The morning sun barely touched the Outer City of Silver Frost. Thick gray clouds hung low in the sky, and a cold wind blew through the narrow streets. The smell of smoke and garbage filled the air.
Lin Fang opened his eyes.
He stared at the cracked wooden ceiling above him. The roof leaked when it rained. The walls were thin. He could hear his neighbors arguing next door.
He let out a long breath.
*Another day,* he thought.
It had been almost a year since he woke up in this world. At first, he thought it was a dream. But the hunger, the pain, the cold—it was all too real.
He sat up slowly on his thin mat. His back ached. The floor was hard, and the mat was old and full of holes.
"Brother?"
A soft voice came from the corner of the room.
Lin Fang turned his head. A young girl sat up from her own mat. She looked about twelve years old. Her name was Lin Mei, his younger sister—or rather, the younger sister of the boy whose body he now lived in.
She had messy black hair and big, tired eyes. Her clothes were patched and faded. But she smiled at him.
"Good morning, Mei," Lin Fang said. He tried to smile back.
"Did you sleep well?" she asked.
"Well enough," he lied.
Lin Mei stood up and walked to the small wooden table in the center of the room. There was a pot on it, covered with a cloth.
"I saved some rice from last night," she said. "You should eat before work."
Lin Fang shook his head. "You eat it. You're still growing."
"But you work hard all day—"
"I'll be fine," Lin Fang said firmly. "Eat."
Lin Mei hesitated, then nodded. She sat down and slowly ate the cold rice with her fingers.
Lin Fang stood and stretched. His body was thin and weak. The original Lin Fang had barely eaten for months before he died. And now, this new Lin Fang—the one from another world—was living the same hard life.
He walked to the cracked mirror hanging on the wall. A young face stared back at him. Pale skin. Messy black hair. Dull eyes that had seen too much struggle.
*This is me now,* he thought.
He splashed cold water on his face from a bucket near the door. The water was freezing, but it woke him up.
"Brother, are you going to Master Zhao's store again?" Lin Mei asked.
"Yes," Lin Fang said. He picked up a ragged cloth and wiped his face. "I'll be back before dark."
"Be careful," she said softly.
Lin Fang looked at her. She was so small, so fragile. She depended on him completely.
*I have to protect her,* he thought. *No matter what.*
"I will," he said. "Stay inside today. Don't go out alone."
"I know," Lin Mei said.
Lin Fang grabbed his worn-out shoes and stepped toward the door.
"Brother," Lin Mei called out.
He stopped and looked back.
She smiled. "Thank you."
Lin Fang's chest tightened. He nodded and left the house.
---
The streets of the Outer City were already crowded. People pushed past each other, shouting, selling, begging. The buildings were old and crooked. Trash piled up in the corners. Children ran barefoot through the mud.
Lin Fang walked with his head down. He had learned to avoid eye contact. In the Outer City, trouble found you if you looked too confident—or too weak.
"Get your buns here! Fresh buns!"
"Cheap medicine! Cures all sickness!"
"Make way! Make way!"
The voices blended together into noise.
Lin Fang passed a group of young men standing near a corner. They wore better clothes than most people here. Their eyes were sharp and cold.
*Martial artists,* Lin Fang thought.
Even low-level cultivators were treated like kings in the Outer City. They had strength. They had power. People feared them.
One of the young men looked at Lin Fang. He smirked.
"Look at that one," he said to his friends. "Skinny as a stick. Bet he'd break in one punch."
The others laughed.
Lin Fang kept walking. He clenched his fists but said nothing.
*One day,* he thought. *One day, I'll be stronger than all of you.*
But today was not that day.
He arrived at Master Zhao's store—a small shop that sold cheap tools, nails, and rope. The sign above the door was faded and hard to read.
Lin Fang pushed open the door. A bell jingled.
"You're late," a rough voice said.
Master Zhao stood behind the counter. He was a fat man with a bald head and a permanent frown. He wore a stained apron and smelled like oil.
"I'm sorry, Master Zhao," Lin Fang said. He bowed slightly.
"Sorry doesn't sweep the floor," Master Zhao grumbled. "Get to work."
"Yes, Master."
Lin Fang grabbed a broom from the corner and started sweeping.
The work was simple but tiring. Sweep the floor. Wipe the shelves. Carry heavy boxes. Smile at customers even when they treated him like dirt.
Hours passed.
By midday, Lin Fang's arms ached. His stomach growled. He hadn't eaten since yesterday afternoon.
Master Zhao tossed him a small copper coin. "Here. Your pay for the morning."
Lin Fang caught it. One copper coin. Barely enough to buy half a loaf of bread.
"Thank you, Master Zhao," he said quietly.
Master Zhao waved him away. "Go eat. Be back in one hour."
Lin Fang left the store and walked to a street vendor. He bought two plain buns with the coin. He ate one quickly and saved the other for Lin Mei.
As he sat on the side of the street, he looked up at the tall walls in the distance.
Beyond those walls was the Inner City—where rich people lived. Where powerful cultivators trained. Where life was easy.
Lin Fang clenched the bun in his hand.
*I'll get there,* he thought. *I'll take Mei there. We won't live like this forever.*
But how?
He had no talent. No money. No teacher.
He felt hopeless.
Then, something strange happened.
A voice echoed inside his mind.
**[SYSTEM AWAKENING... COMPLETE.]**
Lin Fang froze.
A glowing blue screen appeared in front of his eyes.
**[WELCOME, HOST. THE MARTIAL COMPREHENSION SYSTEM IS NOW ACTIVE.]**
Lin Fang's heart pounded.
He looked around. No one else seemed to see it.
"What... what is this?" he whispered.
**[THE SYSTEM WILL ASSIST YOU IN UNDERSTANDING MARTIAL ARTS TECHNIQUES. YOUR JOURNEY BEGINS NOW.]**
Lin Fang stared at the screen.
For the first time in a year, he smiled.