1 Chapter 1. In Order to Live

On an alleyway, Long Bai has been sitting motionless for almost an hour thinking about his situation. Despite being under the scorching sun, Bai did never mind the dripping sweat running from his forehead to the tip of his nose. For a passerby, you would assume that this quiet beggar is crying silently. Even with such appearance, no one has taken pity for this young child as he is just one of the many in this slum where he is. In one's eyes that are used to such a scene, what appears to be pitiful must just look normal in such a world.

On the outside, Bai may look silent and at peace however inside Bai's mind is surging chaos of memories mixing. The memories of this world's child came rushing to him like a flood. Clutching his head, Bai endures the pain as he watches the episodes of a young child's memories being played non-stop. For an hour, Long Bai has seen all of the child's experiences and it was as if he was forced to watch a movie in detail. These memories he just saw became his and everything it had incorporated into his mind like it was his.

With the knowledge gained from those memories, Bai began to draft a plan. There was no confusion in Bai's eyes, rather fear and uncertainty brewing. This kind of mentality can't be seen in a 5-year-old child but in Bai's case, who was a 25-year-old man from modern Earth, it is to be expected. On earth, at that age, it is expected that a person of such age is educated and independent. Living alone is not a problem, food and other necessities are abundant as the salary of an office worker are sufficient to support daily needs. But in this new world, Bai has struck the worst. The reality was too harsh that all thoughts were concentrated as to how he will survive this world that is ruled by the strong.

The weather was hot and there was nothing but a tiny monster shard in Bai's hand. In this place, there is no coin nor paper bill, instead, monster shards and cores are used to buy and trade. Some may use beast and monster parts to trade as they can make it into weapons, and others use pills. Bai's knowledge is limited to what the previous owner of his body had but was enough for him to understand how people survive. Cultivators hunt beasts for their parts and shards. If one is lucky enough, a core may be present. The shard in Bai's hand was the lowest grade, just enough to buy 2 animal meat stack for the day. Shards come in three grades; red shards, the lowest, orange shards, middle grade, and yellow shards which is the highest. Bai initially thought of using the red shard for food as he clutched the shard in his hand but then he felt a stream of warmth entering his palm. The warmth lasted for ten seconds and then it was gone. The shard lost its color and crumbled to dust.

(static sound)

[System Notice: You absorbed a low-grade shard. Body constitution is enhanced.]

Long Bai being baffled, just stared at the translucent screen. As the message board started to fade, Bai regains his wits and started to make a fit.

"No, no, no! Message board! Appear! Display!"

Nothing was happening. Bai tried to calm himself and started to think about how he played games. Back on Earth, he has some fair share of experience in playing RPG games.

"Hmm. is there a proper command? Let's think...

Status!"

[System: Current state has not yet met the requirements. The status screen can't be accessed.]

"What? What about:

Inventory! "

[System: Current state has not met the requirements. Inventory can't be accessed.

As a person who has some experience playing RPG games, Bai knew that a system assist is a crucial thing to have. Being a noob, information of a character's status and requirements guides the player how much he needs to invest and other things.

Bai scanned his surroundings as the place started to get dark. Good thing there were no people around when he was behaving frantically or else he would be branded crazy. Looking at his state after absorbing the essence from the shard, he didn't felt the hunger he was suffering from a while back. Instead, his body seemed to have been restored to its best and even got stronger. Having experience as an adult from Earth, Bai felt like his strength was akin to when he was in his adolescence. As a five-year-old child, this is something unaccountable in the world of essence cultivators.

"Alright then, where should I start?" Bai whispered to himself as he thought how to live in the new world he's in.

With the little knowledge he has about the vast universe he is in, he was still thankful that the wisdom and character he had back on earth was brought together with his memories. Without them, a clueless kid would not last long in such kind of world.

After checking that his body is alright, he started to scan his surroundings. Looking at the dry soil made him more thirsty, watching the people pass by made him wonder why they don't seem to mind someone like him, but the worst of all was the image of food in front of him that made his mouth water. To distract himself, he tried to walk towards a place with some shade. After a few minutes of walking through some alleys, he was able to find a better spot to sit.

'Ah, this spot is better than the previous. Might as well observe first then see what things can I possibly do to survive. With my current state, I might not last for a week if I won't be able to address my food problem.'

Long bai stayed at that spot to observe and contemplate about his situation. Although he was able to get the memories of the previous owner of the body, the place did still feel new to him. As the day continued to its way to dusk, he stayed there like it was natural.