I opened my eyes and found myself in a tiny room with stone walls and a few pieces of furniture. There was only a bed, a desk, and a chair. The desk and chair were wooden, and the bed looked anything but comfortable.
My head was spinning and I felt a surge of pain that made me gasp. I clutched my head with both hands, hoping to ease the agony, but it was useless.
It only stopped when a flood of memories rushed into my mind, merging my old self with my new one.
On Earth, I was James, a supermarket worker with no prospects for myself or my single mom. It was a dead-end job, and I escaped reality by reading books, especially cultivation novels.
They fascinated me at first, with their exotic settings, magic systems, and thrilling adventures. They were unlike anything I had read before.
But after a while, they all seemed the same. The novelty wore off and I grew bored.
How did I die? Hit by a car. The driver was probably drunk or some shit.
Why did I get reincarnated into the body of Tian Li, a cultivator from the Cloud Sect? I had no idea. I remember feeling a void inside, realizing I may never see my mom again.
"Freaking bad luck," I murmured as I kicked the bed.
I won't lie and say that I never fantasized about being reincarnated in a cultivation world. It sounded fun, but I would never follow the same path as most cultivators.
Cultivate to defy the heavens and live forever? Sure, immortality sounded tempting, but spending all day meditating, fighting for survival, and competing in tournaments? No thanks!
And yet, here I was, a cultivator named Tian Li in the Cloud Sect, supposedly the strongest sect in the region. What a joke!
From my memories, I knew that the elders were only at the Foundation Establishment stage. How could they be the strongest in the region? They were just frogs in a well!
"I don't want any part of this," I muttered, grabbing my belongings and stuffing them into a sack. I left my room and headed for Elder Ji.
"Tian Li, are you sure you want to leave the sect? I know you're stuck at the third layer of Qi Condensation, but you can still improve if you work hard," a kind old man said.
Elder Ji was one of the few elders who treated the disciples well. He was also in charge of most affairs in the Cloud Sect since the Patriarch was rarely around.
I looked him in the eye and bowed. "This disciple is a disgrace to this grand sect. My presence here is only wasting your resources. Please let me go!"
He sighed and shook his head. "Are you really sure about this?" He looked at me with pity.
"Junior is sure," I said, looking him in the eyes. "Junior knows how to plant and take care of animals. I shall find a land and settle."
Elder Ji looked disappointed, sad that a disciple would leave the sect, but he nodded. He took out a small leather pouch from his pocket and tossed it to me. "At least take this money. The sect does not want an ex-disciple to starve."
I accepted his kind gesture, bowing to him once again, and left the sect. No beautiful woman was there to cling to me and say, 'Please, Tian Li, stay! I cannot live without you!'
No one cared about me. I was Tian Li, the talentless kid. Not that I was mad about it. No, I was too happy to express it! The burden had fallen from my shoulders.
No more endless cultivation nights. No more boring tournaments. No more dangerous missions! Besides, I had a feeling that the Cloud Sect would eventually perish. It always happened like that, in all cultivation novels.
What awaited me after leaving the sect's perimeter was a steep mountain with one path down leading to a village. That was the village where I lived, alone. My parents had died, and no one else wanted to stay with me.
I was still getting used to my new body, but oh my, it was way better than what I had before! The feeling of having unlimited energy, powerful muscles, and the ability to jump higher than anything I ever imagined!
It was incredible, and that was only the power of the third layer of the Qi Condensation realm. I could see why cultivators endured such a dull life for power, but that was not what I wanted!
I ran as fast as I could, feeling the breeze on my face, hearing the sound of birds singing, and seeing the incredible scenery from the mountain top. The air was fresh, pure, different from Earth with all its pollution.
Some villagers saw me, bowing and saying, "Immortal Li!"
I was a mere third layer Qi Condensation cultivator, but for them, ordinary humans, I was someone they had to respect.
The only thing I did was wave back and continue my journey. I had no idea where I wanted to go, but it was certainly far from the Cloud Sect.
A peaceful place to start up a farm. Yes, that was what I wanted. The world was so vast that it was not hard to find a place that met my criteria, and after traveling non-stop for four days, I found just the place I wanted!
"That house right there," a middle-aged man with a thick beard said, pointing at a simple house. "It's for sale, and it is cheap, only one gold coin."
"Why is it for sale?" I asked.
It was common for places to be haunted or something like that, so being careful was never enough, especially when it was THAT cheap.
"There's no story behind it. The person who lived there put it for sale, left, and never returned. It happened twenty years ago."
"I see. I will take it then."
"Splendid!"
The man looked happy for finally being able to sell the house. I soon discovered the village was named Riverside, and it was a fairly unknown place with few people.
There was nothing there that caught the attention of mortals, and immortals would never go there either! It was the perfect place! The place I looked for.
The house I bought was simple, made of oak, with a well next to it. It was not the house itself I wanted but the plot! The plot was massive for a place so cheap, and that gave me room to plant and take care of animals! That was what I wanted!
I remember seeing a big toad near the well. It croaked at me in a funny way, as if it was saying hi or something.
It was love at first sight, "You will be called Big. T, aka Big Toad!"
"Croak, croak."
My first friend in that new dangerous world. I could already see me and Big. T taking care of our farm.
"I will follow my own path!" I yelled, taking everything out.
I felt good after doing it. Big. T looked happy too. We both returned to Riverside to buy some seeds and start our cozy farm!