Wu Ji Tian never expected much from life.

  At thirty-five, he had long abandoned the dreams of his youth, settling instead for the dull routine of an uninspiring job. He spent his days working as a night-shift convenience store clerk, scanning items for impatient customers, mopping sticky floors, and listening to the hum of refrigerators under fluorescent lights that never turned off.

  It wasn’t the worst job in the world, but it wasn’t much of a life either. His meager sary barely covered rent for his tiny apartment, let alone any luxuries. Still, he had one source of happiness.

  Gaming

  At the end of each grueling shift, he would colpse into his rickety chair, fire up his aging PC, and disappear into fantasy worlds where he wasn’t a forgettable wage sve. Here, he could be a warrior, a strategist, a king. He could fight, win, and, most importantly, escape.

  But reality always found a way to remind him of his pce.

  The rise of full-dive VR had been the next big thing.

  Virtual helmets and capsules allowed pyers to step into breathtakingly real worlds, a dream come true for gamers. Wu Ji Tian had watched in envy as streamers and influencers showed off their experiences—exploring endless nds, wielding mystical powers, and living adventures beyond imagination.

  Unfortunately, for someone like him, the VR technology was nothing more than a distant fantasy. The cheapest helmet alone cost more than three months of his wages, and capsules? Those were reserved for the rich.

  “Maybe next year…” he told himself every time a new model unched. But every year, his bank account reminded him of his reality.

  Then, one night, his routine came to an abrupt end.

  It had been raining when his shift ended. He pulled his jacket tighter, walking home under the glow of streetlights, exhausted but eager to squeeze in a few hours of gaming before sleeping through the afternoon.

  The st thing he saw was the gre of headlights. The st thing he felt was pain.

  And then… darkness.

  =======

  When Wu Ji Tian opened his eyes again, the world had changed.

  Gone were the cold city streets, the distant hum of traffic, and the looming skyscrapers. Instead, he found himself standing in a vast expanse of nature—towering mountains in the distance, rivers winding like silver threads through lush valleys. The air was fresh, carrying the scent of blooming flowers and damp earth.

  “What…?” His voice sounded different. Younger.

  He looked down. His calloused hands were gone, repced by smoother, youthful ones. He touched his face, tracing sharper, unblemished features. His body felt stronger, more flexible.

  Had he been reborn?

  Before he could process it, a flood of memories that weren’t his own surged into his mind.

  They belonged to another Wu Ji Tian—one born into this world of cultivation, where martial prowess and spiritual energy dictated one’s fate. Unlike the protagonists of the novels he had read, this Wu Ji Tian was neither a genius nor a hidden dragon. His talent for cultivation was painfully ordinary.

  And yet, despite his mediocrity, he had been given a chance.

  Encouraged by his grandfather, the only family he had in this world, he had joined a sect, hoping to carve out a future through dedication and effort. But cultivation was unforgiving, and reality had been cruel.

  For two years, he trained alongside young talents whose abilities left him in the dust. While they broke through realms with ease, he struggled to make even the slightest progress. It wasn’t for ck of trying.

  He pushed himself, trained harder, meditated longer—but it made no difference.

  The sect had no pce for those who couldn't keep up.

  The day of reckoning came in a grand hall, where the elders sat in judgment. He already knew the verdict before they even spoke.

  A failure. A disappointment. Not worth the sect’s resources.

  Without ceremony, without fanfare, they expelled him.

  Now, he stood at the sect’s gates, a sack of his meager belongings slung over his shoulder.

  Alone.

  The weight of reality sank in. He had been given a second life, but instead of a golden cheat or unrivaled talent, he was as powerless here as he had been in his previous world.

  For a long moment, he simply stood there, staring at the empty path ahead.

  Then, with a bitter chuckle, he muttered to himself,

  “…What do I do now?”