Half dragged by master Xuan Zi, a depressed Xuhan was forced to enter a small, empty cell with white walls and no windows. Master Xuan Zi explained the rules of the technique to him patiently before locking him in and vanishing out of sight.
Apparently, the walls were made of precious materials that could, to some extent, block the interference of heavenly dao and stabilise any sort of danger from its part. Several masters from the sect would gather outside and help with the process of stimulating his memory seal, which was apparently a unique feature of every reincarnated being who had the touch of heavenly law in their fate.
While the whole process sounded very simple and harmless, Xuhan couldn't help but feel unsettled at how lackadaisical Xuan Zi's behaviour was. He didn't seem very concerned about the dangers of the technique. To him it seemed, Xuhan's life wasn't worth much. After all, he was just another mortal mired by bad luck and an eyesore of the heavenly dao. Even if he survived this ordeal and turned out to be a harmless cultivator in his previous life, he was bound to attract disasters every now and then. Who could guarantee that he'd live long anyway?
Terribly glum, Xuhan paced around the room while his brain raced. He had no reason to think that Xuan Zi was lying. Why would an esteemed cultivator of the prestigious Crimson Snow sect bother to stage such drama with a mere mortal? At least most of his explanation had to be true. If that was the case, what was his story in his previous incarnation? Was he really a powerful cultivator whose existence wasn't tolerated by the heavens? Although it sounded very cool to phrase it this way and could probably make every imaginative young man's blood boil in excitement and pride, Xuhan was far from feeling anything of that sort.
The only reason he wanted to cultivate was to become a prestigious expert and live a life full of luxury and laziness. He had no intention of achieving incredible feats and contend with the celestial above heavens for the position of godly status. What sort of a buffoon would bother to do all that anyway?
Now though, things were going into a direction he had no control of. He sincerely hoped that his past incarnation had been as low-key and charismatic as his current self. Hopefully, he would be counted as one of those unlucky fellows who got caught up in these heavenly dao's hijinks and had no clue what had hit him before dying tragically young, preferably with a couple dozen of tearful young maidens attending his funeral and lamenting about how they had missed their chance of expressing their love to him when he was alive...
Ahhh...what a heart-rending scene it must have been....!
Losing interest in imagining further about how those maidens would have to forget their love for him and marry somebody else, which made Xuhan feel like a husband who has been cuckolded, he decided to focus on more pressing matters, such as the murmurings outside. Seems like they're about to begin. Preparing himself for the worst, Xuhan closed his eyes and sat down in the middle of the cell.
Soon, the voices outside quieted down and Xuhan felt a chill spreading inside the cell. It was as if countless predators were gazing at him hungrily. His mind was suddenly assaulted by a great pang of unrest and fear. His thoughts turned chaotic and aimless. A sound similar to constant strokes of guzheng surrounded his consciousness. The volume increased and increased. Countless roars exploded within his head. The frequency of the guzheng had reached an unimaginable level, nearly making him clap his hands over his ears. He could feel a strange sort of detachment from his own body. Heavy shackles seemed to bind him and drag him back to his body while his soul felt like an explosive in its last moments.
CRAACCKK!!!
An inaudible, yet somehow terrifyingly loud sound rumbled inside the cell. Xuhan felt a rush of nausea while countless shards of information flowed inside his brain as if they had been waiting for just this moment. Scenes after scenes, words after words flashed through him while he lay on his back, unable to move. As his consciousness became somewhat tranquil and free from all those pestering interferences, Xuhan began to process the information that had been freed from the seal. What he saw, however, was beyond anything he could have imagined in his wildest dreams. Forget being the eyesore of the heavens, this...was... simply mind-numbing!
The elders and esteemed masters outside were impatiently waiting for Xuhan to recover. After all, today was the selection of their future disciples. How would they have enough time on their hands to waste on this one young man whom no one wanted to take in as a disciple?
Yes, that's right. Almost no sect would easily take in a potential disaster like him. Who knows when he might just attract a mini apocalypse while breaking through? Who would dare to bear such risks?
"Master Xuan Zi, it seems that the technique was successful. We can edit some parts and improve it slightly before archiving it on the fifth floor of the archives pavilion."
"I agree. But I'm more interested in what the boy shows us. Should it be anything remotely risky, we'll have to follow the protocols, unfortunately for him. Sigh...these mortals are really pitiful. "
"When have the heavens ever been fair?"
As the masters discussed in a low tone, Xuan Zi suddenly perked up and hushed everyone.
"Use your astral senses and observe. The boy is about to recover. The heavenly dao should have noticed what has happened. Based on how much it had interfered with his fate in the past, an appropriate reaction would surely come. Gauge the amount of thunder and heavenly laws that assault the walls of the cell. That should be more than enough to gauge whether this boy is a threat to us or not. Moreover, he himself might let slip some emotions now that he remembers his previous life. That should give us a clue too. Master Wudi, use your secret technique of reading people's emotions. A mortal like him wouldn't be any different from an open book in front of that technique. "
If you encounter this tale on Amazon, note that it's taken without the author's consent. Report it.
Master Wudi nodded and focused his astral senses on the boy who seemed to be in a daze as he slowly sat up. He couldn't read anything too significant from his expression. The boy seemed confused, still in denial and disbelief, and rather rattled.
Focusing his mind, Wudi muttered the incantation of his secret technique and released a wisp of his astral sense to invade the boy's consciousness on a superficial level.
He was confused, seemingly because he couldn't understand how these reincarnation things worked...the stray thoughts were caught by master Wudi's senses.
He was in disbelief because of what he had seen in those memories...and how strange this world was ???
Wudi's brows cramped with slight confusion but he didn't think much of it. The world changes with every era. If the boy was a cultivator in the past, he might have been alive thousands of years ago. No wonder he was confused about the state of the world right now.
He was also rattled by... the dangers around him? What was that about? Does the boy think the Crimson Snow Sect is a demonic sect that would kill him without any regard for rules and regulations? Had Master Xuan Zi scared him silly? Doesn't seem very bright, this lad...
While various stray thoughts of Xuhan's mind were being captured one by one with the help of Master Wudi's secret technique, most elders of the sect were focused on the gathering of heavenly dao as it is supposed to come for the boy's life any moment now....
Except it didn't. Minutes passed. There was not even the slightest fluctuation in the heavenly laws around them, let alone assaulting the walls of the cell. Technically, the whole ordeal should have been over with by now. But the heavenly dao was inexplicably absent from the show.
"Erm...master Xuan Zi, it can't be that..."
"Yeah, seems like the boy isn't a particular threat..."
"But isn't this strange? It is absolutely certain that the heavenly dao has punished him before. Then how come it forgot about his reincarnation? This is illogical!"
The multitude of masters present was flabbergasted by this phenomenon, or more accurately, the lack of any phenomenon at all...
"...Master Wudi, has that boy revealed anything yet?"
"No, master Zi. His thoughts aren't particularly interesting. It's the same as any mortal who has remembered his previous life. Nothing particular sticks out, except that he seems a bit scared of everything right now. In fact, he seems a bit too scared for some reason..."
"Scared? Of what? It can't be that his memories allowed him to discover any particular threat to him here? Immediately siege every single strand of his thoughts regarding this! It's our only chance left!"
"That...I'm afraid, is a bit difficult to explain. I've already investigated. And seems like he is scared of the words 'cultivators', 'immortals', 'jade skin' (???), 'breakthrough', 'Dao', 'duels'..."
As master Wudi listed the words one by one, everyone's expression became increasingly odd. What is exactly wrong with those words? Was the boy a retard in his previous life?
More and more confusing words kept coming, some seemingly absolutely meaningless. If the masters were flabbergasted before, they were completely stunned now...
Meanwhile, Han Xuhan, the newly awakened boy, was staring vacantly at the air while screaming inside.
My God! What crimes did I commit in my previous life to deserve this? Noooo! Not a damn Xianxia world! Heavens, why??? I have reincarnated into a xianxia world...! Aaagghhh....
Master Xuan Zi, who had been focused on Xuhan's figure, suddenly warned everyone.
"He's moving. Look! Listen carefully and see if he says or reveals anything extraordinary. "
Xuhan leapt from the floor and touched himself all over.
No damned lockets with mysterious origins, no damned rings with a sleeping grandpa or loli, no damned suspicious tattoos or birthmark, no damned strange object inside my mind or thoughts, no damned beautiful maiden's soul hiding inside mine, not even a damned system.
FUCK! I REINCARNATED WITHOUT A SINGLE CHEAT!
Does that mean I'm not the main character? Oh, God! I can't be the villain or something, right? Or even a minor side character that dies half a dozen chapters later to provide emotional support for the mc! Oh hell no, this is bad...
Well, at least I'm not the heroine, thank God, nothing gets worse than that...
What should I do?! Those old fogies outside might start to get suspicious if this goes on, right?
Xuhan's brain raced. He was absolutely sure that that bastard Xuan Zi was watching him. How to turn this situation around and feign ignorance...
Seems like I'll have to use my trump card!
Snorting loudly, Xuhan started voicing out his "thoughts " at the moment.
"Huh, is that it? I was a simple mortal in my previous life who was mistakenly dragged into this mess? What a disaster!"
Master Xuan Zi, who had really been observing him twitched with anger. Did this brat think he could dupe immortals with his two-bit scamming skills?
Turning his head around, he wriggled his eyebrows at master Wudi, who was still using his secret technique to read minds.
"He...doesn't seem to be lying, at least on the part of being a simple mortal. That much I can guarantee. However, he seems to be exaggerating a few details to prove his innocence..." master Wudi explained with a complicated expression.
Master Xuan Zi was flummoxed. Although his heart insisted that there was something queer about this brat, he couldn't refute Wudi's words.
"That's actually not a bad outcome then. At least, we can safely assume that the boy shouldn't be too much of a danger to those around him. It must've been a mistake on the part of the heavenly dao," another elder chimed in ruefully.
"All that trouble for nothing. Fine, he lives. So what do we do now? His aptitude wasn't too bad on the test. The bloodline was barely acceptable. We can't refuse to accept him. Who wants to take him in as a disciple?" Another elder spoke.
No one voiced out their affirmation.
The atmosphere became rather awkward.
"Erm... how about we send him to elder Daheng's pavilion?" One elder proposed tentatively. Suddenly everyone seemed to find the suggestion very proper and justified.
Let's dump this trash on the guy who is absent!
"Yes, yes. Elder Daheng shall be the perfect teacher for this boy. Absolutely!"
"I agree!"
"Me too! I don't have the qualifications to teach this outstanding young man!"
While everyone shamelessly voiced their agreement and looked at master Xuan Zi for support, he frowned but silently nodded after a few moments.
"Before sending him there, let's observe a little more. I have a strange feeling that the boy might let out some crucial information while muttering to himself. A simple mortal like him has no idea that we can observe him despite the walls between us."
Xuhan was starting to get nervous. Were they still suspicious? Do I really have to use my trump card like this?
This might lead to some dangerous changes but I have to make sure these guys don't keep spying on me until I let something slip or decide to experiment on me again...
"Huh, I wonder if anyone is watching me right now. I heard that the immortal cultivators are like godly beings who can observe situations from far away. It can't be that they're spying on me right now, right? Well, that master Xuan Zi sure looked like a voyeur who enjoys peeping on people. I wonder if he spies on the female elders and disciples of the sect..." Xuhan spoke VERY loudly while silently apologising to master Xuan Zi.
Seconds later, an infuriated roar came from outside...