Awakening in the Mortal Realm
The village of Greenwillow was a quiet place, nestled in a valley surrounded by towering mountains that scraped the skies.
Mist hung in the air each morning, draping the village in a serene, almost otherworldly calm.
Farmers tended to their fields, children chased one another through dirt paths, and life carried on at a pace slower than the rivers that ran through the valley.
Among the villagers was a boy named Li Wei.
At first glance, he was like any other 16-year-old—a skinny child with unruly black hair and bright, curious eyes.
But within his unassuming frame resided a soul far older, a soul destined for greatness.
Li Wei, of course, had no memory of this.
That is, until the night it all began.
The day had been uneventful, like most days in Greenwillow.
Li Wei spent it helping his parents tend their small herb garden and wandering along the riverbank, gathering smooth stones to skip across the water.
As the sun dipped below the horizon, painting the sky in hues of gold and crimson, he retired to the tiny, worn cot in his family's modest hut.
Sleep came quickly, but it was not the restful slumber he was used to.
Instead, his dreams were vivid, chaotic—a kaleidoscope of images and sensations that he couldn't make sense of.
A vast battlefield under a blood-red sky. A towering figure cloaked in shadows, its eyes like burning coals.
A voice, deep and resonant, that echoed in his mind:
"You cannot escape the cycle. You must fight. You must rise again."
Li Wei woke with a start, his body drenched in sweat. His heart pounded against his ribs, the remnants of the dream lingering in his mind like the fading scent of smoke.
Then, it happened.
A chime, soft and melodic, filled the room.
[System Notification: Rebirth process completed.
Initializing host... 2% of memory fragments restored.
Power levels: Severely depleted. Beginning system synchronization.]
Li Wei blinked, unsure if he was still dreaming.
A translucent panel of light appeared before him, floating in the air.
Words and symbols danced across its surface, incomprehensible yet strangely familiar.
[Welcome, Lian Shen.]
The name hit him like a bolt of lightning. Lian Shen? The name stirred something deep within him, a feeling of strength, of purpose, of loss.
[You have been reborn in the mortal realm. Your journey to reclaim your power begins now.
Task 1: Cultivate your spiritual energy to achieve 3% of your former strength.
Reward: Memory fragment restoration (3%).
Failure: Permanent regression of spiritual potential.]
Li Wei sat up, his hands trembling. "What... What is this?" he whispered.
The panel flickered.
[The System has been bound to you as part of the cycle of rebirth.
You must complete tasks to regain your past life's strength and memories.
The Shadow Devourer has returned. Time is limited. Begin cultivation immediately.]
The Shadow Devourer.
The name sent a chill down his spine, and with it came fragmented images—an endless void of darkness, an ancient battlefield, and a creature of unspeakable terror.
His breath quickened as he tried to piece it together, but the memories slipped through his grasp like sand.
"I don't understand," he muttered. "What am I supposed to do?"
[Guidance: Begin by sensing the spiritual energy in your surroundings.
Draw it into your core.
Focus. Failure to begin cultivation will result in host degradation.]
Li Wei scrambled out of bed, his bare feet hitting the cool dirt floor.
He didn't know why he trusted the voice, but something deep inside him urged him to obey.
He stepped outside into the moonlit night, the village quiet except for the distant chirping of crickets.
He sat cross-legged near the riverbank, the soft rush of water calming his nerves.
"Okay," he murmured to himself, closing his eyes. "Spiritual energy. How do I sense it?"
[Guidance: Expand your awareness host.
Feel the energy around you.]
Li Wei took a deep breath, then another.
At first, all he felt was the cool night air against his skin, the steady rhythm of his heartbeat.
But as he focused, a faint warmth began to stir in the air around him, like the gentle glow of embers in a dying fire.
"There," he whispered, his excitement growing. He reached out with his mind, trying to draw warmth toward him.
The energy resisted at first, like a stream flowing against the current.
But Li Wei persisted, his determination growing with each passing moment.
Slowly, the warmth began to gather, flowing into him in tiny, flickering streams.
[Task Progress: Spiritual energy absorption initiated. 3% completion.]
The panel appeared again, displaying his progress.
Encouraged, Li Wei continued, his breaths steady, his focus unbroken.
Minutes turned into hours, and by the time the first rays of dawn broke over the mountains, Li Wei felt a small but undeniable spark of power within him—a spark that hadn't been there before.
[Task 1 Complete: Cultivate your spiritual energy to achieve 4% of your former strength.]
[Reward Claimed: Memory fragment restoration (3%).
System points: +10.]
As the notification appeared, a rush of images flooded Li Wei's mind.
They were disjointed, incomplete—a battlefield under a crimson sky, the clang of swords, the roar of an enemy that blotted out the sun.
But amidst the chaos, a single, clear memory emerged. A name.
"Lian Shen," he whispered, the words feeling foreign yet familiar. "That's me."
[Memory Fragment Restored: Recognition of past identity. New task unlocked.]
[Task 2: Strengthen your core. Achieve the first layer of spiritual foundation.
Reward: Memory fragment restoration (5%).
Bonus Reward: Beginner's Spirit Manual.]
[Battle points will help you unlock the cultivation; therefore, you must kill the dawn of shadows and gather the lost spirits to unlock to breakthrough.
Reward: 5000 battle points- fifth tier pill
Reward- 10000 battle points- sixth tier pill
Reward- 20000 battle points- seventh tier pill ]
Li Wei's life in Greenwillow changed from that day forward.
By day, he helped his family with chores, maintaining the facade of an ordinary village boy.
But by night, he trained tirelessly, following the guidance of the System.
Each task brought new challenges, but also new rewards—small victories that rekindled the strength he had once possessed.
And with each fragment of memory restored, the pieces of his past life began to fall into place.
He was not just Li Wei, a boy from Greenwillow.
He was Lian Shen, the Spirit Warrior, destined to protect the realms from an ancient darkness.
And the Shadow Devourer was waiting.
The journey had only just begun.
In his past life
The Legend of Lian Shen: A Glimpse into the Past
Lian Shen's name echoed like thunder across the realms, a symbol of hope for the oppressed and terror for the wicked.
Born during an era of chaos, when sects and kingdoms vied for supremacy, he was an orphan taken in by the Celestial Lotus Sect—a bastion of spiritual cultivation known for its strict discipline and pursuit of enlightenment.
The Rise of the Spirit Warrior
Lian Shen's journey began as a scrawny boy with a big lineage.
He displayed a remarkable affinity for spiritual energy, earning him a spot among the sect's disciples.
While others struggled with basic techniques, Lian Shen mastered them with a speed that astounded even the elders.
It was as if the heavens themselves had ordained his rise.
His first battle came when bandits attacked the sect's outer disciples.
While others fled, Lian Shen stood his ground, wielding only a wooden training staff.
The raw spiritual energy he summoned was enough to repel the attackers, saving his fellow disciples.
This act of bravery marked the beginning of his ascent, earning him recognition among his peers and the sect's leadership.
Under the tutelage of Elder Tian Qiu, a revered figure known as the "Master of Elements," Lian Shen unlocked the potential of dual cultivation: harnessing both the energy of the heavens and the earth.
This duality became the foundation of his strength, allowing him to transcend the limitations of ordinary cultivators.
The Battle of the Crimson Gorge
As Lian Shen's power grew, so did the enemies he attracted.
The Crimson Gorge, a vital trade route, was seized by the Infernal Blood Sect, whose leader, Xu Wanyu, practiced forbidden blood magic.
The sect demanded tribute from all who passed, leaving villages impoverished and defenseless.
The Celestial Lotus Sect dispatched a team of cultivators, led by Lian Shen, to reclaim the gorge.
The battle was brutal.
Xu Wanyu summoned blood fiends—creatures born from the sacrifices of innocent lives—to overwhelm the cultivators.
Lian Shen, undeterred, unleashed the Lotus Tempest, a technique he had perfected under Elder Tian Qiu's guidance.
Swirling petals of spiritual energy tore through the fiends, purifying their corrupted essence.
The confrontation with Xu Wanyu was a spectacle of light and shadow.
Lian Shen's radiant energy clashed with the dark tendrils of blood magic.
In a final, desperate move, Xu Wanyu attempted to merge his soul with a blood fiend, becoming a grotesque abomination.
Lian Shen, drawing on every ounce of his strength, struck with the Lotus Heart Strike, obliterating Xu Wanyu and his foul creation.
The people were freed, and Lian Shen was hailed as a hero.
The Siege of Skyfire Citadel
The Skyfire Citadel, a fortress built into the peaks of the Celestial Mountains, became the stage for one of Lian Shen's most significant battles.
A coalition of sects, jealous of the Celestial Lotus Sect's growing influence, laid siege to the citadel.
They unleashed a monstrous creature called the Pyro Hydra, a beast with three heads, each capable of spewing destructive elemental flames.
Lian Shen, now a commander within the sect, led the defense.
The Pyro Hydra's power was overwhelming, its flames reducing fortifications to ash.
While the sect's elders held off the attacking cultivators, Lian Shen faced the Hydra alone.
The battle tested every skill he had acquired.
He dodged streams of fire, countered with bursts of water energy, and struck with precision at the beast's heads.
Yet, the Hydra regenerated, its wounds knitting together with unnatural speed.
Realizing brute force was futile, Lian Shen lured the creature to the Skyfire Chasm, a volcanic fissure beneath the citadel.
There, he unleashed the Heavenly Convergence, a technique that combined the opposing forces of fire and water.
The resulting explosion consumed the Hydra, sealing the chasm and saving the citadel.
The Descent of the Shadow Devourer
Lian Shen's greatest challenge came in his final years.
Rumors spread of a dark force rising in the western lands, where entire villages vanished overnight.
Investigating the phenomenon, Lian Shen discovered a rift between the mortal realm and the Abyss—a dimension of pure darkness.
From this rift emerged the Shadow Devourer, Wu Shang, an entity of unimaginable power, born from the primordial chaos that predated creation.
The Shadow Devourer was no mere beast; it was a sentient force, capable of corrupting the minds of mortals and immortals alike.
Its presence warped reality, turning the land into a desolate wasteland where no light could penetrate.
The very souls of those who came too close to it were consumed, leaving only empty husks of their former selves.
Lian Shen, ever the protector, led an alliance of sects, kingdoms, and even rogue cultivators to confront this apocalyptic threat.
The ensuing war spanned years, with countless lives lost.
The Shadow Devourer's minions—shadows given form and malice—overwhelmed the armies.
Lian Shen, wielding the Ethereal Blade, a celestial weapon forged from starfire, became the last bastion of hope.
He fought valiantly, clashing with the Shadow Devourer's shadowspawn and pushing back the tides of darkness.
The Final Battle
The confrontation took place at the Eclipse Plains, where the Shadow Devourer, Wu Shang sought to merge the Abyss with the mortal realm.
Lian Shen, leading the remnants of the allied forces, launched a desperate assault.
The battle was a cacophony of light and darkness, with cultivators unleashing their most powerful techniques against the tide of shadows.
Lian Shen faced the Shadow Devourer in single combat.
The entity's form was ever-shifting, a swirling mass of darkness with piercing red eyes that seemed to see into his very soul.
Each strike of the Ethereal Blade tore through the shadows, yet the Devourer reformed, its power seemingly endless.
The Devourer was no longer just a creature of darkness; it had grown beyond that, becoming a manifestation of pure despair and annihilation.
Despite his strength, Lian Shen realized too late that the Shadow Devourer was not a force that could be defeated with mere physical power.
As the battle dragged on, the Shadow Devourer began to corrupt Lian Shen's very spirit, turning his strength against him.
The Ethereal Blade faltered as the Devourer's darkness consumed him, and for the first time in his life, Lian Shen's resolve wavered.
His allies fell one by one, their souls devoured by the ever-hungry Abyss.
In a final, desperate move, Lian Shen called upon the Celestial Lotus Ascension, a forbidden technique that fused his spirit with the energy of the heavens.
He summoned every ounce of his power to create a wave of pure light, hoping to eradicate the Shadow Devourer once and for all.
But the creature was prepared.
The Devourer absorbed the light, using Lian Shen's own energy to turn his attack against him.
With a final, chilling roar, the Shadow Devourer consumed Lian Shen's spirit, his soul torn apart and scattered across the realms.
The battlefield was left in ruin, the last remnants of the alliance's forces falling to the shadow's wrath.
The rift between the Abyss and the mortal realm closed, but the victory came at an unbearable cost—Lian Shen, the hero of the ages, was no more.
In his past life, Lian Shen was ultimately defeated by the Shadow Devourer, Wu Shang, an entity that transcended physical battle, turning the very essence of light and hope into darkness.
This defeat, though tragic, laid the foundation for his reincarnation.
The cycle was never truly broken, and Lian Shen would rise again, this time facing an even greater challenge: reclaiming his lost strength and confronting the darkness that had consumed him once before.