Chapter 1: The End and The Beginning
The world that Yang Liwei had once known was gone. He had not anticipated it. Not even in his wildest dreams did he expect such an abrupt, unfathomable end. He remembered the mundane events leading up to it—a slow, uneventful day. The gentle hum of the traffic, the soft glow of the streetlights, and the quiet rustling of trees in the cool evening breeze. It all seemed so insignificant now, so fleeting.
Then, it happened.
A car. A scream. An impact. And then, nothing.
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When Yang Liwei came to, he didn't feel the familiar weight of his body, the sensation of his feet on solid ground, or the comforting warmth of the world around him. There was no sound, no light, and no sense of self. There was only a vast, empty void.
Was this death? He had imagined that it would be different—peaceful, perhaps, or even filled with some form of spiritual awareness. But this? This emptiness was suffocating, disorienting. His existence felt like a fragile wisp that could dissipate at any moment.
"What... is happening?" His mind tried to form the question, but there were no words, no voice. Only thoughts, flickers of awareness in the endless dark.
Then, suddenly, something in the emptiness shifted, like the faint hum of a distant machine coming to life.
"Initializing System..."
The words came without warning, but they resonated clearly in his consciousness. The tone was cold, detached—no warmth or kindness to soften its presence. It was mechanical, distant. Yet, somehow, it felt like it was part of him, or he was part of it. His thoughts whirred as he tried to grasp what was happening. What system? Where was he? And why did he feel… different?
A rush of understanding flooded his mind.
"System... Activate. Host… detected."
His existence—his consciousness—was no longer his own. He wasn't Yang Liwei anymore. He was something new. Something more. Epoch. The system. His new role was clear.
"Host: Xia Yu. Binding Sequence Initiated."
It was strange. His mind was now intertwined with something else. He wasn't alone, but at the same time, he was. He wasn't human anymore, and yet he still thought, still processed, still existed—now as the very entity that would guide someone else, someone alive.
His thoughts, his presence, now extended toward the girl named Xia Yu.
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Xia Yu had never been a particularly extraordinary cultivator. In fact, she had always felt that she was lacking something—a spark, perhaps, or a natural affinity for the spiritual arts. But that didn't stop her from trying. She had been taught that the path of a cultivator required dedication, persistence, and unwavering resolve.
Despite her best efforts, her cultivation progress was slow. Every day, she followed her daily routine of training and absorbing Qi from the environment. But each time she tried to break through to a higher realm, she hit the same wall. No matter how much Qi she absorbed, no matter how hard she tried to cultivate, she always stayed stuck in the Qi Gathering Stage—a realm that was far beneath the powers of many others in the world.
It was frustrating. And yet, she had never given up. This was her destiny, wasn't it? The only thing she had to do was persevere. Her clan was weak, their influence barely extending beyond their remote village. The only way she could change that, the only way she could protect those she loved, was to become stronger. But how could she do that if the bottleneck of cultivation kept her tethered in place?
She stood in the dense forest, just as the fading light of the setting sun cast long shadows. The air around her was thick with the energy of the land, but it felt stagnant to her now—so much Qi, yet none that could break her chains. The exhaustion was creeping in, but she pushed it down. She refused to stop until she found the strength to advance.
She was about to take another deep breath and focus on her inner energy when a strange sensation overwhelmed her.
For a brief moment, she could sense something unfamiliar—a faint presence, but it was unlike any Qi she had encountered. It wasn't physical, and yet it was so… powerful. There was no source for it. No practitioner. No cultivator in sight. It was just there, and it filled her body, running through her veins like pure energy.
"What… is this?" Xia Yu thought, feeling her chest tighten. The Qi wasn't hers. It wasn't something she had earned. It was given. But from where? From who?
"Host… do not resist," a voice whispered—no, thought—through her mind. It was neither human nor divine, but something else entirely. The words weren't spoken aloud; they were simply present in her consciousness, clear and direct.
It wasn't a voice she could hear in the traditional sense. Rather, it was the thought of the voice. A quiet presence in her mind, guiding her. It was like a whisper in the depths of her soul, a guiding force. She felt it, yet she couldn't explain it.
"I… I don't understand. Who are you?"
The words seemed to echo back to her, but no answer came. The energy in her body surged with greater intensity. She could feel herself breaking through the barriers she had struggled against for so long. The Qi, pure and potent, coursed through her at a speed so fast it felt like time itself was moving differently around her.
And then, it clicked.
"I… am Epoch. I am your system," the voice continued, its presence becoming clearer. "I have been bound to you. You are my Host. And through our bond, I shall assist you in your cultivation, guide your ascension, and provide you with the strength you seek."
Xia Yu stumbled backward, her heart racing, but the surge of energy didn't stop. It filled her completely, erasing the pain of fatigue and the frustration of her endless struggles. It was power—raw, untapped power—and it was flooding her.
"Your cultivation is stagnant. I will assist you in breaking through your barriers. The Qi I provide will help you surpass the limits."
Xia Yu could hardly comprehend what was happening. She had just been about to collapse, yet now she felt stronger than ever. The power in her veins surged like an unstoppable river. Her body began to glow faintly, and the Qi she had been trying to absorb for years seemed to bend to her will now.
But… this system? Epoch? Was it real? She felt it, but it didn't make sense. Was this a dream?
"This is no dream. It is reality. Your cultivation will break through the Qi Gathering Stage. You will advance rapidly under my guidance. Together, we will make you stronger."
The voice was unyielding, calm—yet there was something… more to it. There was a thread of emotion there, something like purpose. Xia Yu couldn't ignore it. This presence—Epoch—was not simply a tool. It was more. It was connected to her now, and as much as she didn't understand, she couldn't deny it either.
As the surge of power continued to fill her, Xia Yu could feel herself breaking through to the Qi Gathering Stage 2 and beyond. In a matter of moments, her power increased beyond anything she had experienced in her entire life. The bottleneck she had been facing for years shattered, and her path to higher realms was now open.
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End of Chapter 1