As he recalled the memories of this body, a bitter feeling rose in his chest.
This body… had no cultivation.
No matter what martial path he tried, none of it worked.
Techniques failed.
Breathing techniques reversed.
Power never improved.
And worse, he was the son of the clan leader.
A clan heir, born into a prestigious bloodline… yet labeled trash by everyone.
His father, despite the growing frustration, had tried everything. Pills, manuals, rare treasure. But in the end, he had been left with only disappointment in his eyes. The clan that once looked at him with expectation now ignored his presence completely.
Robert clenched his fist.
He was no longer the same boy. And he would not carry that shame forward.
He instantly summoned the system.
"System", Robert asked firmly, "What do I do if no cultivation technique from this world supports my body?"
A mechanical yet clear voice echoed in his mind:
[This body cannot adapt to any native cultivation method due to core incompatibility with the world's mana structure.]
Robert's eyes widened. His breath caught.
"What…?"
His heartbeat quickened. If no method in this world worked, then wasn't he… doomed to stay weak?
"Then—how am I supposed to grow more powerful?" he muttered.
"How will I wake the Osborn Clan if I can't even cultivate?"
For a moment, silence filled his mind. Fear crept in. Was this the end of the road before it even began?
Then, the system responded, calm and absolute.
[Custom Martial System Available.]
[As the host's soul origin is foreign to this world, permission is granted to create: Custom Cultivation Path Creation.]
[I will create martial arts techniques unique to your soul structure and body.]
[These will evolve with you and scale beyond the limits of this world's native systems.]
Robert's eyes slowly widened, the despair in his chest replaced with a hint of something powerful. Hope.
"You mean… You can build techniques just for me?" he asked quietly.
[Affirmative.]
The room fell silent again, but this time it wasn't an oppressive one. It was the stillness before the storm, a deceptive calm that signaled the approach of inevitable turmoil.
Robert's shoulders relaxed, and a cold smirk appeared at the corner of his lips.
A trash body? No.
He would become something completely new. Something this world had never seen
"Then do it," he said with confidence. "Create my path."
But instead of the system immediately initiating the process, a new prompt emerged in his mind:
[Custom Martial Path Creation cannot proceed without foundational data.]
[To craft a unique cultivation path, the host should assemble numerous cultivation manuals, martial arts texts, and technique scrolls.]
Robert blinked. "So… you need books?"
[Affirmative. The more comprehensive the database, the more refined and powerful the cultivation path will be. Recommendation: Start with the Osborn Clan Library.]
His eyes lit up.
Of course—the library.
The Osborn Clan might be in decline, but its library… he remembered glances from the host's memories. Long halls lined with scrolls, ancient shelves filled with lost legacies of the clan. Knowledge collected over generations. Dusty, forgotten, and waiting.
Robert stood up without another word and headed toward the door.As he stepped into the hallway, a seemingly ordinary sound met his ears—whispers.
"Is that… the young master?"
"Still wandering around like nothing has happened. That guy wasted more resources than the entire outer branch combined."
"He thinks just because he's the clan leader's son, he can keep trying. It's hopeless."
"Trash like him should just vanish quietly…"
He heard every word. Every sneer. Every sigh of disdain.
But his footsteps didn't slow. His back remained straight. His gaze stayed forward.
Let them talk.
Soon, they'll be the ones bowing.
The library was at the heart of the Clan, an old stone building, protected by generations. Vines curved along the external walls, and wide oaken doors stood tall like a monument to the Osborn's disappearing past.
He walked through the wide entrance.
Inside, rows upon rows of bookshelves extended into the distance. Scrolls were stacked, some neatly, others randomly.
Dozens of clan members were already present inside the library. Some were seated cross-legged, studying techniques with furrowed brows.
Others whispered in corners or moved between shelves, collecting scrolls for their cultivation practice.
Robert's entrance didn't go unnoticed.
Heads turned. Discussions paused.
Eyes followed him—some wide with surprise, others narrowed in silent judgement.
"What's he doing here?"
"He still hasn't given up?"
"Must be nice, walking in like that after wasting so many pills and resources."
Whispers drifted through the corridors like a breeze rustling through dry leaves, faint yet unsettling. But Robert ignored them. Every step he took was calm, measured, and purposeful.
He wasn't the same person anymore.
He wasn't here to fail again.
His eyes surveyed the boundless sea of books and scrolls. There was too much of her decades, maybe centuries, of knowledge, and no time to read it all.
"System", he asked quietly in his mind, "Do I need to read each book one by one to extract knowledge?"
[Negative. Host may simply touch a shelf to start mass knowledge extraction. All readable content will be copied, sorted, and analyzed within the system.]
[Knowledge will be automatically processed into a Custom Cultivation Method compatible with the Host's unique body.]
Robert's brow lifted in surprise.
"Touch the shelf, huh…" he muttered quietly, more to himself than anyone else.
He moved toward one of the outer rows labeled Body Cultivation Techniques. There were dozens of scrolls and manuals which were neatly arranged within. Some bore golden script; others faded with time.
Reaching out slowly, Robert laid his palm against the wooden shelf.
[Initiating knowledge transfer…][Absorbing 74 scrolls and 21 manuals...][Analyzing energy patterns, detecting structural weaknesses, and calculating compatibility ratios…][Compilation in progress: 63%... 89%... 100%.][Compilation Complete: Partial Dragon Body Cultivation Manual Generated.]
A soft ding echoed in his mind, clear and pleasing.
To keep up appearances, Robert calmly took a scroll from the shelf and opened it, acting as if he were reading.
But the truth was, he didn't need to do that anymore.
The real work had already been done quietly, without the usual rituals, concealed from their critical eyes.
He wasn't just gathering knowledge.
He was crafting a future.
One shelf at a time.