Chapter Nine: The Soul’s Transition

-In a distant world known as **Xing Hua**—a place brimming with secrets and mystery—five continents stretched beneath the vast sky, each unique but none as formidable or influential as the continent of **Qing Muy**. This sprawling land was home to the ancient Qing Empire, with its grand capital, **Qing Long**, a city where different powers converged, and destinies often collided.

At the outskirts of this empire, in a forest near the capital, there was a young boy named **Ling Tian**. Though only fifteen, his spirit bore the weight of a life marked by hardship and loss. His dark eyes, deep and sorrowful, reflected years of silent struggle. His ragged clothing, thin and torn, clung to him like a second skin, blending him into the muddy earth beneath. He moved quietly, a shadow among the trees, bound to a life of poverty that left no room for warmth or hope.

Among the trees, Ling Tian bent down to gather wild herbs and plants, carefully placing them in an old bag slung over his shoulder. To him, this bag was a treasure chest holding his entire world. His life was a bleak routine, an endless cycle of foraging and selling to earn enough for a single meal. It was a life of narrow boundaries, like a maze without an exit, where each step led only to another dead end cloaked in despair.

As the sun began to dip below the horizon, the sky turned a mix of gold and deepening blue, casting the forest in an ethereal glow, a final farewell to another day lost to history. Ling Tian raised his head to the sky, surrendering to the beauty of the sunset yet unable to feel peace. Instead, a weight settled on him, a heaviness born of questions he could no longer ignore. Why was I born to live like this? Am I truly nothing more than a weak creature, forever bound to a fate I cannot change?

He looked down at his dirt-stained hands, the hands of a boy who knew only labor, a boy who fought solely for survival. In his heart, he felt a wrenching despair. This was not a fleeting doubt but a deep, aching search for meaning. Was he truly meant to be a mere shadow in a world ruled by the strong? Anger simmered within him, a quiet fury, like embers smoldering beneath the ash of his helplessness.

In the world of **Xing Hua**, there was no place for the weak; the rule was absolute: "The strong devour the weak." Ling Tian despised his own reality, but more than that, he resented the laws of this world, as if he were rebelling against fate itself. How could the value of a life be reduced to strength or weakness? Why was life given so freely to some and denied so cruelly to others?

As he lost himself in the whirlpool of his thoughts, a branch cracked behind him. The sound of slow, deliberate footsteps echoed through the silence, each step heavy—like an omen from another realm. Ling Tian froze, his breathing quickening, his heartbeat pounding with an unnamed fear. He tried to ignore the sound, but the threat grew closer, the footsteps echoing through the forest's quiet like a deadly promise.

Before he could fully turn around, something sharp and brutal tore into his body—a large claw slicing into his abdomen with terrifying strength. Pain seared through him, an agony that seemed to burn his very soul, as if the universe wanted to mark him with one final, merciless scar. With trembling eyes, he looked up and saw before him a monstrous creature, its fur dark and its eyes glowing red, a beast that embodied violence without mercy. It was a living nightmare, holding his life in its claws.

Ling Tian felt his life slipping away, his spirit dissolving with every drop of blood that left his body. He could neither scream nor move, as though the world had decided to snuff out his existence in utter silence. As his vision began to blur and he crumpled to the ground, one final question echoed in his mind: Is this… the end?

Hours passed after the beast left, and the night had wrapped the forest in a heavy, solemn silence, as though mourning the lost life. Then, in that same place where Ling Tian had fallen, his eyes suddenly opened. But these were not the eyes of a boy defeated by despair. They gleamed with a strange awareness, a spark of life that belonged to someone else entirely. It was not Ling Tian who had opened his eyes; it was **Kaelin**.

Kaelin, having ventured into the mysteries of interdimensional travel for the first time, found himself awakening in a body that wasn't his own. He raised his head slowly, greeted by the dark embrace of the surrounding forest, the dense stillness, and the scent of damp earth mingling with pine. There was something alien about this silence, as if he were suspended between worlds, between an old life and a new one.

He moved his limbs tentatively; and little by little, he grasped the astonishing truth: this was not his body. He lifted his hand to his eyes, examining the slender, roughened fingers marked by labor, the coarse skin, and the unfamiliar shape of his face. What is happening here?

Suddenly, a sharp pain shot through his head, a piercing agony as though thousands of needles were burrowing into his mind. The pain reordered his thoughts, sorting memories from reality, past from present. Strange images flooded his consciousness, pouring into him as if from a foreign soul: memories of a young boy who had known only suffering. He saw a sorrowful childhood, a mother who died at his birth and a father who took his own life a year later. He saw a life spent under the weight of isolation, bullied by others, denied his dream of entering the academy because magic was never part of his destiny.

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A name echoed in his mind: **Ling Tian**. A boy he had never known, yet who now lived within him as if they were bound together. Kaelin realized that he was inhabiting Ling Tian's body, that his own soul had somehow fused into this form after activating his ability to travel between worlds.

Kaelin sat in silence, leaning against a tree trunk, contemplating the life of this young boy whose body he now occupied. He could feel the scars left by life on Ling Tian, as though they had carved themselves into his own spirit. He took a deep breath, attempting to absorb all that had happened, all that Ling Tian had endured. The memories stirred something deep within him—a profound sense of empathy, a simmering anger, as if the universe itself had wronged this boy without cause.

In that moment, Kaelin understood something crucial: he had been given the chance to experience another life. But it was more than a mere experience; it was a journey of reflection, a question of existence itself, of the nature of strength and weakness. What, truly, was strength? Was it merely physical power, or was it an indomitable will that transcended the limits of the body?

He placed a hand on his abdomen, feeling the faint scar left by the beast's claw, a reminder that life could indeed return after death, that the body could heal. But he knew that Ling Tian's soul could find no such easy healing. Perhaps Ling Tian had lacked the power to alter his fate… but I am here now to try.

Suddenly, the system broke its silence, announcing itself in Kaelin's mind: "Ding: Congratulations, Host, for successfully transitioning into the world of **Xing Hua**!" "Time limit for your stay in this world: 20 years. You may return to your original world at any time, retaining all that you have gained." "Primary mission: No mandatory mission. Live and train in peace." "Side missions: None at the moment."

Kaelin was surprised by the system messages that appeared abruptly. It seemed as though this new world granted him the freedom to choose, with no obligations or burdens. Yet he knew that this freedom held its challenges and invited him to ponder deeply over his purpose. Should I live a quiet life here? Or should I strive to fulfill both my dreams and those of this body I now inhabit?

He looked around slowly, sensing the forest that surrounded him. The towering trees swayed like silent guardians, their leaves glimmering under the cold silver of the moonlight, as if whispering secrets of the past.

Raising his hand, Kaelin tried to summon the **chi**—the vital energy that had always been part of his identity as a martial artist in his original world. In that world, chi was the life force flowing through nature, a latent energy present in everything around him. Martial artists learned to regulate their breath and control their bodies to channel this energy through internal pathways, called "meridians," to enhance their strength and unlock extraordinary abilities.

But here, in this foreign body, the chi did not respond as it once did. He felt an emptiness, as though his new body lacked the meridians he had relied upon. He raised his hand again and again, trying to summon the energy, but only silence answered him. He hesitated, then closed his eyes and took a deep breath, accepting the reality. Perhaps I have lost the power I once knew, but I have not lost my spirit. My will remains unchanged, no matter the world or the body.

At that moment, the system's voice interrupted his thoughts, offering an explanation of the essential differences between **Xing Hua** and his original world:

"Ding: Host, the world of **Xing Hua** is centered on magic. In this world, sorcerers rely on a unique system housed within their hearts, known as 'Heart Rings.' These rings form within the sorcerer's heart and serve as both a reservoir and a means of controlling magic."

Kaelin paused, absorbing this idea slowly. **Heart Rings**… This was a concept entirely unfamiliar to him. In his original world, there was no such notion; chi flowed through the body's entire network, with no single organ serving as a center. Here, however, power was directly tied to the heart, which pulsed with magical energy and stored it within, enabling those with Heart Rings to wield magic without needing chi as he knew it.

The system continued its explanation:

"In your previous world, the 'spiritual root' was a foundational element of strength. This root allowed individuals to access chi and determined its type and quality, making it one of the most important qualifications within sects. However, in **Xing Hua**, the spiritual root is not valued in the same way; it is nearly irrelevant to power here. Instead, sorcerers rely entirely on their Heart Rings, and for this reason, they neither value nor understand spiritual roots."

Kaelin felt a mixture of surprise and sadness. So, this body he now inhabited—Ling Tian's body—possessed a spiritual root that held no worth in this world. Now he understood why Ling Tian had led such an insignificant life, ultimately dying without ever finding a path to greatness. Had Ling Tian been born in Kaelin's world, where spiritual roots were treasured, he might have had a completely different destiny; Ling Tian might have become a great warrior, or even a disciple in one of the powerful sects if someone had discovered his hidden potential.

"In this body, you possess an earth-grade lightning spiritual root. In your world, this root would be considered average but useful. Here, however, it is nearly worthless, as spiritual roots do not form the basis of strength. Nonetheless, chi still exists in this world, though it is weaker and less abundant than what you are accustomed to."

Kaelin pondered the implications of this information. So, in this world, even possessing a spiritual root does not confer status or strength. Here, everything revolves around magic and the rings formed within the heart, not the spiritual roots or meridian paths he had once known.

With this thought, Kaelin grasped a new perspective on the nature of strength. In his original world, strength was defined by innate talents like spiritual roots and the ability to harness chi. But here, in this world, power was entirely dependent on an unfamiliar system centered around Heart Rings instead.

He allowed himself a faint smile, tinged with irony. What a paradox! Ling Tian had lived his life feeling powerless, never knowing he possessed something of value—had he been in my world, he would have been treasured. But here, he died without ever realizing his potential.

Then a thought struck Kaelin: Is true power defined only by the system that governs us? Or can we carve out our own path, even in a world that doesn't recognize our strengths?

He began to understand that this new journey was not just an opportunity to gain new powers, but also a test of his will and adaptability. Could he create his own place in a world that disregarded his original sources of strength? He would have to learn the secrets of magic here, to discover ways to merge his past experience with what he could learn now. Perhaps he would have to start anew, but this time with a deeper understanding and greater wisdom.

Kaelin took a deep breath and gazed at the trees around him, their towering forms standing as silent witnesses to his reflections. The dark sky above and the cold night air brushing against his skin made him feel part of a world he was just beginning to understand. He may have lost the chi he once commanded, but his spirit remained, and his will was unshaken.

He whispered to himself as though making a vow to this new world: I may be a stranger here, but I will not stop until I discover what I can achieve in this body, in this world. Power isn't just in the elements; it lies in the soul's ability to transcend limitations.

And under the quiet gaze of the silver moon, Kaelin stood, looking up as if to greet the beginning of a new journey—one filled with secrets and challenges.