It was all dark and silent until a sharp, searing pain jolted Qin Yu awake, his senses overwhelmed by a combination of muffled sounds and sensations.
He struggled to comprehend his surroundings, his thoughts sluggish and disconnected.
'Where... am I?' he thought.
He slowly opens his eyes and struggled to adjust to the light when he saw a blurry image.
'Huh? You've got to be kidding?'
Then the realization hit him like a thunderbolt: he was in the body of a newborn. He closes his eyes again.
Being reincarnated, Qin Yu had expected many things, but this? He had no words.
But at the same time he was excited.
'Haha! Take that cancer! I'm alive again...'
The newborn's body was fragile, his limbs uncoordinated, and his mind battled a cloud of confusion.
Yet, unlike ordinary babies, Qin Yu's spiritual power granted him an unusual clarity beyond what is natural.
He could piece together his fragmented thoughts, and observe his surroundings with more awareness than an average infant.
Cries echoed around him, sharp and desperate. His small, feeble body shivered, and he instinctively knew something was wrong.
A man's voice pierced through the noise, trembling with anguish.
"She's gone... My sister is gone." The man's voice cracked, filled with sorrow so raw it made Qin Yu's tiny heart ache.
Qin Yu blinked his eyes open, his vision blurry but gradually sharpening.
A rough-hewn ceiling made of aged wood greeted him, dimly lit by a flickering oil lamp.
A face loomed above him—a man in his late thirties, his eyes red-rimmed, his face etched with despair.
"I promise, little one," the man whispered, holding Qin Yu close to his chest.
"Even though your father and mother are gone, I'll take care of you. I'll keep you safe. You're all that's left of them."
The words struck Qin Yu like a hammer. His mother... gone? His father too?
Qin Yu didn't feel much sorrow but rather that his beginning was not so good.
The man—his uncle, Qin Yu surmised—sat down heavily on a crude wooden stool.
Outside, the faint sounds of crickets chirping in the distance hinted at the remoteness of the place.
It was likely a small, desolate village, tucked away from the world. Qin Yu tried to process it all, but his newborn brain soon faltered under the weight of his swirling emotions and questions.
That night, as his uncle laid him down in a makeshift crib, exhaustion began to claim him.
With many questions in his mind, he fell asleep and woke up the next morning feeling more refreshed when something unexpected happened.
[Initializing....The Omni Emperor System...]
A voice rang in his mind—clear, mechanical, and emotionless. Qin Yu's eyes shot open, his heart racing.
[Welcome, Host. The Omni Emperor System has successfully bonded with you.]
'A system?' Qin Yu thought, disbelief flooding his mind.
[The Omni Emperor System is designed to assist the Host in achieving ultimate sovereignty over all worlds.]
[Core system functions are currently locked. However, the system is equipped with ten empty system slots. These slots will be filled based on the Host's circumstances and needs.]
Qin Yu was stunned. A system like this was beyond anything he could have imagined. He forced himself to focus as the voice continued.
[Core System Function: Awakening New Systems is now active. Due to the Host's unique situation, the first system is being randomized...]
[Randomization complete. The Simulation System has been activated.]
[Simulation System Overview: The Simulation System allows the Host to simulate future scenarios. The Host can choose to retain memories of the simulated future upon death within the Simulation. Current energy points: 10. Each simulation consumes 1 energy points.]
Qin Yu's mind reeled. A system that could simulate the future? The possibilities were endless. Yet even as excitement bubbled within him, he knew there had to be limitations.
'How do I replenish energy?' he wondered.
[Energy replenishment instructions are unavailable. The Host must discover this independently.]
'Of course,' Qin Yu thought dryly. He had expected as much.
With his curiosity piqued, Qin Yu decided to test the system. He focused his thoughts.
[Initializing first simulation...]
---
[Simulation Summary]
Age 0: You are born into a remote village.
Age 5: You live a peaceful life under your uncle's care.
Age 10: You begin to notice faint traces of spiritual energy around you.
Age 12: A wandering merchant visits the village, bringing news of the cultivation world.
Age 15: You attempt to cultivate using scraps of information, with minimal success.
Age 16: A beast tide invades the village. Despite your uncle's efforts to protect you, the beasts overwhelm him. You are left alone, defenseless.
[You died at age 16.]
[Simulation complete. Cause of death: Beast tide invasion.]
The mechanical voice was emotionless, but the impact of the simulation was anything but.
[Simulation Rewards: The Host may choose to retain the memories of your simulated self.]
'Memories,' Qin Yu thought immediately.
He hadn't made significant cultivation progress, but the knowledge he gained could be invaluable.
[Retaining memories...]
The simulation skipped forward rapidly, showing Qin Yu brief but vivid flashes of his life.
He saw the horrifying moment when the beasts attacked, his uncle's desperate struggle to protect him, and the chaos as the village was torn apart.
Then came the final scene. A man stepped through the carnage, his face shrouded in shadow.
He approached Qin Yu, who lay injured and helpless on the ground. Without hesitation, the man raised a foot and brought it down on Qin Yu's head.
A surge of information flooded Qin Yu's mind. The influx of memories was overwhelming, pushing his newborn body to its limits.
Pain wracked him, and he let out a small, pitiful cry before losing consciousness.
---
When Qin Yu woke up again, the world seemed sharper, more defined.
His spiritual power had grown subtly stronger, likely a side effect of retaining the simulation's memories.
As he lay in the crib, he sorted through the new knowledge.
'I understand now,' he thought, a sense of determination taking root.
This was no ordinary world. It was one of cultivation, of power struggles and unending danger.
He was starting from nothing, but with the Omni Emperor System, he had a fighting chance.
At this time, he felt a hand reach out to grab him.
"Qin Wu, you don't even know how to take care of a baby. I'm sure he is starving. Come here little one."