Alex's skull felt like a jackhammer was having a personal grudge match with his brain. Pain pulsed through his head in waves so strong, he thought his eyeballs might pop out. He'd just clocked out of his soul-sucking convenience store gig and was rushing home to lose himself in his newly purchased game. To save time, he'd taken a shortcut through a creepy abandoned building. And then, darkness.

Was he dead? His body screamed that he was. The last thing he felt was cold steel piercing his lungs, the wet warmth of blood soaking his clothes. But now, he was sitting on a cold, hard floor, surrounded by a bunch of weird kids in robes, all staring off into space like they were high on the world's best weed. A soft, eerie glow was the only light in this strange place.

"Ah, another one's awake," a voice croaked. An old dude with a beard that looked like it had seen a thousand winters and a hair tied into bun that screamed 'I'm way too old for this' was staring down at him. He was dressed in a blue robe that made him look like the old Immortal guy from monkey king. "This one has a strong dao heart, but a weak spirit root," the old man grumbled, like he'd just eaten a bad oyster.

"A pity," another voice chimed in, sounding like a dude who'd spent too much time alone in a library.

Alex's brain was short-circuiting. Was he dead? In heaven? Hell? A really weird dream? He tried to stand up, but his legs felt like jelly. The old man just shook his head, looking like he was about to give a really long, boring lecture.

"Relax, young one," the old man said, his voice like sandpaper on a chalkboard. "You are safe here."

Safe? Safe? He'd just been crushed by a falling piece of metal! How the hell was that safe? And what was up with this place? Was he in some kind of kung fu school or something? A million questions were racing through his head, but the old man just sighed like he was dealing with a particularly stubborn toddler. 

"Your path will be difficult," the old man muttered, pulling a long, wooden stick out of nowhere. "But you must persevere. Perhaps one day, you will amount to something more than a speck of dust in this vast world."

And with that, the old man turned and shuffled away, leaving Alex alone with his thoughts. Which, at the moment, were mostly along the lines of 'what the actual f*ck is going on?' 

Then a flood of memories hit him like a truck. It was a memory of farm kid named Lin Hao? And not just any farm kid – a cultivation world farm kid!

He'd always thought those cultivation novels were trash. You know, the ones where the main character is a total loser but somehow ends up stronger than a god? Or the ones with young masters who act like they own the world, but are dumber than a box of rocks? He'd always wondered how people could even finish those things. Now, he was living in one.

A wave of memories washed over him. Plowing fields. Chopping wood. Boring, boring, BORING! And don't even get him started on the people. Everyone acted like they were the smartest person in the room, even though most of them couldn't string a sentence together.

Apparently, Lin Hao was an orphan who somehow managed to awaken a 'spirit root'. Like, who cares? It's not like he was going to become a Immortal or anything. In this world, having a spirit root was like winning the lottery, but Lin Hao drew the short straw with a 'low-grade mundane' one. Basically, the equivalent of winning a dollar in the lottery.

Great. Just great. He was stuck in a world filled with idiots, where the only way to get respect was to be stronger than everyone else. And here he was, a weakling with a crappy spirit root.

He could almost hear the laughter. 'Look at the loser! Too weak to even be a disciple!' They'd probably call him trash, just like in those stupid novels.

Alex groaned and rubbed his temples. He needed a plan. Fast. Because if he didn't figure something out soon, he was going to end up as someone's fertilizer.

 After what felt like forever, the other kids finally finished their 'meditation' or whatever. They looked like they were about to burst with importance. Probably dreaming of becoming the next big-shot cultivator. Yeah, right. 

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An old guy, who looked like he'd been around longer than dirt, shuffled forward. He cleared his throat, and everyone shut up. Then came the moment of truth. The old guy called out a bunch of names. The lucky ones, the ones with good spirit roots. You could hear the cheers and the tears. But then there was the rest of them, the ones like Alex. The ones who got the short end of the stick.

One kid totally freaked out. Started banging his head on the ground, blood and all. Like, dude, chill. It's not the end of the world. Or maybe it was. For him, at least.

The old guy just stared at the kid like he was an annoying bug. Then, without a second thought, he turned and left with his chosen few.

Alex was left standing there, surrounded by the shattered dreams of other kids. He couldn't help but feel a pang of sympathy. But at the same time, he was thinking, 'Great, now what?'

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Alex followed the stream of children leaving the testing hall of the Heavenly Sword Sect. Outside the entrance, two elders of the Lin family stood waiting, their expressions a mix of anticipation and concern. The Fifth Elder, clad in a blue robe adorned with silver patterns, looked to be in his middle years. His long black hair flowed freely behind him, and his sharp eyes searched the crowd for any sign of news.

He spotted Lin Hao and hurried over, his voice laced with worry. "Xiao Hao, what happened? Did you pass the test? And where is the young miss?"

Alex's response was a total awkward fumble. He'd never spoken so formally in his life—or, well, in his *previous* life, since he was technically dead now, chillin' in the body of some Lin family kid. "Sorry, Elders," he stammered, "This junior has disappointed you. I wasn't selected for the Heavenly Sword Sect. As for the young miss, she was chosen. She's now with the elder of the sect." 

 The Seventh Elder, a chubby old man with a face lined deeply with age and hair as white as snow, burst into a wide smile. His wrinkled hands clapped together with excitement. "Good, good! Xiao Yue was selected. After so many years, someone from our Lin clan has finally entered the Heavenly Sword Sect. Now, nothing can stop our clan from rising!"

Alex's heart felt like it dropped straight into his stomach. The Seventh Elder's over-the-top excitement was like a slap in the face. He'd failed, big time, and here was the old man acting like he'd won the lottery. Everyone knows joining a sect is like having xp boost in a game. It's a total game-changer compared to being stuck in some backwater clan, especially in this world. Seeing the Seventh Elder's cheerful face made Alex want to cry. He thought to himself, *Dude, can't you see I'm feeling like a total loser right now? Instead of cheering me up, you're acting like a kid who just got a new toy.* 

The Fifth Elder, sensing the awkwardness, cleared his throat gently. "Don't be disheartened, Xiao Hao. Although it's unfortunate you weren't chosen by the Heavenly Sword Sect, there is still hope. If you remain within the family and focus on your cultivation, there are great achievements ahead of you."

The Seventh Elder, finally calming down, nodded in agreement. "Yes, that's right. Xiao Hao, focus on your cultivation here in the clan. With diligence, you might even breakthrough to Qi Refinement Realm."

Great, now he was supposed to feel ecstatic about returning to some backwater clan. Looks like he won't be going anywhere near a protagonist's life.

Lin Hao followed the Fifth and Seventh Elders back to their carriage, his mind racing with a whirlwind of emotions. The journey was deadly quiet, and the unfamiliar road only added to his growing anxiety. He desperately prayed to reach the Lin Family estate as soon as possible.

As they traveled, they came across members of the Su Family, another cultivating family from River City. The Su Family, too, had a member who had entered the Heavenly Sword Sect, though he was ranked last, far behind the Lin Family's young miss, Lin Yue. The Su Family's First Elder, Su Peng, led his group with a scowl, urging his Spirit Horse to move faster. He seemed determined to avoid any further interaction with the Lin Family.

River City was a small town near the Heavenly Sword Sect, with a population just over 100,000. The town was divided between the Lin Family and the Su Family, each controlling half of the city's territory. These small cultivating families had their own power struggles and rivalries, and today's encounter was a reminder of those tensions.

After a day-long journey in the carriage, Alex returned to the Lin Family. Despite the ancient setting, the journey was remarkably smooth and pleasant. The original host of the body was a farmer from the Lin Family, living in a mud house on the family's fields. His parents had perished in a beast wave when he was young, and he was raised by the family. However, at the age of thirteen, he was forced to work in the rice fields to contribute to the family, a common fate for orphaned protagonists.

However upon his return, the family had prepared a courtyard within the main mansion for him and assigned a hot and thick maid to serve him. Alex possessed a Spiritual Root, indicating his potential for cultivation. As a cultivator, he would become a vital asset to the Lin Family, contributing significantly to their prosperity.

Therefore, Alex was naturally treated with respect and care within the Lin Family.