**Chapter 1
Cherry Blossom Surprise**
Alex Reed's last memory of Earth was the blare of his alarm clock cutting through an all-too-familiar spreadsheet nightmare. His next memory was—quite literally—a flash of pink petals drifting around him. He blinked once, twice, and wondered if his eyes were playing tricks.
Above him, a canopy of blossoms painted the sky rosy-white. Mountains rolled off in every direction; not the drab concrete obelisks he knew from commute, but ancient peaks wreathed in morning mist. A sweet, otherworldly scent—like Jasmine tea with dragonfly wings—wafted through the air and made his stomach flip.
"System initialized," a cheery voice chirped inside his skull.
Alex frowned. "System?" He clambered to his knees, rubbing his temples. "Where—who—"
A holo-display shimmered into being before him: a floating cube of translucent blue, festooned with fluttering runes. Beneath it, small text scrolled:
```
Welcome, User #A-0372!
Feature Unlocked: Invisibility Protocol v1.0
Status: Active
```
"Ah," Alex muttered. "Invisible." He gave himself a quick spin. Nothing changed—he was as visible as ever. "Cool." He scratched at a mysterious tattoo of concentric circles on his left wrist and tried again. Still visible.
No matter. He'd deal with that later. Right now, he needed answers—and toiletries. Crawling to his feet, he took in his clothes: a simple white robe cinched by a jade belt. Under it, sweatpants. Very… office-meets-wizardry.
"User," the System chimed, "you are invisible to all non-hostile entities."
Alex raised an eyebrow. "That's… helpful? Actually, I have one question: where the hell am I?"
Silence. Then, in a much more dramatic font, the words "Azure Mist Sect Training Grounds" appeared above the holo-cube, and promptly vanished in a puff of sparkles.
"Right," Alex said, forcing cheerfulness. "Azure Mist Sect." He waved at the cube. "Got it." But his voice trembled. "Sect… of what, exactly?"
"Inner alchemy," the System replied, "martial cultivation, magical beast taming, soul refinement, spirit root awakening—"
"Whoa, whoa," Alex interrupted. "I'm sorry, did you say magical beasts?" He took an involuntary step back as a swooping shadow crossed overhead. A griffin? A wyvern? He wasn't sure, but it looked like it could eat his head for breakfast.
"Friendly," the System insisted. "You need not worry. Your invisibility will protect you."
Alex squinted toward the mountaintop roost. "I think I'll worry anyway."
Just then, a shrill war-cry—and then a small blur of dust—shot past him like a bullet. Alex slammed into a tree trunk, his robe snagging on a branch. Leaves rained down. His teeth ground together.
"System, did you—?" His words cut off when he heard soft, victorious giggling.
He peeked from behind the trunk to see a little girl—no older than five—striding past, her braided pigtails swinging like battle flags. She stood barely four feet tall, but clad in silvery-blue armor that glowed faintly. In one hand she gripped a twig no longer than Alex's forearm, yet somehow it pulsed with enough energy to have knocked him clean off his feet.
"Who are you?" Alex called hoarsely.
The girl halted mid-walk. She cocked her head, regarding him with wide, curious eyes. "Can't see you," she declared, tapping her twig on her palm. "Invisible, right?"
Alex's heart sank. "In… visible," he sputtered. He scrambled from behind the tree, but she was already gone, her laughter echoing in the distance.
He clenched his fists. "Invisible," he repeated, glaring at his own feet. "Great system."
Above his head, the holo-cube burst into tiny stars. "Congratulations," it said. "Invisible Protocol: 100 XP earned."
"XP?" Alex deadpanned. "Are you kidding me?"
"Warning: Visible Protocol v1.1 unlocked upon reaching level 10."
Alex groaned. "I give up."
He stood, brushed bark and dirt from his pants, and surveyed the path ahead. Cherry blossoms drifted lazily down a winding trail, where groups of young disciples in azure robes practiced sword forms, chanting mantras. A trio of novices snickered, pointing at him. Alex waved awkwardly.
"See?" he whispered to the System. "They can see me."
"Your invisibility is optimized for aerial detection," the System explained brightly. "Ground-based observers are… secondary."
"Secondary," Alex echoed, pinching the bridge of his nose. "I can tell."
He took a deep breath. If he was going to survive this world—much less thrive—he needed a plan. First, find someone who spoke Modern Office Drone. Second, secure coffee. Third, figure out why his new Bestie AI thought "invisible" meant anything useful.
Trailing the path, he spotted a pavilion where an older cultivator sat writing at a wooden desk: long black hair tied high, robes embroidered with a golden cloud motif. Sect Master Gu Yun, perhaps? Alex crept forward and mustered his most authoritative tone.
"Excuse me—"
But before he could finish, a flash of movement. The same five-year-old appeared at his side, hand on his shoulder, eyes gleaming with mischief.
"Do you want to spar?" she asked, her twig igniting into a glowing training staff.
Alex swallowed. "Uh… I—I think I need… directions?"
She pouted. "No fighting? Boring." Before he could protest, she tapped him on the chin. A burst of magical energy sent him skidding onto his back.
Alex lay on the ground, staring up at the pink blossoms. "Invisible," he mumbled.
She stood over him, triumphant. "You should practice more," she pronounced, then bounded off down the trail.
Alex pushed himself up, clutching his ribs. "I really, really need to talk to someone in charge." He lurched after her, ready to plead his case to whichever adult would listen.
As he set off, the cherry blossoms continued to swirl around him in blissful ignorance of his plight: transmigrated office salaryman, armed only with sarcasm, zero stealth skills, and the most unreliable invisibility system in the cultivation world.
And so began Alex Reed's grand adventure—flat on his back, bruised by a toddler, and blissfully "invisible" to absolutely everyone.