Chapter 5: BACK TO REALITY
Li Chen woke with a sharp gasp, his body jerking upright as though he'd been yanked back into existence.
Air flooded his lungs—real air. Cool. Familiar.
He sucked it in greedily, chest heaving, sweat pouring down his temples and soaking through his inner robes. His heart thundered like it was still running for its life, and for one terrifying moment, he expected to smell damp earth and blood again.
But there was no forest.
No towering trees. No bear.
Only the dim interior of his quarters.
Li Chen froze.
The cracked wooden ceiling loomed above him, unchanged. A faint shaft of moonlight slipped through the paper window to his left, illuminating the small room: his narrow bed, the rickety table, the chipped water jug in the corner. Everything exactly as it had been before he'd fallen unconscious.
Except him.
His hands trembled as he raised them before his eyes. They were real. Solid. Bruised—but not torn apart the way they should have been.
He swallowed hard.
"That wasn't a dream," he whispered hoarsely.
Pain answered him immediately.
A deep, all-encompassing ache pulsed through his ribs, shoulders, and legs, as though he'd been beaten senseless and then dragged across gravel. His muscles screamed with every shallow breath.
Li Chen groaned and slumped back against the headboard.
"I nearly died," he muttered.
A familiar, maddeningly calm voice responded at once.
"Correction: you almost failed spectacularly."
Li Chen jolted.
His eyes flew open, and he whipped his head around the room, pulse spiking all over again.
"…You," he said slowly.
"Yes. Me," the system replied smugly. "Relax. If I were trying to kill you now, you wouldn't have woken up first."
Li Chen stared at the empty air in front of him, disbelief crashing over him in waves.
"You're… still here?" he asked. "I thought—you only existed in that void. In the blue space."
"Oh, you were about to ask that," the system said lightly. "I sensed the thought forming. Sloppy mental discipline, by the way. You practically announced it."
Li Chen clenched his jaw. "Answer the question."
A brief pause.
Then: "Where did you think I would go? Did you assume I'd politely vanish after nearly getting you mauled by a bear?"
"…Yes?" Li Chen said honestly.
The system scoffed. "Adorable."
Li Chen rubbed his face with both hands, dragging them down slowly. When he lowered them again, his expression had shifted from shock to something closer to wary acceptance.
"So that was real," he said quietly. "The forest. The beast. The mission."
"Every agonizing second," the system replied. "Your panic was especially authentic. Very immersive."
"Glad you enjoyed it," Li Chen muttered.
As if on cue, something shimmered into existence before his eyes.
Light gathered, lines forming with sharp precision, until a familiar translucent panel hovered in midair—clean, structured, and utterly impossible.
Li Chen sucked in a breath.
---
Status Panel
Name: Li Chen
Level: 1
XP: 20 / 50
Cultivation Plane: Early Mortal Realm
Attributes:
• Strength: 4
• Agility: 3
• Endurance: 7
• Intelligence: 2
Health: 30 / 100
Skills:
• Inspect (Non-Combat Skill)
Skill Description:
Allows detailed observation of targets, objects, and environments. Reveals basic attributes, behavioral tendencies, and potential weaknesses based on user perception and system authority.
---
Li Chen stared at the panel, mouth slightly open.
"That's… me?" he asked.
"Yes," the system said. "Disappointing, isn't it?"
His eye twitched. "Hey—"
"Strength four," the system continued mercilessly. "Agility three. Intelligence two."
A pause.
"Honestly, I've seen livestock with better balance and problem-solving ability."
Li Chen scowled. "Then how did I kill the bear?"
"You didn't," the system replied smoothly. "You outthought it. There is a difference. Subtle, I know."
Li Chen exhaled slowly, forcing himself to calm down. His gaze drifted back to the panel, lingering on one line in particular.
Health: 30 / 100
"…Thirty?" he echoed. "That low?"
"You were thrown, slammed, swiped, and nearly trampled," the system said flatly. "Be grateful you aren't unconscious or bleeding internally."
Li Chen shifted on the bed and hissed as pain flared through his side.
"Then why does my endurance look so high?" he asked.
"Because," the system replied, "you survived repeated beating and batterings without collapsing. Your body adapted under stress. Endurance increased accordingly."
Li Chen blinked.
"So… getting beaten half to death made me stronger?"
"In the most primitive sense, yes."
"That's insane."
"That's cultivation."
He fell silent, absorbing that.
His eyes drifted to the table beside his bed.
Something new sat there.
A small, irregular crystal—dull green, faintly translucent—rested atop the wood, pulsing softly like a sleeping ember.
Li Chen's breath caught.
"The beast core," he whispered.
"Congratulations," the system replied in it's usual condescending tone. "You noticed."
He reached out hesitantly and picked it up. It was warm to the touch, heavier than it looked, and something about it felt… alive. Not sentient—just charged. Like condensed potential.
Li Chen turned it over in his palm, awe warring with practicality.
"…This could sell," he said slowly. "Low-grade beast core, right? Even that should fetch a few copper—maybe enough for better food, medicine—"
"Stop," the system snapped.
Li Chen flinched. "What?"
"That," the system said coldly, "is the thought process of someone determined to remain mediocre."
Li Chen frowned. "I'm being realistic."
"You're being shortsighted."
"It's currency," Li Chen shot back. "I need money. Food doesn't appear out of thin air."
"Neither does power," the system retorted. "And unlike food, power compounds."
Li Chen hesitated.
The system continued, voice sharp and authoritative now. "Beast cores are condensed energy reservoirs. Absorbing them grants experience directly. The higher the beast's quality, the greater the yield."
"…XP," Li Chen murmured.
"Yes," the system said. "Something far more valuable than a handful of copper scraps."
Li Chen chewed on his lower lip. "But I've heard cultivators only use beast cores in arrays or pill making .Direct absorption—"
"Is inefficient without guidance," the system interrupted. "Fortunately, you have me."
Li Chen grimaced. "Lucky me."
"You may begin absorption at any time," the system said. "Or you may sell it, buy stale bread, and continue being weak. Your choice."
Li Chen looked down at the faintly glowing core.
He sighed.
"…Fine."
He sat up properly, legs crossed atop the bed, wincing as his injuries protested. Carefully, he placed the beast core in the center of his palm.
The moment it touched his skin, warmth bloomed outward.
"Relax," the system instructed. "Don't resist. Guide the energy inward—yes, like that. Imagine it flowing."
Li Chen closed his eyes.
At first, nothing happened.
Then the warmth intensified.
A soft green glow spilled from the core, tendrils of light slipping between his fingers, seeping into his skin like mist being absorbed by dry earth. His breathing steadied as something unfamiliar—but not unpleasant—spread through his limbs.
His aching muscles loosened slightly.
The pain dulled significantly.
"Qi," the system said quietly. "Unrefined, but potent. Allow it to circulate."
Li Chen focused, following instinct more than understanding.
The glow brightened.
Then—slowly—the crystal began to dissolve.
Not shattering. Not breaking.
Simply… vanishing.
When Li Chen opened his eyes, the beast core was gone.
Only his empty palm remained.
A familiar chime echoed softly in his mind.
---
XP Gained: +15
Current XP: 35 / 50
---
Li Chen exhaled a shaky breath.
"…That's it?"
"Yes," the system replied. "Efficient, wasn't it?"
He flexed his fingers. They felt steadier. Stronger—just a little.
He leaned back against the headboard, staring at the ceiling again, mind buzzing.
"So this is my life now," he murmured. "Missions. Beasts. You."
"Correct."
Li Chen closed his eyes.
Somewhere between exhaustion and resolve, a thought surfaced—quiet, dangerous, undeniable.
If this system could turn terror into progress…
Then maybe—
Just maybe—
He wouldn't always be at the bottom.
The system seemed to sense it.
A soft, amused chuckle echoed in his mind.
"Careful, Li Chen," it said. "Ambition suits you poorly. For now."
He smiled despite himself.