Chapter 2: Reflections of the Past

What a joke

I looked at my hand and froze.

It was smaller than I remembered. Rougher. the fingers thin and nimble.

Slowly, I rose to my feet. My balance felt off, my limbs uncertain. As I steadied myself, I looked down at my robe—a simple, dark brown garment. Modest. Practical. Not the kind of thing someone important would wear.

On the chest of the robe, I noticed a badge.

"Outer Sect Disciple."

My heart skipped a beat. That phrase was all too familiar—from the countless cultivation novels I'd read late into the night. In those stories, disciples were divided by rank. Inner Sect disciples were the prodigies, the chosen ones. Outer Sect disciples… were not.

"I'm in a cultivation world…?"

The badge, the robe, the cave—it all fit the mold. It wasn't a dream. It wasn't Earth. This was a different world. And judging by my attire, I wasn't starting from the top.

Curiosity drove me forward. I stepped to a shallow pool in the cave nearby and looked down.

A reflection stared back at me—one I didn't expect.

A youthful face with sharp features, framed by wild, dark blue long hair. Eyes the same color, piercing and cold, with a gaze that didn't belong to a child.

I was young again—sixteen, perhaps. My body was lean, not yet fully matured. But the smirk forming on my lips? That was all me.

Of course I looked good.

Still, admiration faded as thoughts of my old life crept in.

My father—stern, cold, but always watching. My mother—gentle, kind-hearted. And my two younger brothers, who looked up to me as their compass.

They'd survive without me. They will.

Bitterness welled in my chest.

All of it was stolen by a truck.

I gritted my teeth. The image of those headlights—the way they locked onto me like a predator—flashed through my mind.

"You bastard," I muttered. "You took everything from me."

A sharp click of my tongue echoed through the cave.

I slumped down on a stone ledge. Cold. Solid. Real.

Moonlight seeped in from the entrance, pale and soft. The world outside was quiet, painted in shades of silver and gray. A peaceful illusion.

But I knew better.

"Whose body is this.....he kind a look like me"

As I stared at the sky, a voice echoed in my mind.

[Do you want to acquire the owner's body memory? This will help settle your unstable mind.]

The system. Of course.

I hesitated. Did I want to know? Was I ready?

"Will it hurt?" I asked.

[Yes. The process will not be that painful, but necessary. Do you wish to proceed?]

I closed my eyes. "Do it."

Pain exploded behind my eyes, sharp and unrelenting. Like a thousand shards of glass slicing through my brain.

But I endured.

Flashes of memory rushed in. A life lived quietly. A name that pierced my core.

Kai Zhang.

My heart skipped a beat.

That was my name. Not just the body's. Mine.

I wasn't just reincarnated—I was reborn into another version of myself. An alternate Kai, five years younger than I was when I died.

Fate's twisted sense of humor.

Still, his—or rather, my—past offered me valuable insight into this world. The Heavenly Sword Sect was one of top 10 cultivation sects scattered across the continent of Xiyuan.

Cultivation here was divided into realms, each with its own hurdles. Talent dictated how fast one could progress, and sadly, this body's talent was mediocre at best.

The alternate Kai Zhang was an Outer Sect Disciple of the Heavenly Sword Sect, a mid-tier sect in this vast cultivation world. He had joined the sect at the age of five, trained for a decade, and remained...average. Not a genius, not a cripple—just another face in the crowd.

He had no significant achievements, no remarkable talents, and no close friends. A quiet, unassuming boy who worked hard to becoming an Inner Sect Disciple.

His cultivation realm? Qi Gathering Realm. peak stage. His talent? Blue—above average, but not extraordinary.

In this world, cultivation determined everything.

Qi Gathering Realm: Basic energy absorption and foundation building.

Foundation Establishment Realm: Stabilizing energy, enhancing strength.

Core Formation Realm: Forming a core of energy, stronger techniques.

Nascent Soul Realm: Soul manifestation, spiritual powers.

Soul Ascension Realm: Mastery of soul-based abilities.

Void Immortal Realm: Near god-like powers, bending reality slightly.

(Each realm has sub-levels such as Early, Mid, Late, and Peak stages. Additional realms beyond Ascension can be introduced as the story progresses.)

Each stage was its own mountain, and talent was the wind at your back—or the storm dragging you down.

Red – Extremely poor talent.

Orange – Low talent.

Yellow – Below average.

Green – Average.

Blue – Above average.

Dark Blue – High potential.

Purple – Rare genius.

Gold – Once-in-a-generation.

Platinum – Mythical, near-divine.

Blue was good. But not enough.

As the pain faded, my breathing slowed.

"Tch. Another generic cultivation world…"

I stood up, feeling more grounded now that the memories had settled. This body might be younger and weaker, but it was mine.

The chaos that had once stormed through my mind—disorientation, panic, uncertainty—had been silenced. Kai Zheng's memories had woven seamlessly into mine, not as foreign knowledge, but as extensions of my own experience.

His struggles, his ambition, his bitterness—they resonated with me.

And in those memories, I saw something familiar.

Like me, he had never sought warmth from others. He did not care for the shallow friendships offered by fellow disciples, nor did he believe in naive ideals of unity or brotherhood. What he pursued was power—pure, undeniable power.

The kind that silenced disrespect. That demanded recognition.

That commanded fear.

Respect was what he craved, even if it came through bloodied knuckles and whispered terror. In that, we were the same. For respect, I would do anything.

Kill. Steal. Betray. Break the rules.

If they feared me? So be it. Respect earned through fear is still respect. And I would take it, piece by piece, until none dared speak my name without trembling.

The panic that gripped me when I first awoke was gone, reduced to a footnote in my awakening. Now, my gaze cut through the fog of uncertainty with surgical clarity.

This world—its sects, systems, and fated roles—was no longer overwhelming.

It was ripe with opportunity.

And I would take everything it had to offer.

with the memories now settling within me, understanding followed.

Qi.

The lifeblood of all cultivators, the very force that dictated strength in this world. Before, I was blind to it. But now… now, I could feel it.

I closed my eyes, focusing inward. The more I attuned myself, the clearer it became. It wasn't just in the air—it was everywhere. Beneath my feet, in the gentle breeze, even within my own body.

A faint hum of energy, pulsing ever so subtly, like the steady rhythm of an unspoken force.

A slow inhale. The moment the Qi entered my lungs, a refreshing coolness spread through my body, like taking a sip of pristine mountain spring water after days of thirst.

It coursed through me, filling every limb, every fiber of my being with a quiet strength.

My body, which had felt slightly sluggish moments ago, suddenly felt lighter, more alive.

"Time to see what that system has to offer."