Alright! I'll merge the two chapters into a single, seamless narrative that brings out deeper psychological conflict, richer world-building, and introduces a cheat system for Shen Liang. This system will align with

Death was supposed to be the end. Liam Collins remembered the crunch of metal, the sudden jolt of his body colliding with glass, and the flood of cold rain as life drained from him. He had always imagined death would bring peace, a soft darkness where regrets dissolved into nothingness.

Instead, Liam awoke in the body of a boy abandoned to die in the wilderness.

Pain pulled him into reality, sharp and undeniable. His ribs ached with each shallow breath, and his limbs felt like sticks bound together by frayed muscle. The air was heavy with the scent of moss and pine, cold against his skin. He tried to sit up, only to collapse back onto the wet earth, gasping. His hands—small, bruised, and dirt-caked—trembled before him.

He crawled toward a puddle, his movements clumsy and weak, and stared into it. The reflection that greeted him wasn't his own. It was the face of a child, gaunt and smeared with dirt. Large brown eyes blinked back at him beneath tangled black hair. Confusion rippled through him.

Memories that weren't his own surged like a tidal wave, leaving him breathless.

The boy was named Shen Liang, the illegitimate son of the Shen Clan—a once-powerful family clinging to the remnants of its former glory. Shen Liang had been hated by his father and bullied mercilessly by his older half-brother, Shen Yue. He was considered a stain on the family's honor, born from a servant woman. His life was one of scorn, isolation, and humiliation.

His death had been inevitable.

Thrown off a cliff by Shen Yue and left to die, his weak body had shattered upon the rocks below. But somehow, Liam's soul had slipped into this dying shell, reigniting it.

Liam—now Shen Liang—took a ragged breath. I didn't survive a car crash just to die again in this world.

The forest around him buzzed with quiet life—birds chirped, leaves rustled, and the distant hum of a stream whispered promises of survival. He clenched his fists, feeling the weight of two lifetimes pressing against him. Shen Liang had been weak, but Liam wasn't.

He would not be discarded. Not again.

And in this strange new world of cultivation, weakness was a choice he refused to make.

He pulled himself toward the stream, each breath a struggle. Water sloshed between his hands as he drank greedily, the cold liquid grounding him. As he wiped his mouth, an odd sensation prickled at the edge of his consciousness—something alien, something powerful.

[SYSTEM INITIALIZING…]

[Integration with Host Complete.]

Liam froze. A voice—clear and mechanical—echoed inside his mind.

[Welcome, Shen Liang. Cheat System Activated.]

He blinked, stunned. A cheat system? Just like in those cultivation novels he used to read in his spare time. He didn't know whether to laugh or cry. But this was no dream. The voice was crisp and cold, without emotion, like a machine following a protocol.

[Explanation: The Cheat System rewards hosts based on their actions, decisions, and strategies. Cleverness is rewarded. Recklessness is punished.]

Liam's mind raced. This isn't just about brute strength—it's about using my head. The system seemed designed not to hand out random power-ups, but to incentivize smart choices. He grinned. This is exactly what I need.

A notification flashed in his mind.

[System Mission: Survive the Day. Reward: Beginner Qi Technique. Failure: Death.]

He exhaled slowly. Straightforward enough.

Shen Liang sat cross-legged on the ground, forcing his shaky body into stillness. Cultivation began with sensing Qi, the invisible energy that permeated everything. In a world where the strong ruled and the weak were crushed, Qi was the difference between life and death.

He closed his eyes and focused. At first, all he could hear was the rush of his own heartbeat, the ache of his injuries clouding his mind. But slowly—painfully slowly—he felt it: a faint hum, just beneath the surface of the world. It was subtle, like the distant whisper of wind, but it was there.

He reached for it with his mind, coaxing the energy closer. The Qi resisted, like a wild animal unwilling to trust, but Shen Liang was nothing if not stubborn. He pulled harder, guiding the Qi into his battered body. His muscles burned, and his veins felt like they were set on fire, but the warmth of Qi began to spread through him—a small flicker of power in an otherwise broken vessel.

[Progress: 5% of Beginner Qi Circulation achieved.]

A grin tugged at the corners of his mouth. It was working.

But the moment was cut short by a voice—sharp and familiar.

"Well, well. Look who didn't die."

Shen Liang's eyes snapped open. Shen Yue stood across the stream, flanked by two boys from the Shen Clan. His golden robes shimmered in the sunlight, and his smirk was as sharp as a blade.

"I thought I threw you far enough," Shen Yue sneered, crossing his arms. "But I guess even garbage floats."

The boys behind him chuckled, their laughter cruel.

Fear curled in Shen Liang's gut, but Liam's mind—sharp and honed by years of survival—took over. He couldn't beat them in a fight. Not yet. But a fight wasn't the only way to win.

"Next time, make sure I'm dead," Shen Liang said, his voice low and mocking. "You'll save yourself a lot of trouble."

Shen Yue's smile faltered. It was a small crack, but Shen Liang saw it—and pounced.

"Imagine what Father will say when he finds out you couldn't even kill a bastard like me," Shen Liang continued, his tone casual but cutting. "What will the clan think of the great Shen Yue then?"

Shen Yue's face darkened, fury flickering in his eyes. Weakness—even the suggestion of it—was a poison in their world, and Shen Liang had just planted the seed.

The older boy's fists clenched at his sides. For a moment, Shen Liang thought he might strike—but then Shen Yue forced a sneer onto his face. "You're not worth the effort," he spat. "But next time, you won't be so lucky."

With that, he turned and stalked off, his lackeys following close behind.

As their footsteps faded, Shen Liang allowed himself a shaky exhale. His heart pounded in his chest, but a thrill coursed through him. He had survived—and, more importantly, he had planted doubt in Shen Yue's mind.

[Mission Complete: Survive the Day.]

[Reward: Beginner Qi Technique – Flowing Stream Method.]

Knowledge surged into his mind—the Flowing Stream Method, a Qi circulation technique designed to strengthen the body and mind over time. It wasn't flashy, but it was reliable—and exactly what Shen Liang needed.

He sat back down, closed his eyes, and began circulating Qi using the new technique. This time, the energy flowed more easily, moving through his veins like water rushing through a stream. His body still hurt, but the pain was manageable. He could feel himself growing stronger—slowly but surely.

As the sun dipped below the horizon, Shen Liang opened his eyes. The forest around him was bathed in twilight, the shadows stretching long and deep. But inside, he felt a flicker of hope—a tiny ember waiting to ignite.

He wasn't strong yet. But he would be.

In this world, strength wasn't given. It was earned.

And Shen Liang intended to earn every bit of it.