After his status appeared, the notification screen disappeared, leaving Alex lost in his thoughts.
It had only been about fifteen minutes since the memories merged with him, but it felt as though he had experienced eighteen years of Li Wei's life in that short time.
His suspicions were confirmed - he had indeed been transmigrated into another world.
This new world was filled with people known as cultivators, individuals with extraordinary strength and abilities.
They harnessed a vital energy called Qi, which flowed through all living beings.
Through cultivation, they refined their bodies and minds, unlocking superhuman powers and abilities.
Qi was the essence of their existence, enabling them to heal, enhance their senses, and perform incredible feats of strength and agility.
Now, Alex found himself in the body of a young man named Li Wei. Li Wei, an 18-year-old from a non-cultivating farming family, displayed cultivation potential at the age of 16.
Despite his mortal background, his exceptional talent earned him a place in the Cloud Moon Sect as an outer disciple.
However, his low Qi affinity hindered his cultivation progress, leaving him stuck at the second stage of the warrior level.
This led to ridicule and bullying from his peers.
To make matters worse, Li Wei's home village was plundered by the notorious bandit group, the Black Serpents, led by a stage seven warrior named Ren Xiaolong.
The attack resulted in casualties, including Li Wei's family.
Devastated but determined, Li Wei doubled his cultivation efforts, fueled by his desire for revenge.
Unfortunately, his journey took a tragic turn when he encountered the vicious three-eyed wolf known as Vastfire Shadow Fang, leading to his untimely demise.
"No wonder the wolf looked surprised when he saw me earlier," Alex muttered, piecing together the memories he had acquired.
He then glanced toward the three individuals resting nearby.
From Li Wei's memories, he knew that the young lady was Wu Lina, the most talented disciple of the Cloud Moon Sect.
At just eighteen years old, she had already reached the third stage of the Elite warrior level.
Wu Lina was not only known for her talent but also for her beauty.
The two young men beside her were Xiao Se and Shen Hong, both highly talented individuals in the Cloud Moon Sect.
Like many others, they vied for Wu Lina's attention, which explained their earlier hostility towards Alex.
Having processed all the information from Li Wei's memories, Alex closed his eyes and leaned against a rock, his mind focused on his current predicament.
He found himself in a body with low Qi affinity, unable to advance his cultivation.
Such a person was often considered worthless, and Alex wondered if he would be condemned to live a second life as "trash."
The weight of this realization burdened his thoughts until a sudden voice broke through his contemplation. "Hello, trash master," it said.
Startled by an unexpected voice, Alex swiftly raised his head, searching for its origin. To his surprise, he found no one.
"Who is there?" he queried, his voice loud enough to be heard, yet quiet enough not to alert Wu Lina and the others to his encounter.
A cold, irate voice retorted, "Are you blind, or are you choosing to ignore my existence?"
Startled once again, Alex focused his mind, the direction of the voice becoming clear. His gaze settled on his lap, where a minuscule, serpent-like creature rested. It was roughly the size of a baby's fist, shimmering with a golden light that seemed otherworldly, ethereal—almost spectral.
Confusion and frustration clouded Alex's mind. "Who is this creature, and why does it call me the 'trash master'?"
Almost as if it could hear his thoughts, the golden, spectral serpent responded, "That would be you," its tone imbued with a mockery.
"What?" Alex whispered, careful not to raise his voice and alert Wu Lina and the others.
"Who else could be the 'trash master' but you?" The creature's teasing voice echoed again.
"Wait, what? Can you hear my thoughts?" Alex asked, his surprise palpable.
"Indeed," came the creature's smug reply.
"But how?" Alex questioned.
"I am the system spirit, Longwei. We are linked. I can hear your thoughts, and I can perceive everything you do," Longwei explained, his voice filled with mockery.
"But what about my privacy? And what exactly is a system spirit?" Alex demanded, his voice rising in anger. Thankfully, Wu Lina and the others remained oblivious.
"You and your privacy—there's no such thing between us," Longwei retorted, his tone ever-mocking.
"But why can't I hear your thoughts?" Alex asked, his tone agitated.
"Because I am a system spirit, and I do not have thoughts, fool," Longwei responded, his voice tinged with annoyance.
"What exactly are you? What is a system spirit?" Alex demanded.
There was a pause before Longwei responded. "I am the system spirit of the Assassin System. A spiritual entity that guides and supports the hosts of the Assassin System on their journey to power and enlightenment," he explained, pride creeping into his voice.
Alex fell silent for a moment, processing this information. "So that makes me your master, then?" he finally asked.
"No," Longwei countered. "I'm here to guide you, not to serve you. And to ensure you become stronger. As I see it now, you're a weakling who needs a lot of training and has numerous missions to complete to become stronger. I'll assist you with that."
Startled, Alex quickly asked, "What do you mean, what mission?"
Not paying any heed to Alex's question, Longwei vanished, and in his place, a screen appeared in front of Alex.
_…_…_…_…_…
[DING! DING!!]
New mission unlocked: Kill a high-stage lesser Qi beast.
Time is given for completion: 10 days
Reward: ???
Punishment: Death.
_…_…_…_…_…
Alex's heart skipped a beat as the notification blared through his device, accompanied by an urgent mission.
Anger welled up within him, his mind reeling with confusion. "What on earth is this about? Death?" he muttered, his voice laced with frustration.
Despite the torrent of questions flooding his thoughts, there was no sign of Longwei, no glimpse of an answer.