'Why does it feel so windy?'
Xian Tiandi opened his eyes to the roar of wind against his face.
The sound was deafening, filling his ears completely. His body spun uncontrollably in midair, tumbling end over end without any sense of direction.
"The hell?!"
The world around him was a blur of clouds and light, everything moving too fast to make sense of.
Below, the ground rushed up fast, growing larger with every passing second. The jagged cliffs on both sides closed in, their rocky surfaces sharp and dangerous looking.
Panic shot through him for a moment. It came suddenly, gripping his chest tight. His heart pounded wildly, beating so hard he could feel it in his throat.
The sensation was overwhelming, making it hard to think clearly. The air grew colder as he fell, biting at his exposed skin. His clothes whipped around him violently, pulled by the force of his descent.
For an instant, he thought this was how he would die. The fear was real and raw, filling every corner of his mind.
'How did I end up here? This must be a lucid dream right?' He was truly shaken.
Unexplainable death by falling off a cliff was never in his imaginations of how he could die.
Then, without warning, his mind exploded with pain. It felt like someone had driven a spike directly into his skull.
He wanted to scream but couldn't make a sound. Foreign memories forced their way into his head, pushing against his own thoughts.
Countless images and thoughts flashed before his eyes in rapid succession. Scenes of a life he had never lived appeared one after another.
A small courtyard. Training grounds. Family faces he did not recognize. All of it blended with his own memories from Earth, creating chaos inside his head.
The confusion lasted only a few seconds, though it felt much longer. His mind struggled to separate what was his from what belonged to someone else.
Slowly, understanding began to dawn. The pieces started falling into place. He was no longer on Earth.
That much became clear first. He had transmigrated into another body—one that belonged to a sixteen-year-old boy with the name, Xian Tiandi.
The realization hit him like a physical blow.
More memories appeared, showing the boy's final moments before death. He could see it all clearly now, as if he had been there himself.
A woman's cold expression stared back at him. Her face was beautiful but empty of warmth.
A push from behind came next, sudden and unexpected. The shock and disbelief the boy felt before falling off the cliff washed over him.
Betrayal.
That single word echoed in his mind, repeating over and over. The woman he had trusted most had been the one to end his life.
She had smiled at him just moments before pushing him to his death.
As realization settled fully, Xian Tiandi's fear began to fade. It did not disappear completely, but it became manageable.
'So I'm the main character now? Why do I suddenly feel calm...I shouldn't be adapting this fast... logically.'
His eyes steadied, focusing on what was happening around him. His breathing slowed, becoming more controlled despite the situation.
This scene felt familiar to him now. Not from the boy's memories, but from his own. He had seen this exact moment before, read about it in detail.
It was the opening scene of a cultivation novel he had read to completion back on Earth.
The memory came rushing back. The protagonist, betrayed by his lover, would soon find an ancient inheritance at the bottom of the valley.
That inheritance would change his fate completely, transforming him from trash into a genius.
The story had been popular, with millions of readers following the main character's journey.
Xian Tiandi's lips curved into a faint smile despite the fall. The expression felt strange on his face given the circumstances, but he could not help it.
He could already guess what awaited him below. The novel had described this valley in great detail.
Somewhere beneath the thick mist was an ancient cave containing treasures beyond imagination.
The original protagonist had stumbled upon it by pure chance, surviving the fall through luck alone.
The mist covering the valley thickened as he fell deeper. It was white and dense, hiding the ground from sight completely.
He could no longer see how far he had to fall. The temperature dropped even more, making him shiver.
His body twisted in the air as he tried to position himself, attempting to control his descent somehow. His arms spread out instinctively, trying to catch the wind.
'So this is where it begins,' he thought.
'How long do I keep falling like this?'
Still...
His fear was gone completely, replaced by something else entirely. Calm excitement filled him instead.
It was the kind of feeling he used to get when solving a difficult puzzle back on Earth.
This was a challenge, yes, but also an opportunity. He clenched his fists and faced downward, ready to meet whatever waited beneath the mist.
The wind continued to roar around him, but he barely noticed it anymore. His mind was already racing ahead, thinking about what came next.
If fate had brought him into this story, then he would not waste the chance. He knew things the original protagonist had not. He had read the entire novel from beginning to end.
That knowledge was power in this situation.
This time, the story would belong to him. He would not follow the same path as the original Xian Tiandi.
He would do better, go further. The thought brought another smile to his face. His body continued falling through the endless mist, but his mind was already planning his next moves.
Whatever inheritance waited below, he would claim it. And then he would surpass everything the original story had shown.
The mist grew thicker still, wrapping around him like a blanket. He could barely see his own hands now.
But his eyes remained focused, looking downward with determination. Somewhere below was the beginning of his new life. Somewhere below was power waiting to be taken. He would not miss this opportunity.
'But how long do I keep falling?!'