08 Energy Transfer

Bai Xiaotong was turned mummed, but she suddenly felt the urge to crush someone's skull.

In the end, she could only roll her eyes and take a deep breath to calmly assess what she could at least understand given how hateful the system was.

Finally, "Argh! Why is this body so useless?How am I supposed to defend myself with something this fragile?"

Bai Xiaotong muttered when she turned to her body. It was evident how much she didn't find it to her standard given how her voice laced with irritation.

She lifted her hand, studying the pale, frail fingers that trembled slightly from exertion. Displeasure curled in her chest—this body felt like it had been locked away in darkness for years, untouched by sunlight, untempered by hardship.

It was laughable.

She barely had a moment of peace in her previous world but this body she suddenly possessed was so opposite of her life.

"Her skin looks like a porcelain glass. Better than the noble ladies in my world..." she mumbled as though she was pertaining to someone else's body, not hers.

Regardless, Bai Xiaotong didn't look happy at all.

What's more, the woman was even expressing such thick dissatisfaction for having such a beautiful appearance.

Had it been anyone else, they would've paid a large sum of money just to achieve such a naturally small, slender figure and elegant face.

But for Bai Xiaotong, who had experienced a dreadful and lawless world, it was natural that she only find it troublesome and a burden.

"Beautiful things only attract unnecessary trouble. I'd rather have a big burly figure that could match a bear in a brawl. This vase is indeed pretty… pretty useless that is," she recoiled.

Bai Xiaotong might have disposed of that creature easily, but it wasn't a feat she could repeat. That strike had been nothing more than an instinctual remnant of her past self—reflex honed through centuries of battling mutated beasts.

Without her cultivation, without even a wisp of energy coursing through her veins, she was nothing more than brittle porcelain threatening to shatter at the slightest impact.

Bai Xiaotong flexed her sore fingers and let out a deep sigh. "If I move recklessly and force my strength beyond this body's limits again as I did, my bones will snap like twigs."

The thought left a bitter taste in her mouth. It wasn't just about understanding the concept of things; it was about how you apply and control it. Even though her mind understood combat, her body no longer had the capacity to keep up.

The power she once wielded with ease now felt like an ancient scripture, slipping through her grasp before she could translate it into action.

And besides, hiding wasn't an option.

She scoffed at the idea of cowering behind walls, waiting for fate to deal its next cruel hand. No, she needed to move—needed to see this world with her own eyes, to understand what had gone wrong.

How else would she eat and survive if she just hid like a coward?

The mere thought of her suppressed cultivation sent fury burning through her veins. How was she supposed to access her sea of consciousness? She kept her valuables in her space.

How was she supposed to retrieve those things if she couldn't even pierce the barrier keeping her locked in this feeble existence without an ounce of spirit essence?

Her fingers curled into a tight fist until she could feel her nails biting into her palm. "I'm starting to hate this more and more."

Gritting her teeth, Bai Xiaotong forced herself to stand, her limbs protesting every movement. She staggered toward the bloodied remains of the fallen creature,

"What kind of rotten fate have I fallen into?" she growled under her breath, dragging a hand through her disheveled hair. "Don't tell me I'm back to square one?"

Her expression was impassive as she bent down to retrieve the nucleus. The burning sensation that seared her palm was nothing compared to the sheer humiliation of struggling against something as insignificant as bodily weakness.

She picked up the red nucleus with the same indifference one would reserve for a pebble on the roadside.

[Ding! (1) Low-grade Zombie Nucleus Received. Initiating Cosmic System Integration…]

If the system had demanded anything more, she might have truly lost her temper. But before she could dwell on the frustration twisting inside her, a sudden, violent thump resounded in her chest.

Her breath faltered and a piercing ache erupted in her skull. Memories that were not hers crashed into her mind like a tidal wave, merciless and unrelenting.

A jagged, searing pain split through her consciousness, an invisible blade carving her thoughts apart. Her vision blurred. Her knees buckled. The world around her warped as she collapsed against the cold, bloodstained floor.

"AHH!"

A scream tore from her throat, raw and guttural. Her hands clutched at her head as if trying to physically hold herself together, as if sheer will alone could prevent her mind from fracturing under the onslaught.

Through the haze of pain, her eyes caught sight of the floating interface flickering above her.

[Registering Host's Progress: 1%... 10%... 40%... 50%... 75%...]

Bzzt! Bzzt!

The holographic screen glitched alarmingly.

[System Warning! Physical assimilation is currently unable to proceed! The host's new body cannot withstand the host's original level. Risk of blowing up: 100%]

"What… the hell?!" Bai Xiaotong cursed even though she could barely say a word. "Damn it! What do you mean by blowing up? I'm… gonna die, is it? Do something then! I don't care, whatever it is I must survive, you hear me?"

[System Suggestion: Energy Transfer.]

[Dear dying host, would you like to transfer your cultivation to another entity to reduce the burden on your new broken shell?]

"Dear… Da-dying host?!" She almost choked and vomited blood in anger.

The baffled woman could felt her blood rush all over her head feeling baffled and frustrated.

"Say that again? This damn thing... ugh! Are you really so inclined to making me angry?!"

Does it really have to rub it in her face how extremely dire and unfortunate her situation is?!

For a fleeting moment, Bai Xiaotong wondered if the system was trying to ruin her rather than help her.

Had it turned from her greatest ally into a force dragging her straight into hell? Maybe someone tampered with it without her knowing that's why it's starting to act like a rogue and sabotaging her.

How could it simply ask an immortal cultivator who had given up her entire life to cultivate to suddenly pass down her powers in exchange for staying alive?

"Evil!"

It was simply the work of a cruel and evil person!

But what else could she possibly do when there was a countdown timer beside the question ticking from 10… 9… 8… like a ticking time bomb? She values her life more than her dignity as an immortal!

Dignity? Can you eat that in the afterlife?

"Fine! Argh, do whatever you want!" she snapped.

[Host's Command Received. Initiating emergency… searching the area for a suitable vessel…]

[Ding! Two parasitic creatures were detected! Transferring energy now in progress…]

Bai Xiaotong was angered to her core, just thinking how her power suddenly robbed of her 'life' was jolted with a painful wince in her stomach.

"What… What the hell is going on? Argh, my stomach hurts!" Her eyes widened with horror when her flat belly suddenly swelled like an inflated balloon. She cursed and bit her lips to the point where the veins in her eyes reddened and the taut nerves in her forehead bulged extremely unsightly as if they were about to burst.

"Is… this body… having a chronic illness? I didn't even eat anything… and I'm severely bloating!"

The agony raged on, stretching time into eternity, until finally—mercifully—it began to wane. Her body, robbed of all strength, collapsed fully onto the ground. The cold seeped into her skin, but she barely registered it. Her ragged breaths came slow, uneven.

Bai Xiaotong's eyes turned hazy when a light broke out from thin air. A couple of silhouettes entered her blurry vision and before she could think straight…

"Uwaaah!!!!"

The sound of crying 'babies' pierce the air.

Bai Xiaotong's sweating face was instantly drained of color.

W-Wait a minute.... baby?!

Is this for real?!

Ugh, stop!! Don't tell her what it was. She would rather not know!

Then—

A sudden, violent kick shattered her contemplation. The door slammed open with a deafening bang, and boots echoed against the floor.

"Check the parameters..." A man issued and not long after...

"Captain, there's people here! We found survivors!"

A woman's voice shouted, sharp with urgency.

Heavy footsteps rushed toward Bai Xiaotong, and then a firm, unfamiliar hand grasped her shoulder.

"She's alive! Miss? Hello? Can you hear me?! Medic!"

The words barely registered. Bai Xiaotong's consciousness was already slipping, dragging her into darkness before she could answer.