100x Rewards: Draconic Evolution As An NPC (LITRPG/Cultivation/Artifact Refining)

[Ardenox]

The whole of the Nine Heavens watched with bated breath as the Ten Great Sects closed in around the Demon King of Obsession.

"Put down your sword and surrender, you vile wretch," someone barked.

My little sword won't stand up in this situation either, I'm not an exhibitionist…maybe.

"This is your end, you can't run now."

Who'd run away from a bunch of kids?

"You should have thought about this day when you slaughtered others for personal gain."

Uh oh, don't slander me.

Pain knifed through him when he spoke, but his voice cut clear across the ring of enemies. "It was you who massacred the innocents while searching for me."

His voice was hoarse, but still clear to everyone who was looking his way.

"Didn't you torture all of those people for information because your incompetent methods couldn't pinpoint me?" Kaizen taunted, laughing despite the blood that soaked his lips.

Like the shameless lot they were, the attackers ignored him.

"All this…for what? Only to die like a dog."

A dog? Fine. A dog who pissed on everyone's head for centuries.

"Your fate was set in stone when you dared to go against the entire world. Surrender."

No one's fate is fixed. Anything and everything is possible.

He truly believed that.

No amount of curses or taunts could move the man in front of them.

While everyone was standing with their weapons out and guards up, the man sat.

No one dared to approach him, not even in his current state.

He sat while a hundred weapons pointed his way. No one dared step close.

One hand clutched the hilt of the sword driven into the ground; the other braced against the rock he leaned on. Blood tracked along his body, staining blade and stone a deep, accusing red.

Kaizen bitterly looked up at the heavens, cursing it for not letting him breakthrough.

He had failed to break the limit of the world, and had been injured in the process.

The blood? It was because of his own failure. No one else was qualified to injure him.

With labored breath, he stood up, using the support of his sword.

As he rose, the assembled crowd instinctively recoiled, stepping back further with each of his movements until they had retreated a full hundred steps.

Frustration rolled through him like a bitter tide. What had it come to?

He finally couldn't help but raise his head, glancing at everyone who had surrounded him.

"Hahahahahaha."

Manic laughter escaped his mouth, as he threw his head back. His body trembled at the sheer absurdity of the situation.

With a deranged glint in his eyes, he looked at everyone.

"Surrender?" he said, each syllable poisoned with contempt.

He spat. Blood flecked the earth. "None of you rats are qualified."

One of them couldn't help but shout.

"Dog, do you not recognise your current state?"

Bravery leaked into them drop by drop, fed by the illusion of strength in numbers.

"You fucking wretch, what is that arrogance for?"

"Let's kill him, does he think he is the strongest? We have all the strongest people at one place, there would be no better time to kill him than now."

"Yea, let's rid the world of his evil."

Kaizen let a slow, bloodied smile spread across his face. "Done with the circus? Clowns."

He raised his sword. It was a single gesture, nothing extraordinary.

Yet, every blade shifted, every stance tightened.

"If there's anyone who is qualified to kill me, that would be me. Not rats who I could trample beneath me."

Kaizen took a last bitter look at the heavens, which obstructed his breakthrough.

He knew his life was coming to an end, but he refused to go down like this.

Kaizen was fond of betting on the unknown. Maybe a miracle would take place?

"I curse the entire Nine Heavens." The words left him like a sealed verdict.

Then he swung.

*****

"That day came to be remembered as the Black Day of Cultivation."

The professor looked at the students in his class and continued.

"It was the day the path of cultivation was severed," he said. "The peak was knocked down from the Celestial Emperor realm to the God King realm. One sword shattered the Nine Heavens, sundered the path, and dragged every Emperor from their throne to the level of Kings."

The students said nothing. Every one of them had heard the story—Heaven's Cry, an event that had unfolded only hours ago.

The professor's gaze swept the room. "This is why it's necessary to never let such a demon grow."

Later, as the class filed out, one young man tilted his head toward the sky, the memory of those words heavy in his chest.

So it's just been a few hours since that incident took place huh.

Kaizen thought while looking around.

His eyes narrowed as he walked. It had been no more than an hour since he had come back to life, wearing the shell of a mortal with no power at all.

The original owner of this body choked while drinking on water from the university's purifier.

The empty husk of a body was probably what allowed his soul to fill the gap.

His former self carried many names now, each one whispered like a curse or a legend:

The Black Crown of Unbeing.

The Final Scream of Creation.

He Who Laughs in the Ashes.

The One Who Stood Alone.

The Last King of the Peak.

The Shadow Over the Nine Heavens.

Kaizen couldn't help but feel frustrated when he thought back to the scene. His memories were as clear as sparkling water.

Clenching his fist, he promised himself, his will still as unwavering as ever.

This time for sure. This time I'll break through to the Cosmic Realm to revive her.

There was just one unexpected thing.

His current world wasn't the Nine Heavens. It was a normal world which was about to be bestowed with a power system soon.

Kaizen didn't have any idea if Nine Heavens began in the same way. He was over a hundred years old, but he wasn't there to witness the beginning of the cultivation world.

At home, he sat cross-legged on the bed and closed his eyes. Inside his heart glimmered a shard of aquamarine colored crystal.

Did I get it when I slashed at the heavens of the cultivation world? Maybe this is what helped me to reincarnate?

Kaizen named it the Fragment of Heaven.

No matter what, it was a major benefit to him. Kaizen noticed that it allowed him to cultivate even in this other world.

The crystal was dim, probably because it had used up its energy to reincarnate him.

Kaizen couldn't wait for it to recover and explore if it had other functions and advantages.

In a few days he would once again step foot onto the path of cultivation after becoming a Body Tempering realm cultivator.

This would provide him with a massive benefit in the game world.

Apparently, his slash had opened up some kind of film covering the Nine Heavens. That tear let the other worlds, including this one, realize such a world existed, and even find fragments of its information.

This was also how this world got to know about his latest feat in the Nine Heavens, the name of his cultivation world.

Currently that was also the only thing known here since it was the most impactful, influential and popular topic.

As others absorbed his tales in the Nine Heavens, Kaizen too sifted through what he could. The memories of his new vessel gave him scraps of this world's knowledge, and his own means filled in the rest.

When a new world crossed a certain threshold of time period, they would be randomly bestowed a power system.

This one was on the verge of receiving its own.

The good thing? Progress there would tie directly to the body here, and vice versa.

Strength, speed, endurance, whatever you had in reality would carry over. That was why gyms and bodybuilding had become so popular. People wanted to stack the deck, to carve out an advantage before the rules even began.

But Kaizen smiled at the thought. Once he broke through to the Tempering Realm, he would already stand leagues ahead of the rest.

The itch to grow stronger gnawed at him. He could hardly sit still.

He headed home after eating a cheap meal on a roadside stall, then put on the headset sitting on the study table.

Virtual reality games were incredibly popular since it allowed everyone to get a feel of what their actual power system would be like.

It allowed people to practice their skills, and develop thinking habits required to excel in such games.

It took only a few moments for him to log in to the game, and a couple more before he already got into trouble.

"I will definitely avenge my brother."

A young man clenched his fist, proclaiming in front of the dungeon he just escaped from.

A handful of players nearby turned their heads. A few even stepped forward with offers of help.

Paladin: "Here, take this shield, I don't use it anymore."

Mage: "And this mana stone. Might come in handy."

Berserker: "My old helmet as well."

Necromancer: "And your brother."

The air froze. Silence stretched for a beat. Then the young man let out a furious cry and lunged straight at the necromancer.

Kaizen, who happened to be playing necromancer class, bolted for the jungle, shouting over his shoulder.

"Look, you misunderstand me. I am just… a really late healer."

But the young man wasn't hearing a word of it.

A few hours later, Kaizen logged out from the game.

My thought process seems to have become a bit chaotic.

Kaizen mused, wondering why that was the case.

Games like these had been designed as preparation, training wheels for the power system that would soon awaken in their world.

Normally, a world didn't allow outside power systems to take root. Otherwise, with the Nine Heavens now revealed to the greater universe, this world would have already been flooded with cultivation techniques.

Of course, the Nine Heavens had only just opened, so it was doubtful anything so valuable as a true cultivation scripture would leak so quickly.

But plenty of other worlds had long-established power systems, and many of them were already in contact here. Practice methods to those techniques would've long circulated if they were valid in this world.

Kaizen looked at the aquamarine colored crystal hovering in his heart.

Just its existence allows me to defy the laws of existence and cultivate in this world. What would happen if it absorbs energy?

But wait, will I still be able to practice the power system of this world?

His eyes drifted around the modest room, the one his body's previous owner had rented after aging out of the orphanage. The university offered no dorms.

Despite being from the cultivation world, he was quickly able to grasp the nuances and terms of this modern world due to memories of the person this body belonged to.

Kaizen circulated Qi through his body, stopping only when he felt tired.

This time, he was operating a completely new cultivation scripture.

He chanced upon it while exploring a ruin. It was even better than his cultivation technique back then, but the problem was that this cultivation technique had a strange requirement, one he had never seen in other techniques.

It required one to start from a mortal level, which meant if someone had already walked the path of cultivation, they would have to abolish their realms of power to cultivate this technique.

He couldn't do so back then because he had way too many enemies.

Now was the perfect chance to do so.

With a month to go before the world's power system awakened, he had time to secure a massive head start.

After taking a rest, he resumed cultivating.

Just a bit more.

Finally, he felt an otherworldly amount of power within his body as an illusory sound of glass breaking echoed in his ears.

At last, entered the Body Tempering realm.

However, before he could even think further, his vision darkened.

A moment later, Kaizen found himself over a planet.

His first instinct was to take a defensive stance, but he quickly realized he had no powers here. No movement, no air, no presence of anyone else.

I can't move.

He tried to drift closer to the planet, but nothing happened.

Being a mortal, how can I breathe in outer space? Or am I not here with my physical body? Just what is this place?

Just as he was in the midst of his thoughts, he heard something echoing.

'Adaptation is the only permanence……'

'The cosmos writes itself in revisions…….'

'Evolution is the pulse of existence……'

Kaizen's brows furrowed as he carefully listened to the echoes. The three lines kept repeating over and over.

Just what is this place? Did this happen because I practiced that cultivation scripture?

As Kaizen was scrutinizing the planet below, something caught his attention.

A tree.

Its size was beyond comprehension, visible even from outer space. Yet Kaizen's attention wasn't on its scale, but on the translucent screen that appeared the moment he fixed his gaze on the tree.

//Basic Information//

[Name: Kaizen Aeonhart]

[Race: Dragon - Youngling]

[Titles: None]

//Attributes//

//Status effects//

//Shop//

//Inventory//

Thanks to the memories of his host body, Kaizen immediately recognized it for what it was: a system interface.

But what the hell? Since when the fuck am I dragon?

Kaizen knew all too well that dragons and all kinds of bizarre monsters existed in the Nine Heavens, but he was pretty sure he was a human.

A peak cultivator's senses couldn't be incorrect.

How did he suddenly become a dragon?

He quickly put that to the back of his mind however. A string of words couldn't determine his race.

Still, he didn't expand the menus. His attention was drawn instead to the fruits hanging from the tree.

His sight had zoomed in by the time he finished reading the system interface, therefore he could now see the tree from up close, allowing him to spot the fruits.

It wasn't just one fruit, but a variety of them, as if that single tree could bear everything. Yet most were grayed out. Only two gleamed with color.

Information popped up when he looked at the two.

[Tier 1: Draconic Awakening - Slit pupils (enhanced vision)]

[Tier 1: Draconic Awakening - Scale armor I(limbs)]

[Note: All the functions are controllable and can be hidden.]

Well, if it truly gives me these things, I might gradually become a dragon even if I wasn't one before.

Kaizen wasn't as averse to evolving towards a dragon, so he wasn't that concerned.

However, when he tried to pick the fruit so that he could eat it, a notification popped up about an inefficient amount of experience to buy the chosen evolution.

Right, hunting monsters, completing quests and all that to earn experience. I'll do it later.

Next, he went through the interface again, and confirmed that there was no new element. Everything was already covered by one or the other RPG game of this world.

How do I exit?

Immediately after he had that thought, Kaizen found himself back in his room.

After doing a brief check of his power, he went to sleep as the exhaustion crept in.

…

… …

… … …

[The System has detected another power system trying to attach itself to the host.]

[Proceeding with a merger.]

[Merge successful.]

[With enhanced capabilities of the system, it can now further assist the host.]

//Basic Information//

[Name: Kaizen Aeonhart]

[Race: Dragon - Youngling]

[Titles: None]

[Bloodline: Low-Tier Time Path - Time Affinity +5] <New>

//Class// <New>

[Slot one: Cultivator]

[Slot two: Empty]

//Attributes//

//Status effects//

//Skills// <New>

//Shop//

//Inventory//

[…]

[Detected an Awakened ability.]

[Temporarily cannot discern its complete information.]

//Awakened Ability//

An exquisite card marked as The Fool shimmered across the system interface, with lines of information unfolding beneath it.

[Domain: Probability]

[Name: ???]

[Description: ???]

[Price: Chaotic thought process]

[…]

[Due to an overlap of power systems, the host shall be benefited with a multiplier of a hundred times for the experience received on all their tasks.]

[...]

[Hehehe…]

[I'm finally back.]

The next day when Kaizen opened his eyes, he was in another body, yet again.

This time back in the cultivation world.

As an NPC.

 

[TFTwink]

So, he's reincarnating twice? Or is this a reincarnate that can go between worlds?

 

[Ardenox]

So, he's reincarnating twice? Or is this a reincarnate that can go between worlds?

Click to shrink...

He transmigrated twice yes. From first world to second world, then when the first world became a playground for second world, he went from second world to first world whose timeline was regressed. And no, he can't hop between worlds, at least not yet. I'll post the following chapters in the next few days, hopefully your remaining doubt would be solved.

 

[Ardenox]

Kaizen looked around with a tired expression.

Again?

This time the body he had inhabited seems to have been in coma since birth, therefore the apparent lack of memories.

For some reason, my head feels clearer than before. And this body… it's comfortable as fuck.

He took a slow look around the room. The furnishings and the quiet elegance of the place suggested a far better background than his last life.

Am I even in the same world anymore? Or have I transmigrated again?

After a moment of sensing his surroundings, Kaizen's eyes lit up.

I can cultivate without relying on the Fragment of Heaven!

When he was in the previous world, with his experience, he was easily able to deduce that the energy for his cultivation came from the Fragment of Heaven and not from the surroundings.

A world simply didn't allow an external power system to take root.

However, it was different here.

Does this world also have a cultivation power system?

It wouldn't be unusual. With countless worlds scattered across the universe, not all could be completely distinct. Many shared overlapping power systems.

Kaizen moved toward the full-length mirror in his room, his eyes narrowing as he studied his reflection.

This…looks awfully similar to my original body.

A hint of doubt crept into his mind. A baffling guess. But given the current situation, it felt more and more true.

He decided to look around, though walking out the front door would obviously draw attention.

Kaizen didn't want anyone to realize this body had regained consciousness just yet. It would be better to understand where he stood before alerting others.

He approached the window, and checked out his surroundings.

A jump-able height.

For the current Kaizen, it didn't take long for his thought to become an action.

Landing in a style of someone unaccustomed to their current strength, he sped up towards the nearby crowd to quickly blend in, lest someone recognise where he came from.

A few minutes later, he had already gathered some basic information, albeit after being a recipient of some weird stares.

Well, you would look at a person strangely too if they asked for the name of the planet, the current location and the year, right?

Or would you automatically designate them as a person from the future and get tips to get rich in exchange for keeping quiet about their secret?

Well, fortunately, Kaizen met none of those weirdos.

However, the knowledge he now held unsettled him.

This is Planet Calan? In the Nine Heavens, a planet with this name was the birthplace of a Celestial Emperor so I remember it clearly.

However, I don't recognise the city name, not even the year. Perhaps it is not the Nine Heavens after all?

He was still processing that when a group of passersby caught his attention.

"I've heard that the ghost of Tolko isn't dead yet. It was declared dead just to calm the citizens. My brother said that the priest himself would head over tonight to deal with it for once and for all."

Entirely by instinct, Kaizen tapped on the shoulder of the man who spoke just now. His thoughts arrived a moment later, allowing him to ask the man.

"Can you tell me which church the priest is from?"

The person looked at Kaizen, giving him a once over before responding.

"The Church of the Unfinished Grace."

Seeing that Kaizen had no other question, he moved on.

It really is the Nine Heavens…

I may have transmigrated to the past. An extremely distant past.

It was an era he had only heard of. Due to its taboo nature, there were barely any written records.

It was a period when cultivation hadn't yet flourished, and the entire world was ruled by gods and ghosts.

Six gods, to be precise—

The God of Incomplete.
The God of Information.
The God of Chaos.
The God of Extraction.
The God of Entanglement.
The God of Evolution.

[Since the host has already gathered information on his own, the system shall not interfere.]

Question marks practically floated above Kaizen's head as he stared at the screen in his mind.

What the fuck? There was this option too? This lousy system.

What is going on here? Tell me more.

[No. Do it yourself.]

Are you sentient?

[Else what? idiot.]

Just when Kaizen was about to argue with the system, someone tapped his shoulder and leaned close to his ear.

"Fifth Prince, the Fourth Prince wishes to meet you. He's already heading toward your room. Please make haste."

Oh? I have a royal identity? Fifth prince huh.

Kaizen turned around to look at the soldier who conveyed the message and replied in complete seriousness.

"No. Do it yourself."

He spread his hands, and beckoned the soldier.

"C'mon, pick me up and carry me to my room. Make haste."

The soldier's lips twitched, but he obeyed nonetheless.

Halfway through, Kaizen's face turned red as realization struck.

I can't seem to control when my train of thought goes haywire. What's this new issue now?

[It's a side effect of an ability you awakened and used in the past.]

What is it?

[I only know that it's a passive ability tied to probability. The rest? I don't know. I can only gather more information if it gets triggered again.]

How do I do it?

[I don't fucking know mate. Shut up.]

Kaizen closed his eyes, exercising the patience of his over hundred years of cultivation to not lash out at the useless system.

Show me my status screen.

A minute later, Eryndor had a thoughtful look on his face.

I can practice one more domain?

Termed as 'Class' in his status screen, the same thing was called a 'Domain' in the Nine Heavens.

There were five.

Cultivation.
Artifact Refining.
Alchemy.
Formation Engraving.
Oathkeeping.

Kaizen's eyes twinkled in delight as he had already decided upon his second class.

However, the problem was that he had never dabbled in that path since he already had cultivation to focus on.

I'll need formal training… or at least some reliable information to start with.

Lost in thought, Kaizen finally returned to his quarters, only to find the Fourth Prince already waiting for him inside.

 

[Ardenox]

By the window stood a young man, lean and tall, with short black hair.

He bore a striking resemblance to Kaizen, having high cheekbones, a strong jawline, and sharp black eyes that seemed to take everything in.

The only difference was the cane in his right hand, which he used as a crutch.

"Ahh my brother. You've finally woken up. I've waited a long time for this moment."

The young man smiled. His voice was soft, calm, and peaceful.

Unlike Kaizen who looked and acted like a reincarnation of chaotic mess, this young man was an existence which radiated nothing but serenity.

Kaizen felt a sense of dissociation as whatever was going on obviously belonged to the true owner of the body, not him. He wasn't supposed to be the recipient of such care.

Nonetheless, he displayed a clueless expression, which prompted the young man to introduce himself.

"I'm Adrian, the fourth prince, also your elder sibling. Of the emperor's five children, we're the only two born of the same mother.

"Even though you've been in a coma since birth, you were nurtured with countless treasures.

"You've grown just like anyone your age in body, cognitive capability, languages, and understanding of the world. Maybe just a bit more innocent, since you haven't lived it yourself.

"I'll have my attendants bring you some general information. It should help you get your bearings."

He paused, studying Kaizen for a moment.

"Do you need anything else?"

Kaizen thought for a moment before speaking.

"Safety?"

Something stirred within the deep black eyes of the serene Fourth Prince as he heard his younger brother's wish. He smiled faintly and nodded.

"I'll make sure you have it. Anything else?"

"Resources?"

The Fourth Prince tilted his head.

"Are you trying to practice a domain?"

"Yes."

"Alright. Tell my people what you need, and they'll see to it. On another note, Mother's already heard about your recovery, she'll be here soon."

His tone softened slightly.

"She's been under a lot of strain lately, so don't make any excessive requests.

"Given her nature, now that you're finally awake, she'll try to give you whatever you ask for, even if it hurts her. And none of us want that."

It seemed that the Fourth Prince had matters to attend to, as he left the room shortly after.

In the corridor, the faint tapping of his cane echoed against the marble floor. His subordinate softly whispered.

"Your highness, you seem… happy?"

A genuine smile touched Adrian's lips.

"Why wouldn't I be? My little brother made his first request to me. I should do my best to see it through."

In his current room, Kaizen took a seat on the sofa and browsed through the information he had received.

It took him nearly an hour to read through everything, after which he leaned back into the sofa.

Ahh… It really is the Nine Heavens cultivation world. I've transmigrated back to the past.

What exactly is going on? System, any ideas?

[Your cultivation world has most likely been punished. You remember the world you transmigrated to before this?]

One which was about to get an RPG-style power system?

[Yes. And as you might recall from that young man's memories, an RPG power system involves hunting beasts, completing quests, and all that nonsense.]

[Now, where do you think it would take place? Right here. People from that world will come to this one, to fight, to grow stronger, to "level up." Do you realize your predicament yet?]

Kaizen was silent for a long while before asking once again.

Did others of the Nine Heavens also get a system?

[What a stupid question. Is there any mention of it in the information you received from the Fourth Prince?]

[A significantly important thing such as that would be on the first page of an information booklet everywhere. Only you have it among the residents of this world.]

How can I practice two domains?

How did I transmigrate?

How did I awaken an ability?

How —

[Shut the fuck up. I don't know the answer to those big questions, okay? Ask something small. Something I would know. C'mon, let me feel important.]

Kaizen took a deep breath and mentally conjured a middle finger before leaving the room.

[Hey hey hey, you'll regret this!]

Kaizen ignored the system and entered the busy streets again, returning to his room only after the daylight began fading away.

With his experience, Kaizen could sense the presence of several people shadowing him at all times.

The Fourth Prince's people? From the looks of it, they were there to ensure my safety. It seems he took my request seriously huh.

Despite his frail appearance and limited influence, he still made sure my wish was fulfilled.

One of the pieces of information he heard was related to the current political environment.

The emperor's grip on power was weak, prompting his children to begin their struggle for the throne long before his decline.

The first prince, the crown prince, commanded great wealth through his mother, a princess from a foreign power equal in might to the Aeonhart Empire.

The second prince held sway over the majority of the court; his mother was the empress, the emperor's official wife. The rest of the royal children were born of concubines.

The third princess commanded the empire's armies through her mother, the grand commander herself.

The fourth prince and his own mother, Katherine, was a daughter of a major merchant clan.

Although the merchant clan's wealth rivaled that of the first prince's maternal line, due to Katherine's feud with her father, who was the current head of that clan, she didn't have as much personal wealth at her disposal.

For reasons that remained unclear, Adrian had willingly renounced his claim to the throne.

People gossiped that he did it because he didn't see any hope of winning, which could be seen from the fact how weak and frail he looked.

Even his eyes never held any hint of fighting spirit, just a serene calmness of having accepted his fate and surrendered.

Kaizen exhaled softly.

I don't want to fight for this stupid throne either. I need to get stronger and quickly leave this planet to find my companion.

Judging by the timeline I put together from the various pieces of information, she should have already begun her cultivation.

As if to remind him that his priorities weren't simply limited to that, a system prompt appeared in his mind.

[Detected a successful connection.]

[Time left before players enter the world: 29 days.]

 

[Ardenox]

Kaizen understood the weight of what the arrival of players meant for this world.

Their presence would change everything. His knowledge of the future would lose value with each passing day.

Then again, he thought, I'm no historian. My understanding of this era is limited, and I've landed decades before the time I was actually alive. There's not much for me to take advantage of anyway.

What he could use were the truly major events he remembered, those so monumental that small changes, whether from his transmigration or the interference of players, wouldn't easily alter them.

At least for now. He suspected that as time went on, even those fixed points might shift into something unrecognizable.

His thoughts were interrupted by a knock at the door.

"Fifth prince, you haven't yet notified us about the resources you need."

Ahh, right.

Immediately, Kaizen gave him a list. He didn't make any exorbitant demands, mindful of the Fourth Prince's situation.

Despite the late hour, the requested materials were delivered within minutes.

Thankfully they had it here.

Kaizen thought, gazing at the book in his hand.

It held introductory information to the class he desired.

Artifact Refining.

He knew just how much potential this class held when it was truly at its peak.

Sure, each class had its own advantage, but Kaizen had considered another factor.

His own Cultivator class.

When superimposed with his first class, Artifact Refining offered synergy far beyond the other classes, therefore he resolutely chose it.

Without wasting any time, he opened the book and began reading.

What Kaizen hadn't expected, though, was a system prompt flashing in his mind.

[Proficiency in Artifact Refining +1]

[Artifact Refiner (Tier one): 1/100]

[Spend Insight Points to speed up progress?]

What are Insight Points? How do I get them?

[Insight Points can be used to accelerate the understanding of skills, and class knowledge required for each tier upgrade.]

[There are numerous ways to obtain them, including but not limited to completing certain quests, maxing out a skill without the use of Insight Points, and specific class exclusive achievements.]

So magical? How many do I have currently?

[Zero, genius. That's why I didn't display it.]

Then why ask if I wanted to use it?

[To remind you of your poverty. Get to work, poor man.]

At that moment, Kaizen wished nothing more than to remove the system from his head and give it a thorough beating.

Calming himself down, he returned his focus to the book.

The night passed in silence, broken only by the faint rustle of pages. Kaizen consumed every line, cross-referencing diagrams and formulae with utmost seriousness.

As the first shining rays of daylight pierced through the night sky, illuminating the city, a system prompt appeared before him.

[Artifact Refiner (Tier one): 100/100]

[Receive this class?]

[Yes/No]

Of course a yes, stupid system. Why would I stay up all night just to not receive that class?

[...]

[That was a necessary prompt coded into me, not a reflection of my intelligence, unlike a certain someone.]

[Activating Artifact Refining Class.]

[Profile updating…]

Immediately, Kaizen felt a wave of energy rushing through his veins in a particular order.

All five domains used the same energy, Qi.

The distinction lay in how one circulated it. Each domain's path was unique; forcing a different flow would cripple, even kill, the practitioner.

To his rather subdued astonishment due to already expecting the outcome, Kaizen discovered that the energy was flowing smoothly without any backlash.

[Update complete.]

Kaizen checked his profile once again. This time exploring each tab in detail.

//Basic Information//

[Name: Kaizen Aeonhart]

[Race: Dragon Youngling]

[Titles: None]

[Bloodline: Low-Tier Time Path - Time Affinity +5]

//Class//

[Slot one: Cultivator]

[Tier one - Rank one - Level one - 0/10000]

Huh? You won't write 'Body Tempering realm?'

[Mere constraints devised by the people to sound cool. For the ease of understanding and to reduce complexity, 'Ranks' would be used.]

Kaizen already knew that tiers were the major checkpoints of a domain, so he didn't ask about that.

He would upgrade to tier two at rank four, which was too far away for the current him.

[Slot two: Artifact Refiner]

[Tier one - Rank one - Level one - 0/10000]

//Status effects//

[Exhaustion]

Valid. I don't have the body of a peak ranked cultivator anymore. It's been a long time since I got a good rest so it's inevitable that exhaustion would creep in. I feel it myself without the system having to tell me.

//Attributes//

[Strength (STR): 240]
[Physical power, damage, carrying capacity and similar aspects.]

[Dexterity (DEX): 200]
[Agility, reflexes, accuracy, speed, and related traits.]

[Constitution (CON): 210]
[Health, endurance, and resistance to physical effects.]

[Intelligence (INT): 225]
[Qi storage and efficiency, perception, and resistance to mental effects.]

[Charisma (CHA): 1]
[Influence, leadership.]

[Luck (LUC): 1]
[Critical hit rates, rare discoveries, evasion, and probability of favorable outcomes.]

[Note: Charisma and Luck cannot be increased by investing Attribute Points.]

[Attribute Points: 20]

[Note: The average attributes of a class at rank one are 80-120.]

So since I have two classes, their bonuses stack. Makes sense.

How did I get the twenty Attribute Points by the way?

[10 for breaking through to rank one. Since you did it twice with two classes, that's 20.]

My draconic lineage didn't play a role in my stats?

[Only after you unlock the evolutions which influence those stats will they be changed.]

[You currently have no evolutions except the essence of a dragon which lets you accept those evolutions without harm.]

With his doubts solved, he moved further on to next panels.

//Skills//

[None]

[Note: Host has to perform the skill at least once for the system to record it down.]

//Shop//

[Note: Anything can be purchased as long as the host provides sufficient energy. Certain items would need the host to provide a blueprint for the system to procure it.]

//Inventory//

[Empty]

[Note: A storage space which can only be accessed by the host. Can be increased by providing sufficient energy to the system.]

//Miscellaneous//

[Note: Concepts which cannot be classified under any one panel would be mentioned here along with truly miscellaneous content.]

[Insight Points: 0]

[Experience multiplier: 100]

[Note: The host is so stupid.]

… That last part is yours isn't it?

[Of course, are you stupid? I was truly right to add that.]

Kaizen felt that even if he didn't improve in any aspects with the help of his system, he would truly make great progress in his patience.

Anyway, time to rest and see what I can do about my current situation.

 

[Ardenox]

Kaizen woke up the next morning fully refreshed, having slept almost an entire day.

Time to explore my options for leaving this planet and reaching hers.

Reuniting with his partner was one of the few reasons he didn't resent this timeline reset, even if it was technically a punishment.

Obviously though, I need to get stronger first. Only the highest kind of teleportation can allow a weak body like that of a rank one to teleport safely.

As far he knew, those kinds of teleportation arrays were researched much later. The ones active in this era weren't so lenient on the physique of travellers, so only those at higher ranks could travel safely.

Kaizen stood up, freshened up, had a hearty breakfast, and left his room.

It was the first time he got a good look at his residence since he left through his door this time.

It was a two storey building equipped with top notch medical facilities, with the other rooms for his guards to stay in. One of them would be occasionally emptied out for his brother and mother to stay in when they paid him a visit.

The guards informed him that the mother of this body would be arriving that afternoon. That gave him only a few hours to gather what he needed before he returned.

As he walked amidst the crowded streets, Kaizen's thoughts couldn't help but wander around.

Is this my real identity?

He wondered.

In his past life, he'd known no such thing as family.

Memory had never been his weakness; once he rose high enough in cultivation, his mind sharpened to the point he could recall scenes from infancy with perfect clarity.

And in those earliest memories, he was alone, lying in a hospital crib, later raised in an orphanage.

When his capabilities grew, he tried tracking down his origins, but came out empty handed all the time.

The farthest he reached was a middle aged woman who admitted him to the hospital.

She claimed to have found him in an empty house which was set to be demolished to make space for a noble's estate. She was one of the workers tasked with checking all the nearby houses.

Could this be my true identity even in my past life?

This coma…was it really just that?

Or some strange, drawn-out condition that took decades to resolve?

But then, that doesn't explain why I was still an infant decades later in past life while I am already a young man in this life.

How was I able to live that long? And reverse my aging?

Does this have something to do with the fact that I have a time based bloodline?

It wasn't without basis that Kaizen thought this could be his true identity.

This body was awfully similar to his past life's body down to the last hair.

Add to that his unclear origins in past life.

Could that be a mere coincidence?

I'll think about it later.

Kaizen drew a silver coin from his pocket and held it out to a young boy wandering the street.

Naturally, the money came from the Fourth Prince. He intended to cross check the general information he was given.

True family or not, the instincts forged over countless years weren't slipping away any time soon.

"What do you want to know about?"

The boy eyed the silver coin like a starving cat watching a roasted fish.

"Hm… a rundown of the major powers, and how to leave this planet," Kaizen said. "Don't try anything clever. I'll know. Lie, and you don't get the coin."

The boy swallowed, nodded, and took a moment to gather his thoughts.

"If we take The Aeonhart Empire as the benchmark of a major power, there are seven.

"Naturally, the Aeonhart Empire is one. The others are the Moriem Empire, the Wildlands, the Krick Merchant Clan, the Church of the Unfinished Grace, the Temple of Perpetual Witness, and the Cosmic University.

"The Aeonhart Empire's royal family is known for their time based cultivation skills. Their ancestral artifact is known to control time itself, but it has never been used."

Kaizen's eyes narrowed at that. This was not mentioned in the information given by the Fourth Prince.

Probably just a rumor. If there really was a time-controlling artifact, it wouldn't still be sitting on some random empire in a backwater world — it'd be in the hands of a god by now.

At this point of time, all five classes were still in their beginning stages, the pioneers mapping out the path ahead bravely as the threat of gods and ghosts loomed over their heads.

If there truly existed such an artifact, some measly empire which housed rank three, or at most, a rank four powerhouse would never be able to keep it to themselves.

As to how he knew about the general power level of the empire? It was mentioned in the information booklet given by the fourth prince.

The boy continued, unaware of Kaizen's thoughts.

"The Moriem Empire's royal family is known for their mind based cultivation skills. Unlike our emperor, the ruler of The Moriem Empire is the strongest person in their region.

"The Wildlands isn't just one major power, but a collection of tribes which border our empire. Due to constant infighting, they aren't too dangerous. But when they run out of resources, they unite and raid our borderlands."

"The Krick merchant clan is proficient in alchemy, artifact refining, and creating array formations, therefore they are sufficiently wealthy and capable of protecting themselves even with a portable base. Their whereabouts are often unknown.

"The Church of the Unfinished Grace, and The Temple of Perpetual Witness serve the God of Incomplete and God of Information respectively. Obviously, they are just branches established on this planet.

"Their main purpose is to kill the ghosts, therefore they very rarely have conflicts with the other powers. Not to mention no one would offend them either.

"Lastly, The Cosmic University. You see, this one is a bit of an oddball."