1 New World

Groans echoed amidst the sounds of waves on the beach. The sounds resonated among the wreckage of a recently stranded ship. Amidst the debris lay an unconscious young man, with half of his body still submerged in the water. After a while, he began to regain consciousness.

"Ugh..., my head..., cough, cough."

He struggled to rise, clutching his head. His body was covered in wounds and bruises. After coughing up water, he stood and sat cross-legged on the ship's wreckage.

"Am I safe from that accident? Ugh, my head is pounding."

After a moment, he began to open his eyes.

"Tian... Jie..., is that my name?... huh."

Tian Jie felt dizzy and as if he were moving at high speed. He started to perceive unfamiliar memories, as if watching a fast-forwarded movie. Hours passed, and he opened his eyes wide. The foreign memories he saw had merged with his own.

Tian Jie pondered the reality he faced. He was no longer the person he used to be in his previous life. Before becoming Tian Jie, he was a twenty-four-year-old young man who had a hobby of playing Tabletop RPG, a role-playing game that used dice as its main tool.

One day, Tian Jie wanted to attend a TRPG player gathering with participants from all over the country. But as he was about to arrive, lightning struck the car he was driving. In an instant, he lost consciousness and awoke with a body and memories that felt alien.

"Did I die and reincarnate into another world?"

Tian Jie understood that he was no longer on Earth; instead, he was in a world full of spiritual powers where its inhabitants could cultivate. A world where magic was no longer a fantasy. A world filled with monsters and unique creatures not found on Earth. A dangerous and threatening world. Tian Jie felt somewhat anxious about his life in this new world.

Suddenly, a transparent panel appeared in front of Tian Jie.

[Message from your previous world]

"What is this?"

Without hesitation, he touched the panel.

[Hello Tian Jie, or should I call you *****.]

[Firstly, I apologize for what happened to you. You weren't supposed to die in that condition. Someone from your current world tried to summon a person from Earth. It contradicted the laws of the world, so you passed through the purification gate in the form of divine lightning. However, since the summoning technique was not perfect, he couldn't fully protect you, and your body was completely destroyed by divine lightning, leaving only your soul.]

[I couldn't bear to see you in that half-life condition, so I will help you. Now you must be aware that your soul has entered someone else's body. I have also prepared some things for you to survive there. I'm sorry I couldn't stop the divine lightning to save you when you were summoned. At least, this is what I can do to ensure you can survive there.]

[From your original world, "EARTH"]

"..."

Tian Jie was speechless as he read the message on the panel. His name when he was alive on Earth was written there. However, he couldn't read the text. He also realized that his memories from Earth were incomplete. He couldn't remember his close ones, and he didn't even remember his own name. But Tian Jie still remembered the things he had done—school, work, and play. The memories were there, but they felt distant and blurry.

"So, now my name is Tian Jie..."

Tian Jie felt somewhat strange and confused about what to do. He had two different sets of memories from his childhood. Tian Jie in his Earth life and Tian Jie now. This caused internal conflict. In the end, he felt like he was neither the Tian Jie nor the person he used to be on Earth. With a wry smile, he laughed.

"Hahaha..., I really don't know who I am anymore, as if I've become a third person between their two lives."

Tian Jie contemplated while staring at the ocean waves. His feelings were mixed. If he wanted to recall his memories, he would see two different images as if he were looking at two computer screens. One screen displayed his memories in this world, and the other showed his memories on Earth.

Tian Jie continued to gaze at the vast ocean with vacant eyes. He was puzzled about his current situation.

Glruph~

Suddenly, his stomach growled. Hunger began to strike. He finally snapped out of his contemplation.

"I need to find food."

Tian Jie stood up and began to look around for food. He opened a cargo box that had drifted with him. Inside, he found frozen meat, vegetables, and fruits enchanted with magical formation techniques. Tian Jie took some ingredients to cook.

"Now, I need fire. Is there a magical formation for creating fire?"

Tian Jie searched another box but found only more food ingredients and clothing.

"It seems I have to use the traditional way."

Tian Jie searched for dry wood around the beach, then used it to create a fire. Soon, the flames flickered, and Tian Jie began to cook his meal. He made a simple barbecue with meat and vegetables, sprinkled with pepper.

While waiting for his food to cook, Tian Jie's attention returned to the transparent panel in front of him. The panel was still open and hadn't disappeared. Only when he focused on something else did the panel move to the side, not covering what Tian Jie wanted to see. He hesitated to touch it again.

"I'll check it after finishing my meal."

Tian Jie enjoyed his food while gazing at the vast ocean. He recalled the events before he washed ashore on this beach.

Tian Jie was a member of a prestigious academy on the central continent, the largest continent positioned in the mortal realm. The academy was named Sky Mountains Academy, known for its talented students from various backgrounds and regions.

Tian Jie had a fiancée who was also a student at Sky Mountains Academy. Cheng Xiulan had known Tian Jie since childhood. They could be considered childhood friends and had been together for a long time.

Cheng Xiulan was highly talented and beautiful. Many male students from Sky Mountains Academy wanted Cheng Xiulan to be their Dao companion, but due to Cheng Xiulan's status as Tian Jie's fiancée and a disciple of the academy's grand elder, many male students gave up approaching Cheng Xiulan.

However, there was an exception—a prince from the Golden Kingdom admired Cheng Xiulan. He continued to pressure Tian Jie.

In the end, a conflict erupted between the Golden Kingdom and Tian's family. The leader of Tian's family decided to expel Tian Jie to save the family. Tian Jie, assisted by his parents, attempted to escape to one of the small continents. They successfully escaped using a boat. Unfortunately, while in the middle of the sea, they were ambushed by assassins from the Golden Kingdom. Both of Tian Jie's parents died, and his boat was destroyed. Tian Jie was thrown into the ocean and drowned, losing consciousness. He should have died then.

"Your fate is truly unfortunate, Tian Jie. Because of your fiancée, you lost both your parents, your family disowned you, and the academy expelled you for no reason."

Tian Jie felt a tightness in his chest. Although he was like a new entity now, memories of his past still brought a painful feeling to his heart.

"But of all the things above, I never expected that she..."

If asked whether Tian Jie liked Cheng Xiulan, he would loudly answer with love. They had been together since childhood, overcoming many challenges together. However, when the prince of the Golden Kingdom began to attack Tian Jie, Cheng Xiulan seemed to avoid him. Only after the academy decided to expel Tian Jie did Cheng Xiulan finally meet him. Tian Jie thought he would finally get a little encouragement from his lover. Unfortunately, what he received was the termination of their engagement, and Cheng Xiulan asked Tian Jie not to see her again.

Tian Jie's heart shattered, and he fell into depression, losing the will to survive.

"Truly a bad fate."

Tian Jie mumbled to himself, then began to clean up his meal.

"Now it's time to check this panel."

Without further ado, Tian Jie pressed the panel in front of him.

Bing~

The panel shifted, and a new panel appeared.

[Connection with Host established]

[System activated]

[Host, please complete character status creation]

[Name: Tian Jie

Level: Spiritual Cultivator

Race: Human

Class: -not yet selected

Strength: 16

Dexterity: 12

Constitution: 14

Intelligence: 16

Wisdom: 10

Charisma: 12

Ability: empty]

"..."

Tian Jie was surprised by the contents of the panel.

"Isn't this like a character sheet from the TRPG game I often played?"