Chapter 1: Transmigration and System
Purple Spirit Sect, Outer Sect
The gentle wind of summer whispered through the courtyard of the Purple Spirit Sect's Outer Grounds, tugging playfully at the long, ink-black hair of a young woman gazing skyward.
‘This is not a dream, huh? I really transmigrated… and as a girl too!’ She raised her fist to the indifferent Heavens, screaming inwardly, ‘Dammit, give me back my little brother!’
Yep, that’s right! She was a guy in her previous life! A 33-year-old guy who seemed to have almost everything: A well-earning job, a car, a home, and so on.
Overall, he’d had a bright future. The only thing he lacked was a girlfriend. But that would not be too difficult, he believed - being moderately handsome and having a stable job with income that put him firmly in the higher strata of society.
Now, all of that has disappeared. Like someone had directed a leaf blower at his dandelion of dreams, stranding him in a dangerous world of Immortal Cultivation, in a powerful Sect, as a jade beauty less than half his age.
It was probably the hardest fall from heaven to hell, he felt. He almost broke his back from the fall!
Actually, he wouldn’t even mind if he was transmigrated to this world: after all, he was a xianxia nerd! Sitting in a place and meditating all the way to Eternal Life and Super Powers? Sign me the fuck up!
As a shut-in, such a life would be a dream come true! In fact, the only reason he had a bright future was that he understood the fact that shut-ins did not have a place in society and that humans were social animals. So, he used everything he could to rise up the social and economic ranks - effort, humans, feelings, you name it.
No… his problem was he’d transmigrated as a girl. To be precise, he’d transmigrated as a legendary Jade Beauty! A very, very attractive one at that.
Despite being in her mid-teens, Xiao Hong possessed a beauty that stopped hearts. Her fair, flawless skin had a delicate, rosy glow to it as if radiating vitality. Every curve of her enchanting figure could fuel countless men’s dreams. Silky black hair fell to her waist like a waterfall of ink, framing her breathtaking visage. Each feature, perfectly proportioned and flawless, seemed sculpted with utmost care by the divine hands of the Immortal Gods themselves. When one gazed upon her, the rest of the world seemed to dim, its vibrancy eclipsed by the sheer perfection.
Yet, all of that only served as a backdrop to that pair of pure red, phoenix-like eyes. Neither blazing like fire nor crimson like blood, those orbs seemed to define the colour red. A mysterious and enchanting glow flowed around her pupils and faded as they reached the edge of her irides, rippling ever so slightly - much like aurorae. It was easier to lose oneself in those orbs than in the best of Immortal Wines.
If any of her many admirers were asked to describe her in a sentence they would call her ‘A fairy fallen from the Heavens.’ She was so pointlessly attractive that she was unanimously given the title of ‘No.1 Beauty of the Outer Sect’!
And this was why he had a problem.
Which xianxia nerd didn’t understand that jade beauties were walking disaster magnets? It was practically written in their job description!
Just a glance in the wrong direction could bring down a storm of unwanted attention in the form of arrogant young masters and their ancestors, lecherous old men with their human cauldron obsessions.
In fact, this girl had already brought disaster on a poor fellow!
As the number of scorching stares she received increased by the day, scaring her more and more, the thirteen-year-old Xiao Hong realised that being so attractive was not entirely beneficial to her.
She had contemplated several methods to escape the abnormal amount of attention she was receiving. Disfigure herself? She simply did not have the courage. Wear a veil? In a world where veils had become outdated, it would only draw more attention to herself.
Then, what else could she do? How could she protect herself? She did not want to have the same ending as the girls in those rumours - humiliated, used and then thrown aside like a used rag. Every time such a rumour made its way into her ears, Xiao Hong’s heart shuddered in pure terror, chilling her with fear far colder than any winter wind.
Despite such rumours numbering very few, they horrified her. She had come here to cultivate Immortality, not worry about some lecherous trash who simply couldn’t keep it in his pants!
Just as she was considering risking everything and running from the Sect, the answer appeared in front of her in the form of a very, very powerful ‘Senior Brother’.
This man, Lin Fan, was a simple but driven person. His immense talent and hard-working nature made him a great candidate for the Inner Sect. So, Xiao Hong decided to grab onto this golden thigh. Which succeeded beautifully.
Lin Fan fell head over heels for Xiao Hong the moment their eyes met. He yearned for her to become his Dao Companion, but never once pressured her. In fact, he gave her everything she wanted; from cultivation resources to random gifts the moment she expressed her desire - sometimes before she even asked for it.
All it took was a well-timed widening of her eyes, a strategically placed pout, and a soft, “Senior Brother, I…”
Senior brother: “Say no more!”
And he would rush out to get whatever she wanted.
Within days, Xiao Hong held the reins of a lovesick puppy. It was so easy Xiao Hong even felt a little wary of Lin Fan - perhaps he was just acting? But over time, this suspicion faded and she accepted that it was just that easy.
Now, having tasted the benefits, she used her beauty to manipulate the rather simple-minded Senior Brother into doing whatever she wanted. The guilt she felt initially evaporated when she felt her sky-rocketing Cultivation Base.
Things went well for 2 years, she received immense benefits with no loss. Simple things such as a gentle look, a demure ‘Thank you, senior brother’ with a flushed face, a slight brush of her hand across his, and ‘Brother Lin’ whose given name she’d forgotten, directly broke through cloud 9 and reached the 33rd Heaven. Even his Cultivation Base rose like a rocket!
However, 2 years into the ‘relationship’, things went wrong. Her heart-stopping beauty really stopped Lin Fan’s heart. Permanently.
Once again Xiao Hong was terrified. She had lost her protective amulet. While the ‘relationship’ with Lin Fan had brought her protection, it had also brought her great fame. Lin Fan, being one of the strongest Outer Disciples, was naturally famous. With her attractive looks and association with him, she ended up becoming something of a celebrity in the Outer Sect.
And according to the spreading rumours, it happened because someone had him killed because they were jealous that the old Xiao Hong was ‘dating’ Lin Fan.
A horrified Xiao Hong, believing in these rumours, hastily decided to make a breakthrough in the Sky Spirit Stage and… also died.
Normally speaking, a breakthrough in such a low Stage of Cultivation is almost guaranteed. But, unlike Xiao Hong’s beauty, her talent was… rather unsightly. The amount of resources she used was enough to cultivate a dozen to the same Stage with much greater battle power.
Anyway, after she died, he was transmigrated in her body.
“What a fucking mess…” ‘Xiao Hong’ facepalmed. After a while, a resigned sigh left her, ‘Sigh… I guess I have to live as Xiao Hong from now on.’
There really was no other choice. What was he gonna do? Call the Transmigration Management Authority?
Besides, after receiving Xiao Hong’s memories, he didn’t really reject her. Old Xiao Hong had become a part of the new Xiao Hong.
Before transmigration, he did not consider himself a good person. He manipulated people, and even if did try to repay them one way or another, it didn’t change the fact that he used their feelings, circumstances and emotions to achieve his goals.
Moreover, he was just as talentless as the old Xiao Hong was in Cultivation. Without leveraging the hard work of other people, he was just another below-average member of society.
She, the new Xiao Hong, shook her head and let out a slightly bitter chuckle, “The old Xiao Hong wasn’t even that bad. At least, she manipulated the fellow to protect herself in a world full of powerful predators.”
Her previous self did it purely for benefit.
With these similarities as a basis, Xiao Hong’s remnants smoothly fused with the soul from earth to become a new Xiao Hong. So, after three days, he pretty much considered himself Xiao Hong. It also helped that his old name was forgotten.
“Sigh… What a mess,” she sighed again.
‘Well, at least I have a standard transmigrator’s benefit. A golden finger.’
"STATUS"
With a pleasant ‘Ding!’ a blue screen materialised in front of her.
Name
Xiao Hong
Age
15
Lifespan
200 years
Primary profession
Cultivator
Secondary Profession(s)
None
Bloodline
None
Divine Abilities
None
Inventory (1m3)
Empty
Talent
Lowest-Grade
Cultivation Base
8th Layer of Earthen Origin
Cultivation Methods
Standard Breathing Method (Normal Grade)
Battle Prowess
Below Average
Skills
Automatic Cultivation Slots: 3
Slot 1: Empty
Slot 2: Empty
Slot 3: Empty
‘Status screen, my foot!’ Xiao Hong's mouth twitched, looking at her abysmal status. ‘This is a ruthless self-esteem destroyer!’
Other than her half-decent lifespan, everything was utter shit - with strings of 'None's and 'Empty's. The status screen felt more like an insult than an objective evaluation of her abilities.
She directly closed her status screen, unable to look at it anymore.
"System, receive the Gift Pack" she whispered.
Ding! You've received [Celestial God Essence Cultivation Method (Supreme Grade)]
Ding! You've received [Ancient God's Physique Scripture (Supreme Grade)]
Ding! You've received [Spirit God's Soul Cultivation Method (Supreme Grade)]
According to the System Information Manual: Getting Started and FAQs, the user can set up a Cultivation Method, Spell Art, Battle Technique, Martial Art, Profession Guidebook etc., in a slot and the system will automatically train it for you. And the speed at which it would train will also depend on the energy source available.
It would also keep training it without any standard bottlenecks. Bottlenecks created due to yourself are not counted; e.g., Inner Demons. You need to get past those on your own. The system isn't omnipotent.
The system will also not be discovered by OP immortal beings because the system is part of the soul and is essentially a special talent. An odd look flickered across her eyes. ‘At least, I don’t need to worry about being discovered by some old monster and turned into an experimental subject.’
Then, she narrowed her eyes slightly, calling upon the status screen again and again, trying to get a feel for it. ‘The System though… feels more like an extension of myself? In fact, using it is no different from moving my hand. Even my Zhenqi does not respond as quickly as the System…
‘Interesting.’ she thought, dismissing the system screen with a casual wave of her hand. While she held a modicum of suspicion towards the System, her intuition told her she could trust it, like how one could trust their own legs to walk. ‘My knowledge of Cultivation, inherited from the old Xiao Hong, is somewhat meagre.
‘But from it, I can deduce that if someone wanted to replicate the situation I am in, they needed truly unfathomable power and level of Cultivation.’ A Being with such power would be able to do whatever it wanted and did not need to create such an elaborate set-up to use her.
Heck, even a random Core Elder at the Core Formation Stage can simply rip out her Soul, refine it and extract everything of value from her! Much less a Being who can achieve feats such as Transmigration! And this was assuming that there was indeed someone behind her Transmigration.
She decided that the System was her closest ally.
‘I am still too weak to figure out the cause and effect of this whole thing.’ She shook her head. ‘If I want to figure this out, I need to become as strong as possible.’
For now, though, the greatest danger to her were lecherous young masters rather than Cosmic Horrors.
Her gaze turned to the System’s Inventory.
Celestial God Essence Cultivation Method: One of the best Cultivation Methods for Essence Cultivation. As long as one cultivates with this Method, they will be unrivalled in terms of quantity, quality and recovery of Qi in the same realm.
Ancient God's Physique Scripture: With this body cultivation method, one can forge the most perfect physique suited to themselves and be unrivalled in terms of physical strength and endurance in the same realm, they can also gain special abilities as long as they reach a high enough realm. After reaching Grand Completion, one can become an Ancient God.
Spirit God's Soul Cultivation Method: Spirit God was a genius who could rival Ancient Gods and Celestial Emperors based on their Soul alone. Cultivating this technique will temper the cultivator's soul to be much stronger, granting eidetic memory, powerful comprehension, greater concentration etc.
A triumphant grin split Xiao Hong's face. “Hehe… No one can stop me now!”
Excited as she was, she wasted no time in returning to her room and sitting down cross-legged as per previous Xiao Hong's habit.
"System, receive the gift pack!"
The familiar ‘Ding!' of the system echoed in her mind.
A massive amount of information flooded into her mind. Qi Circulation methods, intricate diagrams of the Meridian System and other information flooded her mind, overflowing and receding in a dizzying wave - three times for each cultivation method before the deluge finally subsided, leaving her panting slightly.
"Phew…" Xiao Hong let out a breath, slowly massaging her temples to soothe the throbbing headache.
“System, use the slots for the cultivation techniques!”
Searching for energy source…
Energy source found: Spiritual Energy of Heaven and Earth
Checking energy source…
Done! Concentration: 2.5x of average environment.
System operation requires 15% of available energy.
Cultivation speed set at 2.125x for each method
Instantly, she felt the surrounding spiritual energy converging towards herself at a speed and volume the Old Xiao Hong had never felt before. It was like the difference between Heaven and Hell! The very air seemed to crackle with energy as the System drew unbelievable quantities of Spiritual Energy towards Xiao Hong.
At the same time, comprehension regarding the three Cultivation Methods started to appear in her mind one after another.
As her Qi moved through her meridians, her cultivation started… falling.
7th Layer of Earthen Origin…
6th Layer of Earthen Origin…
5th Layer of Earthen Origin…
.
.
.
9th Layer of Qi Gathering…
.
.
.
It kept falling until the 1st Layer of Qi Gathering.
At the same time, the Qi in her body was purified, tempered and strengthened to an unimaginable degree. Before, it had been sluggish and impure, like mud sluggishly trickling through a clogged pipe. Now, it was a clear, vibrant and gentle stream, pulsating with raw, unadulterated power. It was as if she'd switched from drinking sewer water to the purest mountain spring.
It couldn't be helped; Xiao Hong's Talent was truly weak. Her cultivation was practically built with pills and natural treasures. She could give even the stereotypical low-level Young Master a run for his money!
On the other hand, a strange feeling swept throughout her entire body, like that itch that didn’t go away no matter how one scratched it. Except, this feeling was much more intense. Xiao Hong quickly recognised this as the sensation of her body being tempered.
Her body, which was supposedly tempered to the 9th Layer of Body Refining felt like… well, like shit. Again.
The Ancient God Scripture completely ignored the old Xiao Hong's efforts and refined her body from the beginning.
On completion of the 1st layer of Body Refining, it purged more impurities than she did before in all 9 Layers put together.
2nd Layer of Body Refining…
3rd Layer…
.
.
.
9th Layer…
At this point, she was completely covered in a thick, black shell made purely from impurities.
The Spirit God Method also strengthened her soul. A wave of cool serenity washed over her mind, a sensation akin to diving into a pristine mountain lake on a scorching summer day. Her mind felt more agile, her focus increased, her cognitive abilities rose, her memory strengthened and she even had more insights into the sword technique and movement skill she cultivated.
It was as though a fog had been lifted from her mind, bringing her unparalleled clarity.
Out of the three Cultivation Methods she received from the system she felt this was the most miraculous cultivation Method.
Unlike the dry, boring and demanding experience of cultivation from Xiao Hong's memories, the cultivation now felt more pleasurable than a massage at a famous spa, as if every inch of body and soul were massaged by soft, professional hands.
It felt even better than carnal acts from her memories of Earth.
***
Just like that a week passed in the haze of cultivation and her progress slowed down to a crawl after having spent all the accumulation in her 5 years of cultivating and devouring resources. All the remnants of pills and natural treasures her body couldn't absorb due to her weak talent had been used as an energy source by the system.
Feeling the turtle-like speed compared to the supersonic jet from before, Xiao Hong smiled wryly, "As expected, the talent of this body is utter shit."
But she became happy again after feeling the surging strength in her body. "I feel like I can casually slap ten of the previous me to death!"
Xiao Hong materialized the status screen with a muttered "STATUS."
[Ding!]
Name
Xiao Hong
Age
15
Lifespan
350 years
Primary profession
Cultivator
Secondary Profession(s)
None
Bloodline
None
Divine Abilities
None
Inventory (1m3)
Empty
Talent
Lowest-Grade
Cultivation Base
Cultivation Methods
Standard Breathing Method (Normal Grade)
Skills
Battle Prowess
Below Average
Automatic Cultivation Slots: 3
Details: Speed is 2.125x per Method
"Even more than 2 times the cultivation speed is so slow…" she sighed.
"Hmm. Perhaps…"
Reaching out to her lowest-grade bag of holding, she poured out her belongings. Ignoring girl stuff like mirrors, make-up and whatnot, her gaze was attracted by a small pile of walnut-sized glowing blue stones.
Spirit Stones.
The resource that the Xianxia world goes mad for.
The resource that countless cultivators die for.
The resource that Xianxia Protagonists find in spades.
She had about 1500 low-grade spirit stones. This was the savings of her 5 years of cultivation from doing internal sect missions and most given to her by her Senior brother.
It might seem like a lot. And it was. For an Outer Sect disciple of Earth Origin realm at least. And it was barely enough for her to cultivate for 3 years up to the initial stage of the Divine Sea realm; at least that was the case before. Now it wouldn't last 3 months. Her cultivation methods were a veritable resource black hole. Even the legendary Taotie would be shocked:
I thought I ate a lot! But I'm actually still inferior to you! Take this salute as a sign of respect!
"This should barely be enough to reach the peak of the Sky Spirit realm." She muttered in her heart.
Taking out two stones in each hand, she continued her cultivation.
Ding! Detected new energy source: Spirit Stone (Low Grade)
Modifying Cultivation Speed…
Done! New Speed: 212.5x
Instantly she felt her cultivation rate soar, reaching 100 times the previous rate and quietly fell into the joy of cultivation.
***
More than 2 months had passed. Winter passed and spring arrived.
In the middle of the room sat a beautiful figure. In each of her jade-like hands, was a spirit stone. And on both sides of her were small piles of dust from used spirit stones.
Crack!
The two spirit stones in her hands cracked and turned into ashes and fell through her fingers, becoming part of the piles.
A short moment later, her eyelids lifted to show a pair of mesmerising, ruby-red eyes.
[Ding!]
[Energy source lost… ]
[Recalibrating… ]
[Defaulting to original energy source: Environmental Spiritual Energy…]
[Done! Cultivation speed: 2.125x]
[To speed up, please find a better energy source.]
"STATUS"
[Ding!]
Essence: 1st Layer of Sky Spirit
Physique: 2-star Ancient Godling (Peak Sky Spirit Equivalent)
Soul: 2nd stage Red Soul (Peak Sky Spirit Equivalent)
Celestial God Essence Cultivation Method,
Ancient God's Physique Scripture,
Spirit God's Soul Cultivation Method
Slot 1: Celestial God Essence Cultivation Method
Slot 2: Ancient God's Physique Scripture
Slot 3: Spirit God's Soul Cultivation Method
Slot 4: Empty
Details: Speed is 2.125x per Method
Xiao Hong smiled bitterly. Thousand spirit stones should have been more than enough to reach peak Sky Spirit thrice over, but with how demanding her cultivation method was, she just barely reached 1st Layer of Sky Spirit. In terms of resource utilisation, she was absolutely sure no one could match her. The system used every single bit of energy to its fullest extent. This time it was not due to her shitty talent, but her Cultivation Method being too awesome. She had less than 500 spirit stones remaining.
She closed her eyes, silently immersing herself in the old Xiao Hong’s memories.
***
In the early morning
An elderly man stood on the raised Dao Imparting Platform, lecturing the new batch of disciples that had just been recruited into the Sect. A kind smile softened his features as he gazed down at the gaggle of kids looking up at him with wide, innocent eyes.
“Cultivation,” he began, voice low yet heard throughout the field, “begins with the Body Tempering Stage. An aspiring Cultivator refines and tempers their physique to its limits, strengthening it as much as possible. They have to purge the impurities in their body to make it as pure as possible.”
Barely had he finished his sentence, a small hand shot up into the air!
“But old uncle, what is this ‘impurity’? Why do we need to purge it?” A curious boy, no older than 11, asked.
The elder smiled knowingly, showing no offence at being called an ‘old uncle’. He chuckled lightly. “Impurities can be anything that exists inside your body that can be detrimental to your Cultivation. Be it weaker biological tissue, diseases, accumulated poisons like mortal tobacco, or other harmful substances - as long as it is detrimental to Cultivation, it is an impurity. And as a result, the Inner Ki or Lifeforce of the body is activated.”
The child just looked confused, causing the elder to chuckle fondly at his silly expression. “Hmm. What is your favourite food, then?”
“Oh! It’s chicken soup!” he answered quickly.
“Then, is there something you don’t like about it?” the elder inquired knowingly.
“Mh-hm! It’s the disgusting thing called tomato!”
“Then, just think of the tomato as an impurity!” The elder said waving his hands enthusiastically, “How great would the chicken soup taste if there were no tomatoes? It would be absolutely delectable wouldn’t it?!”
The child’s eyes lit up like a million-watt bulb! “Oh, oh, oh! It would taste awesome!”
“Think of Cultivation as something similar, it would be much smoother without the tomatoes - er, impurities” The elder said.
Then the elder continued his Dao Lecture. “After refining one’s body to its limits, one finally has a body that can bear the sheer might of Spiritual Energy of Heaven and Earth! They can construct the Dantian with Lifeforce and then step into the Stage of Qi Gathering!”
The elder spoke, his voice faintly stirring the air, “In Qi Gathering, we draw the Spiritual Energy of Heaven and Earth into our bodies and refine a strand of pure Zhenqi. Using this strand of Zhenqi we slowly open up the clogged Meridians in our body.”
He paused and exclaimed with an impassioned tone, “Just think of it as blowing your nose. Isn’t it just so much easier to breathe after clearing your nose of boogers?!”
“Yeah!” the gaggle of kids shouted out their agreement, nodding furiously.
“Ahem. Anyway,” the elder cleared his throat, his face taking on a slightly redder hue. He spoke quickly, “after blowing - I mean, opening - a minimum number of meridians and connecting them through the Dantian, one can officially enter the Earthen Origin Stage!
“In the Earthen Origin Stage, the Cultivator has to form a cycle of Qi inside their Body ensuring a continuous flow of Qi through all Meridians, much like how our heart pumps blood through all veins in the body…” The elder glanced at the children below, who looked somewhat confused.
“It’s like having a slide all to yourself!” he spoke loudly, “Just imagine! All day, every day, you can slide all by yourself and no one to compete with!”
“Oooohh!”
“Isn’t that awesome?!”
“Yeah!” The kids chorused in much better sync than before. The elder nodded in satisfaction. His performance would make this a memorable experience for the children. Plus, his analogies would help them understand Cultivation better.
“After that, one can enter the Sky Spirit Stage. In this Stage, one has to open their Soul Gate and awaken their Divine Sense, which allows them to sense everything in their surroundings! It can even allow one to sense through solid objects!”
He bent over slightly and whispered conspiratorially, “Wouldn’t it be just awesome if you knew where your favourite dumplings or cookies were hidden without ever having to search for it?!”
The kids’ eyes widened. They immediately realised the amazing applications of the Divine Sense.
“Mommy won’t be able to threaten me with hiding my toys again!” a kid stood up straight, his little fists clenched. His eyes blazed with determination to reach the Sky Spirit Stage!
As the kids roamed around in their fantasies, a little girl tentatively raised her hand, her clear eyes made from the purest red sparkling with innocence. “Why is this Stage called the Sky Spirit Stage?”
The elder turned to her and smiled.
“That’s because, at this Stage of Cultivation, one can directly fly into the sky with their own power!” He spoke, slowly rising into the air under the shocked gazes and surprised exclamations of the children.
“How is it? I’m so cool, right?!” he exclaimed after landing, posing like a bodybuilder. Except his tall and thin frame made him look funny rather than impressive.
“After tempering their Qi nine times in the Sky Spirit Stage one can condense their Zhenqi into liquid form. At this point, the Cultivator has entered the Divine Sea Stage.” The elder continued to explain the Cultivation Stages.
“In the Divine Sea Stage, one grows their Divine Sea Stage until it becomes a veritable Sea of Zhenqi.
“Then, the Cultivator can undergo nine Disasters and temper their Zhenqi to the utmost
“After successfully transcending the final Disaster, a Cultivator attains Nirvana.”
Then, he switched to his ‘explaining-to-a-child’ mode, “It’s like juice actually. It smells great. But it doesn’t compare to actually drinking it! That is the difference between Sky Spirit and Divine Sea.
“Moreover, if you add sugar and a few other things, it tastes even better, right?” He turned to the kids and smacked his lips. “That is like the nine Disasters, tempering the juice to perfection! After the final addition, the juice’s taste has reached its peak!”
Then, he went on to just mention the Stages after the Divine Sea Stage: Soul Palace, Celestial Bridge, Fusion, Transformation, Core Formation and the Essence Soul Stage. He did not explain the details of those Stages: he just gave a mysterious smile when the kids begged for explanations.
“That old fellow sure had a way with kids.” Xiao Hong sighed, thinking back to her cohort’s teacher. The old Xiao Hong had been quite fond of the old man.
Shaking her head to get rid of her messy thoughts, she returned to reality, 'These things are too far away from me. Now, it is more imperative that I find a way to gather Spirit Stones quickly.’
After all, without sufficient strength and without the protection of Senior Brother Lin Fan, she was just a weak porcelain doll that could not even protect herself. She clenched her fist in determination. Her Fate would be decided by her and her only!