It had already been a month since I transmigrated into this unfamiliar world.
Even now, the memory still felt surreal.
In my previous life, I was nothing more than an ordinary businessman—a thirty-five-year-old man who spent most of his days buried beneath endless work and responsibilities. My life revolved around contracts, meetings, and profit margins. Sleep was a luxury I rarely enjoyed.
That day was no different.
Exhausted beyond measure, I collapsed onto my bed, intending to rest for only a moment.
But when I opened my eyes again… the world had completely changed.
Instead of the familiar ceiling of my apartment, I found myself staring at wooden beams carved with strange patterns. The air carried a faint fragrance of incense, and outside the window stood towering mountains shrouded in mist.
More importantly… my body was no longer my own.
The reflection staring back at me from the bronze mirror belonged to a fifteen-year-old boy.
And not just any boy.
I had become the son of the Second Elder of the Celestial Sword Clan.
At first, confusion overwhelmed me. My mind struggled to comprehend what had happened. But as fragments of memories slowly surfaced within my consciousness, the truth became impossible to deny.
I had transmigrated.
Perhaps it was because of the countless manhua and cultivation novels I used to read back when I was still in college, but the situation felt strangely familiar.
This world… was one ruled by cultivation.
After carefully examining the memories of this body, I quickly discovered that my cultivation had already reached the Qi Condensation Realm, the second realm on the long and arduous path toward immortality.
For a fifteen-year-old, such progress was considered quite impressive within the clan.
However, there was one problem.
A very unfortunate one.
"I don't have a system…"
I muttered to myself with a helpless sigh.
According to the countless stories I had read in my previous life, transmigrators were usually blessed with some kind of extraordinary advantage—an invincible system, an ancient treasure, or at the very least, a mysterious cheat ability.
But me?
Nothing.
No system.
No overpowered martial technique.
No hidden artifact waiting to awaken.
Just an ordinary cultivator's body.
Honestly… it was quite disappointing.
Still, life had to go on.
During this past month, I spent most of my time cultivating quietly inside my courtyard residence. Thanks to my identity as the son of the Second Elder, I was given a steady supply of cultivation pills by my father.
And only a few days ago, after fully digesting the memories of this body, I discovered something extremely interesting.
This body possessed a Heavenly Physique.
A rare constitution that allowed the user to absorb medicinal pills with twice the efficiency of ordinary cultivators.
In other words, every pill I consumed would grant me double the effect.
This alone already made my cultivation speed far superior to most disciples in the clan.
Yet what truly caught my attention was something else entirely.
In this world, cultivators were generally divided into three main paths.
The first were Sword Cultivators, warriors who devoted their lives to mastering the sword and channeling their Qi into devastating blade techniques.
The second were Body Cultivators, individuals who refined their physical bodies until they became living weapons capable of shattering mountains.
And finally… the rarest of them all.
Magic Cultivators.
Unlike the other two paths, magic cultivators manipulated the very mana of heaven and earth, wielding powerful spells capable of altering the battlefield itself.
However, according to the memories of this body, becoming a magic cultivator was extremely difficult. Very few people possessed the talent necessary to control mana.
Ironically enough…
This body did.
For reasons unknown, the original owner of this body had chosen to hide this secret from everyone—including the clan elders. Instead, he pursued the path of the sword, hoping to become a powerful sword cultivator.
I picked up the training sword resting beside my bed and examined its cold steel blade.
Then I let out a quiet chuckle.
"Sorry… but this isn't my style."
With a casual motion, I tossed the sword aside.
The blade clattered against the stone floor, echoing softly within the silent room.
Sword cultivation?
Too straightforward.
Too predictable.
If I was going to survive in a world like this, I needed something far more versatile.
I slowly closed my eyes and extended my senses outward.
Almost immediately, I felt it.
Tiny currents of mana drifting through the air like invisible streams.
A faint smile formed on my lips.
"Well then…"
"Let's start taking this seriously."
"This time… I'll walk the path of a Magic Cultivator."
For the past two months, I had not stepped outside my room even once.
The world beyond the courtyard walls might as well not exist.
Every day, I remained seated on the cold stone floor of my chamber, cultivating in silence. The only thing that accompanied me during this long period of isolation was a small wooden box filled with medicinal pills.
These were Grade-Two Middle Gather Pills, given to me personally by my father.
Of course, he had deliberately chosen pills of a lower grade. According to the elders of the clan, consuming pills that were too powerful could cause a cultivator's body to collapse under the pressure of overwhelming spiritual energy.
In the worst cases… the body could literally explode from the inside.
Just imagining such a fate made a chill crawl down my spine.
Still, even these "lower-rank" pills were already considered valuable resources among ordinary disciples.
I picked up one of the round, faintly glowing pills from the wooden box and studied it for a moment before swallowing it.
Moments later, a warm current of energy spread through my meridians like a flowing river.
Cultivation was truly fascinating.
Once you entered a deep state of meditation, time seemed to lose its meaning. Hours would pass like minutes, and weeks slipped by without notice.
Before I even realized it, nearly two months had already passed.
Thanks to my Heavenly Physique, the medicinal effects of the pills were amplified twice over. The spiritual energy I absorbed flowed smoothly through my meridians, nourishing every part of my body.
Because of that, my cultivation had already advanced to the Third Stage of the Qi Condensation Realm.
For someone who had only been cultivating seriously for a short time, such progress could only be described as astonishing.
Which made me realize something rather irritating.
"This original owner really was an idiot…"
I muttered quietly to myself.
According to the memories I inherited, this body possessed a rare Heavenly Constitution, something cultivators would fight entire wars over.
Yet instead of focusing on cultivation, the previous owner had spent most of his time swinging a sword like a maniac.
Day after day, he practiced sword techniques without properly cultivating his Qi.
What a waste.
A heavenly body capable of absorbing pills twice as efficiently… used for nothing more than basic sword training.
If the previous owner had focused on true cultivation, he might have already reached a far higher realm by now.
But then again… perhaps his stupidity was my fortune.
Without his mistakes, I would not be standing where I was today.
However, there was one thing that I found rather depressing.
In the past three months… not a single person had come to visit me.
No servants.
No clan members.
Not even someone knocking on the door.
I let out a small sigh.
"Quite a pitiful situation, honestly."
Within the Celestial Sword Clan, I had four siblings, and I was the third son.
My three other siblings were currently studying at the prestigious Azure Cloud Sect, gaining experience and building connections that would strengthen our family's influence in the future.
Meanwhile…
I was stuck here.
After digging through the memories of the previous owner, I finally understood the reason.
Apparently, the fool had offended a young master from another influential family.
The conflict escalated so badly that the clan elders had no choice but to punish him.
As a result, he was suspended and confined to the clan grounds for an entire year, forbidden from leaving the residence.
No wonder nobody bothered visiting.
To the rest of the clan, I was probably nothing more than a troublesome embarrassment.
I leaned back against the wall and glanced at the remaining pills inside the wooden container.
Despite cultivating for months without eating proper food, I did not feel hungry at all.
The spiritual energy within the pills sustained my body completely.
Cultivators truly were extraordinary beings.
Even the lowest-rank medicinal pills could replace ordinary meals for months.
I picked up another pill and smiled faintly.
"Well… if no one plans to disturb me…"
"Then I might as well continue cultivating quietly."
After all, in a world like this, strength was everything.
And I had all the time in the world.