C1 Transcending

At the back of Chen Mansion lay the Repenting Abyss.

A youth in white stood at the edge of the cliff.

He appeared young, around twelve or thirteen, with a face marked by sharp eyebrows and bright eyes, strikingly handsome.

Yet, at this moment, his expression was one of deep sorrow.

"I never imagined that the Chen Mansion would produce someone as worthless as me, bringing shame to my father. Well, if this is what life is, I'd rather end it now."

With those final words, he jumped, surrendering his body to the abyss below...

Meanwhile, in C Country.

"The common folk are truly joyful today!"

Chen Bai hummed a tune while pedaling his rickety "Phoenix" bicycle through the streets.

He had just landed a cashier position at a company, his first job since university graduation.

Raised in the Welfare House, he had always longed for a formal job, and at last, his dream had come true.

Unbeknownst to him, a speeding BMW was bearing down on him.

Sensing something amiss, he glanced back only to see a black shadow looming larger in his vision.

"Damn, this is it."

"Thump!"

"Ah!"

A cry of pain escaped him as Chen Bai slowly opened his eyes.

He found himself in an unfamiliar place, shrouded in darkness, lying at the base of a cliff with a pungent odor in the air.

Chen Bai attempted to rise, to survey his surroundings, but searing pain coursed through his body, leaving him powerless.

As he braced himself for another attempt to assess his situation.

"Ah ~ Ah ~ Ah ~ Ah ~!!!"

Pain! An excruciating agony burst through Chen Bai's mind, as if his brain were being ripped apart. The physical pain he had felt earlier paled in comparison.

Chen Bai wished for unconsciousness to take him, but his mind remained agonizingly lucid...

Time passed, and the intense pain gradually subsided. Then, a new memory began to form in Chen Bai's mind.

After reflecting in silence for quite some time, Chen Bai began to grasp the predicament he found himself in.

It seemed he had been killed by the "Black Hound." By a stroke of fate, the original owner of this body had leapt from the Repenting Abyss in a suicide attempt, and subsequently, Chen Bai's consciousness had transmigrated into this body.

The body's former owner also bore the name Chen Bai and was the esteemed Young Master and prodigy of the Chen family.

Why the past tense? Because Young Master Chen was once the unparalleled genius of the Chen family, having reached Body Refining Stage Level Nine at the tender age of six, astonishing the entirety of Wind City. It's worth noting that reaching Body Refining Stage Level Nine before the age of ten is a hallmark of a true genius.

In this world, upon reaching Body Refining Stage Level Nine, one must awaken their Spirit Root, which largely dictates their potential for future accomplishments.

Everyone had high hopes for Chen Bai, anticipating that he would awaken at least a Profound Grade Spirit Root, or perhaps even the rare Earth Grade Spirit Root typically found among the elite families or sects of the larger cities.

On the day of his Spirit Root awakening, the who's who of Wind City converged at the Chen Mansion, bearing lavish gifts. However, Chen Bai awakened the only Common Grade Spirit Root among the direct descendants of the Chen family.

A Common Grade Spirit Root, as its name implies, is suited for an ordinary life, with little to no chance of successfully reaching the Foundation Stage.

The crowd was abuzz with disappointment, having expected the Chen family's ascent to prominence, only to witness what turned into an embarrassing blunder.

As expected, Chen Bai's advancement through the Qi Refining Stage was painfully slow, barely reaching the third level after six grueling years of cultivation.

Recently, the Feather Star Auction House in town came into possession of a second-grade Marrow Cleansing Pill. Rumor had it that this pill could forcibly elevate one's Spirit Root to the Yellow Grade.

But even with a Yellow Grade Spirit Root, what difference would it make? The Chen family had no shortage of Yellow Grade Spirit Roots, with several promising individuals among the collateral branches. Yet, Yellow Grade Spirit Roots generally only reach the Foundation Stage.

Although being at the Foundation Stage was a significant strength for the Chen family, one needed to reach the Golden Core Stage to qualify for the role of the family patriarch. But Chen Lieh, with his position as the current head and his sixth-level Golden Core Stage cultivation, pressured the family into reluctantly agreeing to his demands.

However, the news somehow reached the Huo family, long-standing rivals of the Chen family. At the auction, they aggressively bid up the price, forcing the Chen family to spend a staggering two hundred thousand Low Grade Spirit Stones to secure the Marrow Cleansing Pill—a sum equal to the family's total income over several years.

The Chen family would have accepted this heavy cost if Chen Bai had indeed advanced to a Yellow Grade Spirit Root, especially considering Chen Lieh was the most powerful cultivator in the family. But the unfortunate reality was that even after taking the Marrow Cleansing Pill, Chen Bai remained at the Common Grade Spirit Root level.

A livid Chen Lieh confronted the Feather Star Auction House, only to be met with a response that left him stunned. "The Marrow Cleansing Pill forcibly extracts the potential of the user's constitution to enhance the Spirit Root. If the user's constitution is inherently weak and lacks potential, not even the Marrow Cleansing Pill can perform such a miraculous transformation."

This explanation quickly made its way back to the Chen family, igniting a furious uproar. Two hundred thousand Spirit Stones had been squandered. Even Chen Lieh, with his impressive cultivation, couldn't quell the family's outrage. He was stripped of his patriarchal title and sentenced to lifelong confinement on the back mountain, forbidden to leave unless the Chen family faced dire circumstances.

On his visit today, Chen Bai found his father, Chen Lieh, looking worn and defeated. Reflecting on the years of insults he had endured, Chen Bai was overwhelmed by shame and despair, leading him to take his own life at the Repenting Abyss.

"Wow, this kid's story is just heart-wrenching!" Chen Bai exclaimed, deeply moved by the tragedy.

He quickly came to his senses. He was now truly in this body, bound to share its fate and fortune!

"Damn it, this is just unfair! How am I supposed to live like this?!"

Suddenly, Chen Bai had an idea, and he hastily cleared his throat before exclaiming,

"Cough, cough~ Old man, come out and teach me your secret technique!"

...

"System, system, come out, your host has returned~"

...

"Open Sesame?"

...

"Damn!"

"Ding~ Password accepted. Initiating compatibility with the host."

"Ding~ Compatibility complete. The Heaven Soaring Auxiliary System is at your service."

"Would you like to initiate the tutorial?"

Chen Bai, trembling with excitement, looked at the panel that had appeared before him and uttered a single word,

"Yes!"

"Very well~ You have chosen to skip the tutorial. The Beginner Smart Voice Service will now be disabled. Enjoy your experience~"

And then, silence. The voice was gone, leaving Chen Bai staring at the panel before him.

"Oh, I forgot to mention, your novice gift pack has been delivered to the warehouse. Please check it promptly~"

"Hey, hey, what kind of system are you? So irresponsible to your users?! Do you think I won't file a complaint?! And weren't you supposed to shut down the voice service? How are you still talking?"

"Dear user, you're speaking to me right now! Besides, this system doesn't provide a channel for complaints~ As for why I can still talk, I choose who I interact with~ Ha ha ha~"

Chen Bai was beyond exasperation, feeling utterly frustrated.

After some time, he managed to shake off his frustration and stared blankly at the System Interface before him.

The System Interface displayed four functions: Attribute Bar, Warehouse, Lottery Center, and Missions.

Chen Bai attempted to access the Warehouse with a thought.

With a flash of white light on the screen, the interface changed.

Warehouse: Novice Gift Bag.

Without a second thought, Chen Bai opened it, and a message slowly appeared on the System Interface:

Congratulations on successfully opening the novice gift bag. You have received: 200,000 Low Grade Spirit Stone exchange coupons, 1 Qi Refining Stage Speed-Up Experience Card, and 1 Bronze Lottery Ticket. The items have been automatically exchanged for you.

Chen Bai surveyed the warehouse, which presented itself as a vast storage space. Through the panel, he could see many Spirit Stones stacked inside, each pile marked with "x 20,000." Aside from that, there was nothing else, so he decided to return to the main interface to explore the remaining features.

Attribute Bar:

Name: Chen Bai

Cultivation: Qi Refining Stage Level Three (Using Qi Refining Stage Rapid Experience Card)

Cultivation Method: Liyang Mantra (Profound Rank, Low Grade)

Spirit Skill: Tiger Punch Palm (Yellow Rank, Low Grade)

Physique: Common Body

Spirit Root: Common Grade

Currency: 20,000 Low Grade Spirit Stones

Lottery Center:

Bronze Lottery Entry x1

Diamond Lottery Entry: None

Legendary Lottery Entry: None

Chen Bai clicked on the Bronze Lottery. The draw was successful, granting him the special effect: Body Repair. A white light struck him, and the intense pain he had felt before vanished instantly.

Unable to open the mission feature, Chen Bai's attention was still fixed on the system. A prompt slowly appeared on the panel:

"The host does not need to click on the mission function. Missions will be randomly assigned through voice and rewards will be automatically distributed upon completion."

"Wow, talk about personality!" Chen Bai couldn't help but comment.

After further examining the panel and confirming there were no new functions, Chen Bai closed the system interface contentedly. He then attempted to rise, supporting himself with his hands on the ground, but instead of the expected firmness, he encountered a soft, sticky sensation. Driven by curiosity, he looked beneath him.

The sight nearly made him lose his lunch. Beneath his hands was a gruesomely disfigured corpse. It seemed that the original Chen Bai had fallen off a cliff and landed on this unfortunate individual, using them as a cushion. The scene was unspeakable. Chen Bai leaped to his feet and scanned the area, only to find it littered with bodies, most of them ragged and scarred.

Chen Bai suddenly recalled that the Repentance Abyss was essentially a mass grave. Typically, the corpses of prisoners who died in the back mountains were discarded here, forgotten by all. From time to time, overwhelmed members of the Chen family would also leap from the cliffs above. Over time, one could only imagine the macabre tableau that had developed at the base of the Repentance Abyss.

Although Chen Bai had lived for over twenty years in another world, he was unaccustomed to such gruesome sights, as C Country was known for its tranquility. Where would he have ever encountered such a harrowing scene?

Nevertheless, he owed a debt of gratitude. If not for the unfortunate soul who had broken his fall, Chen Bai's impulsive leap might have been his last, preventing his transmigration to this place.

After a prolonged bout of retching, Chen Bai gradually collected himself. With a deep respect for the dead, he solemnly bowed to each body. He harbored no interest in their possessions (not that they seemed to have anything of value on them).

But it wasn't long before Chen Bai faced an urgent dilemma: how to escape the Repentance Abyss. His memory offered no clues on how to ascend from this grim place.

As Chen Bai found himself at a loss, a melodious voice rang in his ear:

"Mission assigned. Objective: Climb the Repentance Abyss. As this is the host's first mission, a path will be automatically generated."

To Chen Bai's astonishment, a multitude of stones highlighted in a radiant blue hue materialized before him. Without any conscious command, his body sprawled onto the stones, and he began to ascend, hands and feet scrabbling for purchase.

"Hey! Isn't there a reward for this mission? Ouch! Take it easy, I'm terrified!"