Chapter 2: The Cultivation Clan's Shadow
His vision cleared slowly, the scent of incense and cold stone replacing the burned dust and mildew of his ruined apartment. The soft sound of wooden sandals echoed nearby. He was no longer in the broken remains of his apartment. Instead, a shoddy wooden house with rice paper doors surrounded him. The bed under his back felt like straw, itchy and flat. Outside, the loud chatter of people and the occasional crackle of spiritual energy filled the air.
His name was Lin Ma—or at least, that was what someone called him upon waking.
He sat up, his mind reeling. In the polished bronze mirror nearby, the reflection wasn't his familiar face. It was younger, thinner, and less worn by the burden of betrayal and burnout. But his eyes—those tired, hollow eyes—were still his own.
"What the hell…?" he muttered.
A wooden door slid open with a jolt. A young woman in red robes entered. Her gaze immediately sharpened into disdain. "Still alive, huh?"
He blinked at her. Tall and cold like an ice sculpture, she looked as though she carried an entire mountain on her back. Her hair was bound in a long braid, and her eyes were sharp like glass. She didn't wait for him to respond.
"You're to clean the latrines today. Don't come near the training ground. If the elders see you wandering again, you'll be beaten like last time."
Then she was gone.
He stumbled out of bed, walking out into the yard. What greeted him was a sprawling manor carved into the side of a mountain, with wooden terraces, bridges suspended over waterfalls, and banners fluttering in the wind. Disciples moved like streams of color across the land. This was a cultivation world.
The memories came slowly. This body had lived here for twenty-three years, a live-in son-in-law of the noble but arrogant Yun Clan. Married to the clan's coldest beauty, Yun Qianxue, he was mocked daily for his uselessness and lack of cultivation talent. An outsider. An embarrassment. A pawn offered in a political marriage to repay an old debt.
He had died in his world—and now he was Lin Ma, in this one.
But that wasn't the strangest part. That morning, as he washed rice and swept leaves, a faint buzzing echoed in his ear.
DING!
[Transcendent System Activating…]
[Welcome Back, Lin Ma. Would you like to restore your sealed memories and unlock your cultivation root?]
He stared blankly.
[1. Restore Basic Memory (Cost: 0 tokens)] [2. Unlock Basic Root - Forgotten Flame Physique (Cost: 0 tokens)]
Something inside him stirred. The blankness that clouded his mind parted like fog.
He remembered fire.
He remembered a woman's scream.
He remembered betrayal.
"Yes," he whispered. "Give me everything."
The light enveloped him, unseen by others, and a heat settled deep into his bones.
Later that evening, as he carried buckets past the garden, he overheard a few servants whispering.
"The son-in-law? Useless. Rumor says he once pissed his robes during last year's trial."
"Shh. That's Yun Qianxue's husband. If she hears—"
"So what? She wants nothing to do with him. I heard Elder Yun tried to send him away, but he threatened to hang himself until they let him stay."
"Cowardly worm. I'd kill myself from shame."
Lin Ma walked past without a word, the water sloshing behind him. But inside, a new fire flickered.
He'd been mocked before. He'd been discarded, spat on, and replaced. He'd built empires from nothing. That version of him—the one who crumbled under the weight of betrayal—was dead. This world didn't know who he truly was. Yet.
That night, he sat beneath a paper lantern and took out a tattered scroll he'd found under his new bed. It described breathing techniques and meridian flows. He meditated, aligning his breath with the rhythm of the wind and mountain.
And as he closed his eyes—
DING!
[Congratulations. Your root has accepted the Forgotten Flame Physique. Cultivation begins: Tier 0 – Flame Awakening. Passive Skill Gained: Fire Rebirth (Lv.1)]
A warmth spread through him.
He was no longer the broken man who had died in fire.
He was the flame itself—waiting to rise.