The transition from the boardroom to the abyss was a cold, efficient plunge.
One moment, Li Feng was the "Ghost Fixer" of a global conglomerate, swirling a glass of neat bourbon after orchestrating a merger that ruined thousands. The next, a "calculated risk" with a tampered elevator sent him screaming into a dark shaft.
He woke up in a world that smelled of wet earth and ancient rot.
Li Feng lay on a jagged slab of stone inside a damp cave. His new body was a wreck—a sixteen-year-old "trash" disciple of the Withered Bone Sect, a demonic organization that lived by the philosophy of the wolf. The original Li Feng had been beaten into a coma by his seniors for the "crime" of owning a single low-grade spirit stone.
As he clutched his fractured ribs, a crystalline, freezing voice shattered the silence of his mind.
[Soul Sync: 100%.]
[Host Identity: Li Feng.]
[Core Trait: High-IQ Ruthlessness & Cold-Blooded Pragmatism.]
[Initializing: The Karma Displacement System.]
"System?" Li Feng didn't panic. He was a man of logic. "Explain the utility."
[The Path to Immortality is paved with pain. Demonic techniques give power, but they demand a 'Price'—internal rot, organ failure, or soul-shredding agony.]
[Your Function: You take the Power. You 'Displace' the Price onto a Target.]
Li Feng leaned his head back, a dark, thin smile playing on his lips. "So, I'm the CEO, and the world is my subsidiary that pays my taxes. I like it. How do we start?"
The Silent Erosion
Li Feng's eyes fell on a tattered scroll in his lap: The Rotting Bone Breath. It was the basic Qi Condensation technique of the sect. To draw power, one had to inhale the graveyard miasma of the valley. Usually, this would turn a cultivator's lungs into black, necrotic mush over time.
"System," Li Feng whispered. "Begin cultivation. Set the displacement to 'Slow Drip'."
The System didn't ask who. It simply scanned the local environment for the strongest hostile intent directed at the Host.
[Target Selection: Senior Brother Gu Yan. Current Distance: 30 meters.]
As Li Feng drew in the first breath of toxic mist, he felt a sharp, stinging fire in his chest. But before the damage could take hold, a sapphire light flickered in his vision.
[Displacing 30% of Lung Corrosion... Transferring to Target.]
The fire in Li Feng's chest vanished, replaced by a cooling stream. His breath became steady, his spirit power rising purely. Across the barracks, Senior Brother Gu was laughing with his lackeys when he suddenly stopped. He let out a dry, hacking cough that tasted like old copper.
"Damned mountain fog," Gu muttered, rubbing his chest. He didn't know that every breath Li Feng took to grow stronger was stripping a day of life from Gu's own lungs.
The Void Sanctuary
The next night, Li Feng knew he needed more than just a basic breath. He needed time.
"System, activate the Void Sanctuary."
The stone walls of the cave dissolved into a boundless silver mist. Silence reigned. In the center stood a small, obsidian desk and a meditation mat.
[Void Sanctuary: Safe Zone Active.]
[Time Dilation: 1 hour (Outside) = 1 Day (Inside).]
[Current Balance: 1 Spirit Stone (24 Hours of Training).]
Li Feng spent his only spirit stone. For twenty-four hours, he practiced. He didn't just meditate; he analyzed the flow of Qi like a market trend. By the time he "returned" to the sect, only one hour had passed, but his cultivation had stabilized at the 2nd Level of Qi Condensation.
The Shadow's Debt
A few days later, while "cleaning" the library as punishment, Li Feng found a discarded, forbidden scroll: The Shadow-Sinking Step. It was a high-speed movement technique, but it had a "Killer" side effect: every use drained the 'Yang' energy from the kidneys, eventually turning the user into a shrivelled, impotent old man.
"System, integrate the Step. Target: Still Gu Yan. He has plenty of vitality to spare."
Li Feng spent the next week playing the "shaky, injured victim." Every time he walked past Gu, he would "stumble" and use the Shadow Step for a micro-second to regain balance. To observers, Li Feng was just a clumsy brat. To the System, Li Feng was a biological vampire.
By the end of the week, Li Feng was faster than any Level 2 disciple should be. Meanwhile, Senior Brother Gu was a mess. His hair had lost its luster, his eyes were sunken, and his knees trembled whenever he stood up.
"Li Feng, you piece of trash!" Gu snarled one morning, intercepting Li Feng on the path. Gu raised his hand to strike, but his heart suddenly skipped a beat, and a sharp pain flared in his lower back—the 'Yang' debt coming due.
Li Feng bowed his head, hiding the chilling brilliance in his eyes. "Senior Brother, you look unwell. Perhaps you should... rest."
[System Note: Target is entering 'Chronic Decay' stage. Warning: Killing him now would be messy.]
[System Joke: You're not just a cultivator, Host. You're a long-term disability plan with a 0% payout rate. I love it.]
Li Feng walked away, his steps silent. He was already looking at the Inner Circle disciples. They had better techniques, higher cultivation levels, and most importantly... much larger "Karmic Accounts" for him to spend.