Li Xuan had always been an ordinary man, if not an outright forgettable one. A software engineer in the modern world, his days were consumed by code, deadlines, and the occasional indulgence in his favorite pastime—cultivation novels. In these stories, ordinary men like him would transmigrate to mystical realms, gaining powerful abilities and rising to greatness. It was a fantasy he enjoyed, never suspecting that it would become his reality.

On a particularly dull day, Li Xuan had stayed up late reading yet another transmigration novel. His eyes grew heavy, and sleep claimed him before he even realized it. But when he next opened his eyes, it wasn't to the familiar sight of his cramped apartment. Instead, he found himself staring at a rough, wooden ceiling. The air was thick with the scent of medicinal herbs and damp earth.

Confusion set in immediately. He tried to sit up, but a sharp pain shot through his entire body, forcing him to gasp and collapse back onto the hard surface he was lying on. Panic gripped him as he realized something was terribly wrong.

"Where… am I?" Li Xuan's voice was hoarse, barely a whisper, but it was enough to alert someone nearby. Footsteps hurried towards him, and a door creaked open.

An old man, dressed in simple robes, entered the room. His face was lined with age, but his eyes were sharp, scrutinizing Li Xuan with a mix of concern and surprise.

"You're awake," the old man said, his voice gruff but not unkind. "How do you feel?"

Li Xuan struggled to gather his thoughts. His body felt foreign, unfamiliar, and unbearably weak. "I… I don't know," he admitted. "Where am I?"

The old man's expression softened slightly. "You're in the Azure Sky Realm, in the outer quarters of the Jade Spirit Sect. You've been unconscious for three days."

The Azure Sky Realm? Jade Spirit Sect? The names sounded straight out of the novels he used to read. But the pain, the smells, the sounds—it was all too real.

Li Xuan's heart raced as memories that were not his own began flooding his mind. They came in flashes, disjointed and chaotic, but he recognized them for what they were: the memories of the body he now inhabited. The memories of a young disciple named… Li Xuan.

The realization hit him like a ton of bricks. He had transmigrated, just like the characters in his beloved novels. But instead of being overjoyed, he felt a wave of dread. The memories of the previous Li Xuan were not those of a promising young cultivator. No, this Li Xuan had been a cripple, mocked and scorned by his peers, barely able to cultivate the most basic techniques. He was a waste, a burden to the sect, and his recent injuries were the result of being mercilessly beaten by fellow disciples.

The old man seemed to sense the turmoil in Li Xuan's mind. "Rest for now," he advised. "Your body is still weak. We'll talk more when you've recovered."

Li Xuan nodded numbly, closing his eyes as the old man left the room. He tried to process everything, but his thoughts were a jumbled mess. How had this happened? Why him? And most importantly, what was he supposed to do now?

Sleep came to him once more, and this time, it brought with it a dream—no, a vision. He stood in a vast, endless void, surrounded by darkness. But within that darkness, something stirred. A book, ancient and weathered, floated before him. Its cover was black as night, adorned with intricate silver patterns that seemed to shift and move like living things.

Eternal Codex. The name echoed in his mind, as if the book itself was speaking to him.

Li Xuan reached out, and as his fingers brushed the cover, the book opened on its own, revealing page after page of cryptic symbols and strange, glowing text. Despite having never seen such a language before, he understood it instinctively. The words spoke of a power beyond imagination, a gift that had been bestowed upon him: the ability to infinitely reincarnate.

Each time he died, he would be reborn with all the knowledge, skills, and cultivation progress he had made in his previous life. It was a cheat ability, a godsend in a world where strength determined everything.

When Li Xuan awoke again, the pain in his body had lessened, but the reality of his situation had only grown clearer. He was in a crippled body, at the bottom rung of a sect where only the strong survived. But now, he had the Eternal Codex. A cheat that could turn even the most hopeless situation into an opportunity.

He forced himself to sit up, ignoring the protests of his weakened body. The old man had left a bowl of medicinal porridge on the table beside his bed. Li Xuan ate slowly, savoring the warmth that spread through him with each bite. The food was simple, but it invigorated him, bringing a bit of strength back to his frail limbs.

Once he finished, he pushed the bowl aside and took a deep breath. The memories of the former Li Xuan swirled in his mind, a painful reminder of the boy's miserable existence. But Li Xuan was not that boy. He was a man from another world, armed with the knowledge of countless cultivation stories and now, the power of the Eternal Codex.

"I won't be a cripple," he vowed to himself, his voice steady despite the doubts that gnawed at the edges of his mind. "I'll rise above this."

The first step, he decided, was to test the extent of his new ability. The former Li Xuan had been barely able to cultivate, his meridians blocked and his dantian damaged. But with the Eternal Codex, he might be able to change that.

Li Xuan focused inward, trying to sense the flow of energy within his body. It was weak, barely a trickle, but it was there. He began to circulate his Qi, following the simplest cultivation technique he could recall from the previous Li Xuan's memories. It was slow, painful even, as the energy struggled to move through his blocked meridians. But he persisted, gritting his teeth against the discomfort.

Minutes passed, then hours. Sweat soaked through his robes, and his body trembled with the effort. But slowly, ever so slowly, the energy began to flow more freely. It was a minuscule improvement, but it was enough to give him hope.

When he finally opened his eyes, the sun had set, and the room was bathed in the soft glow of moonlight. Li Xuan was exhausted, but he could feel a small spark of energy burning within him, stronger than before. It wasn't much, but it was a start.

"This is just the beginning," he whispered to himself. "I have the Eternal Codex. I'll die and be reborn as many times as it takes, but I will become stronger. I will rise."

In the quiet of the night, Li Xuan made his first steps on the long and perilous journey that lay ahead. The Azure Sky Realm was a world of endless dangers and opportunities, and he intended to seize every one of them. The Li Xuan of the past was gone. In his place stood a man determined to carve out his own destiny, no matter the cost.

And so, with the power of the Eternal Codex at his side, Li Xuan prepared to face whatever trials the Azure Sky Realm had in store for him. Little did he know, his first death was just around the corner, and with it, the first step towards becoming the legend he was destined to be.