Lin Xuan's last memory was of greasy noodles, a suspicious sauce packet, and the slow realization that food poisoning was not a joke. He had expected the afterlife to be a white light, maybe a choir of angels. Instead, he woke up to the sound of chittering mandibles and the smell of rot.
His eyes snapped open. Above him, a ceiling of damp stone dripped with green slime. Around him, cages rattled—inside, grotesque insects writhed: centipedes the size of dogs, beetles with glowing carapaces, and moths that pulsed like diseased hearts.
Lin Xuan sat up, clutching his stomach. "Great. I died from bad takeout and got reincarnated into a horror movie. At least the décor is consistent—still disgusting."
He looked down at himself. His robes were black, tattered, and crawling with lice. His hands were thin, pale, and covered in scars. A faint memory surfaced—this body belonged to a lowly disciple of the Thousand Venoms Hall, a demonic sect infamous for breeding poisonous insects. In other words, cannon fodder.
"Wonderful," Lin Xuan muttered. "I've gone from office drone to bug feeder. Career progression at its finest."
As he tried to stand, a sharp pain shot through his head. A mechanical voice echoed in his mind:
[Daily Sign-In System Activated] Welcome, Host. Day 1 Reward: Poison Centipede Egg (Uncommon). Please sign in daily to receive escalating rewards. Missing a day resets progress.
Lin Xuan blinked. "A… sign-in system? Like those mobile games that bribe you with trash loot if you log in every day?" He laughed bitterly. "Figures. Even in another world, I can't escape corporate gamification."
Still, he reached out instinctively. A small, pulsating egg appeared in his palm, slick with venom. The centipede inside twitched, eager to hatch.
Lin Xuan stared at it, then at the cages around him. "So let me get this straight. I'm in a sect where disciples are fed to bugs, and my cheat is… more bugs. Perfect. Just perfect."
He tucked the egg into his robe, suppressing a shiver. The voice in his head chimed again:
[Hint: Rewards increase with consecutive sign-ins.] Day 30 Reward: Soul-Eating Larva Scripture. Day 100 Reward: Hive Palace Blueprint. Day 365 Reward: Insect King Embryo.
Lin Xuan's lips curled into a grin. "Ah. Now that's interesting. Trash loot at first, but if I grind long enough, I get the good stuff. Just like corporate promotions—survive long enough, and eventually you're the manager."
He looked around the insect pit, where other disciples were dragging corpses to feed the swarms. Their faces were pale, their eyes hollow. One of them glanced at Lin Xuan and sneered. "New meat. Don't get too comfortable. The bugs eat faster than you can cultivate."
Lin Xuan smiled back, his fingers brushing the egg hidden in his robe. "Don't worry," he said softly. "I'm not the one who'll be eaten."
The chittering of insects grew louder, as if they sensed the birth of a new master. Lin Xuan straightened his back, his sarcasm masking the thrill in his chest.
He had died a nobody. But here, in this grotesque world, with a swarm at his command and a system that promised endless growth, he would rise.
Not as a hero. Not as a savior.
But as the man who signed in every day… and built an empire of insects.
*****
Lin Xuan sat cross-legged in the corner of the insect pit, clutching the slimy egg he had received from the system. It pulsed faintly, as if something inside was impatient to crawl out.
"Day one reward: Poison Centipede Egg," he muttered. "Translation: congratulations, you're now a single father."
The other disciples were busy dragging corpses into cages, their faces pale and resigned. Nobody paid attention to him—after all, new disciples rarely lasted long. Most ended up as bug food before they could even learn a cultivation technique.
Lin Xuan smirked. "Perfect cover. Nobody notices the intern until he steals the company."
He placed the egg on the damp floor. The shell cracked, oozing venom. A centipede the size of his finger wriggled out, its mandibles snapping eagerly. Its body glistened with a faint green sheen, poison dripping from its tiny fangs.
The system chimed in his head:
[Poison Centipede Hatchling Acquired] Abilities: Venom Bite (weak), Rapid Growth (requires feeding). Bonding Status: Unlinked. Would you like to bond?
Lin Xuan raised an eyebrow. "Bond? As in, let it crawl into my body and live rent-free? Sounds like a terrible roommate situation."
Still, he extended his hand. The centipede scuttled up his arm, mandibles clicking. For a moment, he thought it would bite him. Instead, it burrowed into his sleeve and pressed against his skin. A burning sensation spread through his veins, followed by a strange clarity.
The system chimed again:
[Bond Successful] Host gains passive ability: Minor Poison Resistance. Host gains active ability: Venom Bite (through bonded insect).
Lin Xuan flexed his fingers, feeling the faint hum of power. "So now I can bite people with poison? That's… not exactly corporate-friendly, but I'll take it."
He glanced at the other disciples. One of them, Wu Fang, sneered at him. "New meat, stop slacking. Feed the beetles before they get hungry. Or they'll feed on you."
Lin Xuan smiled thinly. "Of course. Wouldn't want to disappoint the company."
As he dragged a corpse toward the cages, the centipede inside his sleeve twitched. Lin Xuan whispered under his breath, "Patience. We'll test your bite soon."
Dark humor bubbled in his chest. He had died from bad noodles, but now he had a venomous pet, a cheat system, and a sect full of enemies who thought he was expendable.
"Day one," he murmured. "Signed in, got my starter bug. Tomorrow, we climb the corporate ladder—one corpse at a time."
The insects around him hissed and clicked, as if laughing with him.
*****
Lin Xuan dragged another corpse toward the beetle cages, his sleeves hiding the centipede that pulsed against his skin. Each step, the insect twitched, mandibles clicking softly, eager for prey.
Wu Fang, the sneering disciple from earlier, blocked his path. "You're too slow, new meat. The beetles will starve at this rate. Maybe I should throw you in instead."
Lin Xuan smiled politely, the kind of smile office workers reserve for managers who ask them to work weekends. "Ah, efficiency feedback. Thank you, Senior Brother. I'll take it under consideration."
Wu Fang shoved him, laughing. "Consider this: you're nothing but bug food. Don't get ideas above your station."
Lin Xuan's fingers brushed his sleeve. The centipede stirred. He whispered in his mind: Venom Bite.
The insect shot out, fangs sinking into Wu Fang's wrist. At first, Wu Fang laughed—until his smile froze. His veins darkened, spreading like ink under his skin. He staggered back, clutching his arm.
"What… what did you—" His words dissolved into a strangled gasp.
Lin Xuan tilted his head, watching with clinical detachment. "Interesting. Venom acts fast. Paralysis within seconds. Fatality… let's see."
Wu Fang collapsed, twitching. His eyes rolled back, foam bubbling at his lips. Within moments, he lay still.
The other disciples glanced over, but none dared interfere. Death by insect was common here. Accidents happened daily.
Lin Xuan crouched beside the corpse, whispering to his centipede. "Good work. You're promoted to middle management."
The system chimed in his head:
[First Kill Achieved] Bonus Reward: Minor Venom Upgrade. Centipede's poison potency increased.
Lin Xuan chuckled. "So killing is part of the KPI. Figures. This sect really is just corporate life with bugs."
He dragged Wu Fang's body into the beetle cage. The swarm descended instantly, stripping flesh from bone. Lin Xuan watched, amused. "Recycling resources. Very sustainable."
As the beetles feasted, Lin Xuan's mind raced. If one hatchling could kill a rival disciple in seconds, what would happen when he had dozens? Hundreds? An entire hive?
He straightened, eyes gleaming. "Day one was survival. Day two is testing. Day three… we start building."
The centipede curled around his wrist, venom dripping from its fangs. Lin Xuan smiled, dark humor bubbling in his chest.
"Let's climb the ladder, little bug. One corpse at a time."
****
The insect pits stank of rot and venom. Lin Xuan had grown accustomed to the smell in just two days—it was better than the smell of cheap noodles, at least. He sat in the shadows, his centipede coiled around his wrist like a grotesque bracelet, its mandibles clicking softly in rhythm with his heartbeat.
The other disciples avoided him now. Wu Fang's sudden death had been chalked up to "accidental insect bite," but everyone knew accidents in the Thousand Venoms Hall were rarely accidents. Lin Xuan's smile had unsettled them more than the corpse.
Good. Fear was useful. Fear was the first step in building authority.
That night, when the feeding duties ended and the insect pits quieted, Lin Xuan approached a group of disciples huddled in the corner. They were the lowest of the low—outer disciples, expendables, the ones assigned to carry corpses and clean cages. Their robes were torn, their faces gaunt, their eyes hollow.
One of them, a girl with sharp cheekbones and a scar across her jaw, looked up warily. "What do you want, new meat?"
Lin Xuan crouched, his tone casual. "I want to talk about survival. You've noticed, haven't you? This sect doesn't care if we live or die. We're food for the bugs, nothing more."
The girl snorted. "And what? You think you're different?"
Lin Xuan smiled, pulling back his sleeve just enough to reveal the glistening centipede. Its mandibles dripped venom, glowing faintly in the dark. The outcasts recoiled instinctively.
"I am different," Lin Xuan said softly. "I have a way out. A way to climb higher than they expect us to. But I can't do it alone."
He leaned closer, lowering his voice. "This sect worships insects. They breed them, feed them, die to them. But they don't understand them. They treat them as tools. I treat them as partners."
The scarred girl narrowed her eyes. "Partners? It's just a bug."
Lin Xuan chuckled. "That's what Wu Fang thought. He's beetle food now."
The group exchanged uneasy glances. Lin Xuan pressed on, his words sharp and deliberate. "Listen. Every day, I grow stronger. My insect grows stronger. Soon, I'll have more. And when I do, I'll need people I can trust. People who are tired of being food."
He paused, letting the silence stretch. "You want to survive? You want to stop being expendable? Then follow me. Feed my swarm, and I'll feed you power."
The scarred girl studied him for a long moment. Finally, she nodded. "My name is Qin Mei. I don't care about righteousness or demons. I care about living. If you can promise me that, I'll follow."
Lin Xuan extended his hand. Qin Mei hesitated, then clasped it. The centipede slithered down his wrist, brushing against her skin. She flinched, but Lin Xuan's grip was firm.
"Good," he said. "From today, you're not food. You're part of the swarm."
The other outcasts shifted uneasily. One by one, they introduced themselves—broken men and women with nothing to lose. Lin Xuan memorized their faces. Each one was a seed. Each one would feed his empire.
Later, as the group dispersed, Lin Xuan sat alone, whispering to his centipede. "We start small. A handful of outcasts, a single insect. Tomorrow, another sign-in. Another reward. Soon, we'll have a hive."
The system chimed in his mind:
[Day 2 Sign-In Complete] Reward: Corpse Beetle Egg (Common). Note: Corpse Beetles grow stronger when fed fresh flesh.
Lin Xuan held the new egg, its shell black and pulsing faintly. He laughed under his breath. "Perfect. A beetle that thrives on corpses. And we have plenty of those lying around."
He tucked the egg into his robe, his grin widening. "Day two, another recruit, another insect. Tomorrow, more. Step by step, corpse by corpse, we'll climb the ladder."
The centipede clicked its mandibles, the beetle egg pulsed, and Lin Xuan's eyes gleamed with ambition.
The Thousand Venoms Hall thought he was expendable. Soon, they would realize he was building something far worse than a disciple.
He was building a swarm.