Ch. 2 - I Will Defy The Heavens!

The cold glint that appeared within Fang Yuan's eyes instantly disappeared as soon as he finished speaking. He had taken it upon himself to adopt the name of a fictional character from his previous life.

No, fictional shouldn't be the right term. He may very well have been a real person, just like how this whole situation is real.

The woman nodded and didn't pay much attention to the oddities of the man before her. She simply grabbed a jade medallion from thin air and threw it towards Fang Yuan.

"Take that token and keep it with you until we meet again," she paused, as if sensing something. "I don't have much time left in this place. Make sure you do not lose the token or give it to another person! ..I shall see you again."

Instantly, the woman's figure stepped back, and the space behind her cracked and swallowed her body, making her disappear into the unknown.

«Character Evaluation Complete. Teleportation will occur in ten seconds!»

«00:02»

«00:01»

Once the timer reached zero, Fang Yuan's vision suddenly changed. The shift in position caused only minor pain in his head before he quickly adapted and ignored it.

Almost immediately, he was able to get a hold of himself and look around, noticing the stage he was on, along with many other people wearing the same kind of white Chinese robe he seemed to be wearing.

"So this is Cultivation Online..!" He heard the murmuring of a fellow mortal behind him. Fang Yuan merely kept a serene and confident expression as he stood in place and looked at an old man floating in the air.

"Welcome, Mortals! I am Elder Song, in charge of making sure that before you all leave this place and adventure into this vast world, you will have a goal of what you want to do here set in your mind." The old man spoke out, instantly catching the attention of the mass of mortals on the ground and making everyone turn quiet.

"Look, he's flying!"

"He's standing on a floating sword!"

"Wow!"

Countless mortals exclaimed in shock and exhilaration. They now sported happy and joyful expressions at the prospect of playing such a high-quality and immersive "game."

Elder Song merely smiled down at them and said, "I will answer your questions later, but first, let me explain to you all about this world—the world of Cultivation!"

"First and foremost, this is the Heavenly Continent, and we are currently at Mountain #96. Before you were transported here, everyone should have met a representative from our world who gave you an evaluation. That is your character status; it tells you almost everything about yourself.

"We will start with the basics. In this world, humans and monsters cultivate their bodies and minds with Spirit Qi, which allows them to obtain supernatural powers. We call people like them Cultivators, and the higher the cultivation you reach, the stronger you will be in this world. Legacy and Bloodlines are special features that can be obtained later on if you are fortunate enough. As for Physique, everyone here should have one. Whether or not it's useless, this will tell you."

Thousands of talismans were shot out of Elder Song's sleeve with a simple wave of his hand, and each person from Earth received one.

"Now, you may activate it with your thoughts," finished Elder Song.

The crowd didn't waste much time, following his words. Loud exclamations from people around Fang Yuan sounded.

In the meantime, Fang Yuan simply stared at the talisman before stuffing it into his white robe since he had no use for it now, nor could it read him in any form or way.

"It says that I have an Earth-ranked Physique! What does that mean?"

Elder Song looked at the young man who had just spoken before saying, "There is a one in ten thousand chance that one is born with an Earth-rank Physique. Congratulations, you are what we call 'talented.'"

"Elder Song, how many ranks of Physiques are there?"

"The ranks for Physiques consist of Mortal, Earth, Heaven, and Divine."

"Elder, what does having a Mortal-rank Physique mean, and what is the difference between the ranks?"

Elder Song remained silent for a moment before speaking with a wide grin that sent chills down the backs of numerous people. "Having a Mortal Physique means you are only ordinary, but having an Earth Physique means you are talented. The difference is obvious! You are naturally inferior to those who have a better physique than you! The more talented you are, the greater the chance of you rising to the top!"

Not at all. It is true that physiques and bloodlines play a part in cultivation, but with the right knowledge and understanding, even the most untalented can find loopholes to rise to the top!

Fang Yuan's face soon was adorned with a creepy smile, but due to the numerous people looking at Elder Song, nobody noticed it.

Elder Song's words caused the aforementioned people who felt chills to frown and feel regret as well as longing, and the spirits of a few others to sink.

"C-Can our physiques be changed?" someone suddenly broke the thick tension and silence that had spread throughout.

"Physiques can be changed, but the process is a long and painful one, so most mortals simply accept their fate."

Most of the people sighed in relief upon hearing that they could change their Mortal Physique.

"Does anyone here happen to have a Divine-rank Physique?" Elder Song's eyes flickered with a little expectation, only to be greeted with silence and shaking heads.

Well, what did I expect? The chances of someone having a Divine Physique are one in a hundred million, a genius above genius that knows no equal. It's not surprising that nobody here has one. It was I who simply expected too much from these mortals.

Elder Song shook his head internally, feeling pity for the situation.

"Elder, I have a Heaven-ranked Physique," an individual suddenly yelled out, causing everyone to turn their attention toward him.

Fang Yuan simply tuned everything out until the explanation of sects and such was finished. After all, he had already learned about such things from the countless novels he read in his previous life.

"Is that it? Does nobody else have a Heaven Physique?" Elder Song asked after explaining a few things to these mortals.

After a moment of silence, Elder Song finally let out a breath and shook his head, not thinking too much about it.

"I have one question for everybody here before I let you leave. What do you desire to achieve in this world? Strength? Status? Wealth? Handsome men or beautiful women? Tell me, Mortals from another world!"

"I want to fly like you!"

"I wish for power!"

"I want to be famous!"

"I want enough money to make a mountain!"

..

Throughout all this, Fang Yuan remained silent, an apathetic expression on his face. He, who had died. He, who had experienced the loss of his parents. He, who had known both comfort and living on the streets.

He simply looked at the worthless fools before him with a cold expression.

Although they may not know this world isn't a game, they could have come to a conclusion by certain things. For example, how did VR technology advance so quickly when it was expected to come out much later in the future?

How come the senses here feel so real? How come the people here possess such high intellect, capable of fully human conversation skills? Etc.

Only a fool would look at things like this and think, "Wow, everything must be a coincidence!"

"I want to create a harem of beautiful women!"

"I want handsome men to pamper me and do anything I say!"

"I wish to conquer the world!"

"I want all the riches of the world!"

What is my reason for being here?

He had asked himself that same question before he was teleported. He rummaged through his mind and remembered the numerous reasons he had falsely told himself to justify his transmigration here.

And so, he rejected them all. Women? Wealth? Fame? Power? To stand above all? To rule a kingdom?

"I will defy the heavens."

He muttered, his words unheard amidst the thousands of mortals yelling out their desires, crying a river of sins upon this holy land.

Fang Yuan's soul churned with exhilaration as the numerous previous lives of his cried out to him, seeming to agree with his decision.

But the Elder did nothing to stop the mortals. He simply grinned and spoke over the thousands of voices, "If you want to survive in a world such as this, then you must have power! In this world, the strong rule the weak! Wealth and fame will naturally come to you once you have power! People will flock to you if you are strong! Remember my words, Mortals!

This world looks down on the weak and the inferior, respecting only the strong!

Having strength means having everything!"

"Who do you think has the most power in this world?" Elder Song glanced around the people below with a narrowed gaze, sending chills down the spines of almost everyone there.

"Cultivators! We, Cultivators, are a symbol of power, wealth, fame, and respect! We are the rulers of this world!"

"Cultivators, is that some sort of class?" A foolish mortal asked aloud, voicing the thoughts of the masses.

"Elder, how do I become a Cultivator?"

Elder Song smiled. "It's simple, really." He suddenly waved his sleeves, and thousands of glowing orbs appeared out of the blue and flew towards the people, directly at their foreheads, submerging into their brains.

Fang Yuan gazed at the technique and memorized it, allowing the Qi to flow into his mind and form words that seemed to be a cultivation technique.

«You have learned: Basic Qi Gathering Technique»

«Rank: Mortal»

«Mastery Level: 1»

«Description: Absorbs 1 Qi every second. Can only be activated when sitting in the lotus position.»

"I have just given you all the method to cultivate. Whether you rise to the heavens or remain as mortals now falls into your own hands." Elder Song waved his sleeve again, and four portals appeared not too far away from the masses.

"Each portal represents a continent. In this world, we have Four Great Continents, not including this Heavenly Continent. Once you step inside, it will take you to a place within one of these Four Great Continents at random. Even I do not know where exactly you shall end up, so it is up to fate whether you are placed somewhere safe or dangerous."

"Now, scram. I have spent too much of my precious time on you mortals!"

With another wave of his sleeve, everyone began flying towards the portals as though they were being sucked into them.

Shocked cries rang throughout the Heavenly Continent, and those who entered the portals soon found themselves in random locations throughout the Lower Heaven.