> Darkness.
Pain.
The last sensation Lin Xian remembered was his soul being torn apart in the Heavenly Furnace — sacrificed for someone else's ascension.
"Again…" he muttered, eyes opening to a cold, wooden ceiling.
A voice, emotionless, mechanical, and impossible to locate, rang in his mind.
> [Null Protocol Detected] [All bindings: Disconnected] [Host Status: Active] [System Integration: Complete]
Lin Xian froze. The memories of his past life flooded back. He wasn't dreaming. This wasn't illusion. Somehow, he had reincarnated — but something was different.
The world felt… dull.
No spiritual pressure pressed on him. No divine karma hovered. No fate strings tied him to anything. It was as if even the heavens didn't know he existed.
> [Welcome, Administrator] [Type null.help() to begin]
He sat up slowly. Not excited. Not shocked. Alert.
"...System?" he whispered mentally.
> [Response: Active] [System has no designation. No name. No origin.]
He looked out the window. In the distance, he saw cultivators flying across the skies, laughing as they chased down a fleeing beast.
He did not smile.
He typed: null.status()
> [Host: Lin Xian] [Realm: Mortal (Qi Condensation not yet awakened)] [Detection: Impossible] [Access Level: Root Admin] [Commands: Unlimited] [Fate: None] [Karma: None] [Providence: None]
None?
He wasn't part of this world's script anymore.
He remembered the betrayals. The fake brothers. The aloof master. The fiancée who delivered the final blow.
He inhaled deeply.
This time, no one would ever see him coming.