Chapter 2: Rebirth in Chains

Pain.

A deep, soul-wrenching pain unlike anything Ethan had ever felt before. It wasn't just physical—it was as if his entire being was being torn apart and reassembled at the same time. His consciousness wavered, drowning in an ocean of agony.

Then, just as suddenly as it came, the pain vanished.

What the hell just happened…?

His senses slowly returned. The first thing he noticed was the air—it was thick with the scent of incense and sweat, but beneath that, there was an unmistakable metallic tang. Blood.

Ethan groggily opened his eyes, only to be met with darkness. His body felt weak, his limbs like lead. Something rough and cold pressed against his wrists and ankles. Chains?

His mind raced. Where the hell am I?

Then, memories that weren't his own flooded his brain.

He wasn't Ethan Blackwood anymore.

He was Shen Tian, a disciple of the Blossom Sect, a dual cultivation sect infamous for its methods.

And he had just died from being over-drained.

Fuck.

A sharp voice snapped him out of his daze.

"You useless thing. You actually died?"

Shen Tian's head snapped up. A beautiful woman stood before him, her robes slightly disheveled. Long black hair cascaded over her shoulders, her eyes filled with annoyance and disappointment.

Elder Liu.

One of the senior disciples responsible for training male cultivators.

"You barely lasted," she sneered, crossing her arms. "Pathetic."

The old Shen Tian had been nothing but a toy—a weak-willed disciple used and discarded like trash.

But now?

Shen Tian clenched his fists. He wasn't that naive fool anymore. He had lived an entire lifetime before this, and though he wasn't a real cultivator, he had read more than enough to understand how this world worked.

A mechanical voice suddenly echoed in his mind.

[Ding! Host detected! Binding system…]

[Welcome to the Dual Cultivation Overlord System.]

Shen Tian's breath hitched.

A system?!

He had read about these countless times in Webnovels. He had even fantasized about having one. But now, hearing that robotic voice inside his head, he wasn't sure if he should laugh or panic.

[System initialization complete.]

[Due to host's weak condition, emergency healing will be activated.]

A warm energy surged through his body. The exhaustion, the soreness—everything vanished in an instant. His body felt light, powerful, as if he had been reborn.

Elder Liu narrowed her eyes at him. "Strange… you looked dead a moment ago." She stepped closer, gripping his chin. "Maybe I should drain you again to be sure?"

Shen Tian smirked. Not this time, bitch.

His eyes gleamed with newfound confidence. He wasn't just going to survive in this world.

He was going to rule it.