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Chapter 1 - A Different World of Cultivation
Su Mu walked home carrying a bag of ribs, greeted with smiles and hellos by many in the residential community who knew him.
"Su Mu, done with school for the day?"
"You're back early today, Su Mu. The cultivation examination is coming up, isn't it? Feeling confident? Keep it up!"
Su Mu would always respond politely to each greeting.
A grandmother playing with her grandson in the community called out to him from a distance, "Su Mu, I just left your place. Little Su Ye is looking quite healthy today."
"Thank you, Grandma Chen, for your trouble."
"No trouble at all, we're neighbors. Besides, Su Ye is so adorable, we all love her. If it weren't for worrying about disturbing her rest, I'd have stayed at your place longer."
After chatting briefly with Grandma Chen, Su Mu excused himself and left. As he walked away, he overheard some seniors in the community discussing:
"That boy has it tough."
"Indeed, so young and already lost his parents, and he has a sister seriously ill..."
"All these hardships haven't crushed him; instead, he's the one holding up the family. Compared to him, my grandson is good for nothing, never leaves leftovers, and always talks back, making me angry. The more I think about it, the angrier I get. When that little rascal comes back, I'm definitely going to give him a good thrashing!"
"That's right, they need to be disciplined. If a child is disobedient, it's because they haven't been smacked enough. Beat them senseless, that's the way." The elderly group immediately egged on, one suggesting the use of a birch switch, claiming 'good people come from under a birch rod'; another recommended a beating with sticks, as 'filial piety grows from beneath a stick.'
Each one seemed eager for a spectacle, after all, it wasn't their grandchild getting the beating.
Su Mu silently mourned for that poor grandchild for three seconds in his heart.
Suddenly, a paper crane, as big as a palm, descended from the sky, hovering in front of Su Mu.
The paper crane was yellow, with one wing adorned with a running dog's logo and the other emblazoned with 'Meituan delivery'. It dangled a bag of delivery food beneath it, which looked like spicy rabbit head, emitting an enticing aroma.
The paper crane flapped its wings as if it were alive.
A deep male voice emanated from the paper crane, "Buddy, do you know where Building Seven, Unit Three is?"
Facing a flying, talking paper crane, Su Mu wasn't surprised at all. He pointed sideways and said, "Over there is Building Nine, take a right and you'll be facing Building Seven. Unit Three is on its far right."
"Thanks, buddy."
The paper crane thanked him, flapped its wings, and soared off in the direction Su Mu had indicated.
Watching the paper crane fly away, Su Mu reminisced about the first time he had seen such a thing.
Back then, he wasn't nearly as calm, almost scared to death. It was only later that he learned this was Meituan's delivery paper crane. The voice didn't come from the paper crane itself, but from a 'senior delivery man' controlling it from behind.
Yes, this world wasn't Earth, but a parallel universe.
A world with cultivation and magic!
In this world, the knowledge of cultivation and magic is highly integrated with technology and daily life. Techniques from both realms are utilized across all industries. Eastern cultivators and Western Supernaturals are considered high-end talents. They are envied by ordinary people for their social status and income.
Su Mu wasn't native to this world; he had crossed over three years ago.
On Earth, Su Mu was a mobile game designer in his thirties, best known for crafting pay-to-win schemes that coaxed players into cursing the "Scheming planner" while simultaneously hitting the "Recharge" button and exclaiming how "Awesome" it was.
But players quickly realized that the joy from their pay-to-win the Waifu1 and equipment was short-lived, as the "Scheming planner" would stealthily nerf them, forcing players to spend more money to draw new ones...
Upon arriving in this world and discovering he had lost his parents and had a sick sister, Su Mu initially thought he was on the path to greatness.
After all, the orphan setting is a common trope in web novels, a template for the main character.
But despite trying various methods, he neither encountered a system nor a wise old man, nor did he gain any special abilities. His talent for spiritual practice was not remarkably strong. His eccentric behavior led others to believe he was mentally disturbed, resulting in a period of hospital research - the kind where he was studied and had to pay for the privilege.
Three years later, Su Mu had fully integrated into this new world.
Aside from cultivation and magic, life here wasn't too different from Earth—both the global landscape and various aspects of daily life were similar: Meituan and Ele.me, as well as Taobao and JD.com, existed here. Huawei and Xiaomi smartphones were also prevalent.
During these years, Su Mu had also developed a deep bond with his sister.
If at first, she was the "most familiar stranger" to him, now she was not only his closest kin but also the reason and emotional support for his hard work in this world.
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Su Mu turned and entered the apartment building.
The dimly lit corridor was plastered with all sorts of ads.
There were the usual services like locksmiths, drain unblocking, and petty loans—all claiming to be "Awesome." But there were also large posters.
Directly in front of the entrance were two new posters.
On the left, a poster featured an old artist who seemed to have contracted the artistry of all history.
Noticing someone approaching, the figure in the poster quickly gave a thumbs up, his face crinkling into a smile as he shouted, "Learn artifact cultivation at Lanxiang, a time-honored school with reliable quality, comprehensive training, and job placement! Young man, come to Lanxiang, where everyone is talented and speaks so nicely—you'll love it here! Remember the enrollment number..."
On the right was a poster from a competitor, showing a group of chefs. Not wanting to be outdone by the old artist, they began to sing in an operatic chorus, "Learn alchemical cuisine at New Oriental, it's a wonderful place, with eight hundred stainless steel stoves, two hundred masters with strong skills, stable jobs, and a high income, with a lifetime employment guarantee, a guarantee!"
Su Mu looked on with interest at the performance of the two advertising posters.
Previously, the advertisements in the corridor were static, ordinary posters. However, with graduation season approaching, these training institutions have spent a substantial amount on the latest image posters.
These posters, which employ runes and spells, are not only animated and capable of speech but also possess a certain level of intelligence. When they encounter someone interested, they can provide a detailed introduction and even capture the person's contact information, which is then transmitted over the network to the recruitment teachers at the training institutions.
If Su Mu fails the entrance exams for the cultivation university in half a month, he might really consider attending one of these training schools.
Although the tuition is somewhat expensive, at least the skills being taught are related to cultivation. Even if he doesn't become a cultivator, he could still find a decent job. Plus, he would have the opportunity to earn money while studying, which suits him better than a regular university.
He needs money.
Whether it's for living expenses or treating his sister's illness, money is indispensable.
Su Mu shifted his gaze away and smacked his forehead, as if chastising himself and simultaneously trying to rally his spirits: "What am I thinking about? I must get into the cultivation university, become a cultivator, save enough money for my sister's surgery, and make her well."
He no longer looked at the posters and ascended the stairs with long strides.
Behind him, the 'people' in the two posters continued their enthusiastic pleas:
"Young man, leave your contact information."
"Don't go, let's talk some more, just a little longer..."
Their eagerness did not earn Su Mu's response. Instead, it provoked the ire of a resident on the first floor: "Will you shut up, it's so annoying! I'm calling the property management to complain right now. These two lousy advertisements, they start yapping like they're on steroids whenever they see someone, never quiet even in the middle of the night, it's a public disturbance!"
Su Mu quickly made it to the fourth floor and took out his keys to unlock the door.
This apartment was part of the modest inheritance left by his adoptive parents, along with a sum of about a hundred thousand yuan.
At the beginning of last year, his sister, Su Ye, was diagnosed with leukemia, and the money had been heavily depleted. If Su Mu fails to get into the cultivation university, they probably won't be able to keep the apartment either.
Only by getting into the cultivation university, or at the very least, a technical training school specializing in cultivation, would he be able to earn enough to afford an alchemist's fees to treat his sister's illness.
When Su Mu entered, his sister Su Ye was curled up on the sofa like a little kitten, watching TV. Seeing him return, she quickly got up, surprised, and asked, "Brother, why are you home so early today?"
Su Ye, who was almost sixteen, was very pretty, but her skin was pale and bloodless, and she wore a hat to cover her head, which had lost its hair due to chemotherapy.
Seeing his sister, Su Mu smiled gently and explained, "Did you forget? Tomorrow is Sunday, so there's no evening self-study today."
While talking, he glanced at the TV, which was broadcasting the hourly news update.
"The F1 Formula Championship race in Shanghai concluded yesterday. China's Great Wall Flying Sword Team outpaced the McLaren Broomstick Team, India's Power Magic Carpet Team, and the Ferrari Fly Shoe Team, among other strong competitors, to win the championship..."
"Huawei has released a new flagship phone equipped with its own independently developed runic chip and HarmonyOS..."
Since being diagnosed with leukemia and taking a break from school to recuperate at home, Su Ye had developed an interest in watching the news, which became one of her few channels for staying in touch with the outside world.
Su Ye's face lit up as she greeted Su Mu and noticed the groceries he was carrying. "Bro, did you buy spare ribs?" she exclaimed with delight.
With an affectionate pinch on her cheek, Su Mu nodded and smiled. "Today's your birthday, so I'm going to make your favorite sweet and sour spare ribs."
"That's awesome, thank you, brother!" Su Ye beamed with happiness, her smile exceptionally sweet. Then, pretending to be mysterious, she added, "Brother, I also have a birthday present for you."
Footnotes:
Waifu(老婆): This usually refers to female characters in anime, games, or manga that are adored by fans and fantasized as their ideal partners. The term originates from the Japanese word for "wife" and is widely used in anime or game culture. Fans may develop a strong emotional attachment to the characters they refer to as "paper person wives," creating or purchasing related merchandise such as posters, figurines, body pillows, etc.
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