Chapter 1: Transmigration; Zi Tisheng
When Luciel came to, he was greeted by wafting incense, silken blankets, a golden bell, and a bowl of the finest fruits in the city.
'Have I transmigrated?'
It was an unreasonable thought, and anyone who knew what he was thinking would've laughed. But Luciel, in his excitement, and clarity inconsistent with that of a dream, was ready to accept the impossible.
As he jumped around with a level of energy his prior self couldn't hope to have, the memories of his predecessor slowly fused with his soul. And with them, he seemed to have been brought back to his old world. After stopping to contemplate, his mouth twitched endlessly, and he could only bitterly mutter curses.
Zi You, the fourth eldest of the Zi Clan's direct lineage. His siblings were extraordinarily talented, his second brother especially so. But he- the stain of the Zi Clan- was incapable of cultivating.
It was the start of a typical rags-to-riches story. But unfortunately, he wasn't the reincarnation of a saint or an ex-combat master who devoured the soul of an alchemical god.
He was a good-for-nothing in his past life, and he took over the soul of a good-for-nothing.
The fruits on his nightstand possessed value beyond compare. Jade Apples aided youth retention, Long Bananas increased the efficacy of dual cultivation and yang arts, and Spirit Pineapples increased digestion.
Mortals and cultivators alike would kill for such treasures, and even the Zi Clan didn't have enough for everyone. But Zi You ate them like candy, and even worse, he took it all for granted.
At the age of seven, he was still as bratty as a four-year-old kid. His attitude perplexed his family, but because they confused immaturity with a coping mechanism, they only pampered him even more.
But a year had passed since then, and they were losing tolerance. The servants didn't spend much time around him, and he was often excluded from family dinners. His uncles and aunties disapproved of him, and his cousins mocked him behind his back.
Luciel panicked. Though he didn't care about being insulted, he did care about his father's reaction.
Zi Gailiang was the head of the Zi Clan, and he lorded over thousands of mortals and hundreds of cultivators. There was no doubt that he loved Zi You, but the latter's attitude came into conflict with his status as the Clan Head and the system of the clan as a whole.
Gailiang didn't have the heart to crush his son, but he also had to save face for his clan and quell the anger of its members. And unfortunately, there was someone who wouldn't take any of Zi You's antics.
And as he finished that thought, a firm hand landed on his left shoulder.
"Brat, what are you doing?"
"What the fuck?!"
"..."
A shadow was cast over Zi Tisheng's expression.
"You, is that how you greet your uncle? Is that my name? Do you talk to your parents like this as well?"
Luciel gasped and clasped his mouth in shock. "Uncle, you caught me off guard. You can't blame me for that!"
Tisheng shot a deadpan expression towards Luciel. "Good. When you come with me to the mountains, I can train you to fight against sneak attacks."
Tisheng grabbed Luciel, and within a second, his sight transformed from a glittering, noble room to a blue sky, a humble shack, and a maze of forestry.
Luciel put on a bitter expression trying to comprehend what just occurred. His uncle had brought him from the Purple-Violet City to its adjacent Grand Mountains, traversing a hundred kilometers in practically no time at all.
Cultivators could command devastating power and achieve shocking speeds, but their glory would be completely unrelated to him.
Zi Tisheng looked at his nephew coldly, before berating him. "Has your dog brain understood anything? You've guilt-tripped my brother for so long, relying on his benevolence to be an obnoxious wastrel. Unfortunately, it's too late for you to regret it."
They were cruel words to say to a nine-year-old, but that was who Zi Tisheng was. If he disapproved of something, he would criticize it heavily, no matter who it was.
Luciel didn't have the words or the care to rebut him. After all, it wasn't as if he could tell his uncle that he wasn't his nephew.
Luciel, still trapped in thought by his uncle's speed, responded in a haze. "I get it. I've gone below my father's bottom line, and now I'll be paying the price for it. But uncle, what should I do now? My vital energies are too stagnant to practice martial arts, and I lack the meridians to perform essence cultivation. Anything I do will simply be fruitless, and won't have any importance to others."
Zi Tisheng took a second to respond. He had been spontaneously spying on his nephew for six months, but it was the first time that he had ever looked 'lost.' It honestly came as a surprise to him that it only took a small action to make his nephew understand his actions, but he quickly steeled himself. As both of them said, it was too late for regrets, and he had to pay the price of his actions.
Zi Tisheng raised his arm, and the natural elements mobilized according to his will. In no time at all, a small, sturdy wooden house was built. Looking back at his nephew with a slightly warmer gaze, he told him, "Little You, first and foremost, you live for yourself. Without self-satisfaction, how can you hope to influence others? If you feel like taking up any activities, just talk to me and I'll provide you with the corresponding items."
And with that, his body scattered into air elements and scattered into the world. But for some reason, Luciel felt that his uncle could see and hear him at any time.
After his uncle left, Luciel looked back at the Purple-Violet City. Poor to rich, and back to poor. He shrugged his shoulders and laughed wryly.
'I'm probably the only transmigrator to go through two worlds so quickly.'
It was rather dissatisfying, though. His old world's governments were quickly draining the planet of its natural resources, and expenses were becoming too high to keep up. And right after he escaped that and took on the mantle of a silk pants who never had to worry about money in his life, it was all taken away from him because of his predecessor's actions.
Luciel decisively turned his eyes away and walked into his house, shutting the front door. "If I can't live a life of riches, then I'll devote myself to living with intention! Now that I'm freed from society- now that I don't have to blindly pursue financial security- I can do anything I wish. I can find something I truly love from the bottom of my heart."
As he resolved himself, a mysterious ping echoed throughout his head.
[Detected that the host's soul has begun to resonate with the system.]
[Binding...]
[Awakening...]
[Hi, Host! I'm En, the Administrator of the Enlightenment Path System. It's a pleasure to finally meet you!]