Alex opened his eyes and looked at the towering figure in front of him. According to this man wearing a gray robe, Alex was being given another chance to start fresh in another world.
Alex had lived a normal life and died while saving a child when a random truck claimed his life.
"So, right now, you will be sent to a world of my choosing. Unfortunately, that means I cannot pick your gold finger... so you will have to make do with a random one," the man said.
Alex nodded. Though he had briefly been sad over his untimely death, he couldn't deny he felt a little excited. This was a dream-come-true moment for him, like a fan meeting their favorite celebrity.
He had been a fantasy novel fanatic since childhood and had read countless such stories.
"Can you give me some information about what kind of world it is and what kind of gold finger I might have?" he asked, looking at the gray-robed God.
The God smiled. "I can tell you a few things. This is a world filled with planes—a shattered world at the unknown edge of the cosmos. Essentially, you are entering a novel world, born from the imagination of a certain human, which gave rise to an entire universe. It is a universe made of different planes, where people ascend as they grow stronger. I can only tell you this much: you will start at the bottommost level, and your location will be random," the God said, turning serious.
"As for your gold finger, since we cannot know what it is, you won't know how to activate it. You'll have to figure that out on your own," he continued.
Alex nodded and asked, "Do I get to choose anything?"
The God replied, "You can choose your race, gender, and appearance."
Alex smirked. "How about giving me a copy of the novel of this world so I can read it and prepare?"
"That I cannot do. You should have read this novel when you were alive," the God said, waving his hand as an interface for character customization appeared before Alex.
"Now hurry up, choose your looks, and get out of here."
Alex sighed and reluctantly made his choices. These selections would determine his appearance at 20 years old and his general physical trend as he aged, though his growth would still depend on how he lived in the new plane.
Alex was already a normal-looking, fair young man, so he didn't change much in that department. He selected human as his race. Becoming another race was tempting, but other races had their own advantages and disadvantages. Like in other fantasy worlds, humans in this one were balanced and could grow to the ultimate template like any other race.
Once Alex finished, he was sent to the new world as a green light beam.
-------------
Alex found himself lying in a cradle as he looked at his surroundings.
He saw an old Chinese-style roof, resembling that of an ancient temple. A strange chant echoed in the distance, and the cold wind rustled his hair. The sky was a clear blue, and it seemed to be early morning.
Alex realized he had probably been left at the foot of a temple. Judging by the chants, it appeared to be a Buddhist temple. He tried to yell, but all that came out was a childish "yaa."
He tried fake crying. It was cute and effective, as a small child came running to the steps. The child was bald and wore orange robes like a Buddhist monk.
"What is this? Who left a baby here? Master! Master! Look, there's a baby on the steps!" the child yelled as the temple door opened. An old man wearing orange robes with a black coat stepped out. He had a gray beard and was blind, yet he effortlessly picked up Alex and carried him inside.
"Great Buddha... what an unfortunate child, to be born in such dangerous times... truly unfortunate," the old monk said, placing Alex on a small prayer platform before a Buddha statue.
"Buddha, please guide us," the monk prayed, as Alex observed the scene. Suddenly, a small breeze blew a flower petal onto Alex's nose. As Alex tried to catch it, the wind carried the petal away again.
The monk smiled and turned to the child.
"Little one, take this baby to the kitchen and feed him some milk. He will stay with us," the monk said. The child nodded, picking up Alex and carrying him to the kitchen.
----------
Ten years later, a small boy was practicing martial arts in the temple yard. It was Alex, now being instructed by a young monk. The monk wore orange robes and held a stick, using it to correct Alex's postures.
By now, Alex was used to life in the temple. Occasionally, he learned more about the world from his senior brother.
"Brother Chen, when can I go outside and experience the world?" Alex asked.
The young monk replied, "A monk can only venture into society and start learning the ways of the world when he has developed a strong body. The day you can finish ten sets of the Bronze Body Sutra in one day, you can go. Tian, the outside world is dangerous, and we must be strong enough to protect ourselves."
Alex, now called Tian, nodded. It was said the world was filled with all kinds of evils, from demons to monsters and beasts. There were also divine beasts, sects of immortals, empires, and kingdoms where experts in various martial arts gathered.
The kingdom where the temple was located was called Lingyun Kingdom, a third-rate kingdom near the Lengshan Mountain Range. Alex had grown up under the care of the old monks and his senior brother. At first, he was surprised that a Buddhist temple existed in a fantasy world, but as he learned about the world—essentially a cultivation realm—he began to understand.
Elder Brother Chen often shared stories about immortals and gods descending from the sky or ascending to higher realms, which locals called "heaven."
However, Alex's primary concern was that his gold finger had yet to activate since his birth.
The monks in the temple primarily pursued body-strengthening sutras as their martial art. For Alex, life was a routine of eating, exercising, and sleeping, ever since he had learned to walk.
Thanks to this rigorous training, Alex's body was far stronger than that of an average 10-year-old in his previous life. The constant practice of martial arts, enforced by his elder brother for his own good, was yielding results.
There were three sutras practiced in the temple: the Bronze Body Sutra, the Iron Body Sutra, and the Golden Body Sutra. It was said the temple's founder had cultivated the Vajra Body Sutra, which rendered the body impervious to swords and knives and strong enough to lift a building.
Deep in thought, Alex completed the last cycle of the Bronze Body Sutra. This time, he felt something different.
"Elder Brother, I feel a weird tingling in my stomach. It feels like I'm getting hungry," Alex said.
"Hmm, that means you've successfully completed one cycle of the Bronze Body Sutra. The energy from the food you ate was used to strengthen your body, which is why you're feeling hungry."
Suddenly, a golden screen floated in front of Tian.
[Congratulations, you have successfully completed one cycle of the "Bronze Body Sutra."]
[Gold Finger Unlocked: Auto Clicker - Basic]
[Say "Status" to view your status and instructions on how to use your gold finger.]
Tian was astonished. He trembled at the sight of the golden screen and smiled at his elder brother. "Brother Chen, since I'm hungry, can I go eat?" he asked.
Brother Chen nodded. "Go ahead, but remember to eat in moderation and return for prayer with the head monk."
Tian nodded and quickly ran off to the kitchen. Grabbing a bowl of rice, he sat down at the table to eat. Finally, he took a good look at his gold finger.