Hall intermediate student.]
[Age 24: A powerful man wants your sisters. You resist. You die.]
[Choose reward:]
1. Martial arts realm
2. Martial arts insights
3. Final half-day memory before death
"One."
A warm rush surged through his veins. His muscles burned, power flooding in.
He clenched his fist and punched downward—
BOOM!
The counter shattered.
Fist Strength: 400 kilograms. Intermediate student.
And so, Li Ming's journey began—not as the chosen one, but as a man clawing upward, life after life.