Taizun City,
Situated in the northern part of the Violet Domain, has a unique charm despite its small population of 30,000 spread over more than 60 kilometers.
The city's distinct social structure shapes the lives of its inhabitants.
The inner circle, where those with high cultivation levels reside, radiates an aura of power and serenity.
The second circle, inhabited by warriors with innate talents, is alive with the sounds of training and camaraderie.
The third and outermost circle, home to mortals, has a simpler, quieter atmosphere.
In a courtyard within the inner circle, a chubby boy could be seen running frantically, as if his life depended on it.
His round, big face was flushed with exertion, and his 180-pound frame was adorned in an oversized, traditional cultivator's robe, the fabric billowing with each hurried step.
His pure black eyes darted nervously, and his hair, a striking shade of red-black, clung to his forehead with sweat.
He muttered under his breath,
"Damn you, bastard! How much food have you eaten to get this big?"
Name of this colossal being was Chen Shenghlei, and currently he was in dilemma not because of his heaven-defying body but rather due to the mental pressure he was feeling.
As he was running, his left foot struck a stone, causing him to stumble and nearly kiss the ground. His oversized round tummy cushioned his fall, giving him a chance to regain his balance.
"Damn, it's worse than I thought," he muttered under his breath, frustration evident in his voice.
Hearing the sound of the collision, a nearby guard was alerted. He shouted while running towards his young master, "Young Master Chen!"
Nearby maids, who were doing house chores, also rushed to see the commotion.
"Young master, should I call for the doctor? Madam and Master aren't around... so we thought—" one of the maids began, concern etched on her face.
Interrupting them all, Chen Shenghlei shouted, "Shut up, all of you! Who do you think I am? I'm already a 12-year-old adult!"
Though they wanted to question him further, the young master had already spoken. Besides, they couldn't help but feel amused by this spirited kid.
"Alright, but now you must rest in your room, Master. I'll send someone with medicine," said Dao Feng, his protector, a warrior in the late innate realm.
Chen Shenghlei scrambled to his feet, cheeks flushed with embarrassment as he brushed off dirt from his robes. His eyes flickered with annoyance as he waved off the concerned guards and maids.
"I don't need anyone's help! I'm perfectly fine," he declared stubbornly, puffing out his chest in defiance.
Soon, he arrived at his room, locking the gate behind him. He slumped down, his back against the door, breathing unevenly. Clear drops of sweat glistened on his flushed face.
"Why did I reincarnate as this loser?"
That's right.
Chen Shenghlei doesn't belong to this world.
Originally, he was from Earth, a modern and transparent society ruled by laws and morality.
He was a tech support officer in some less-known countryside company, still earning a hefty cash on weekdays as long as he could fool some old bones.
For him, life was such a blast.
The harder you worked, the more incentives you got.
On weekdays, you could also flirt with the sister-in-law in the neighborhood, teasing her while her husband wasn't around.
Yet...
Everything changed the day he accidentally bought a tragic cultivation novel titled:
---Heavenly Slaughter God---
The story was typical for its genre: the protagonist, Yu Shangrong, suffered unbearable losses. His maid was raped by his uncle, who then attempted the same with Yu's mother.
To protect her innocence, she killed herself. Yu's father wasn't spared either, his soul pierced by countless spears. The novel was a relentless tale of the protagonist losing everything he loved.
Chen Shenghlei's role in this grim narrative was minimal. He was merely an middle aged extra, a friend the protagonist made during a visit to the city.
This minor connection led to a horrific fate: the villain, seeking revenge on Yu Shangrong, had Chen Shenghlei's mother gang-raped in front of him.
"Damn it, why Chen Shenghlei? A commoner would have been better," he muttered bitterly.
This was the point at which he had abandoned reading the horrid book. There had been no warning or rape tag regarding his content, and the author had written it in disturbingly vivid detail.
Outraged by the violation of love and privacy depicted, he had tracked down the author's mother on Instagram and sent a threatening message, vowing to kill her son if he continued writing such trash.
Feeling justified and satisfied, he had gone to bed, only to awaken in this world as none other than Chen Shenghlei.
Now, he sat on the bed of his room in Lotus position, grappling with the unfairness of his predicament and the dread of what lay ahead.
Soon, he channeled the innate energy within his body. The process wasn't as satisfying as he had hoped, but considering it had only been two days since his soul transmigrated, he believed he could still make progress.
"It must be because of my moral standard works, that the gods didn't favor me," he grumbled. "No system, no cheat skills—just me, having to work hard for everything. But at least I'm still in my childhood, which means I have about 30 years until the protagonist arrives in this city. Let's work hard, Fatty Chen!"
After a while, feeling exhausted, he fell into a deep, sound sleep on his bed.
(End of the chapter)