Li Kai had always been an ordinary guy. No, not even that. He was the kind of guy who blended into the background—quiet, unremarkable, and average in every way. At least, that's what he thought until that fateful moment.
The world had never been kind to him. Living in the bustling city of Hanmei, Kai had always felt like an outsider. Working at a small, nondescript office job, he spent his days staring at a computer screen, doing the same repetitive tasks. He had dreams, sure—of becoming someone great, of standing tall in a world that often overlooked him—but they were just that: dreams.
Life had a funny way of throwing the worst at you when you least expected it. It was a cold Thursday afternoon when the accident happened. He had just stepped out of a convenience store, his arms filled with snacks, and was heading back to his apartment. The street was busy, the honking of cars blending with the chatter of pedestrians. Kai wasn't paying much attention—his thoughts were far away, mulling over the dullness of his life.
Then, a screech. The sound of tires against the pavement.
A truck.
A massive One.
Kai barely had time to react as the vehicle barreled toward him. The world around him slowed, his heart pounding in his chest. He saw the driver's panicked face, but there was no time to escape. His body was slammed with the force of the impact, pain shooting through every fiber of his being.
And then… nothing.
---
Somewhere Else...
When Kai opened his eyes again, the world around him was a blur of colors. A cold wind whipped against his face, and he could hear the sounds of rushing water. His body felt strange—heavy, yet light at the same time—as if he had been torn apart and pieced back together again.
" Wait What...?" he groaned, his voice hoarse and unfamiliar. He tried to move, but his limbs refused to cooperate.
"You're awake."
The voice came from above, a calm yet powerful tone that sent a shiver down his spine. Kai's eyes struggled to focus, and when they finally did, he was met with a sight that made his heart stop.
He was lying in a dense forest, its trees towering above him like ancient guardians. The air was thick with the scent of pine and earth, and the sky overhead was a deep violet, dotted with stars that shimmered like diamonds. The moon, larger than anything he had ever seen, hung low in the sky, casting an ethereal glow over the land.
"What… is this place?" Kai whispered to himself, trying to push himself up. But as his body moved, he felt the weight of something—no, someone—standing beside him.
A figure emerged from the shadows, a tall, imposing man dressed in robes that shimmered with gold and silver thread. His features were sharp, his eyes an unnaturally bright shade of blue that glowed in the moonlight.
"You're not from here," the man said, his gaze piercing through Kai. "You're a foreign soul. A lost one."
Kai blinked, trying to make sense of the situation. "What… what do you mean? Where am I?"
The man didn't answer immediately. Instead, he stepped closer, his presence overwhelming. "This is Shenghua, a world far beyond the one you know. And you," he said, his voice darkening, "are no longer Li Kai."
"What?" Kai's mind struggled to catch up, his breath shallow. "No longer… Li Kai?"
The man nodded, his lips curling into a small, knowing smile. "You are now Liu Xian, a soul chosen to walk a path far greater than anything you could have imagined."
Before Kai could process what was happening, the world seemed to swirl around him once more. His vision blurred, and the voice of the man echoed in his mind.
"This world is built on power, on cultivation. You will either rise to the top… or be crushed beneath it."
---
Li Kai, now Liu Xian, felt the ground shift beneath him. The air, thick with an almost tangible pressure, seemed to press down on his chest. The moment he had stepped into this new world, he had felt the weight of something ancient—something vast—stirring within him. It was as if the very land itself had recognized his arrival, as though it was waiting for him.
He was far from home. The life he had known—the mundane routine, the quiet despair of his existence—was gone. It had been shattered, replaced by a fate much larger than he could ever have imagined.
He looked at his hands, now unfamiliar, the veins beneath his skin glowing faintly with a power he couldn't understand. His heart raced as fragments of his new identity began to settle in his mind. Liu Xian. The name felt foreign, yet somehow… familiar.
"You must be wondering why you're here," the figure beside him spoke again, his voice carrying a certain gravity. "The gods themselves have marked you. You are a chosen one, Liu Xian, though not by your own will."
Kai—no, Liu Xian—stared at the man, his mind reeling. "A-A chosen one? For what?"
The man's lips twisted into a grim smile. "For cultivation. For power. And for a fate that will be determined by your choices."
With that, the man turned, walking away into the darkness. His footsteps were soft, but each one seemed to echo through the silent forest, a reminder of the weight of the path that now lay there before Liu Xian.
Kai—no, Liu Xian—was alone now. His heart beat faster, a sense of both dread and excitement filling his chest. He didn't know what awaited him, but one thing was certain: his life had been forever altered.
And so began his journey. The path of cultivation was long and treacherous, and the shadows of this new world held secrets that would change him in ways he couldn't yet fathom.
But one thing was clear: in this world, only the strongest survived. And Liu Xian would rise. Or fall.