The merging of the Innate Scarred Dao Fetus was finally complete.
The chaos it had stirred up settled down, and the world slowly returned to its usual peace.
Su Chen looked around in surprise — everything was exactly the same as before.
Not a single straw out of place.
Not a tree swaying.
Nothing.
And yet, just moments ago, it had felt like the heavens were going to collapse.
"…So dramatic, yet nothing broke?" he muttered.
But this only confirmed one thing in his heart: his system was absolutely reliable.
Still, a sudden thought hit him.
He quickly looked down and examined his body.
"Wait a second… aside from internal changes, there's nothing different?"
He sniffed himself.
No stinky black gunk.
His clothes weren't torn to rags either.
They looked freshly washed!
"Huh? This isn't right. According to ancient records—oh no, I mean, the novels I read—there's supposed to be black, smelly impurities oozing out of my body during a breakthrough!
Where's my dramatic detox scene?! Where's my excuse to go shirtless in the next panel?!"
He frowned, irritated.
"Ugh, whatever. Maybe not everything I read was true. Dammit, those webnovels lied to me!"
He kicked the floor lightly and sighed.
Gluuurgle~
His stomach growled loudly.
"Alright, fine… Before pondering life's mysteries, I should probably eat first."
He stood up from his seated position.
Surprisingly, there was no weakness at all — unlike before, his body felt light and full of energy.
He walked toward the door, intending to head out and find food.
But just as his hand reached for the door—
Knock knock.
"Su Chen, boy! Are you okay in there?"
An old voice came from outside, gentle but filled with concern.
"You shouldn't push yourself too hard. Not everyone in our village is meant to cultivate, you know!"
Hearing the voice, Su Chen immediately understood the situation — and recognized who it was.
It was none other than his neighbor, Grandpa Jack — an old man with a kind heart, and one of the few people in the village who had always treated him warmly.
Actually, a few days ago, a nearby sect had visited their village to recruit disciples.
Many young people had been selected, and among them was her — the girl who had been the crush of nearly half the teenage boys in the village.
She wasn't just beautiful, but also incredibly talented. The sect had taken her in as an inner disciple, a rank that made even adults jealous.
Of course, like every self-respecting shy protagonist, he'd never confessed.
Just stared dreamily from a distance like a creep– ahem, like a gentleman.
"If I awaken a powerful talent, maybe… just maybe… I'd be worthy of her too," he had thought.
But reality had been cruel.
His body — scarred and flawed — couldn't cultivate at all.
Crushed by disappointment, the original Su Chen had locked himself in his room, isolated and hopeless.
And that moment, intended to be the turning point of his life…
was also the moment he lost everything.
Su Chen had taken over. The original was gone.
"Don't worry," Su Chen smirked in his mind.
I'll definitely not follow your path, you sentimental fool. I'm not some romantic protagonist who fulfills your dying wish. Go dream in the afterlife." I the new Su Chen? I am built different."
With that sneer still lingering on his lips, he opened the door.
Standing there was Grandpa Jack, face full of concern, probably ready to deliver another emotional pep talk.
"Su Chen, boy! You alright in there?"
"You shouldn't push yourself too hard! Not everyone in our village is meant to cultivate, you know!" the old man said, voice full of worry.
Su Chen raised a hand, smiling like a proper little sunshine child and replied,
"Don't worry, Grandpa Jack. I'm not depressed. I just got hungry you old man."
"Ohhh…"
Seeing Su Chen's bright smile, Grandpa Jack let out a long sigh of relief.
"So you're just hungry, huh? You scared this old man half to death."
He chuckled, then pulled out a steaming bowl of chicken soup from behind his back like a magician revealing his final trick.
The smell hit Su Chen like a heavenly slap to the soul.
Chicken soup…! Actual food!
In that moment, Su Chen felt like the gates of heaven had opened just for him. He snatched the bowl like a starving ghost and grinned.
"Hey, Old Jack, wanna eat with me? It tastes better when shared, right?"
But Grandpa Jack waved him off with a toothy grin.
"Nah, nah, I've got work to do. You eat, you rascal. I'll be fine."
Without waiting for a response, the old man turned around and marched off with big, confident strides — like a man on a mission.
Su Chen blinked.
"…He definitely made a full pot of soup and went home to eat the rest alone," he mumbled to himself.
"But fair enough. If I had made this masterpiece, I wouldn't share it either."
Carefully, like handling a rare treasure, Su Chen tiptoed into his hut with the bowl in both hands.
He moved like a professional acrobat — focused, determined — making sure not a single precious drop spilled.
He set the bowl down gently near his pile of utensils, let out a breath of relief, then grabbed one of his own steel bowls.
With the seriousness of a monk performing a ritual, he poured the soup from Grandpa Jack's bowl into his own.
Then, with the same level of care, he walked over to the water bucket, rinsed out the old man's bowl, and tossed the leftover water out the window.
Splash!
After that, he washed his hands, wiped them dry, and finally — finally — returned to the warm, fragrant bowl of soup waiting for him like a long-lost lover.
He sat down cross-legged, clapped his hands together, and declared:
"Let's eat, baby!"
[Ding!, supreme choice system activate the choice of life,the choice are given below]
Just as Su Chen picked up the spoon, eyes glowing in anticipation, a familiar ding echoed in his mind.
A cold, blue screen suddenly floated before his eyes.
Seeing it, Su Chen's smile instantly froze.
Again?!
That blue screen — his so-called system — had the worst timing possible. He hadn't even taken the first bite yet!
He sighed, annoyed.
"Can't I just eat one peaceful meal? Is that too much to ask?"
His first thought was to ignore it. The soup was still warm, still fragrant — still life itself.
But then…
Something stirred inside him.
An instinct.
A strange, prickling sense that this wasn't just another tutorial pop-up.
This choice… felt like a major turning point in his life.
Su Chen frowned.
"…Fine. Let's see what's so important."