"Am I going to die?"
Every heartbeat thundered in Qin Feng's chest, frantic and heavy, as if his heart might burst right through his ribs. His vision blurred into a hazy gray, and the agony racking his body grew unbearable.
"So this is… death," he whispered, his lips trembling against the cold ground.
"Qin Feng!"
"Qin Feng!"
"Qin... Qin Feng!"
Voices called out to him from somewhere far away. They sounded distant, fading like echoes in a long tunnel, bringing him no comfort. He tried to push himself up, to answer them, but his limbs completely refused to move. A bitter, breathless laugh escaped his lips.
I never got to live a luxurious life like those rich bastards, he thought, darkness creeping into the edges of his mind. Mom… I couldn't even give you a good life. I failed you.
Suddenly, from deep within the thinning air, a loud, bone-chilling cry echoed.
"AAAAAAH!"
Someone was screaming. Qin Feng's heart skipped a painful beat. Is that… my mother? But she wasn't here. Or am I just dying and hearing things?
"Sorry, Mom," he whispered into the void. "I tried my best… but I'm just talentless. I have no aptitude for genetic cultivation. No skill in nano alchemy. While my friends rose to higher realms, all I ever did was waste time watching donghua. I'm useless…"
I can't believe this is how my life ends.
That was his final thought as the last traces of light drained from his sight. Slowly, Qin Feng's eyes closed.
His soul felt impossibly light, and then, suddenly, heavier than anything he had ever known. He drifted through an endless, velvety darkness, leaving his broken, mortal shell behind. The pain remained, but it felt distant now, like a faint, echoing memory of life.
Ahead of him, the darkness fractured. A vast void opened up, and a strange, glowing gate loomed out of the nothingness, stretching endlessly into the heavens. It radiated brilliant colors he couldn't even name, deep crimson, electric blue, celestial purple, and molten gold all intertwined like living rivers of light.
THE GATE OF REINCARNATION.
"Ah…"
A voice, low and terrifyingly grand, resonated through the entire void. "Another mortal soul. Let me look upon the story of your life."
Qin Feng's soul froze. Every syllable vibrating from this immense being felt powerful enough to crush his very existence. He tried to turn, to flee, but fear rooted him in place.
"You lived a life full of bitter regret," the voice continued, echoing with absolute authority. "Talentless. Poor. Powerless. Nothing but trash."
Qin Feng's ethereal fists clenched instinctively. The truth stung far deeper than any physical blade, but he couldn't argue.
"However," the being spoke again, the cosmic currents shifting around them, "your death was not fated. You were not meant to die today."
Qin Feng's soul trembled.
"I will allow you to pass through the cosmic wheel. You shall be reborn with a superior bloodline, one that will grant you the power to rewrite your destiny. Now... go."
A gentle push, carrying a force greater than any tsunami, propelled Qin Feng forward.
The Gate of Reincarnation flared, opening wide. Its colors swirled violently, expanding into the infinite expanse of space. Left with no choice, Qin Feng's soul drifted directly into the vortex.
Inside, it felt like plunging into a raging river of pure light. Shifting hues rushed past him faster than his eyes could track. The air smelled of absolutely nothing and yet everything all at once, a cosmic cocktail of raw energy, ancient life, and eternity.
As he fell deeper into the light, fragments of his past life flickered across his vision. He saw his worst failures, heard the cruel laughter of his classmates as they passed him by, felt the crushing weight of his loneliness, and relived the exact moments he wished he could change. Each memory burned like fire, yet there was no physical pain anymore. Only a deep, aching regret… and a desperate longing to do better.
Then, the ancient voice echoed in his mind one last time, noticeably calmer: "You lived your first life as a weak soul, Qin Feng. But your next life… your next life will be different. Only those who survive the trials may rise. Only those who seize opportunity will leave the path of trash behind."
Qin Feng's heart raced, though he no longer possessed a physical body. A faint, golden spark ignited deep within his soul, a small, stubborn flicker of hope.
The gravity of the Gate continued to pull him under. Through the blinding currents, he caught glimpses of other shadows past lives floating vaguely in the luminescence. Suddenly, a colossal figure approached. It was tall, draped in a shifting, cloaked silhouette, its eyes burning with a terrifying knowledge that far surpassed mortal comprehension.
"Do not fear what lies ahead," the entity commanded. "You will be tested. You will be challenged to your absolute limits. But the bloodline will guide you. You must awaken it, boy, or you will perish all over again."
Qin Feng wanted to shout, to ask questions, to beg for answers… but no words would form. Instead, he locked his focus entirely on the spark burning in his chest, feeling it pulse and grow, mimicking the heavy, steady heartbeat of a brand-new life.
And then, a total, welcoming darkness swallowed everything,