Darwin opened his eyes to find himself in an unfamiliar place. Vast greenery stretched for miles in every direction, as far as he could see. The last thing he remembered was going to sleep after finishing his studies for tomorrow's math test. Before he could process his surroundings, a sharp pain lanced through his skull, forcing him to his knees.
A flood of foreign memories crashed into his mind, causing him to scream. After a few agonizing seconds, the pain subsided. Darwin took a deep breath, his hands trembling. "What kind of cursed luck is this? After spending five hours studying, I wake up in a new world, inhabiting the body of someone completely worthless with almost no hope of survival."
As he sorted through the memories of his new body, the truth became clear. He was Darwin Azure, a member of a prestigious martial clan who possessed no talent for cultivation and was treated like dirt even among servant families. In this world, strength was everything—and that was precisely what he lacked.
This planet was called Blue Star, and it was vastly different from Earth. Here, people called cultivators could harness the power of qi to perform incredible feats like flying or splitting mountains. Qi was a fundamental energy found almost everywhere, and because of it, not only humans but animals, plants, and even inanimate objects had undergone evolution. Though he was considered trash, Darwin noticed he felt physically stronger than he had on Earth—perhaps a side effect of living in such a world for so long.
Just as he was resigning himself to a life of mediocrity in this strange new world, he heard a sound like a phone notification. He instinctively reached for his pocket, but it was empty. The sound came again, followed by a blue holographic interface materializing before his eyes.
[Ding! Transmigration successful]
[Beginning system integration]
[Warning: This will hurt]
Before Darwin could process what was happening, searing pain exploded in his chest as if his heart were being torn apart. He coughed up blood, his vision darkening at the edges before everything went black. He collapsed, nearly lifeless.
Hours later, Darwin's eyes fluttered open. The sky had darkened considerably, so he quickly decided to head home to avoid any dangerous encounters. After several minutes of walking, he finally spotted his family's front gate, which stirred complex emotions within him.
His best bet was to slip quietly to his room and sort out what had happened earlier. However, he was stopped by a guard—something that had never happened before. Even though he was considered trash, he was still part of the main family, so lower-ranking workers like guards usually remained neutral toward him, often ignoring him entirely.
"Who are you? I'm pretty sure I haven't seen someone like you in the clan before," the guard said.
Darwin was surprised. What was he talking about? Had his appearance changed when he transmigrated? He had no way to check, but for now, he needed to get inside. "It's me, Darwin. I'm in a hurry, so please let me through," he said calmly, hoping it would work.
"That voice… did you go out just to change your hair color? And here I thought you went out to train in secret. Disgusting," the guard muttered. The last word was barely audible, but Darwin heard it nevertheless. He was too preoccupied to bother with the insult and quickly ran to his chambers, shutting the door behind him before collapsing onto his bed.
On his way home, several messages had been flickering in his field of vision, but he hadn't checked them while running. Now, he focused on them.
[CONGRATULATIONS]
[The Upgrading System has been successfully integrated]
[Host: Darwin Azure]
[Purpose: Guide host toward achieving unparalleled strength]
[Use command "Status" for more information]
Darwin couldn't help but laugh. His golden finger had arrived—there was still hope.
"Status!" he said immediately.
A blue holographic screen appeared before him:
[Name: Darwin Azure]
[Race: Human]
[Age: 16]
[Spirit Meridian: Damaged Basic Meridian]
[Spirit Root: Damaged Low Root of Wind]
[Qi Cultivation: Qi Refining Stage 1]
[Body Cultivation: Body Refining Stage 3]
[Techniques: None]
[Skills: None]
[System Skills: Daily Upgrade, Path of Upgrade, Appraisal]
Reading the status details, Darwin understood several things. First, this explained why he couldn't cultivate or use skills. Second, he could actually change that. The Daily Upgrade system skill gave him the ability to upgrade anything—skills, items, or even his cultivation level. He had two free upgrades per day. The second skill, Path of Upgrade, let him see the progression path an item could take and any information regarding it. For example, his damaged basic meridian could either be upgraded to a damaged intermediate meridian or repaired to become a basic meridian. He could choose to remove the damage or advance to the next level with the damage intact. The same applied to his spirit roots.
In this world, a person's cultivation speed depended on their meridian. This was the fundamental difference between geniuses and trash—having a higher-grade meridian could mean twice the cultivation speed of someone with a lower grade. It also determined the size of one's spirit qi reserve and its power. Spirit roots, meanwhile, determined the nature of one's spirit qi, as well as efficiency and purity. Having both a good spirit root and meridian made someone a true genius. In his case, both were damaged. He had no idea how or why, but this was his chance to change everything.
He immediately upgraded both to their undamaged forms. A surreal feeling swept through him—his senses sharpened, his breath became clearer, and everything felt more vivid. He could feel traces of spirit qi entering his body with every breath. Finally, he had become a full-fledged cultivator. Although both his meridians and roots were ordinary, he felt five times better than before. He planned to begin cultivating immediately, but before he could even think, exhaustion overtook him and he fell asleep.