Chapter 1: A New Life, A New Confusion

Darkness.

A deep, endless void stretched around him, swallowing time and thought. There was no pain here, no fear—only weightlessness, as if he were drifting in a dream.

Then, distant echoes. Muffled voices. A warmth that pulsed softly around him.

Liang Chen tried to move, but his body did not obey. He had no form, only awareness—floating, waiting.

Where am I?

Memories flickered through the haze. Cold floors. The sharp sting of his broken ribs. Fists battering his body. A voice raised in fury. Another voice, softer, but empty.

A crushing weight pressed down on him, but before he could understand why—

The world pulled.

A sudden force dragged him forward, a pressure unlike anything he had ever felt. It squeezed him, tightened around him, forced him toward something unseen.

Sounds grew louder. The warmth became suffocating.

Then—blinding light.

Air rushed into his lungs, sharp and unfamiliar. The warmth that had cocooned him disappeared, replaced by a cool, open space. A strange sensation, overwhelming and raw, seized his body. It took him a moment to realize—

I'm breathing.

A wave of exhaustion hit him. His limbs felt weak, unresponsive, too small. He tried to move, to make sense of himself, but his muscles refused to obey.

Something wrapped around him—soft, comforting. The haze in his mind thickened again, but before he could fall into it, a voice broke through.

"He's so small."

The words were soft, and filled with emotion.

A shadow moved over him, and through the blur of his vision, he saw a woman's face.

She was beautiful, so beautiful that he thought she was a model. He kind of reminded him of his mother, but…different. There was no distance, no coldness—only warmth, tears shining in her dark eyes as she gazed at him like he was something precious.

"Liang Chen," she whispered.

How does she know my name? Who is this woman?

He wanted to react, to speak, to ask what was happening, but all that came out was a weak cry.

More movement. Another figure appeared beside her—a man, taller, stronger, his golden eyes sharp yet filled with an emotion that I couldn't quite understand. Something foreign to me.

"He is small," the man murmured, his deep voice thoughtful. Then, after a moment, he added with quiet certainty, "But he'll get bigger and stronger with time."

Liang Lianhua—the woman—laughed, though it came out shaky. "He's perfect."

The man—Liang Jian—nodded, his expression unreadable for a moment before it softened.

Liang Chen's mind spun.

None of this made sense.

He wasn't supposed to be here. He doesn't know anyone who would look at him like this.

Yet, the warmth of his woman's arms, the steady presence of the man beside her—these things were real. They surrounded him, cradling him in a way he had never known.

And then—

[Heavenly Growth System Activated]

Level: 1

Experience: 0/10

A glowing screen flickered before his eyes, but he barely registered it.

Everything was too much. Too fast.

I died. How am I still alive?

His mind, still clouded by the strange, dreamy weight, couldn't keep up.

Slowly, against his will, exhaustion pulled him back under.

The last thing he heard before slipping into unconsciousness was a soft, worried voice.

"Jian… do you think he will be safe?"

A silence stretched between them before the man—Jian?—let out a heavy sigh.

"The emperor is already wary of us. With each victory, each alliance we forge, he grows more suspicious. A son born into our family at a time like this…" Liang Jian's voice was tight with concern. "It may be seen as another threat."

Liang Lianhua clutched Liang Chen closer. "I don't care what the emperor thinks. He is our child. He deserves to live without fear."

Liang Jian's voice lowered. "And we will make sure of that. No matter what it takes."

Liang Chen, barely conscious, could not yet understand the weight of those words.

But soon enough, he would.