The Appearance of the System

Great Xia Capital, inside the prison of the Ministry of Justice.

"Wake up! It's time to get up and eat!" A deep voice echoed, followed by the placement of a large porcelain bowl filled with rice in front of Li Chen.

"Eat quickly. Once you're done eating, you'll be on your way." Li Chen slowly opened his eyes and found himself lying on the cold, damp bluestone floor. Three sides were enclosed by brick walls, while the fourth side featured a wooden fence.

"Where am I? What's happening?" Li Chen struggled to make sense of his unfamiliar surroundings. Then, a strange set of memories flooded Li Chen's mind, the entire life of a young man.

After a while, Li Chen managed to piece together the memories and understand his current situation. He had traveled through time. Furthermore, he had transmigrated into the body of a sixteen-year-old named Li Chen, who was the son of a prisoner about to be exiled to the frontier.

The original Li Chen's father had committed a serious crime and been sentenced by the Six Doors, leading the entire family to be escorted to the capital. Tragically, his father had been beaten to death during the trial, which had caused his mother to die of grief in the women's prison.

The original Li Chen had succumbed to a heart attack in his sleep, and that's when Li Chen from another time had taken over his body. "What a stroke of bad luck. I've time-traveled into the life of a criminal. I won't be able to take the imperial exams, and my future is bleak," Li Chen lamented.

Before Li Chen could dwell further on his predicament, a voice unexpectedly echoed in his mind: "Ding! The Defy The Heavens and Change The Fate System is activated!" "The host has successfully altered the fate of death and is rewarded with the 'Little Phoenix Feather'." Li Chen was stunned by the sudden announcement.

"A system! I actually have a system!" Before he could fully process the shock, a wave of heat surged from his dantian, coursing through his entire body. It felt like inner strength, welling up from within and flowing through his meridians before returning to his dantian.

Simultaneously, a cultivation technique called "Phoenix Soaring Fist" materialized in his mind, along with knowledge of how to use it. Li Chen cautiously assessed the inner strength within his body, discovering it to be pure and robust, as though he had cultivated diligently for years. Judging by its depth, he had reached the Grade 4 realm.

Since he lacked a throwing knife, Li Chen picked up a stone from the corner of the cell. With three fingers, he carefully followed the "Phoenix Soaring Fist" technique he had memorized. He opened his eyes suddenly and flung the stone. Boom! A loud crash reverberated as the stone punched a small hole in the cell wall, providing a glimpse into the neighboring cell.

"What's happening?" The noise caught the attention of the nearby guard. Shortly after, a jailer, brandishing a steel knife, appeared at Li Chen's cell and glared at him through the wooden fence. Li Chen, still gripping the stone, acted timid and spoke in a trembling voice, "It wasn't me." The jailer, ignoring Li Chen's protests, turned his attention to the newly formed hole in the wall and angrily entered the adjacent cell.

"Xiao Zhang! You've been causing trouble in the Ministry of Justice prison. It seems you haven't had enough punishment. Take him away!" "It wasn't me!" Xiao Zhang was baffled by the accusation regarding the hole in the wall. He had been examining Li Chen through the opening but didn't expect the jailer to pin the blame on him.

"My martial arts are gone. I couldn't have done it; it must have been the guy next door!" The jailer paid no heed to Xiao Zhang's protests, unlocked the cell, and dragged him out. Li Chen, maintaining his pretense, lowered his head and avoided eye contact with the jailer, feigning fear.

"It's none of my doing." The jailer left Li Chen's cell, went to Xiao Zhang's, and confronted him. "Look at your neighbor!" He yanked Xiao Zhang's hair, forcing him to face the fence. "You claim he did it?" Li Chen, at that moment, raised his head and glanced at Xiao Zhang. "It wasn't me!" he declared.

"See? It wasn't him!" Xiao Zhang argued. "Heh," the jailer chuckled disdainfully. "What can a pampered son like him do? How could he make a hole in this thick wall?" "This..." Xiao Zhang observed the person next door for the first time. The boy appeared to be around sixteen or seventeen, with delicate features and a slim frame. He didn't appear to possess strong martial skills.

Nonetheless, Xiao Zhang continued to protest, "It wasn't him, and it wasn't me either! My martial arts have been crippled!" "Your martial arts are crippled?" The jailer sneered. "You seem pretty confident in your claims. Clearly, you still possess martial skills!" Without further explanation, the jailer hauled Xiao Zhang off to the torture chamber, leaving Li Chen behind in his cell.

Li Chen watched Xiao Zhang being led away, feeling a twinge of sympathy. He thought, "I'm sorry, buddy. You look like a sturdy fellow; I hope you can handle this ordeal for me." Disregarding the distant sounds of torture, Li Chen began to analyze his current situation. The Ministry of Justice had sentenced him as well.

As the son of a prisoner, he was to be exiled to the frontier, with the journey set to commence the following day. Though the situation seemed dire, Li Chen wasn't overly concerned. He possessed the "Defy The Heavens and Change The Fate System," which offered rewards for altering one's fate.

By traveling through time and avoiding his original fate of dying in the Ministry of Justice prison, Li Chen had acquired the "Phoenix Soaring Fist." His plan was straightforward: he would go along with the journey to the frontier, bide his time, and seize an opportunity to escape along the way. Once free, he could soar as high as he pleased.

The next day arrived. "Get up!" A voice roused Li Chen from a night of uncomfortable sleep on the prison floor. The hard, cold surface was covered with hay that emitted an unpleasant odor, making sleep elusive. But Li Chen's slumber had been abruptly interrupted. He pushed himself up and followed the jailer's instructions, making his way to the courtyard of the Ministry of Justice prison.

In the courtyard, a prison wagon awaited, with a groom seated on it. Inside the wagon, another person was already locked in. Next to the wagon, a man in azure robes was finalizing the handover with the jailer.

Li Chen was pushed toward the prison wagon. "It's you!" Xiao Zhang, already inside the wagon, exclaimed. "What a coincidence to meet you again, my nemesis!" "What are you talking about?" Li Chen feigned ignorance.

"Have we met before?" "You're still pretending!" Xiao Zhang glared at Li Chen. "If it weren't for you, I wouldn't be suffering like this." He pointed to the scars on his chest, a testament to the harsh treatment he had endured.

Li Chen maintained his act of innocence, looking puzzled. "I honestly have no idea what you're talking about. Just get inside, and let's not make this situation any more unpleasant than it already is."

"You dare to insult me!" Xiao Zhang seethed with anger. "You'll pay for this!"

"Enough!" The stern voice of the azure-robed man interrupted their exchange. He turned to Li Chen. "Behave yourselves!"

Not wanting to further provoke their captors, Li Chen and Xiao Zhang fell silent. Li Chen climbed into the prison wagon without further prompting, positioning himself as far away from Xiao Zhang as possible.

The azure-robed man nodded in approval, satisfied with their compliance.

"Behave during the journey, and I'll safely deliver you to Blackstone City, completing my mission," he said. "Don't make trouble for yourselves, or you'll witness my true power, Chen Cuo."