Chen Haotian was an ordinary white-collar worker striving in the city. Having experienced the restlessness and struggle of his youth, by the time he reached thirty, his career and life had gradually settled into stability. Yet, who would have thought that a car accident would turn his life upside down.
It was an ordinary evening when Chen Haotian hurried toward the subway station after getting off work. In the bustling, brightly lit city, amidst the noisy crowd, no one would notice a head-down, preoccupied man. Just as he stepped onto the road, a runaway car sped toward him, and in an instant, the front of the vehicle slammed into his body.
Death did not come as suddenly as he had expected. Chen Haotian clearly felt the excruciating pain of his bones being crushed, and then plunged into total darkness.
However, when he opened his eyes again, the sight before him left him completely bewildered. There was no hospital bed, nor familiar city streets, but a vast and boundless starry sky, as if millions of stars were twinkling around him. He tried to stand up, only to find the space around him utterly unfamiliar, and even his own body no longer seemed like his original form.
"Where is this?" he muttered to himself, his voice sounding hollow and echoing.
"You're finally awake," a deep, ancient voice came from the distance. Chen Haotian turned to look and saw an old man in robes walking slowly toward him.
The old man's expression was calm, his brows radiating an oppressive might that people dared not meet with their eyes. Chen Haotian felt a jolt in his heart, quickly cupped his hands in greeting, and asked, "Senior, where... where am I? Shouldn't I be dead?"
The old man smiled faintly. "You are not dead; your time has not yet run out. This place is a realm spanning time and space. By some mysterious design, you have been chosen as a candidate for a cultivator."
Chen Haotian was taken aback. Vague impressions regarding the word "cultivator" suddenly surged into his mind. He had read stories of cultivators in novels and television dramas, but had always considered them to be illusory fantasies. He never expected such a thing to happen to him.
"A cultivator? What on earth is this?" he couldn't help asking.
A trace of unnoticeable amusement flashed in the old man's eyes. "Cultivation means borrowing the spiritual qi of heaven and earth to refine oneself and seek longevity. Having been reborn here, you have been granted the qualification to practice. Whether you are willing or not, you must accept it."
Chen Haotian's mind was in utter chaos, but the old man did not give him much time to think.
"You will soon return to the mortal world, but your identity is no longer that of an ordinary mortal. Remember, your future is full of unknowns, but you can choose to walk your own path and decide whether or not to cultivate."
"Cultivate?" Chen Haotian looked bewildered. "I'm just an ordinary person, how could I possibly..."
"Ordinary?" The old man smiled. A glowing jade pendant in his palm suddenly floated up and slowly flew toward Chen Haotian. "This jade pendant is the key to your path of immortal cultivation. You will gain some unknown powers. If you decide to cultivate, it will guide you toward a broader realm."
As the words fell, Chen Haotian's vision blurred again, and everything before him gradually vanished.
When he opened his eyes once more, he was back on the familiar urban streets, surrounded by hurrying crowds. The only difference was that Chen Haotian's eyes had become exceptionally sharp, as if he could see through everything.
He lowered his head and looked at his hands—that pair of slightly pale palms now seemed filled with infinite power, the fine lines appearing remarkably profound, as though connected to the breath of the earth.
"I've... been reborn?" Chen Haotian muttered to himself.
His body had an unusual sensation, the surrounding air seemed much fresher, and even the sunlight felt as though it carried a trace of spiritual qi. He waved his hand, trying to summon the new energy within his body, but found that his power had not fully awakened. Doubt welled up in his heart. What did the old man's words mean just now? Did saying that he possessed the qualification to cultivate mean he had truly stepped into a brand-new world?
Just as Chen Haotian was pondering, a scream suddenly shattered his thoughts.
"Help! Someone is robbing me!"
Chen Haotian looked up and saw a man in black wielding a knife, snatching a young girl's bag. The surrounding pedestrians panicked and scattered, with no one daring to step forward to stop him.
At that moment, Chen Haotian felt a stirring in his heart. His body instinctively took a step forward, rushing toward the robber.
"You dare make a move?" Chen Haotian smiled coldly, his body instantly shooting forward like an arrow released from a bow.
His speed was astonishingly fast, catching up to the man in black in the blink of an eye. The robber was stunned, failing to even register the figure's movements before he was sent flying by a single palm strike, crashing to the ground.
The surrounding people looked at this scene in shock, letting out gasps of astonishment. The man in black clutched his chest, breathing heavily in pain, clearly shaken severely by the blow.
"Who are you? Why are you so strong?" The man in black looked at Chen Haotian in terror, his eyes filled with fear.
Chen Haotian ignored him, merely casting a cold glance at him before turning to walk toward the victimized girl. He smiled and said, "It's fine, you can go now."
The girl looked at him in panic, seeming not to have recovered from the shock just yet. Chen Haotian said no more and turned to leave the scene, yet his heart was filled with doubts.
That single palm strike was just like that of a martial artist with years of cultivation, and the power it contained completely exceeded ordinary understanding. So, what kind of change had happened to him? Did cultivation truly exist?
Amidst the hustle and bustle of the city, Chen Haotian began his path of immortal cultivation—an originally ordinary white-collar worker was now destined to walk an extraordinary path, and this road had only just begun.