The moment Victor's consciousness got pulled into the game, a vibrant, glowing field stretched out infinitely before him.
He stood suspended in the shimmering void. A soft yet commanding voice echoed in his ears:
"Welcome to Ascendant Realms. Prepare to configure your character."
Victor's surroundings shifted, and he found himself standing in front of a massive ethereal mirror. His reflection stared back at him, only now it was no longer his real-life self. The mirror displayed a translucent, malleable version of him, ready to be shaped.
The interface appeared in front of him, floating mid-air. It was glowing with a faint golden hue and displayed several options.
<[ Name Configuration: ]>
Victor smirked, cracking his knuckles. "Alright, gotta pick something cool and Eastern. Can't just be 'Victor Revenant.' That doesn't scream 'cultivation legend.'"
He stared at the input box for a moment before typing: Fang Chen.
"Yeah, that sounds badass. Fang Chen—future Immortal God of… something or other. We'll figure that out later."
A gong echoed as the name was confirmed, and the next option appeared.
<[ Constitution Configuration: ]>
"Okay," Victor muttered, scrolling through the options. "What's a constitution again? Oh, right. Cultivation nerd stuff. Probably has to do with how awesome I'm going to be."
The interface provided several choices, each with a brief description:
- Fire Spirit Constitution: High affinity for fire qi, explosive attacks, and destructive techniques.
- Heavenly Wood Constitution: High regeneration and strong defence. Suitable for healing and supportive roles.
- Void Shadow Constitution: Stealth-based, enhancing speed and evasion while amplifying dark qi.
Victor read through a few more before one caught his eye:
- Primordial Chaos Constitution: A rare and mysterious constitution that provides equal affinity to all types of qi. Potential is limitless, but growth is slow without effort.
"Oh, come on," Victor said with a laugh. "That's not even fair. Who's going to pick anything else after reading 'limitless potential'? Primordial Chaos it is!"
The mirror shimmered as his translucent reflection shifted slightly and faint ripples of light flowed across his body.
<[ Bloodline Configuration: ]>
Victor raised an eyebrow as the next menu appeared. "Wait, I get a bloodline too? Fancy."
Several options hovered in front of him:
- Phoenix Bloodline: Grants fiery rebirth abilities and enhances fire-based techniques.
- Azure Dragon Bloodline: Boosts strength, durability, and lightning qi affinity.
- Celestial Serpent Bloodline: Focused on poison and illusion-based skills.
His eyes landed on the last option:
- Void Emperor Bloodline: A legendary bloodline that enhances control over space and time. Rare and highly versatile.
"Void Emperor? Heck yeah," Victor said, selecting it without hesitation. "If I'm gonna do this, I'm doing it in style."
The mirror shimmered again, this time with faint streaks of black and silver snaking across his translucent reflection, forming intricate patterns that vanished after a moment.
<[ Final Configuration: ]>
- Constitution: Primordial Chaos
- Bloodline: Void Emperor
A confirmation screen appeared, and Victor hit the glowing 'Confirm' button.
"Configuration complete. Welcome, Fang Chen."
The ground beneath him dissolved, and he felt the sensation of falling, though it wasn't unpleasant. The void around him gave way to a vibrant, living world.
Victor landed softly in a lush valley surrounded by towering mountains shrouded in mist.
The sky above was a brilliant shade of blue, dotted with fluffy clouds that drifted lazily. The air was rich and invigorating, filled with the faint scent of blooming flowers and fresh grass. A gentle breeze rustled the trees whose leaves glowed faintly as if infused with qi.
"Whoa," Victor muttered, turning in a slow circle to take it all in. "This… this is insane. It's like stepping into a movie or something."
The ground beneath him was soft and springy, covered in a carpet of jade-green grass. In the distance, a cascading waterfall sparkled in the sunlight, feeding into a crystal-clear lake. The entire scene felt surreal, almost too perfect to be real.
Just as he was starting to admire his surroundings, a translucent interface appeared before him. It hovered in mid-air, emitting a faint golden color.
<[ Fang Chen's Cultivation System ]>
- Constitution: Primordial Chaos
- Bloodline: Void Emperor
- Current Cultivation Realm: Mortal Realm
- Current Cultivation Level: Qi Gathering Stage (0%)
- Qi Reserves: Minimal
- Cultivation Technique: [None]
- Physique Grade: Lower Bronze
- Affinity: Balanced but undeveloped
- Luck: Below Average
Victor squinted at the display, tapping at the floating numbers. "Alright, so I'm a Mortal Realm noob with barely any qi. Guess I've got nowhere to go but up."
The interface flickered, and a message appeared:
<[ First Objective: Reach Qi Gathering Level 1. ]>
Below the message was a detailed explanation:
- To gather qi, meditate in areas rich with spiritual energy.
- Qi absorption rate depends on constitution and surroundings.
- Be cautious of external threats while cultivating.
Victor rubbed his hands together. "Okay, time to do some meditating. How hard can it be?"
He glanced around, searching for a spot that looked "spiritual." His eyes landed on a flat rock near the lake, shaded by an ancient-looking tree with glowing blue leaves. It seemed like as good a place as any.
Sitting cross-legged on the rock, Victor opened the system's guide for meditation. The instructions were surprisingly straightforward: close your eyes, focus on your breathing, and visualize the qi around you flowing into your body.
He closed his eyes and gave it a shot. At first, he felt ridiculous, sitting there like some kind of wannabe monk. But after a few moments, something changed.
The air around him seemed to buzz faintly, and a gentle warmth spread through his chest. He could almost see the threads of energy, tiny motes of light drifting toward him and sinking into his skin.
The system interface pinged softly:
<[ - Qi Gathering Progress: 5% ]>
Victor grinned. "Alright, this might actually be fun."
But as he continued to cultivate, a rustling sound from the nearby trees made him pause. He opened one eye, glancing toward the noise. The leaves trembled, and a low growl echoed from the shadows.
"Uh-oh," he muttered. "Guess I'm not alone after all."
From the underbrush, a creature emerged—a wolf-like beast with glowing red eyes and spiky crystalline fur that shimmered ominously. Its lips curled back in a snarl, revealing rows of pointy teeth.
Victor's heart raced as the system chimed again.
<[ Warning!: Spiritual Beast Detected! ]>
<[ Danger Level: Moderate ]>
Victor scrambled to his feet with a disturbed look. "Moderate danger, huh? Yeah, sure. Let me just grab my nonexistent sword and—oh, wait."
The wolf crouched, preparing to pounce. Victor clenched his fists as his mind flipped through options. "Okay, Fang Chen," he muttered, "time to prove you're not a complete idiot."
"No, no, I'm running for my life," Victor yelled while turning around to flee.
The Spiritual Beast immediately lunged forward, jumping right over his head and landing before him.