The spatial tunnel twisted like a serpent through the void between worlds, carrying Archivus's soul toward its destination. Or at least, it should have been.
The impact of the Universal Library's fusion had done more than transform his soul—it had knocked him catastrophically off course.
His protective bubble tumbled through the cosmic currents, spinning wildly as it careened past the intended coordinates. Past Gaia-7's carefully maintained world. Past the cluster of high-tier planets in that sector entirely.
The trajectory was chaos incarnate, one final manifestation of the terrible luck that had plagued Archivus Verne in life. But as his soul spun through the void, something was happening within the protective barrier.
The Library's integration was complete.
And with it, the curse of catastrophic misfortune that had clung to his soul like a parasite was being systematically disintegrated.
Every story had rules. Every narrative had structure. And the Universal Library, containing infinite variations of every possible tale, knew one fundamental truth: a protagonist's luck could be rewritten.
The dark aura that had caused a Planetary Will to be sealed, that had sent a truck into his path at the worst possible moment, dissolved like ink in water. The Library rewrote that particular chapter of his fate, editing out the tragedy and leaving only potential.
By the time his soul finally crashed toward a new destination—a world hundreds of light-years from where he was supposed to be—Archivus Verne was no longer unlucky.
He was simply lost.
[Anomaly Detected]
The Planetary Will of Azure Peak World paused in her meditation.
Something was approaching her domain at absolutely ridiculous speeds. She extended her consciousness outward, scanning the spatial layers, and found it: a soul bubble tumbling through the void at several hundred times the speed of light.
["What in the nine heavens—?"]
With a casual flex of spatial law—the kind of power that came naturally to a Planetary Will governing a peak High-Tier world—she created a deceleration field. The bubble slowed from breakneck velocity to a gentle drift, finally coming to rest in the upper atmosphere.
She examined it more closely.
The soul inside was... extraordinary. Pure. Crystalline. Untainted by the karmic pollution that marred most mortal souls. It shimmered with a quality she'd rarely seen even in Sovereign-Tier worlds, let alone something from the Lower Realms.
["Interesting. Very interesting."]
A small note was attached to the protective bubble—a message written in the distinctive energy signature of Earth's Planetary Will. She scanned it quickly.
"Dear Gaia-7, this soul is a genius who awakened all power systems but died during the process. Catastrophically unlucky—handle with care. Might cause accidents. Good luck! - Terra"
The Azure Peak Will—who was most definitely not Gaia-7—let out a sound like distant thunder.
["That old friend of yours sent this soul to the wrong planet, Terra. How careless can you be?"]
She examined the soul again, looking for this supposed bad luck aura.
There was nothing. No trace of misfortune. No karmic debt. Just pure, pristine potential wrapped in a faint shimmer of... something else. Something she couldn't quite identify.
["Either the note is wrong, or something cleansed this soul during transit. How peculiar."]
She considered her options. The proper thing to do would be to contact Terra, inform her of the mistake, and arrange transfer to Gaia-7's world. That was protocol.
But then again...
["Gaia-7 and I have been rivals for three centuries. Ever since that insufferable tournament where her genius broke through to Void Sovereign and beat my champion by half a realm."]
The Century-Galactic Tournament was coming up again in ninety years. Every hundred years, the Planetary Wills of the Upper Realms gathered to showcase their most promising talents. It was part competition, part networking event, and entirely about bragging rights.
For the past five tournaments, Azure Peak World and Gaia-7's Celestial Evergreen World had been exactly matched. Five wins each. Their geniuses always seemed to hover at the same level, breaking through at similar rates, creating a frustrating stalemate.
This soul, though...
Pure talent. Awakened all power systems, according to the note. If she could cultivate this properly, guide its development, ensure it reached its full potential...
["This could be the edge I need. The tiebreaker."]
She made her decision.
["Besides, possession is nine-tenths of cosmic law. Terra sent it to the wrong address—finder's keepers."]
She would take this soul. Train it personally from the shadows. And when the next tournament came around, she'd finally have something to wipe that smug expression off Gaia-7's manifestation.
["Now, where to place you..."]
Azure Peak World was vast—a peak High-Tier cultivation world spanning three continents and countless sects, clans, and kingdoms. The strong ruled, the weak served, and power was measured in clearly defined cultivation realms.
She needed a stable environment. Somewhere with resources but not too much attention. A clan with good foundations but not so prominent that her new protégé would immediately be caught up in deadly politics.
["The Azure Dragon Clan in the Eastern Continent. Yes, that will do nicely."]
The Azure Dragon Clan was a mid-level power—respectable but not dominating. They had access to cultivation resources, training methods, and most importantly, they'd just had a birth.
She reached out with her Will and examined the newborn.
The baby was... dead. Stillborn, actually. The mother was unconscious from the difficult labor, and the midwives were desperately trying to revive the child.
["Perfect timing. Fate itself provides."]
With the delicate precision that came from managing a world for ten thousand years, she guided Archivus's soul into the infant body, fusing them seamlessly.
The reincarnation took hold.
And then she did something unusual for a Planetary Will.
She waited to see what would happen.
Archivus became aware slowly, like rising from deep water.
The first thing he noticed was that he couldn't see. Everything was blurry, indistinct. The second thing he noticed was that he couldn't move properly. His limbs felt tiny and unresponsive.
The third thing he noticed was someone hitting him.
SMACK!
Pain flared across his backside—shocking and immediate.
What the—
SMACK!
"Come on, little one," a female voice said in a language he somehow understood despite never hearing it before. "Breathe! You must breathe!"
Lady, stop hitting me! he tried to say.
What came out was: "Hiee! Hiee!"
He froze.
That was... that was a baby sound. He'd just made a baby sound.
SMACK!
"There! I heard something! Keep going!"
Okay, OUCH! Stop! Do you know who I am? I'm Archivus Verne, bestselling author, world champion, and—
"HIEE HIEE HIEE!"
What. The. Hell.
Panic set in. Why did he sound like that? Why couldn't he move? Why was everything blurry?
He tried to look at his hands.
Tiny. Pink. Fingers the size of— oh no.
Oh no no no no.
"He's crying! The young master is alive!"
Multiple voices now, all talking at once. Relief. Joy. Someone was sobbing—deep, body-wracking sobs of a mother who thought she'd lost her child.
Wait. Young master? Am I... am I a baby?
The pieces clicked into place with the horrible clarity of someone who'd written this exact scenario a hundred times in various novels.
I reincarnated. I actually reincarnated. Holy shit, I REINCARNATED!
The memory came flooding back. Earth. The awakening. The truck. Dying just as he'd finally touched real power. And then...
Nothing. Void. And now this.
The Planetary Will. Did she send me to another world. I'm actually in another world. A cultivation world, probably, based on the 'young master' title.
His infant body was being cleaned, wrapped in soft cloth. Someone was murmuring prayers to something called the "Azure Dragon Ancestor." The language was flowing into his mind naturally, as if the reincarnation process had granted him instant fluency.
Okay. Okay, I can work with this. I died at twenty-eight. If this is a standard cultivation world, I can start training from infancy. Build the perfect foundation. No wasted potential this time. No mundane limitations.
Excitement warred with the surreal absurdity of the situation.
But first, I need information. Where am I? What kind of world is this? What are the power levels?
He was placed in someone's arms—his mother, he assumed. The warmth was startling after the void of death.
"My son," she whispered, voice thick with emotion. "My precious son. The heavens have blessed the Azure Dragon Clan."
Azure Dragon Clan. Eastern naming convention. Definitely a cultivation world.
An older male voice spoke: "The clan head will be pleased. Despite the difficult birth, young master Archivus has survived."
Wait, they're using my name? How—
But of course. Reincarnation and fate. The soul carried information. They must have somehow known or chosen the name that resonated with his essence.
This is insane. This is absolutely insane. I'm a baby in a cultivation world. I'm actually living the premise of half the novels I've written.
Someone began talking to his exhausted mother, and Archivus listened carefully, piecing together context from their words.
The Azure Dragon Clan was a third-rank power in the Eastern Continent of Azure Peak World. They controlled a modest territory, had several Nascent Soul elders, and were considered a stable mid-tier force. Not powerful enough to dominate, but not weak enough to be casually destroyed.
Azure Peak World itself was classified as a peak High-Tier world—one of the strongest in the Lower Realms. Above it were the Upper Realms: Sovereign-Tier, Divine-Tier, and Primordial-Tier worlds. And above even those, in legend only, was the Origin Realm and its singular Origin-Tier world.
A tiered cosmology. Classic. So I'm starting in a relatively high-level world for the Lower Realms. That means the ceiling is high, but so is the danger.
Cultivation realms were mentioned in passing in the following days: Qi Gathering, Foundation Establishment, Core Formation, Nascent Soul, Soul Transformation, Void Sovereign, and beyond. Each realm was divided into early(1-3), middle(4-6), and late stages(7-9).
The Azure Dragon Clan's strongest elder was at middle-stage Soul Transformation. Respectable for the Eastern Continent, but apparently only mid-tier when compared to the true powerhouses of Azure Peak World.
Information. I need so much more information. But I'm literally a newborn. I can barely see. Can't walk. Can't talk properly.
Frustration warred with excitement.
But I have time. All the time in the world. And this time—THIS time—I'm going to achieve everything I couldn't before.
He settled into his mother's arms, his infant body finally relaxing.
Magic. Cultivation. Real power. It's all here. It's all real.
For the first time since his death, Archivus Verne smiled.
It came out as an adorable baby gurgle, but the intent was there.
Let's see what this new life has to offer.
High above, beyond the mortal plane, the Planetary Will of Azure Peak World observed her new investment with satisfaction.
["Good. He's accepted the situation quickly. That's the mark of a flexible mind. Now we wait and see what kind of genius you truly are, Archivus Verne."]
She settled back into her meditation, occasionally keeping one strand of awareness on the infant.
["In ninety years, when the tournament comes, you'll be my secret weapon. Gaia-7 won't know what hit her. Dont let me down."]
What she didn't know—what she couldn't know—was that deep within Archivus's reincarnated soul, something was beginning to stir.
The Infinite Library System was starting to wake up.
And when it did, it would change everything.