The first sense to return was smell. It was a pungent cocktail of unwashed bodies, rotting garbage, and the faint, metallic tang of blood. Then came sound: the distant clang of a blacksmith's hammer, the raucous cry of a street vendor, and the scurrying of what he hoped were rats.
Li Yao tried to open his eyes, but only one obeyed. The other was swollen shut, caked with dried blood. Pain, a deep, throbbing symphony of it, radiated from every part of his new body. His ribs screamed with each shallow breath, and his left arm hung at an awkward, painful angle.
Oh god, the truck hit me twice.
He was lying in a filthy alley, propped against a damp stone wall. He was wearing rags—coarse, stained linen that offered no protection from the chill. This wasn't his body. It was thinner, weaker, and currently a canvas of purple and yellow bruises.
Memories that weren't his own trickled in, sluggish and painful.
This body's name was also Li Yao. A sixteen-year-old orphan, a lowly servant for a minor merchant family in "Flowing Wind City." He had no talent for cultivation, his meridians supposedly as blocked as a forgotten drain. His life was one of endless drudgery and casual cruelty. The beating he'd just received—the one that had killed the original owner—was from Young Master Wang Jin, the spoiled son of the city guard captain. The reason? The original Li Yao had accidentally splashed a drop of mud on Wang Jin's new silk robes.
Talk about a cliché start, Li Yao thought, a hysterical laugh bubbling in his throat that immediately turned into a wince of pain. Transmigrated into a cannon fodder with the worst backstory imaginable.
He tried to move, and a fresh wave of agony made his vision swim. He was dying. Again. This time, not from a truck, but from internal bleeding and broken bones in a stinking alley.
No. No way. He refused to die like this. Not after being shown the path to godhood.
"Diagnostic Scan initiated," a neutral, robotic voice echoed in his mind. It was the System. A transparent, blue-tinted screen materialized in his vision, overlaying the grim reality of the alley.
---
HOST STATUS: Li Yao
REALM: Mortal (Critically Injured)
CONDITION: Internal Hemorrhaging, Three Fractured Ribs, Dislocated Shoulder, Severe Concussion, Malnourishment.
ESTIMATED TIME TO EXPIRATION: 47 Minutes, 12 Seconds.
---
IMMEDIATE OBJECTIVE: Survive.
SUGGESTED ACTION: Commence cultivation. Enter the Essence Gathering Realm (Early Sub-Realm) to initiate bodily regeneration.
---
"Commence cultivation?" Li Yao whispered, his voice a raw croak. "How? I'm a block of wood, remember? My meridians are clogged!"
"The 'Blocked Meridians' diagnosis of this world's primitive observational techniques is inaccurate," the System stated. "Your meridians are not blocked; they are atrophied and dormant, a common condition in descendants of a high-bloodline lineage that has degenerated over millennia. They require a specific, precise method of awakening. The standard Qi absorption method of this lower world is too crude and would indeed fail."
A new schematic appeared on the screen. It was a complex diagram of the human body, highlighting a network of pathways he recognized as meridians. But the flow pattern was strange, intricate, and completely alien to the basic knowledge the original Li Yao possessed.
"Technique Generated: [Breath of the Primordial Awakening]. A foundational energy-gathering technique designed for your unique physiological structure. It utilizes high-frequency, low-amplitude spiritual vibrations to gently stimulate dormant meridian channels."
The instructions flooded his mind—not just words, but sensations, visualizations, and a precise rhythm of breathing. It was incredibly detailed, explaining exactly how to sense the "wild, untamed" ambient Qi, how to guide it with "perfect mental focus," and how to avoid the "energy backlash" the System's database had warned about.
This was the System's help. Not a free power-up, but an infinitely patient, all-knowing teacher.
"Okay… okay, I can do this," he muttered, trying to ignore the pain and the terrifying countdown timer in the corner of his vision. 42 minutes.
He closed his one good eye and tried to follow the instructions. It was impossibly hard. The pain was a constant distraction. His mind, conditioned by a life of instant gratification on Earth, struggled with the intense focus required. He fumbled, his breathing erratic.
"Focus is sub-optimal," the System chimed. "Mental discipline is the first tribulation. Your willpower is currently rated at 3/100. You must improve it."
"Gee, thanks for the vote of confidence," Li Yao grumbled, but he took a deeper, more controlled breath. He imagined his mind as a still lake, the pain as mere ripples on its surface. He followed the breathing pattern: in for seven counts, hold for four, out for eight.
Slowly, very slowly, he began to feel something. It wasn't heat or light, but a faint pressure in the air around him. It was the ambient Qi. It felt wild and chaotic, just as the System had described. He reached for it with his consciousness, not grabbing, but inviting, guiding it as the [Breath of the Primordial Awakening] instructed.
The first trickle of energy entered his meridians.
It was like injecting liquid fire into veins made of glass. He gasped, his body seizing up. This was the "minor fatigue and dizziness" the System had mentioned? It felt like his soul was being sandblasted.
"Warning: Energy flow exceeding stable parameters. Correct your focus. Guide the Qi along the inferior lateral meridian, not the cardinal pathway."
Gritting his teeth, Li Yao mentally wrestled with the rampaging strand of Qi. He forced his focus to a razor's edge, visualizing the complex route outlined by the System. It was a battle of attrition inside his own body. Sweat mixed with the grime and blood on his face.
But then, something miraculous happened. As the strand of Qi completed its first, painful circuit, a wave of cool, soothing energy washed out from his core. It was faint, but undeniable. The blinding pain in his ribs receded by a fraction. The swelling around his eye felt a tiny bit less tight.
"Vitality Stabilized. Estimated Time to Expiration: N/A. Congratulations, Host. You have officially stepped upon the Eternal Ascension Path. You have reached the Early Sub-Realm of the Essence Gathering Realm."
The status screen updated.
---
HOST STATUS: Li Yao
REALM: Essence Gathering Realm (Early Sub-Realm)
CONDITION: Severe Injuries (Stabilized. Regeneration in Progress: 1.2%)
ABILITIES: Minor Bodily Regeneration, Sharpened Senses.
---
Li Yao let out a breath he didn't realize he'd been holding. He had done it. He had cheated death for a second time. He was a cultivator.
A slow, painful grin spread across his face. It was a bizarre feeling—lying broken in a gutter, yet feeling more alive and hopeful than he ever had on Earth. He had a map to godhood in his head and a sarcastic, all-knowing System as his guide.
He looked down at his dislocated shoulder. According to the original's memories, he'd need to find a bonesetter, which would cost money he didn't have.
"System," he said, a new, reckless idea forming. "The database mentioned that a cultivator in the Early Sub-Realm can withstand minor physical injuries. Would a controlled, self-inflicted jolt of Qi be sufficient to snap a dislocated joint back into place?"
"Theoretically, yes," the System replied. "It would, however, be exceptionally painful and carry a 7.3% risk of fracturing the scapula if performed incorrectly. The recommended procedure involves a precise burst of 0.003 'Spirit Units' focused on the sub-acromial bursa."
"Walk me through it," Li Yao said, his grin turning manic.
He had a long, long way to go. He needed treasures, herbs, and secret techniques. He had to race against time and the countless geniuses and young masters of this world. He had to climb a mountain with 144 steps, each more treacherous than the last.
But as he channeled a minuscule strand of Qi and, with a sickening pop and a scream he muffled into his ragged sleeve, shoved his own shoulder back into its socket, he knew one thing for certain.
The journey of the future Cosmic God Li Yao had begun. And it was going to be one hell of an adventure.