Chapter 2 Chosen One Or Abandoned One

"That's weird... Web novels always say time travelers get some kind of special system, right? Where's mine? Did I activate it wrong?" He tried again, shouting, "System! System, my man! System! System... anyone?" His throat was raw from yelling, but the so-called system never showed up. Finally, Felix slumped onto a rock by the stream, utterly defeated. "Liars! Every web novel author is a scammer! I'm never reading web novels again!" He let out a long sigh. "Fine, no system... but where the hell is the original owner's memory? I've got nothing—how am I supposed to survive here when I don't know anything about this world?" Just as he was wallowing in frustration, something caught his eye. "What's that...?" He looked up and saw streaks of radiant light flashing across the sky, glowing like colorful meteors. Standing up for a better view, Felix froze in disbelief. Those glowing streaks weren't meteors—they were people, flying through the sky on swords! "Flying swords? A cultivation world?" Felix stared, dumbfounded, at the increasing number of sword-riding figures zipping through the air. His 30 years of understanding how the world worked began to crumble. "This world... definitely isn't governed by Newton." That was the only conclusion he could come up with. What young man hasn't dreamed of flying on a sword, soaring through the stars? That longing to touch the skies and ride a sword has been part of the blood running through every young boy's veins. And Felix was no exception. So, after seeing those cultivators flying around on their swords, he got way too excited. He immediately convinced himself, I must be a cultivator too! Then, he started jumping around like a madman, yelling, "Fly! Fly! Fly, fly, fly!" But no matter how hard he jumped, his feet stayed glued to the ground, and all he got were pins and needles in his legs. Frustrated, he plopped back down on the rock, looking like his whole world had just fallen apart. "No system? Fine, I'll live. No memories from the original owner? I'll manage. But why can't I fly? Chosen One? More like Abandoned One!" So far, the only thing Felix felt good about was how handsome his new body looked. Everything else had been a letdown. And after all that yelling and hopping around, not a single cultivator in the sky had even noticed him. They didn't seem to hear a thing he was shouting. But Felix didn't give up that easily. He started thinking through his next steps. First, he had to figure out who the original owner of this body was. His theory? The original guy must've been a cultivator from that giant mountain. It didn't make sense for some random outsider to drag a corpse all the way into the middle of the wilderness just to bury it. So far, the only people around seemed to be those from that mountain. There weren't any villages or settlements nearby. Second, he had to find out how the original owner had died. When Felix washed up earlier, he inspected the body and didn't see any stab wounds, bruises, or strangulation marks. That left two possibilities: disease or poison. If it was a disease, no big deal. But if it was poison, that might mean murder. And since Felix hadn't inherited any memories from the original owner, going back to that mountain could be dangerous—he might end up getting killed all over again. "So, do I go back, or do I run for it? That's the real question." He muttered to himself, weighing his options. "Should I dodge fate's arrows, sneak out of these mountains, and live a quiet, anonymous life? Or should I face whatever danger might be waiting and take a shot at becoming a powerful cultivator?" Any sensible person would've chosen to get the hell out of those mountains, figure out the original owner's identity, and learn how he died before making any big moves. But... The sight of those people flying on swords was too tempting to resist. After all, it was only a theory that the original owner had been murdered, and that he'd come from the mountain. Nothing was certain yet. And giving up the path of cultivation because of a few "what-ifs"? Felix just couldn't stomach that. After a few minutes of hesitation, his expression hardened with resolve. He stood up, dusted himself off, and stared at the towering mountain in the distance. "Take a shot, and maybe that bike turns into a motorcycle! No way I'm buying it—I'm the Chosen One! No way I'm gonna get knocked out this early!" With his chest puffed out and his head held high, Felix marched toward the towering peak. He had that classic "charging straight at the tiger" kind of bravery. BAM! "Ow, damn it!" But his cool lasted all of three seconds—he tripped and face-planted right into the dirt. Scrambling to his feet, Felix nervously glanced around, making sure nobody had seen him eat dirt. The heroic vibe vanished in an instant, replaced by a sneaky, squirrelly look. When he was certain the coast was clear, he sighed in relief, slouched his shoulders, and shuffled off, way less confident than before. He spent the whole day trudging through the dense, wild forest. Now and then, the roars of strange beasts echoed through the trees, sending chills down his spine. At one point, he snapped off a tree branch and carried it like a weapon—just in case. The forest was full of fruit, so whenever he got hungry, he picked some to eat. And when he got thirsty, he drank from mountain streams. He walked at an easy pace, stopping now and then to catch his breath. By dusk, Felix reached the northwest base of the enormous peak. Standing there at the foot of the mountain, the sheer size of it hit him like a truck—it was so tall he couldn't even see the top. It pierced through layer upon layer of clouds, like it was trying to touch the heavens. Compared to this colossal peak, the floating hills around it looked tiny and insignificant. The spot he'd reached seemed to be the back side of the mountain—steep and nearly impossible to climb. A thin waterfall trickled down the rocky cliff, forming a deep, dark pool at the bottom. A small stream flowed from the pool, winding its way out through the forest. With the sky getting darker, Felix figured there was no path up the mountain from the back. He decided to camp there for the night and try circling to the front tomorrow. He pulled out the wild fruits he'd collected earlier and washed them one by one by the edge of the pool. The waterfall shimmered in the fading light of the setting sun, and the water sparkled under the last golden rays. It was a beautiful sight. The pool's water was a brilliant emerald green, so clear it seemed like it could cleanse a person's soul. Without a second thought, Felix stripped off his clothes and dove straight in. The cool water wrapped around him, refreshing his entire body. The exhaustion that had built up throughout the day melted away in an instant. Maybe it was the cold water, or maybe something else, but Felix suddenly felt a strange energy moving through his body. It was warm and soothing, flowing smoothly through him. "Huh...?" Feeling the subtle changes in his body, Felix swam to the shore, eager to figure out what was going on. From the outside, he looked totally normal—no signs of anything unusual. But it felt like a faint stream of energy was flowing through his meridians. "Is that... qi? Could this really be genuine qi?" Excitement surged through him as he recalled the scenes from all those cultivation novels he'd read. Still butt-naked, Felix climbed onto a smooth boulder and sat cross-legged, determined to focus his mind. As his thoughts cleared and his breathing steadied, the flow of energy inside him became even more noticeable. "Inward vision... inward hearing..." He shut his eyes and whispered the mantra over and over in his mind, his heart racing with excitement. Gradually, Felix felt like he could sense the movement of the wind, the flow of water, and the gentle sway of the leaves. Even though his eyes were shut, it was as if everything around him appeared vividly in his mind. He was thrilled. "No way! Was the original owner of this body some kind of expert?" The second his concentration slipped, that mysterious sensation started to fade. Felix quickly refocused, holding his breath and steadying his mind. He decided to check what was going on inside his body.