Darkness.
It wasn't the absence of light, but something deeper—like being submerged in an endless, colorless ocean where even the concept of 'self' felt... suspended.
There were no limbs, no breath, no heartbeat.
And yet—he was aware.
A tiny ripple of thought pulsed within the void.
Who... am I?
The question echoed within a formless consciousness. He didn't remember his name, but fragments floated—blurry memories of bright screens, novels, laughter with friends, late-night snacks, and something called… anime? A past life. Earth. That much, he pieced together.
Am I dead?
There was no fear in the thought. Only observation.
Then the nothingness around him stirred.
A strange warmth—ancient and vast—swept over his awareness like waves of liquid light. It wasn't just one kind of energy. It was all kinds.
Fire. Water. Metal. Wood. Earth. Space. Time. Karma. Life. Death. Spirit. Qi. Faith.
They flowed together and around him—chaotic, unrefined, yet boundless.
And his instincts moved before thought.
He reached for the energy—not with hands, but with… will. With a pull from something primal in him. The moment the energy entered his being, it didn't tear him apart. It blended.
No, more than that.
It harmonized.
As if every form of cultivation energy naturally recognized him.
What... am I?
Then came the pain.
A soul-wrenching storm surged into his core. The boundless energy he had invited in was reshaping him—compressing, refining, re-forging. His consciousness trembled on the brink of collapse.
But he didn't let go.
His curiosity burned stronger than the pain.
Why is this happening?
It wasn't instinct alone now. It was purpose. Strategy. Survival. He began studying the energy around him—feeling how each type affected him, understanding their flows, mimicking their rhythms. Slowly, steadily, he tamed them.
And as the energy merged with his evolving soul, a change occurred.
Something clicked inside him. Like a puzzle piece falling into place.
Suddenly, visions poured in—galaxies spinning, towering cultivators in battle, ancient scriptures, beasts born of starlight, Dao fields, forbidden realms.
And above it all, a chat window—floating ethereally like a UI from a game.
> [Welcome to the Immortal Cultivation Chat Group]
You are now a participant in the Universal Competition.
Your System is being initialized...
What the hell? A system? Like in the novels?
He didn't feel surprise—just a strange, eerie calm. He had read too many fantasy stories in his past life. A system didn't shock him—it intrigued him.
Then came another message, colder. More personal.
> [Survival-Based Growth System Installed]
Daily survival grants micro boosts in cultivation potential across all active systems.
Growth Type: Harmonized Universal Cultivation.
Daily Survival Talent Increase: +0.1% base across all forms.
He blinked—if he had eyes.
So I get stronger just by not dying?
He chuckled mentally. Dark humor helped ease the surrealism. But then… clarity struck.
This wasn't a dream. This was real.
He had died. And now… reborn.
But reborn as what?
Suddenly, the void cracked.
Light—no, energy—flooded in. His form condensed. He could feel structure. A core. A pulse. A swirling ocean of power. Heat. Pressure.
I'm inside something…
And then—he knew.
He was in the core of a world.
Literally.
Not on the surface. Not in some cave or secret realm.
He had been born as a child of the world—a pure, unstable form of condensed world energy, existing in the planet's very heart.
That explained the overwhelming concentration of spiritual energy.
No wonder his soul had formed this way. The surrounding energies were so rich, so pure, that even a fragment of thought could be reborn here.
His curiosity flared brighter.
Why me?
And then, like a fading echo from a distant memory, it returned to him.
The spark.
That drifting strand of consciousness. The spark of the Consciousness of Nothingness.
It had merged with him.
Not by destiny. Not by divine plan.
By accident.
And yet… it had reshaped his rebirth, modeled by his memories and ideas of cultivation. The system, the chat, the daily survival bonus—it was all a reflection of his mind. The way he once imagined power... had become his reality.
He wasn't chosen. He was the result of a cosmic glitch.
And yet, he was alive.
Fully reborn.
I need to survive.
He didn't know what kind of world this was, or what awaited on the surface.
But he knew this much—power ruled here.
If he wanted to live, he had to adapt.
If he wanted to thrive, he had to master all he could.
His soul shivered. Not from fear, but from a raw surge of excitement.
This world... this universe… was a cultivation field. Endless paths to power, countless ways to die.
And he was starting at the bottom.
No body. No guide. Only a system and a will to live.
But even as a soul form in the planet's core, he knew—
This was only the beginning.
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