Chương 1: Gift-Offering Bonding System

The Falling Cloud Mountain Range, Silver Moon market. The cold wind howled, knocking something over with a resounding crash. The noise jolted Ye Chen awake in an instant. His bloodshot eyes snapped open. Before him stood a massive alchemy furnace that was still warm to the touch. The faint scent of something burnt lingered in the air above it. The room was a chaotic mess. Clothes, herbs, and various bottles and jars were scattered across the floor. Looking at the mess, Ye Chen couldn't help but sigh.

So it was true. He had crossed over to another world. This was already the third day since Ye Chen's transmigration. Yet, he still couldn't adapt to this new world, or to his own identity. He longed to return home more than anything. In his past life, he had been an office worker living a comfortable life. But the identity he had inherited here? An eighteen-year-old from a small family, with some knowledge of alchemy.

He was supposed to enjoy the resources of his family, continue refining his alchemical skills, and cultivate his powers. But instead, for some unknown reasons, he had been sent to a shop in the Silver Moon Market to work as an alchemist for money. The problem was that his alchemy skills were far from impressive. His success rate was barely half that of a regular alchemist. He couldn't let anyone discover that he was a fraud.

Working as an alchemist in the market was considered a good job, so there was no shortage of competition. If he failed and was reassigned to something else, it would mean even more hardship, exhaustion, and danger. His predecessor most likely had spent countless sleepless nights in panic and fear, desperately refining pills in an attempt to improve his skills and fulfill the family's expectations. Thus he overworked himself to death. That was when Ye Chen possessed his body.

But now, all these challenges were Ye Chen's. In the days following his arrival, he had been trying his hand at alchemy, hoping that maybe he had talent after all. But with his predecessor's meager foundation and a teacher who hadn't properly guided him, Ye Chen's memories were a jumbled mess. After two or three days of trying, his efforts were even more disastrous than his predecessor's. Ye Chen had completely given up now. He had even begun to consider whether he should leave his family behind.

Maybe he could find some ordinary mortal city and drift through the rest of his life as a temple devotee. However, the path of cultivation was treacherous. There were already many cultivators who couldn't break through idling around. With his current cultivation at the second level of Qi Refining, it would be hard for Ye Chen to receive any good treatment. The area outside the market was also far from safe.

There were many cultivators who specialized in robbing others, and if he were caught by one, his life would be over. Simply put, even if Ye Chen wanted to waste away his days, he didn't have the privilege to do so.

"Forget it. Whatever happens, I'm done pretending..." Ye Chen muttered. With that, he suddenly sprang to his feet and threw open the door. Since arriving in this world, he had been hiding indoors, afraid that someone might notice something strange about him. But now, he simply didn't care. As soon as the door swung open, however, the cold wind from the courtyard rushed in. Ye Chen couldn't help but shiver. He hastily returned to his room to add another layer of clothing.

When he stepped out again, he saw someone walking from the front courtyard. Taken from Royal Road, this narrative should be reported if found on Amazon. The figure was dressed in a long white gown that didn't seem as white as her skin, delicate and luminous, as if she herself radiated light. Her figure was also quite graceful. Even in the slightly thick gown, her slender form and curves were prominent. But what drew Ye Chen's attention most was her face. Youthful and radiant, her features were soft.

A single glance from her beautiful eyes would stir a sense of tenderness and sympathy within anyone's heart. Upon seeing her, Ye Chen immediately recalled her identity. She was a cultivator working at the shop, with a cultivation level of the third stage of Qi Refining. Her role seemed to be that of a receptionist or guide.

"Fellow Daoist Ye, you have finally come out?" she said with a smile.

"I noticed Fellow Daoist had not left your room for five days and worried you might have overexerted yourself with alchemy. I came to check on you. Now that I see you're well, I can breathe easy." Before him, Lin Ke'er's beautiful face showed a look of relief. Being cared for by such a beauty, Ye Chen couldn't help but feel excited, as if he were a schoolboy thinking, "Mom, I think I'm in love." But Ye Chen knew better. This woman was a green tea girl.

In his predecessor's memories, he had hardly produced any pills worth mentioning, yet he had given her quite a few. The previous Ye Chen had been somewhat naive since before coming here, he was only focusing on cultivation. After being sent here, he had been charmed by this woman's gentle words and gestures, leading him to believe that Lin Ke'er had feelings for him.

So, when Lin Ke'er had casually mentioned that her wages were too low to afford rent and still buy pills, his predecessor had immediately given her some of the few pills that he had managed to make. Lin Ke'er smiled with delight at this. From then on, she would frequently mention this gesture, praising his predecessor's alchemy skills and the quality of the pills. The previous Ye Chen became a simp. Every week, he would give Lin Ke'er more pills.

Thinking back on it now, Ye Chen couldn't help but feel a sense of disgust. His predecessor could barely take care of himself, yet he was handing out cultivation pills like candy. In his past life, Ye Chen had never been a simp. He didn't lack girlfriends, so he understood that money wasn't meant to be spent on women—it was meant to be spent on oneself. Ye Chen's salary in his previous life wasn't bad. He used it to work out, travel, buy cars, buy houses. His life had been vibrant and full.

Every time he posted on social media, it was filled with comments from girls. Indulging girls wouldn't win you their hearts. In fact, it would only make them see you as a convenient ATM. Once they had drained you of everything you had to offer, they would simply kick you to the curb. Pathetic, and on top of that, a simp. This thought made Ye Chen dislike his predecessor even more.

Lin Ke'er noticed that Ye Chen didn't react the way he usually did, which was being moved to the point of tears whenever she showed concern. There was a flicker of surprise in her eyes. However, she didn't think much of it since last time, Ye Chen had given her five Qi Gathering Pills. Though Ye Chen's alchemy skills were poor and the pills were of low quality, free was free. Lin Ke'er was in need of money, so she didn't hesitate to accept this strangeness.

Her eyes turned into crescent moons as she smiled, her voice sweet as she asked,"Fellow Daoist Ye must have spent a lot of time in seclusion. Surely, you've refined quite a few pills in that time?" She continued with a hint of envy: "I really admire Fellow Daoist Ye's alchemy talents. Unlike you, I…." Her voice trailed off toward the end, tinged with an unmistakable sadness. Hearing that, Ye Chen couldn't help but feel a flicker of sympathy. Yet, within his heart, cold laughter welled up.

Now, when Ye Chen didn't immediately respond, Lin Ke'er was already getting anxious. She couldn't hide her true intentions anymore, could she? This woman was definitely not as innocent as she appeared. But Ye Chen wasn't his predecessor. He wasn't a simp. Want pills? No. Though he still had more than twenty Qi Gathering Pills from his predecessor, he no longer cared about fulfilling any expectations. Whatever would happen if he denied her, he didn't care.

It wasn't the worst idea for Ye Chen to use these pills on himself to experience what it was like to cultivate. In fact, Lin Ke'er's appearance and grace were top-notch, so he didn't mind giving some to her. But it was another story when she wanted to take advantage of him. No way was Ye Chen going to play the simp, not even if it meant leaping off a cliff! Just as he prepared to say something, a sudden chime sounded in his mind.

"Detecting matching female cultivator…."

"Gift-Offering Bonding System, activating…."

"Target: Lin Ke'er!"

"Gift return multiplier: Ten times!" Ye Chen felt a mixture of excitement and confusion at the voice. Excitement, of course, because he now had a system. But something about this system didn't feel quite right….