Darkness, like viscous asphalt, enveloped Di Tian's consciousness layer by layer. He felt as if he had fallen into an endless vortex, with weightlessness and suffocation tormenting him alternately. He wanted to struggle but found he couldn't even control his basic limbs. In a daze, he seemed to hear his mother's distant call, and then it was like the piercing buzz of an alarm clock—the signal for him to struggle out of bed for work every morning. But the next second, all sounds were completely swallowed, leaving only endless Chaos.
After an unknown amount of time, a biting chill suddenly shot into his body from his claw tips, and Di Tian abruptly "opened" his eyes. Everything in his vision made his pupils constrict: damp, decaying leaves covered the ground, every vein of every leaf terrifyingly clear, and tiny pebbles stood like small mountains before his eyes. He instinctively tried to prop himself up, but found that what supported his body was no longer human arms, but forelimbs covered in brown-black tiger fur, with five sharp claws gleaming with a cold luster. When he lightly pawed the ground, the dirt was easily torn apart like tofu.
"What... what on earth is going on?" He wanted to shout, but only a low tiger roar escaped his throat, shaking the leaves above his head. Di Tian, horrified, tried to retreat, but his hind legs completely disobeyed him, and his muscular body crashed heavily against an ancient tree behind him. The rough bark scraped against the fur on his side like sandpaper, and the burning pain made his vision darken, but what made him even more collapse was the unfamiliar sensation coming from this body—every contraction of his muscles, every tremor of his fur, reminded him that he was no longer human.
Memories flooded in like a tide. Last night, he had curled up on the sofa in his rented room, staying up late to finish the novel titled "Legend of the Tiger Demon." The tiger demon in the book was majestic and roamed the world, but at this moment, Di Tian only felt ironic. He trembled as he used his tiger paw to touch his face, but what he felt was hard beast bone and fine down. His nostrils were filled with the fishy smell of decaying leaves mixed with dirt, a scent so unfamiliar it made him nauseous. "I'm just an ordinary office worker, why did I become like this?" He roared in despair in his heart, his eyes stinging, but only murky beast tears could flow out.
The crisp sound of dry branches breaking in the distance made Di Tian's fur stand on end instantly. The survival instincts he had accumulated as a human made him instinctively want to find a hiding place, but his clumsy tiger body prevented him from even making the simplest squat. He staggered behind a large rock, his heart pounding so hard his eardrums hurt. Just then, a cold, mechanical voice suddenly exploded in his mind without warning: "Ding—Multi-Child Multi-Blessing System activated! Detecting the host's first Awakening, rewarding a Newbie gift package: one Bloodline Awakening Pill, and beginner-level Tiger Might Intimidation Art."
A pale blue light screen slowly unfolded before his eyes, like an invitation from another world. Di Tian stared at the words flickering on the light screen, his throat tight. [Host: Di Tian (Young Tiger Demon)], [Cultivation: Qi Refining Layer One], [System Function: For every child born, the host will receive a random attribute increase; the higher the child's talent, the richer the reward]. These unfamiliar terms made him both excited and fearful. He had fantasized countless times about Transmigration to another world, but when this moment truly arrived, he realized that reality was far more brutal than imagination.
Below the light screen, a Medicinal Pill with golden patterns floated in the air, next to a cluster of golden light spots shimmering with tiger stripes. Di Tian reached out his tiger paw to touch it, but found his paw passed through the light and shadow. He realized that all of this could only be controlled through thought. Just as he tried to concentrate, a rustling sound suddenly came from the bushes, and dozens of crimson eyes lit up in the darkness, like ignited ghost fires.
A pack of wolf demons slowly emerged from the shadows. Their fur glowed with a gray-black eerie light, and foul-smelling drool dripped from their fangs. The leading wolf demon was twice the size of its companions, with a purple pattern on its forehead like a cursed mark, and a faint black mist lingered around its body. Di Tian's heart almost leaped out of his chest. He finally understood that this world was not a game, but a hell full of killing intent.
"Calm down, calm down..." He kept repeating in his mind, forcing himself to recall the System rewards. The Bloodline Awakening Pill could enhance his strength, and the Tiger Might Intimidation Art might deter enemies, but at this moment, he had no idea how to even mobilize the power within his body. The wolf demons were getting closer and closer. The leader let out a low roar, and the sound waves made Di Tian's eardrums ache. His hind legs went soft, and he fell to the ground, his tiger tail unconsciously slapping the ground, making panicked sounds.
"I can't die here." A hot surge of emotion rushed through Di Tian's heart. He gritted his teeth and focused all his attention. The moment the wolf demon pounced, the System interface appeared in his mind, and with a thought, the Bloodline Awakening Pill transformed into a stream of light and entered his belly.
Excruciating pain surged like a tide. Di Tian felt his bones creaking, his muscles tearing and reassembling, every inch of his skin feeling as if it were being scorched by fire. He wanted to scream, but could only let out an earth-shshaking tiger roar. The distant mountains trembled, and leaves fell. And amidst the intense pain, a strange and powerful force was Awakening within him…