The market in Lower Manhattan buzzed like a restless hive—honking cabs, shouting vendors, smoke rising from food carts, neon strips flickering above cracked sidewalks. The noon sun hung hard and cruel, turning glass storefronts into mirrors that stabbed light in every direction.
Lin Feng walked through the crowd, hands in his pockets, a calm face hiding a storm beneath. Then—flash—a sudden, needle-sharp reflection bounced off something metallic on a street stall and knifed straight into his eyes.
He winced and instinctively raised both hands to shield his face.
The demon, Ye Ling Yun, materialized beside him like a cold whisper. Its voice slithered into Lin Feng's skull, mocking as always.
"What luck do you parade around with, brat? Is this some kind of plot armor? Huh? Even sunlight bows to you?"
Lin Feng lowered his hands and forced an awkward smile.
If only I could tell you I'm a reincarnator, you damn demon… heh… hehhh…
Something tugged at his attention. A strange vibration. A faint, humming chill. Like a relic calling out.
He stepped closer to the stall.
"Alright," he muttered. "What did I even find? What is this supposed to be?"
Ye Ling Yun sounded stunned.
"A furnace. A high-grade furnace, brat. How did something like this end up in this trash heap?"
The thing was old—ancient even. Bronze-colored but dulled by age, ragged around the edges, small cracks spidering across its surface like scars. Yet it radiated an inexplicable weight, as though generations had knelt before it once.
Lin Feng's pulse quickened.
He approached the shop owner—a wide-smiling, too-friendly man who immediately sensed prey.
"You like that piece?" the owner said, tapping the dusty furnace. "Ancient League artifact. Came all the way from the East. Rare piece. Worth at least seven-hundred and fifty dollars… but for a clever young man like you, maybe I give a small discount, ah?"
Ye Ling Yun hummed urgently.
"Ok ok, buy it. This is a good deal for once."
Lin Feng smirked.
"Sir," he said smoothly, "it's old, cracked, and barely holding together. One hundred. Final."
The owner blinked. Choked. Flinched. Tried to recover.
"But—this is—ancient—League—"
"One hundred," Lin Feng repeated, still smiling.
The owner's shoulders dropped in defeated agony.
"…Fine."
Lin Feng paid exactly $100 and walked away with the furnace tucked under his arm, the demon muttering excitedly like a child.
INT. HOTEL LOBBY — EVENING
Gao Yunsheng stood in the lobby, pacing, checking his watch every three seconds. Brows tight. Lips pressed. The man looked five seconds away from scolding the entire world.
When Lin Feng finally approached, Gao Yunsheng flicked his forehead lightly.
"You're late, kiddo. Did you forget today is the day we return?"
Lin Feng grinned sheepishly.
---
INT. LIN FENG'S HOUSE
Warm light filled the living room. His mother, Lin Mengqi, rushed to him first, hugging tight, her voice trembling as she asked, "Feng'er, are you eating well? Are you resting properly? You've gotten thinner!"
Uncle Lin Renwang clasped his shoulder firmly, smiling in relief. "Good to have you back, kid. How's everything? Doing okay?"
Lin Feng nodded, letting their warmth wash over him—something he'd forgotten he needed.
---
INT. LIN FENG'S ROOM — NIGHT
He fell asleep on the couch wearing a plain white T-shirt and black track pants. His phone lay on his chest, vibrating.
RRRRRRNNG—RRRNNNG—!!
He jolted awake.
From the phone, Gao Yunsheng's voice exploded,
"LIN FENG! HOW—HOW DID YOU EVEN KNOW!? Blue Shirt Enterprises! Vexora Labs! All of them! They've all hit TWENTY times returns! Twenty! Do you hear me!?"
Lin Feng rubbed his eyes casually.
"Come on, Uncle. It's not that special. We made approximately two hundred million dollars, right? Chill."
Silence.
Then Gao Yunsheng sputtered,
"Chill!? CHILL!? Are you—are you playing with me, young lad!?"
Lin Feng replied softly, "Uncle, I need you to gather coders, neuroscientists, software engineers, robotics engineers, data scientists—every type of academic talent from anywhere in the world. Find young ones too. Fresh brains. I have a job for them. Gather them, and I'll send a list later."
"…Kid," Gao Yunsheng muttered, voice half-broken, "you need THIS many people…?"
"Just follow my words, Uncle."
"…Alright, kiddo."
In the middle of the night, Lin Feng sat cross-legged on the floor. Energy surged wildly in him, shaking his limbs. His breath grew ragged. His fingers trembled. A cold sweat spread across his skin.
Ye Ling Yun's voice echoed sharply.
"Why don't you just give me your body, brat? What game are you playing since morning? What will the viewers think—if they saw you shaking like this?"
Lin Feng gritted his teeth.
"I'm… not losing to you."
INT. GAO YUNSHENG'S SUV — MORNING
The sun cut through the tinted windows of Gao Yunsheng's SUV. Lin Feng sat beside him, still exhausted but eyes sharp.
"Uncle," he said, "I want a list of the top hundred companies worldwide. I'll invest in them as interns. No requirements. No discrimination. Just potential."
Gao Yunsheng stared. "And the capital…?"
Lin Feng turned his head with a little smirk.
"We have two hundred million dollars, Uncle. Are you really asking if I can't grow it? Or are you underestimating me?"
"…I said nothing." Gao Yunsheng muttered.
Lin Feng suddenly slumped, touching his stomach.
"Uncle… I'm hungry. Can you buy me some snacks?"
Gao Yunsheng sighed in dramatic tragedy.
"Alright, alright. I'll be back, kiddo."
He stepped out.
Inside the car, Ye Ling Yun groaned.
"What is all this shit? Business, money, snacks…? And suddenly food? WHY?"
Lin Feng smiled faintly.
"Just wait and see."
He grabbed Gao Yunsheng's laptop and began typing rapidly.
His thoughts sharpened.
Let's see if I can use my memories from my last life… and figure out what this so-called magic in the world actually is. Magic doesn't exist. Everyone knows that. But then… what is she? What caused all this? If Earth has no magic, what am I dealing with?
Minutes later—
"I cracked it…!" he whispered. "Ha—!"
What opened was not a normal website.
Awakeners.io
The site detailed truths the world hid:
Magic always existed.
Energy always existed.
Demons existed.
Governments worldwide hid it unanimously.
People awakened into paths—Knights, Mages, Daoists, Sadhus—each cultivating different forms: mana, qi, kundalini.
Every path had nine stages.
Each stage had nine sub-stages.
One body could not cultivate two paths—death was certain.
Research continued worldwide.
Since 2008, awakenings were increasing.
Demons evolving.
Dungeons appearing.
Ye Ling Yun leaned closer, childlike.
"What are you reading? Why are you clinging to that piece of metal?"
Lin Feng ignored him and scrolled.
Each country used different ranking systems—letters, numbers, titles.
He tried accessing deeper tabs.
The screen instantly exploded in red.
ERROR! ERROR! ERROR!
ERRR—ERRRR—ERRR—ERRRR—!!!
The entire display corrupted, then forcibly returned to the homepage.
At the same moment, the car door opened.
Gao Yunsheng climbed in holding a packet of steaming Kou Shou Ji fried chicken.
"Why are you scared, kid?" he asked. "Something happen? Here—eat this."