Beili, Snow Moon City.
Outside the gates of Snow Moon City stood a young man dressed in white robes. He had sword-like eyebrows and starry eyes, a flawless face like carved jade, and a gaze as brilliant as the stars.
"It's been over a month, and I've finally arrived at Snow Moon City…" Jiang Che muttered sentimentally as he looked up at the towering city walls before him.
Originally a university student from Blue Star, Jiang Che had inexplicably transmigrated to this world after helping an elderly woman cross the street. As an infant, he was adopted by Daoist Qinglong. At first, he believed he had traveled to a simple ancient dynasty. But everything changed when he began learning martial arts from Daoist Qinglong at the age of six—only then did he realize that he had entered a world governed by martial prowess.
Daoist Qinglong was an old friend of Huang Shang, the national master of the Song Dynasty. Thanks to their close bond, Daoist Qinglong had obtained the Nine Yin Manual—the culmination of Huang Shang's life's work.
Jiang Che was born with a Natural Dao Body, his meridians fully open from birth. This unique physique meant there were no bottlenecks in his cultivation journey.
When Daoist Qinglong passed away, Jiang Che was ten. He mourned for three years before setting off to travel the world. Armed with the Nine Yin Manual and his innate Dao Body, he built a name for himself within the borders of the Song Dynasty.
His cultivation progressed rapidly, reaching the fifth level of the Grandmaster Realm—a feat considered remarkable, especially at the age of eighteen.
In this world, cultivation levels were broadly divided as follows:
Soul Realm (Hou Tian)
Innate Realm (Xian Tian)
Master Realm (Zong Shi)
Grandmaster Realm (Da Zong Shi)
Heavenly Realm (Tian Ren)
Heavenly Immortal Realm (Tian Ren Da Changsheng)
...and so on. Each realm had nine levels.
Across the vast Jiuzhou Continent, cultivators at the Tian Ren Da Changsheng level were incredibly rare. Since Heavenly Realm experts rarely appeared, possessing the Nine Yin Manual made Jiang Che nearly invincible.
In Beili, his current level would correspond to the early stage of the Great Freedom realm—also referred to locally as Grandmaster.
Through his five years of wandering, Jiang Che slowly came to understand the true nature of this world. The Jiuzhou Continent was unimaginably vast, with rivers stretching thousands of miles. Numerous nations, both great and small, vied for power and influence.
Major empires included Qin, Song, Han, Sui, Ming, Beili, and Liyang. Smaller countries like Tibet, Dali, and Japan also existed. Countless martial factions flourished as well—Snow Moon City, Wushuang City, Peach Blossom Palace, the Beggar Sect, Dark River, and the Hundred Intelligence Hall among them.
One month ago, while passing through the Ming Dynasty's territory, Jiang Che awakened a mysterious system. Known as the Sign-In System, it was programmed to activate only upon his arrival in Snow Moon City, Beili.
Driven by curiosity and ambition, Jiang Che journeyed thousands of miles to reach the city—exhausting several horses in the process.
Taking a deep breath to steady his thoughts, Jiang Che stepped through the city gates.
Now that he had arrived, he felt no rush to activate the system.
"I wonder what time period this is. Has the story already begun...?" he mused.
After finding a roadside inn, Jiang Che sat by a window and handed a few silver coins to the waiter. "Bring me your best wine and food," he said.
Although he had never watched Youth Songs of Chu before transmigrating, Jiang Che had been a huge fan of web novels in his previous life. Li Hanyi had long since replaced Huang Rong in the hearts of transmigrators, and Jiang Che was no exception—he had definitely heard of her.
If I can't win over Li Hanyi, what kind of transmigrator am I? he thought. Besides, it's only natural to admire beauty. Now that I've awakened my system and become the true Child of Destiny, why spend every day grinding through cultivation?
[A/n: I tried my best but I don't know what this $h¡tty paragraph was (╥﹏╥) ]
What's youth without a bit of romance?
...
"Sir, your food is here. Please enjoy." The waiter returned with the wine and dishes.
Jiang Che slowly savored the meal. The flavors of Snow Moon City were unlike those of the Song Dynasty—distinct and refreshing.
After eating his fill, he booked a room and headed upstairs to the second floor. After bathing and changing clothes, he sat cross-legged on the bed and focused inward.
"System?" he called out in his mind.
"I'mhere, Host," came the emotionless voice.
"Tell me what you can do."
"Understood, Host.
This system is called the Sign-In System and has two primary panels: Sign-In and Tasks.
The Host may sign in daily to receive random rewards. At the end of each month, a special Sign-In Gift Pack will be granted.
Additionally, the system will issue random tasks and sign-in missions. Completing these tasks will result in rewards."
"What happens if I fail a task?" Jiang Che asked, a bit uneasy. He'd read plenty of novels where absurd systems forced their hosts to complete near-impossible missions.
"There are no penalties. Tasks have no deadlines. However, if a task remains incomplete, the system will not issue new ones until it's done."
Hearing this, Jiang Che finally relaxed.
"Is there a newbie gift pack?" he asked eagerly.
"Ding! Congratulations, Host. You've received a Newbie Gift Pack. Would you like to open it?"
"Yes!" Jiang Che answered without hesitation.
"Ding! Opening Newbie Gift Pack…"
His eyes sparkled with excitement.
What kind of reward will it be? Something powerful? Something rare?
The anticipation was maddening.
"How long is this going to take?" Jiang Che grumbled impatiently.
"Please wait a moment, Host. The gift pack is being processed."
He took a deep breath, calming himself.
Finally, the system chimed again.
"Ding! Newbie Gift Pack has been opened."
To be continued…