001 A Madman's Gamble

I stood at the mountain’s peak, my feet planted firmly on the jagged rocks, as the wind howled like a starving beast. The sky above churned in fury, dark clouds rolling in like a tide of doom. Thunder roared, and streaks of lightning slashed through the heavens like the wrathful strokes of an angry god. The Heavenly Tribulation was never an easy thing.

“Strike me if you could! I dare you!” I bellowed, my grizzled white hair whipping wildly in the wind. “This old man ain’t dead yet!”

Heavenly Tribulations only occurred for two reasons—either someone was on the verge of a significant cultivation breakthrough, stepping closer to immortality, or some lunatic was trying to tamper with the heavenly laws that governed this world.

No one in their right mind would dare attempt the latter. It was practically an open invitation for a one-way trip to the afterlife.

So why the hell was there a Heavenly Tribulation aimed directly at me? Was I achieving a grand breakthrough? Or... was I the aforementioned lunatic?

Yeah, I was the latter.

And oh, I regretted it already. Almost.

I convinced myself it was just lightning—big, flashy, and deadly, sure, but nothing I hadn’t dealt with before. I’d already died once; what was one more time? This was just a test of my luck—at the expense of my lifespan, of course. But if there was no gain, I wouldn’t be doing this in the first place.

So.

“Make me regret it, you fucking clouds!”

The sky responded with an ominous rumble, the swirling mass of storm clouds brimming with untamed power. Lightning coiled within like a beast eager to strike, and I met its challenge head-on with the only response it deserved.

I flipped it off.

With both hands.

“Fuck you!” I shouted at the heavens, my middle fingers proudly raised. “Fuck you twice!”

ZAAAP!

BANG!

A blinding streak of lightning tore through the sky, aiming straight for me. But it never touched me.

Instead, it struck the gleaming object standing proudly beside me—my very own creation.

A lightning rod.

Not just any lightning rod, though. This was something forged with my own ‘genius,’ a blend of wacky sciences I half-remembered from my past life and the mystical properties of this damn cultivation world. It was expensive, dangerously experimental, and if I was being honest, a gamble in itself.

But for now, it worked.

“Hahahaha! Are you blind!?” I taunted the sky. “Missed me again!”

If a news reporter from my previous life saw me now, the headline would probably read: "Madman Yells at Clouds—Lives to Tell the Tale."

ZAP! ZAAAAP!

Another barrage of lightning struck down, each bolt hungrily drawn to my rod, sparing me from its wrath. I grinned like a lunatic, because, well, I was one.

The truth was, I had nothing to lose. The body I now inhabited belonged to an old man with a shattered cultivation and no Dantian to speak of—a death sentence in a world where strength was everything. The odds of survival, let alone prosperity, were slim.

So why not bet it all?

If I succeeded, I’d have a chance to change my fate. If I failed? Well, at least I wouldn’t have to worry about growing old and weak in a world that had no place for the powerless.

It was a win-win situation.

Even if it was insane.

"What!? Is that all you got!?"

I stood atop the desolate mountain peak, the winds howling around me as if the heavens themselves were screaming in frustration. My frail, withered hands clenched into fists, shaking—whether from excitement or fear, I wasn't sure. The storm raged above, but the lightning had yet to claim me.

Fu Shi—that was my name now. A wandering cultivator, once renowned as the Game Master, reduced to a crippled old man with a destroyed Dantian. But before all that? I had been a game designer.

And now, that was the real tragedy.

Not that I couldn’t cultivate. Not that I was a powerless relic in a world where strength dictated survival. No, the greatest pain was the knowledge that I could no longer create games. In a world deprived of the internet, computers, and everything I once used to bring my visions to life, how was I supposed to fulfill my purpose?

That emptiness gnawed at me. A life without game design? A future where I could no longer create? I refused to accept that.

And so, I had made my choice.

If I could just succeed in bending the Heavenly Laws to my will, I wouldn’t just reclaim my ability to cultivate—I would recreate my dream. A world where I could build, experiment, and design.

I would develop my greatest game yet.

I grinned at the furious sky, spreading my arms wide. "You couldn't, wouldn't, shouldn't stop me! You're just another game waiting to be made!"

With that, I sat in the lotus position, closed my eyes, and meditated.

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I wasn't just gambling with my life—I was gambling with the very fabric of reality.

As I delved into my newly inherited memories, I found myself dancing between my past and Fu Shi’s.

The old man had lived a pathetic yet glorious life.

Notorious as the Game Master, he was less of a sage and more of a thrill-seeking lunatic. Where others sought enlightenment, he sought excitement. Where others pursued wisdom, he pursued the next high-stakes gamble.

He treated life itself as a game.

Not in a philosophical, "life is a grand journey" kind of way, but in the worst, most reckless way possible. He took risks not for power, but for the sheer exhilaration of it. He threw himself into life-or-death situations just to see if he could cheat fate one more time.

A true addict.

And yet, as insane as he was, he had been happy.

His life had been a series of challenges, gambits, and impossible victories. And when he finally lost—when his final bet cost him everything, including his cultivation—he still smiled on his deathbed.

No regrets. Well… maybe a few. But nothing he dwelled on.

I couldn't help but admire that, in a way.

"Congrats, old man," I muttered under my breath.

I had no idea why he chose to challenge the heavens, but whatever his reasons were, I hoped they wouldn’t come back to bite me in the ass.

Opening my eyes, I returned to the present.

The storm had vanished.

The clouds that once crackled with divine fury had dissipated, leaving behind only the stillness of victory.

Beside me, my lightning rod, crafted from rare metal essence, pulsed with terrifying energy, still crackling with the aftershock of the tribulation.

I wasn’t about to touch it. In my current mortal state, even the slightest contact would turn me into dust on the wind.

But that didn’t matter.

I was alive.

And more importantly—I had done it.

I took a deep breath, staring up at the now-peaceful sky.

"Aaah… I’m alive. What a relief!"

My body ached, my energy was drained, and I still had a long way to go…

Pain. Aching, pulsing pain. That was the first thing I felt as I lay on the rocky ground, my body reminding me that, somehow, I was still alive.

For a frail mortal, surviving a Heavenly Tribulation should have been impossible. Even catching a glimpse of those divine lightning bolts could shatter a person's mind, let alone standing beneath them. And yet, here I was.

I had no cultivation base to protect me. No spiritual roots. No Dantian. Just willpower, a stubborn soul, and perhaps, the lingering fragments of Fu Shi's old consciousness that refused to die.

But more importantly—I had succeeded.

A hoarse whisper left my cracked lips.

"System..."

The word carried all my desperation, all my hope.

And then—

[Ping! Game Master's System ACTIVATED!]

An electronic voice echoed in my mind, clear and synthetic, yet unmistakably real.

For a moment, I froze. Then, the realization hit me like a sledgehammer.

I did it.

I REALLY DID IT!

"Hehehe... Hehehehe... HAHAHAHAHA!"

Despite the stiffness in my old bones, I staggered to my feet, arms outstretched to the heavens. From a distance, I must have looked like a lunatic—an old man on the edge of a cliff, laughing manically at the sky.

I didn't care.

Tears welled in my eyes. Not from fear, not from pain, but from pure, unfiltered joy.

This system—my system—was my ticket to reclaiming my purpose. It was the first step in turning this cultivation world into the ultimate game.

Taking a deep breath, I focused on the glowing interface before me.

[System Interface]

[Name: Fu Shi]

[Quintessence: 1]

[Players: 0/1]

It looked… pathetic.

But that was fine. This was just the beginning.

I squinted at the unfamiliar term: Quintessence.

"What the hell is this?"

Diving into Fu Shi’s inherited memories, I fished out an answer. Apparently, Quintessence was an ultimate energy, surpassing qi in every possible way. It was pure, refined, and untouchable by ordinary cultivators.

Huh. Sounds overpowered.

Which meant I needed to study it diligently.

And then, there was the [Player] subcomponent.

I felt it in my gut—this was important. As a game designer, I had an instinct about these things. The system gave me one player slot—did that mean I could recruit someone?

My thoughts raced as I made my way back to my cave abode.

It had been a week since I transmigrated, but time had felt... fuzzy. Between adjusting to my new body, figuring out my predicament, and crafting that heaven-defying lightning rod, I barely had time to sit and process things.

Settling down on a makeshift seat—a pile of stones—I exhaled.

"How should I use this Quintessence?"

Would it power me up? Was it a currency? Did I have to spend it on something?

And then there was the Player system.

What if… Quintessence was the cost to recruit players?

What if… Players were the key to building my ultimate game world?

My imagination ran wild, but before I could test anything—

GRUMBLE.

My stomach twisted in agony.

Oh, right. I was mortal now.

Without cultivation, I needed food. Unlike before, where a simple breath of qi could sustain me for months, I now had the dietary needs of a regular old man.

For the past week, I had been surviving on gold-grade energy pills. These were valuable, capable of replenishing vigor and aiding in martial training. Cultivators would kill for them.

And I had been eating them like candy.

Honestly, if anyone saw me, they’d probably call me insane.

Just as I debated whether to waste another precious pill—

Jump. Jump. Jump.

A meaty white bunny suddenly hopped into my cave.

Its black, beady eyes sparkled with innocence.

It was plump, full of meat, yet small enough to fit in my palm.

My stomach growled louder.

I eyed the bunny's legs. Ain't they meaty enough for a one-time meal?

My survival instincts screamed at me. Food! Eat it! Don't be weak!

And yet—

"Kyu… kyu ku!"

…What kind of sound was that?

Why was it so cute!?

Damn it!

Did rabbits even sound like that!?

My stomach screamed for food, and yet my mind wavered.

Was I really going to kill this adorable creature?

It was the logical choice. This was survival of the fittest. In this world, kindness meant weakness.

But still—

"Kyu?"

I gritted my teeth.

I couldn’t chase it. My body was too weak. If I let it go, I might starve.

But then…

A thought struck me.

How about using Quintessence?

I remembered how Fu Shi once controlled his qi, manipulating it with his will. Maybe… maybe Quintessence could work the same way?

I raised two fingers, focusing my mind.

'I want you to be mine!'

[Ping! Used 1 Quintessence. Acquired 1 Player.]

…

Wait.

WHAT!?

The rabbit blinked at me.

I stared at the glowing notification in disbelief.

"Kyu?"

I slowly turned to the small bunny, now sitting perfectly still, looking up at me with those same innocent eyes.

No way…

I swallowed hard.

Did I… just recruit a rabbit as my first player?