Pain. That was the first thing Shen Liang felt. A deep, bone-aching pain that spread through his entire body like he had just been run over by a truck.

Which, in fact, was exactly what had happened.

One moment, he had been minding his own business, crossing the street with a cup of instant noodles in one hand and his phone in the other, scrolling through yet another cultivation manhwa. The next, a blinding light filled his vision, and—BAM!—he was sent flying.

But instead of waking up in a hospital or some kind of afterlife, he found himself lying on cold, damp dirt, his clothes tattered, and a pounding headache threatening to split his skull in half.

"Ugh… Did I survive? No, wait… This isn't the hospital," he muttered.

As his vision cleared, he realized he wasn't even in his world anymore. Towering mountains surrounded him, ancient pines swayed gently in the wind, and a faint, almost mystical energy lingered in the air. The sky was a shade of deep blue, far too vivid and clear, as if it had been painted by a divine hand.

No way… this looks exactly like a cultivation world.

Shen Liang sat up abruptly, but immediately regretted it as a sharp pain shot through his chest. His hands trembled as he touched his body, only to feel wounds—deep bruises, scratches, and what seemed like a stab wound near his ribs.

"Wait, why am I injured?! If I transmigrated, shouldn't I be some kind of young master with a golden finger?"

He groaned, looking around to get a sense of his surroundings. That was when he saw it.

A corpse.

Not just any corpse. His corpse.

His breath hitched. His body—his new body—was lying just a few feet away, blood still trickling from a sword wound in the chest. The original owner was dead, and somehow, he had taken over.

Shen Liang's mind raced.

"Alright, think, think… this is definitely a transmigration scenario. But why did this guy die? Who was he? And more importantly… how do I not die again?!"

Suddenly, a rush of foreign memories flooded his mind.

The Body's Past

His name—his new name—was Shen Liang, a disciple of the Azure Cloud Sect. No, not just a disciple. He was an inner disciple, but barely.

He had a low cultivation talent and had only reached the Qi Condensation Realm after years of effort. He was often bullied, ignored by the elders, and had no significant backers.

And worst of all? He had just been framed for stealing a sect treasure.

The real culprit? A prominent disciple, the son of an elder, had pinned the crime on him. Before Shen Liang could even defend himself, he was dragged out, beaten, and executed in the mountains—left to rot like a dog.

And now, he was back.

The Problem

Shen Liang took a deep breath. "Alright, this is bad. I mean, this guy was literally just killed by his own sect. How am I supposed to survive now?"

Then, an idea struck him.

He wasn't strong. He wasn't talented. But what if…

What if he made everyone think he was?

What if he pretended to be… invincible?

Shen Liang's lips curled into a smirk.

"Heh. If I can't overpower my enemies, I'll outsmart them."