Chapter One: Bumper to the Afterlife

I always thought if I were to die young, it’d be something dramatic—saving a child from a burning building or maybe heroically choking on a chicken bone during finals week. Never, ever, did I think it would involve a car and a complete stranger’s inability to figure out where the brake pedal was.

The day had started so mundanely. College classes had dragged on as usual—three hours of lectures where the professor’s monotone voice could have been weaponized in a war zone. I walked out of the campus gates feeling as free as a bird until I realized I had an entire evening of assignments waiting for me.

“Oh well,” I muttered, stretching. “At least the air smells like freedom.”

Freedom, as it turns out, smelled a lot like roasted peanuts and exhaust fumes. The streets were their usual chaotic selves. Vendors yelled about discounts, kids darted around like caffeinated squirrels, and somewhere in the distance, a dog barked in disapproval of the universe. I shoved my headphones in and shuffled down the crosswalk like any other college student, half in my own world, half wondering if ramen or instant noodles would be tonight's dinner.

That’s when I heard it.

“OH, SH—MOVE! MOVE! DAMN BRAKES!”

The shout ripped through my earbuds like a banshee on steroids. My head snapped up just in time to see a gleaming hunk of metal charging toward me like an angry bull at a matador convention.

“What the—?!”

My brilliant survival instincts kicked in. I froze. Like a deer in headlights. Perfect. Great job, brain.

The driver, a middle-aged guy with a face redder than a ripe tomato, was leaning halfway out of the window. His hands were flailing, and his curses were so colorful they could paint the Mona Lisa all over again.

“GET OUT OF THE WAY, YOU IDIOT!” he screamed, yanking at the wheel.

Now, this might sound weird, but in that moment, my brain decided to focus on the most random detail: his mustache. It looked like two fuzzy caterpillars doing a jig. What an odd thing to notice before dying.

Time slowed to a crawl. Or maybe it sped up. Who knows? One second I was standing, the next I was flying. Not in a majestic, superhero way—more like a ragdoll tossed by an angry toddler. The world spun, and all I could think was, Wow, this asphalt is going to ruin my jeans.

When I hit the ground, everything went black. Not the kind of “black” where you close your eyes and it’s dark but comforting. No, this was the void. No light. No sound. Just... nothingness.

“Hello?” My voice echoed like I was shouting into an empty cave. “Is anyone there? Did I... die?”

No response. Figures. Even in the afterlife, customer service is nonexistent.

I tried to move but realized I wasn’t standing, sitting, or even lying down. I was just... floating. Suspended in some weird limbo. So this is what it feels like to be a marshmallow in hot cocoa.

Time was impossible to measure. Minutes? Hours? Years? All I knew was that I had way too much time to think. And by “think,” I mean panic.

“Okay, let’s reason this out,” I muttered, waving my nonexistent arms. “I got hit by a car. That’s clear. But where’s the light at the end of the tunnel? The pearly gates? The big guy upstairs? Heck, I’d even take a paperwork line in the underworld. But noooo, I get... this.”

My voice grew louder with every word, my frustration bubbling over. “Is this a budget afterlife? Did I not accumulate enough karma points for the premium package?”

I snorted at my own joke, but the sound faded quickly into the void. I wasn’t even sure if I was smiling. “Maybe this is just purgatory. Yeah. A timeout for the soul. Makes sense. I’ve been late to class so many times that even the universe decided I needed detention.”

Just as I was getting comfortable with my sarcastic self-pity, the void shifted.

At first, it was subtle—a faint pull, like someone had hooked a string to my chest. Then it wasn’t so subtle. The pull turned into a yank, dragging me like a fish on a line.

“HEY! What the—?! I’m not a kite!” I yelled, flailing. Not that flailing helped. The force was relentless, spinning me faster and faster. It felt like being sucked into a cosmic toilet bowl.

“WHOEVER’S DOING THIS, I HOPE YOU STEP ON A LEGO!”

And then, just as suddenly as it started, it stopped. The darkness shattered like glass, and I was slammed into... softness?

"Wait it's not fully soft... It's kind of hard and cold... By any chance is it ground? I could feel it in my cheeks, it's really mud.. . For a moment I thought I went to accident scene.

But air feels different, it's not like anything before, how should I put it's fresh, unlike the usual air full of pollution, clean- with the slight smell of herbs I think.

I blinked. Once. Twice. My head was pounding, my body felt weirdly light, and my vision swam like I’d just gotten off a rollercoaster.

When the world finally came into focus, I realized I was staring at a unbelievably blue sky.

“Wait... Unbelievably blue sky? Herbs?” I mumbled, sitting up. “Did I wake up in a traditional medicine shop? N-no how could a sky pop out a medicine shop?”

I looked down at my hands and froze. They weren’t my hands. Gone were the slightly calloused fingers from years of video games and cheap pens. These hands were smooth, slender, and... dainty?

“What. The. Hell.”

I scrambled out , my heart pounding like a drum. The person staring at me had a sharp eye which was genuinely no matched with his old face features, long white beards , and an a air that practically screamed, “Wuxia drama character.”

“What kind of discount reincarnation is this?!” I yelled, “I didn’t sign up for this! Who do I talk to about a refund?”

“Young Master, did you wake up?” a young voice called.

I stared at the him, my mind spinning. Young Master? Oh no. Oh no, no, no. I’ve read enough novels to know where this is going...

And thus began my second life—thrown into a world I didn’t recognize, in a body that wasn’t mine, with the overwhelming realization that things were about to get a lot weirder.

Unlawfully taken from Royal Road, this story should be reported if seen on Amazon.

An old man with a long white beard, looking at me with a worried look on his face. He wore a elaborate dark blue robe and a jade-topped staff in his hand laying on the ground. There are two more young man in robes, let's forget about there detailed explanation, they're not important though they seem anxious.

"The Ch-chest Pain" One of them called out.

"I don't think there's chest pain anymore, he seems quite stable" Other one interrupted. "Young master do you remember what happened, you collapsed from from chest pain you are out from more than two hours. I was applying emergency spiritual technique, healing but nothing seems to work"

I sit up and "I ... " My voice was different it's— smoother. "what happened? "

WHAT—THE—HELL

What's more surpring was I was talking in a different language which somehow I seem to understand perfectly.

The old man—Elder Zhou, magically I knew his name—helped me by checking my chest again carefully.

My brain was spinning and why wouldn't it I was in a unknown place, with unknown people and that's not enough I was in a fucking unknown persons body. Can you imagine my situation! Though that's not the end of surprise I was also taking in a different which I don't know but also know so I draw a conclusion I fucking traveld in a different world.

I'm sure of it or it don't make sense at all, its not like a hallucinations be this real.

Okay, let's be calm, I told myself. First thing first let's assess the situation.

First—I died and I'm sure that wasn't a illusion

Second—apparently I'm surrounded by unknown people who seem to run way straight out from wuxia drama .

Third—I'm now terrorized a different persons body, though I don't know where that person is soul is ; how can someone leave his body to another.

Ah, there's also the memories I don't recognize in my head because of it my head is jumbled up and I'm having identity crisis every thing mixing like noodles in my head.

The body I'm currently in apparently it was the body of— a young man named lin ming, the son of a small family from black wood Village. Thanks to my luck he had been chosen by a immortal masters to join their sect. It's a very rare occurrence to be chosen by them also great honor but let's ignore this and think it as my luck being good.

Elder zhou was the one choose lin ming as he noticed his potential when spiritual sensitivity testing. And the other two man behind him who was ignored by me previously was his diciple, and also responsibile for Porter and bodyguard duty.

Umm i think it's bad to ignore people let's get along with them if there's chance later.

But how could it happen to the original owner a heart attack this powerful that that his body become excellent shell for my soul to reside and it may be body snatching but he may also be passed way, let sent him a prayer later ... As I'm seeing this is probably a cultivation world so how could a heart attack happens.

Great. Not only I crossedover worlds, but also snatched someones body at last moment, and now I'm going to a fantasy sect ,in modern word a school but I'm a university students.

Lets not joke around anymore.

"The outer sect is not far anymore, we should be able to reach before nightfall" The old man announced. He then turned to me "lin ming you should keep in mind what I told you"

"Yes" So when I'm rearrangeing my memories he seems to tell that we have to bow to serior deciples. Address them as "senior brother" Or "senior sistor" And Never look directly to elders and not speak untill permission given.

Well I also don't want to offend someone in a unfamiliar world where people apparently use spiritual technique, it's the last thing I wish for.

It's been severel hours we started our journey most of the way every one doing there own thing, so I got enough time to sort out those jumbled memories, but how come this memories are coming to me I don't know, and don't want know.

The landscape gradually changed as we went near to our destination. The gentle hills giving a long terrains, in distence I can see mountain and there peaks covered in cloud and mist. The air grew thinner as we move forward, I found myself teking deeper breaths.

"Those are the sacred peaks of our sect" Elder zhou talked, noticing my gaze. " What you see is just the tip of a iceberg, mortal environment of white cloud peak, and also your future hom, there many wonders you see later."

"Home" Well shit I was trying my best to not remember those things, what would happened of my body, is it still there laying, is my family members crying, but most important question is time passes samely between two world all question came to mind.

Two gureds stood unmovingly they had similar robes like master zhou,"Elder Zhou safe returns" They stated respectfully as we approached. They glanced at me, " We trust your search was fruitfull? "

"Indeed" Elder zhou replied. "He must be the candidate you choosen, promising indeed"

The Guards nodded an made a hand gesture. The gates began to swing open silently, apparently those things which were like walls of at least Fifty feet tall are turned out to be gates with dragon symbols drawn.

Beyond those doors were sprawl of building's that seemed floating

where physics rules went, did they went to lunch?

The area was preached on impossible cliffs and connected and delicate looking bridges that swayed in winds. Every building has the same blue color with swooping roofs and spires that pierced clouds ahead.

"Welcome", Elder zhou said, " To white cloud peak, your new home "

"Lin ming" Elder's voice snapped me out, "are you unwell? "

I had become absentminded, "I.. It's just too overwhelming master?"

He replied with a soft voice, " It's normal to feel like this for the first time, many people find themselves overwhelmed seeing this sacred peak. We can wait take your time and then we will go to register you in outer court yard. "

I took a deep breath, forcing down the grief, panic which I was feeling from the moment I opened my eyes here, in the mantion of home overwhelmed me. Lets dwell on this later now, my instinct was telling me that survival comes first who wants to die a second time when he wake up in a strange other world, with strange rules.

In this strange world showing weakness was taboo.

We crossed one of those seemingly fragile bridges, which was unexpectedly more stable than my life now. The view extremely luxurious , breathtaking but at the same time it was terrifying. Clouds swirled below, and the wind carried whishpers that seemed almost like voices. Every now and then, I caught glimpses of figures moving through the air in the distance, maybe in this world there are many superman varients reside.

The outer diciple quarter turned out to be a flock of same coloured buildings in the base of smaller peaks. Many young man , women in the plain blue robes doing there own business, some carrying books or strange implement who know what they are atleast I don't know yet.

Elder zhou led me to a a building where wrriten "Registration" In big characters. While the other two diciples waited outside. Inside, there's environment was quite dire, looking like —that one teacher of school whom every student fears and stay quite in his presence? .

That old lady sat in a desk which was covered in scrolls and a box full of —jade tablets I guess.

She didn't looked up as we entered, " Name? " Asked in bored but heavy tone.

"Lin ming from Blackwood Village, superior spiritual sensitivity, great affinity in Wood path" Elder Zhou answered in my behalf. . That lady looked up at master Zhou voice, her eyes were sharp which has transcends age.

"Dormitory five ,cell three" She said handling me one those jade tablets from that box. "This your identification tokan. Do no lose it. Your sect robes and besic will provided by the Dormitory master, do not be let for morning assembly. "

Well that was smooth....

I accepted the tablet , "I won't accompany you further, do your best in path of cultivation, remember to stay true to your path, and maintain dignity of the sect."

I bowed and said " Thanks master for your guidance " The old elder nodded then turned and left without saying anything.

The dormitory master was a old man with wrinkling face, he take a look in the identification tokan and started Prepareing items from various shelfs: three sets of uniform, besic writing materials and other unknown objects, I don't know. He put everything in storage bag and throw into my arms.

"Besic materials are free for first month from next time you have to buy through set currency. ". I nodded and take my way to dormitory five, to tell you it was hassle figuring out the direction but thankfully a helpful outer disciple helped.

Cell three turned out to be a small but clean room with a narrow bed , a desk and a self for arranging personal items.

Finally I see from the cell window I could see one of many courtyards, and there i could see some family members accompanying the disciples who had apparently come to see them off.

Thankfully I had no such farewell, and apparently it's good my parents are not in this world and who could I handle them who technically not mine .

Sitting on the bed I allowed myself to process every thing, it was such a tough day seriously.

"Okay! You got this.... " I told myself " Just take one step at a time. "

The sun setting behind the secred peaks, the shadow of those mountain Streching slowing in some distance, sometimes someone goies flying while ignoreing law of gravity, and the clouds who know how many miles away one could hear a melody floating cutting the clouds and wind, possibly flute.

I read many stories regarding cultivation in earth, there are many ways to start cultivation, so my first task is figuring out the nature of cultivation "So , yeah you got this as long you maintain transparency". let's not die again ever, and to make it possible stay low key and and become a cultivation nerd.