Chapter 1 — Li An And The Unlucky Transmigrator

Sky Heaven, Fortune Dynasty, Bamboo Prefecture, Sky Fire County –

The streets were bright and vibrant, though it was late at night, and the moon was apparent. Lanterns hung atop the fence posts, illuminating the shadows and the fireflies dancing around. Noises echoed everywhere as if there was an occasion. Courtesans, merchants, and civilians are all dressed in vividly colored garments as the majority of them in red as if it is some symbolism.

Today was New Year's Eve. You know how important this once-a-year event is to everybody.

It was a few degrees cold outside, but many were unconcerned by the last throes of winter. They strolled the street, greeted the neighbors, and visited popular establishments. Basically, they did activities associated with the Spring Festival.

It appears everyone was happy with the bustling activity, but that's not true –

Among the pedestrians was a young man around seventeen or eighteen years old. Dressed in white scholar robes, he appeared to be an alien amid the red dots on the street. His bored expression, however, obviously tell he did not care.

He was a slim young man with pointed brows and bright eyes which glistened with wisdom and insight. And yet, the glitters were clouded by the eye bugs right below his eyes. He seemed tired.

"Life feels boring..." This young man's name was Li An, and he was an ordinary civilian of Sky Fire County, working in a low-class tavern. When he was young, his parents vanished without a trace, leaving nothing behind in the way of assets. As a result, he pushed himself into a never-ending cycle of working, working, and working; his existence was nothing but monotonous.

"I also failed three times; it appears I am not destined for greatness."

Sighing, Li An looked around the people laughing with one another; jealousy rose in his heart as it disappeared in a flash. Sometimes when he watched others smiling, away from worry, he wished to experience it someday.

However, he knew there was no bright future for people who failed the imperial exams, especially for someone like him who was unsuccessful on his three attempts.

"Today is a special day; I should just enjoy the scenery and perhaps take a different route," Li An resolved. He made a decision. Perhaps joining the military and living a life between life and death was a better ideal. He'd heard that wars often happen within the borders. It was easier for him to die there than waiting for something to kill him in this relatively peaceful city.

With those thoughts, Li An visited the streets. He witnessed Lion and Dragon dances, firecrackers and fireworks, the oldest and tallest tree, and various wonders. The air blows on his hair and robes, giving a refreshing sensation. All of the stress weighing on his mind seemed to have refreshed. He felt quite at ease.

After wandering the time it takes to boil a tea, Li An's stomach rumbled, so he bought a dumpling on the side of the road and sat by the lake. People row the boat as the low waves swayed the candles. Sitting there, he couldn't help but frown and lose some appetite. The commotion by his side was hard to ignore.

He turned around and noticed that a crowd had gathered at the side of the bridge. People whispered in hushed tones as if hoping no one could hear them.

Did something happen?

Gulping, Li An's head tilted in confusion, and curiosity made him walk over.

As he got closer, the whisper became crystal clear ----

"What a shame. This young man died unjustly."

"Young Master Hao is well-known for his wicked conduct. He had previously killed indiscriminately, and this isn't the first time!"

"I understand, but today is supposed to be a happy day. That young man had accidentally run over Young Master Hao and had already apologized. But he was not forgiven, was beaten up by Young Master Hao's subordinate, and eventually died."

"What a pity."

Listening to the comments around him, Li An frowned as he chewed into his food. Everyone knows of the infamous young master Hao, including him. The youth was from the prominent Meng clan, a martial arts clan. In addition, he was the only son of the Patriarch, so he was pretty much unrestrained and domineering. Furthermore, the Meng clan was authoritative in the city. Simply put, they are wild tigers no one dares to offend. That young master Hao was the wildest tiger, notorious for his wrongdoings; rape and killing are only a few of his sins.

The crowd quickly dispersed, fearing they would be involved. Li An did not leave right away and took a look around him. Seeing no members of the Meng clan nearby, he approached the corpse lying on the cold ground.

Li An did not fear the Meng clan, though he was out of their league. He had a dull life, and dying sooner or later made no difference.

"How cruel..."

The corpse in front of Li An had definitely died at the hands of powerful men, perhaps martial artists. Those people have dominant strength that could take on a vicious beast; naturally, this frail youth could not take the beating and perish soon after.

As Li An touched the corpse, he suddenly felt a throbbing headache. At that moment, a vast amount of information surged into his head out of nowhere. He felt a splitting pain in his head as if hammered with a nail. He could not help but clutch his head and groan in pain.

Few minutes passed by, the pain subsided, and Li An was dumbfounded. Foreign memories invaded his head like tidal waves. He could not process the sudden changes.

But one thing was for sure. The memories belonged to the dead body in the ground.

After digesting the memories, Li An found that the corpse was named Lin Fan, from planet Earth, who incidentally ended up in this foreign world of Sky Heaven after being run over by a truck.

If Li An had heard such information from others, he would think of it as an absurd statement. Who would believe that there was a world beyond Sky Heaven?

However, that information was just the tip of the iceberg. There were more. For instance, Earth's development was already far ahead of Sky Heaven's. They have these monsters of the form of steel running amuck in the street. Skyscrapers that not even the tallest pagoda in the Capital of Fortune Dynasty could compare. If there's a comparison, Earth would be the Dawn of the new era while Sky Heaven was of the antiquity age.

However, that was not the most shocking revelation of all.

It was...

Li An called out in his head. Suddenly an interface appeared out of the blue.

[Martial God System]

[Currently not activated]

[Insert hundred silver to activate]

Yes. It was this interface that was the most shocking aspect of the information. It was a golden finger that could grant anyone the supernatural ability to become a great man, a hero unsurpassed by time. As long as it's activated, becoming a master of a martial artist is simply a trifling matter; even becoming the rumored immortal master was almost guaranteed.

So how could Li An not be shocked?

He felt his worldview disintegrated into pieces. He never thought his viewpoint was so shallow and fragile. He confined himself to the belief that Sky Heaven was a boundless land he could not travel for his entire lifetime. Yet on an unexpected twist, he realized that the Sky Heaven was just inconspicuous dust in the infinite territory of the universe?

Li An felt his hand shaking. He pinched his cheek, feeling the pain.

"It's not a dream! This interface that I can only see is real!"

Li An clenched his fist. He had already concluded his life destined for mediocrity. He never believed in miracles or pie falling from the sky. This system, however, was a last-minute change of plans!

A chance!

That's right. What could this system be other than a chance? Every fish dreamed of leaping into the dragon's gate, and men naturally wished to be a dragon among men. Now he had inherited this system that could help him in his grand aspirations, if he won't make good use of it, wouldn't it be a waste?

Li An's mouth curved into a faint arc. A seed of fire sprouted in his heart.

He was originally a powerless man who could not influence society, with no power to reverse the sun and moon and change the destiny. He could only watch injustices happens around him without the strength to help those unfortunates.

He did not claim himself as a hero, nor did he wish to become one. However, the system just came out of nowhere.

If he couldn't even repay Lin Fan and avenge his unjust death, he would be nothing but meek!

"Lin Fan, you've changed my very existence. I always wanted a bloody life, one hovering on the borderline of life and death. Thank you for fulfilling my deepest desire. Though we haven't known each other, I swear to avenge you someday."

Li An's vow was not superficial. He truly did not fear anyone since young. He was but a frail scholar before, so he could only hide his true nature. Now that he held the power to control his own destiny, overcoming a behemoth like the Meng clan was just a springboard. If he could not trample them someday, he'd be unworthy of his golden finger!

Li An hired someone to bury the body of Lin Fan and bowed his head as he watched the youth sink into the earth, never to rise again. In this world, a human's life was as worthless as a blade of grass. Without strength, someone stronger than you can easily erase your existence. Lin Fan was a great example. The youth was filled with ambition to rise into a pinnacle expert after his transmigration, however, as he had reincarnated into a beggar's body, he had trouble earning a hundred silver.

The reason why he wasn't able to activate the system despite arriving in this world for three months. And he just came and went so shortly, no one even knew who he was except for Li An. Truly an unlucky transmigrator.

After giving respect to the dead one, Li An left the area. He noticed fireworks flying in the sky, illuminating the starry night. It was already past midnight, and the New Year had just arrived. Li An pondered on how should he begin his revenge.

After a while, he decided to stay low for the time being. Although he was fearless, it did not give him the strength to be reckless. The Meng clan was still a giant that could not be scratched with his current ability. It was best to avoid them. After all, he still had no conflict with the other party.

It was never too late for the poor man to take his revenge. This idiom which came from Earth echoed in his ears. It was a fitting sentence for his preparation before the storm. Three months or three years is enough to hone his martial skills to a proficient level.

After returning home, Li An went to his backyard under the elm tree. He took a shovel and dug the soil a few meters down. It was very smooth, and the metal just went in easily. Removing a dozen of surfaces, it revealed what seemed to be an old box the size of a lunchbox.

He was rarely at his home. Li An was working in the entire daylight, so his house was bound to attract some malicious eyes. Thieves would sometimes sneak into his house, stealing some valuable stuff.

After learning his lesson, Li An hid his wealth in a secret area where it was only known to him. The thieves were displeased and frustrated by this fact, and there were no longer noticeable footprints when he came home. Naturally, the thieves looked down on this poor fellow.

Li An carried the box with him as he made his way to his bed. He opened it. The silvers glistened with silver light. It was a few hundred, his entire savings.

"Now let's activate the system."

Li An immediately topped up a hundred silver. It did not take long for the confirmation. A window appeared with a few lines of text that said "Congratulations, you have activated the Martial God System!"

"That's it?"

Li An frowned. He called out the system once more. This time a new line of text appeared in front of him.

[Status]

[Name: Li An]

[Age: 18]

[Strength: 3]

[Agility: 2]

[Intelligence: 8]

[Spirit: 1.2]

[Condition: Healthy]

[Realm: None]

[Martial Techniques: None]

-------

«Achievements»

"Status...and achievements?"

Li An's brows knitted. In novels these systems had some sort of newbie gift pack, aiming to support the newcomer host. How come he didn't have one? Is it because he was not a transmigrator? Or because the system was a unique one?

"What kind of system is this?"

Li An remained calm. His life experience and maturity were not aspects that could easily be wavered by setbacks. He tried to think of it in a logical way. At last, he realized the issue.

Li An's hypothesis goes like this: once he tried to practice a martial technique, the system would help him in some way. As for the achievement, he believed it was some task-reward base structure. There was no better explanation other than this one.

If he wanted to know the truth behind the system, he needed to conduct a real experiment.

"I need a martial technique now," Li An thought. "Given that, I'll use my remaining silvers to enroll in a martial arts hall."

But...

"Let's try clicking this Achievement and see how it goes..."

Li An clicked the function «Achievements» and a message popped up.