Game On: A World Reborn

“Oh my god! Look at him, sooo hot!”

 

A group of maids were watching a handsome young man with an aura of arrogance around him. Beneath the fading light of the setting sun, his long black hair tied back, he was clad in a rough, patchwork brown robe that hung open to reveal his chiseled abs. He knelt by a wooden tub of water, washing his garments. His expression was melancholic, as if lost in thought, the tranquil moment a stark contrast to the pride he usually carried.

The prettiest maid, surrounded by the others, mustered her courage and stepped forward to approach the handsome man. However, when she saw his melancholic expression, she hesitated and couldn’t help staring. Giving up on approaching him, she chose instead to continue observing from a distance. She couldn’t possibly sully such a masterfully crafted piece of art. He couldn’t be human—surely, he was a bereaved god!

 

“What are you little girls doing here instead of worki—!?” The voice of an older woman sounded from behind the group. An older maid had come to chase these girls off back to work, but she choked on her words when she saw the scene the girls were watching.

 

“Shh!” The prettiest maid shushed the older woman. “Don't disturb my god!”

 

The other maids stared at her as if she was some strange creature, too stunned to know how to respond to what she had just said.

 

“Aha!” One of them laughed, prompting the others to start laughing as well. “Ahaha!!”

 

The pretty maid blushed in embarrassment, tears threatening to spill from the corners of her eyes at any moment.

 

Liang Wu’s thoughts had been drifting back to the distant past, reminiscing about a life lived thousands of years ago, when his mother had given him this set of robes before he departed their small village—the same village where he had started his journey not long ago. The sudden commotion from the group of maids snapped him out of his reverie. He glanced over briefly, uninterested, before looking down and noticing that his robes were now spotless. Calmly, he folded them neatly and departed.

 

The pretty maid stepped in front of him as he walked past the group of giggling maids. “P-pwease, take this dry off, god!” She shoved a towel into his hands while fumbling over her words.

 

Liang Wu had been in a somber mood after his reminiscing; however, having someone finally recognize him for the god he was, made his mood brighten. “Haha! Thank you, I'll use it well.” He said as he reached down and patted her head.

This caused her to blush furiously, and for the other maids to oh and ah. She couldn't handle the attention any longer, so she turned and fled.

 

—

 

Liang Wu arrived back in his room and sat cross-legged in meditation on the bed, calming himself before beginning his cultivation.

 

He recited the cultivation technique he had created for his clone. He’d named it the Heaven’s Suppressant Technique. In his youth, he had harbored a deep resentment toward the heavens and their restrictive rules that prevented so many from cultivating. This technique embodied his fury, designed as a defiance against those very heavens. It was originally intended to be shared with every mortal, granting them access to a path to immortality. However, after he reshaped the world, his plans shifted. He banished the heavenly will, replacing it with his own rules—ones that allowed everyone the freedom to cultivate.

 

A small grin tugged at his lips. His resentment toward the heavens might have faded over the centuries, but the satisfaction of his rebellion still lingered. Although it had only been three years since the world changed, and most mortals still hadn’t gotten used to the new changes, he envisioned a future where every man, woman, and child could ascend to immortality.

 

Qi traveled through his meridians, pooling in his lower dantian. The system’s interface popped up, but he was unaware of its existence as he was in a deep state of cultivation.

 

The night slowly passed as he continued his meditation.

 

—

 

Liang Wu exited his meditative state. He squinted his eyes as they were stung by the morning rays of sunlight coming through the open window. He breathed in a lungful of fresh spring air, his senses now empowered by his newfound cultivation, allowing him to smell the scent of breakfast being cooked in the kitchen at the other end of the inn.

 

“Haa… it feels nice having regained my ability to control Qi again, even if it’s just the smallest fraction.” As he spoke, he noticed a small icon flashing in the corner of his vision. It was the notification alert from the system. “Open notifications.”

Tutorial Quest Complete! Congratulations on taking your first step on the journey to immortality! Reward placed in temporary inventory.

1st Stage Qi Forming Realm Achieved! All Stats +2 Cultivation Technique: Heaven's Suppressant - All Stats +10 (Attack Scaling increased - New Scaling = *3-STR *1.5-DEX *1.5-AGI)

He looked over the notifications in satisfaction. “Open rewards!”

Ten tiny, shining, perfectly circular stones fell on the bed, along with a red and white metal sphere and a jade tablet.

 

He immediately recognized the ten small stones—Qi Stones, a much-needed resource for cultivation. The red and white sphere pleasantly surprised him. It was a joke item he had created, called a Creature Capture Sphere, modeled after an item from one of his favorite games. He had made only ten of these and added them to the Beginner Loot Box. As for the jade tablet, he knew it was a technique, but it wasn’t one he had added. So, it must have been something someone else with access to the loot system had added.

 

“Who did I put in charge of the loot system?” he thought aloud, prompting his System Helper to respond. “It was the master of the Immortal Treasure Pavilion.”

 

“Ah, right! That girl nagged me relentlessly until I finally left her with more treasure than anyone could ever dream of. Then, she went and started a business with them.” He laughed as he remembered the girl who ran the largest business empire this world had ever seen—and she did it all with the treasures he gave her. He called her a girl, though she was hundreds of years old and one of the strongest living beings in this world.

 

“Well, let’s see what kind of treasured technique she threw into the loot box.” He examined the jade tablet. There was a set of words etched into it: *Beast Transformation*.

 

“Hmm… I don’t recall hearing of a Beast Transformation Technique used by humans. I wonder if this is one used by Spirit Beasts to attain human form?” Liang Wu searched his mind. As far as his knowledge extended, there were no techniques by that name that humans could use. However, he may be a god, but he wasn’t omnipotent. There were many mysteries that could still surprise him in this world, or even in the worlds beyond his own.

 

He circulated his Qi, letting it flow into the jade tablet. Before he had changed the world, the tablet would have required more Qi than he currently possessed. Tablets like these were normally used by those in the immortal realms of cultivation, but now, anyone could activate them with the help of the System.

Skill Obtained: Beast Transformation Technique - God-Grade Description: By imitating the Qi fluctuations of Spirit Beasts or any other living beings the wielder of this technique can alter their forms to take on the appearance of the desired creature. Once mastered to the highest level the wielder can use the innate abilities of the form they assume.  (It is possible to take on the form of anything without knowing its Qi fluctuations, the result would be up to the wielder's imagination. However it is easily dispelled.)