Liang Chen stood still in the small, ruined room as the system's cold blue light faded from his vision.
The smell of blood and dust lingered in the air.
Zhao Ming lay unconscious against the wall, his face pale, his breathing shallow. The two young men who had come with him were frozen near the door, fear replacing the arrogance they had worn just minutes earlier.
They had come expecting a victim.
Instead, they had witnessed domination.
Liang Chen lowered his gaze to his hands.
They were steady.
No trembling.
No hesitation.
His body was still weak compared to his past life, but something fundamental had changed.
It was not just strength.
It was authority.
A pressure that didn't come from muscles or cultivation alone, but from certainty.
He could feel it now — a faint but undeniable presence coiled deep inside him.
The Supreme Body.
Stage 1.
Incomplete.
But real.
Zhao Ming groaned, trying to move.
Liang Chen's eyes sharpened.
He walked forward and placed one foot lightly on Zhao Ming's chest.
The action was casual.
But the message was absolute.
"Wake him," Liang Chen said calmly.
The two young men flinched.
"O-okay!"
One of them hurried forward, splashing water from a cracked bottle onto Zhao Ming's face.
Zhao Ming coughed violently and opened his eyes.
The first thing he saw was Liang Chen looking down at him.
Cold.
Detached.
Uninterested.
Fear surged instantly.
"D-don't… don't come closer," Zhao Ming stammered.
Liang Chen tilted his head slightly.
"You already lost," he said. "You don't get to set conditions."
Zhao Ming swallowed hard.
"W-what do you want?"
Liang Chen didn't answer immediately.
He studied Zhao Ming's face.
This boy was insignificant.
In his past life, Liang Chen wouldn't have spared him a glance.
But now…
Now he was useful.
"You owe money," Liang Chen said calmly. "To many people."
Zhao Ming's eyes flickered.
"And you enjoy collecting debts," Liang Chen continued. "Using fear."
He leaned down slightly.
"From today on, you work for me."
The room went silent.
Zhao Ming stared at him as if he'd misheard.
"W-what?"
"You heard me."
Liang Chen's foot pressed down slightly.
Not enough to injure.
Enough to remind.
"You will repay every debt you've created. You will spread my name. And you will never touch me again."
Zhao Ming's breathing grew uneven.
"And if I refuse?"
Liang Chen smiled faintly.
"You won't."
The smile vanished.
"Because next time," Liang Chen said softly, "I won't stop at humiliation."
Zhao Ming nodded frantically.
"I-I understand!"
"Say it properly."
"I submit," Zhao Ming said hoarsely.
The words tasted bitter.
But survival mattered more.
Liang Chen stepped back.
"Leave."
The two young men scrambled to their feet, dragging Zhao Ming with them. None of them dared look back as they fled the room.
The door slammed shut.
Silence returned.
Liang Chen exhaled slowly.
[Ding.]
[Subordinate influence detected.]
[Dominion Authority increased.]
[Current Authority Level: Minor Urban Tier.]
Liang Chen's eyes narrowed.
Authority.
So the system wasn't just tracking strength.
It was tracking control.
Interesting.
He turned and walked to the cracked mirror hanging crookedly on the wall.
The face staring back at him was unfamiliar.
Sharp features dulled by poverty. Pale skin. Eyes that looked too calm for a nineteen-year-old.
But behind them—
A predator was waking up.
"This body won't hold forever," Liang Chen murmured. "I need resources."
Money.
Medicine.
Information.
And time.
He grabbed his jacket and left the room.
---
The city was loud.
Cars rushed past, horns blaring, neon lights flickering even though the sun was still up. The air smelled of exhaust and cheap food.
This was a different battlefield.
But Liang Chen understood it immediately.
Power still ruled here.
It was just hidden behind money and influence instead of cultivation realms.
As he walked through the crowded streets, memories from this body surfaced again.
Liang Chen lived at the bottom.
Part-time jobs. Debt. No family protection.
Perfect.
No one would see him coming.
He stopped in front of a small pharmacy tucked between two buildings.
The sign flickered weakly.
Inside, an old man sat behind the counter, eyes sharp despite his age.
Liang Chen entered.
The bell rang.
The old man looked up.
"You again," he said flatly. "You don't have money."
Liang Chen nodded.
"I'm not here to buy," he replied. "I'm here to trade."
The old man snorted.
"You don't have anything worth trading."
Liang Chen stepped closer.
"I know the formula for Spirit-Warming Powder," he said calmly.
The old man froze.
The pharmacy went silent.
"That formula doesn't exist," the old man said slowly.
Liang Chen listed seven ingredients without pause.
Then he added two that were never written down.
The old man's hand trembled.
"Who taught you this?" he demanded.
Liang Chen didn't answer.
"I'll give you the full formula," he said, "in exchange for medicine and information."
The old man stared at him for a long moment.
Then he locked the door.
---
Three hours later, Liang Chen walked out with a bag of medicine and a list of names.
Hidden cultivation families.
Underground arenas.
People who mattered.
[Ding.]
[Resource acquisition detected.]
[Dominion Authority increased.]
Liang Chen smiled faintly.
The city was opening to him.
---
That night, Zhao Ming knelt.
Not in a palace.
Not in a hall.
But in a private room at a high-end club.
Across from him sat his father.
Zhao Corporation's chairman.
A man who controlled half the city's logistics industry.
"What do you mean… you lost?" Zhao's father asked coldly.
Zhao Ming trembled.
"I… I can't touch him."
His father's eyes narrowed.
"A nobody?"
Zhao Ming swallowed.
"He's not a nobody anymore."
The door opened.
A man in a black suit stepped inside.
He leaned down and whispered something into Zhao's father's ear.
The chairman's expression changed instantly.
"…He beat three underground fighters," the man continued. "No injuries."
Zhao's father slowly stood.
"Find him," he said.
---
Elsewhere, Liang Chen stood on the rooftop of an abandoned building.
The city stretched endlessly before him.
Lights.
Power.
Opportunities.
[Ding.]
[Mission 002 Activated.]
---
Mission 002: Establish Presence
Objective:
Enter the underground arena and win publicly.
Conditions:
• Victory must be decisive
• Identity must be revealed
Reward:
Dominion Authority Expansion
New System Function Unlocked
Failure Penalty:
Severe backlash to Supreme Body
---
Liang Chen read the mission calmly.
Then he laughed.
"So that's how it is," he murmured.
He looked down at the city.
"At least the system understands one thing."
He turned away from the edge.
"This world only listens when it's forced to."
Far below, the underground arena lights flickered on for the night.
And the city took its first step—
Toward kneeling.