"Elder Xuan, the acceptance ceremony for the new disciples is about to begin."
A soft, respectful voice floated in from outside the elegant pavilion, breaking the deep stillness that had lingered there like morning mist.
Inside, a young man clad in long, flowing robes sat cross-legged, his figure serene amid the tranquil space. Slowly, he opened his eyes. A calm, ancient light flickered across his pupils, as though carrying with it the quiet wisdom of ages.
"Got it. I'll be right there," he replied, his tone steady and unhurried. With a casual wave of his sleeve, he rose to his feet. His robes, made of a material finer than silk, fluttered lightly, stirred by a breeze that wasn't there.
Pausing at the entrance of the pavilion, he gazed out.
The Profound Sword Sect, nestled atop a sprawling mountain range, lay shrouded in soft morning mist. The rising sun cast faint gold upon the clouds, bathing the world in a light so ethereal it felt like a dream not yet fully formed. Soon, the sect's great square would be alive with energy—buzzing with new disciples, their hearts full of eagerness, nerves, and dreams of immortality.
Xuan Yi, however, was far beyond such dreams.
"Earth... Shen Xuan Landmass…" he murmured under his breath, a whisper almost lost to the wind.
A soft sigh escaped him, carrying a trace of longing.
He was not of this world.
Once—long ago by mortal reckoning—he had lived on Earth. Modern-day Earth, in the early twenty-first century. A place of busy streets, cold steel cities, and lives confined by mundane ambition. His life had been ordinary, uneventful—perhaps even stifling. No magic, no cultivators splitting mountains or soaring through the skies. Just routine, expectations, and dreams left to gather dust.
But fate, or perhaps something far greater, had other plans.
He had been pulled from that existence—cast into this new world where the laws of reality bent to the will of the strong. A world where swords sang and the heavens themselves trembled before true might.
Transmigration.
Once just the fantasy of web novels and whispered tales, it had become his life.
And like every worthy protagonist of such stories, he had not come empty-handed.
Within the boundless depths of his consciousness, a strange, luminous system had fused itself to his soul—his so-called golden finger. A miraculous, enigmatic force. A gift—or perhaps a shackle. It bestowed upon him forbidden knowledge, secret quests, and a path to power few could even imagine.
Thanks to it, he had risen with unnatural speed.
"Elder Xuan, tsk tsk tsk…" he recalled someone once whispering, half in envy, half in awe.
At only twenty-five years of age, Xuan Yi now stood as an Elder of the Profound Sword Sect—an honor countless dreamed of and few achieved even after lifetimes of effort.
The Profound Sword Sect, located in the southern reaches of the Heavenly Wind Kingdom, might not have been the most formidable power across the land, but its prestige echoed far and wide. Its disciples numbered in the thousands, and its elders were revered throughout the kingdom.
Among them all, Xuan Yi shone brightest.
Not just because of his youth—but because of his power.
He was the only Elder of the Nascent Soul Realm.
Even the Sect Master and the two Vice Sect Masters—respected figures whose names carried weight—had only barely touched the edges of that legendary realm. In contrast, Xuan Yi had already stepped into its first level with effortless grace.
In truth, his journey had defied all convention.
Where others toiled bitterly through the stages of Qi Condensation and Foundation Establishment—years spent painstakingly inching forward—he had started already standing atop mountains they could only dream of climbing.
It was not mere fortune.
It was destiny.
Still, he never let arrogance cloud his mind. He knew all too well: the road ahead was long, and this world vast beyond comprehension.
The Shen Xuan Landmass stretched endlessly across the horizon—a world divided into five colossal continents, each fragmented into hundreds of regions. Every region teemed with kingdoms like the Heavenly Wind Kingdom, bursting with martial sects, cultivation clans, and countless cultivators struggling for power.
Here, even the Nascent Soul Realm was but the threshold to true greatness.
The cultivation realms spiraled upwards like a ladder to the heavens:
Qi Condensation
Qi Foundation
Soul Condensation
Nascent Soul
King Realm
Emperor Realm
Each realm split further into nine distinct levels, each step a titanic struggle, each breakthrough a rebirth.
As for what lay beyond the Emperor Realm…
Even with the system whispering secrets into his soul, Xuan Yi knew nothing. That world remained cloaked in unfathomable mystery, beyond his reach—at least for now.
He hadn't even seen a King Realm expert with his own eyes.
The Heavenly Wind Kingdom had never produced one. None of its neighboring kingdoms had either. A Peak Nascent Soul cultivator was considered a cornerstone of a nation's strength.
And yet, tales traveled even to these remote corners—tales of terror and awe.
Once, sixteen kingdoms had allied, assembling over a hundred Nascent Soul seventh-level cultivators, and dozens more who had reached the Ninth Level. Their goal: to bring down a single foe—an individual who had just barely crossed into the King Realm.
They failed.
One man—or perhaps a god—had razed sixteen kingdoms to dust.
That… was the power of a King Realm expert.
At that height, power was no longer just overwhelming force—it was dominance absolute. It was the power to crush mountains with a thought, to sunder seas with a whisper.
To break through from Nascent Soul to King Realm was a trial even heaven itself sought to deny. Among ten thousand Peak Nascent Soul cultivators, perhaps one—only one—might succeed.
And yet, Xuan Yi stood here with quiet certainty.
That breakthrough would be his.
It was not a matter of if—only when.
After all, he had the System.
Drawing a slow breath, Xuan Yi flicked his fingers lightly. In front of him, a faint shimmer formed—a translucent panel visible only to his eyes.
[Character Panel]
Host: Xuan Yi
Realm: Nascent Soul, First Level
Talent: ??????
Sect: Profound Sword Sect
Disciples:
Lin Zhiyin – Realm: Second Level of Qi Foundation, Aptitude: 51
Wang Hu – Realm: Seventh Level of Qi Condensation, Aptitude: 36
Main Quest:▶ Any disciple's strength must reach the Soul Condensation Realm.
Rewards:
[Glory King Li Bai's Skill: Green Lotus Sword Song]
[Three attacks from Peak King Realm expert, Bing Yu]
Side Quest:▶ Have a disciple with more than 100 aptitude.
Rewards:
[Upgrade by two levels]
[Comprehend Sword Intent]
Reading through the familiar panel, Xuan Yi's gaze sharpened slightly.
The main quest alone was an arduous mountain to climb. To nurture a disciple until they broke through to the Soul Condensation Realm—such a feat was not merely rare; it was legendary. Even among powerful sects, such prodigies were treasures beyond price.
But the rewards…
They were enough to drive even ancient experts into frenzies of greed.
The Green Lotus Sword Song—a sword technique passed down from the mythical Glory King Li Bai. It was said that a single note of the sword song could pierce through realms and shatter armies.
Yet even that paled before the ultimate prize of the side quest.
Comprehending Sword Intent!
Sword Intent was no mere technique. It was the crystallization of a sword cultivator's soul and spirit—a glimpse into the very essence of the Sword Dao. Those who touched even the lowest threshold of Sword Intent could transcend normal battles, their swords carrying the weight of heaven and earth.
A sword cultivator who grasped Sword Intent could sweep aside foes several realms above with ease.
If Xuan Yi achieved it…
Even as a first-level Nascent Soul cultivator, he could face fourth or fifth-level Nascent Soul experts head-on—and perhaps even kill them.
But the reward that made his heart beat just a fraction faster?
"Peak King Realm expert, Bing Yu! Three attacks!"
The system had granted him the power to summon Bing Yu—an enigmatic powerhouse at the peak of the King Realm—three times.
Man or woman, ancient or newly risen, it mattered not.
What mattered was this: a Peak King Realm expert could erase kingdoms from existence as easily as breathing.
Three attacks.
Three absolute trump cards.
Three chances to defy death itself.
With a faint, knowing smile curling at the edge of his lips, Xuan Yi lowered his hand, causing the system panel to fade into nothingness.
He turned, his robes whispering against the polished wooden floor, and began walking toward the sect square.
The morning mist had started to thin, revealing the vast square below where hundreds of young hopefuls had already gathered—bright-eyed and trembling, their lives about to change forever.
Today was the beginning of a new era.
For the sect.
For the disciples.
And for him.
After all… even the heavens could not stop a man who wielded the System.