The First Cultivator - Changing Existence - Chapter 23: Back Outside -

Lin An's life underwent a drastic change.The basketball under his bed had turned into a bleeding head, which would hop next to his pillow and hum softly by his ear at midnight. The subway racing into the station had become a gigantic lizard, opening its gaping maw, waiting for him to line up and feed it.The world was not as simple as he had imagined. Behind the bustle of the city, the Witch Hunter Knights roamed in search of evil wizards to slay.The ordinary worker, Lin An, inadvertently became a member of the Antler Witch-Hunting Knight Order, shouldering the glorious mission to protect humanity.He must be careful, careful, and then even more careful.Careful not to reveal his true identity as a wizard.…“Why Hunt a Cowardly Innocent Wizard?!”

[Mind Reading + Pet of the Group + Transmigration into a Book + System + Pretending to be Weak to Strike Powerful Enemies + Cannon Fodder’s Counterattack]

Xiao Chuchu transmigrated with a palace scheming system and foreknowledge about the future into the early-passing cannon fodder princess in the book.

Her Father Emperor would be poisoned to death, her Mother Consort forced to die in burial with Father Emperor, her elder brother and entire maternal family – loyal officials – would meet cruel fates!

The Xiao Dynasty would soon be destroyed under the new Emperor’s hand.

[Mother Consort ah, you did not fight or snatch, yet still incurred the jealousy of the Imperial Noble Consort, who issued an order for you to be buried alive with Father Emperor!] [Elder brother ah, accomplished in both civil and military affairs, yet still viewed with suspicion by the new Emperor after Father Emperor’s death, plotted against and killed at the border pass.] [Maternal grandfather ah, clean and honest your whole life yet still falsely charged by the new Emperor with six major crimes, your whole family exiled and killed!] [Father Emperor ah, you were poison-swapped and killed while concocting elixirs and seeking the Dao by the Imperial Consort. After your death, the new Emperor abolished old laws, killed hundreds of loyal officials, imprisoned top generals, borders lost, people struggling to survive! Our ancestors’ legacy destroyed in less than two years!]

As Xiao Chuchu suckled milk, her Father Emperor, Mother Consort, elder brother, and maternal grandfather were all dumbstruck.

[Oh no, it’s over.]

Xiao Chuchu lamented that she was but a baby, able to do nothing.

But very quickly she noticed something amiss –

Her Mother Consort, rising higher and higher in rank, Noble Lady, Concubine, Consort, Noble Consort…much favored among the six palaces.

Her elder brother, originally unrelated to the throne, was established as Crown Prince.

Her maternal grandfather’s family, quite valued and relied upon…

Her Emperor Father still hadn’t died!

On the contrary, the treacherous Empress, Consorts, and new Emperor met their ends prematurely…?

How could things turn out this way?

Xiao Chuchu didn’t understand.

Soon her Father unified six nations ahead of time, opened maritime prohibitions, started mutual markets, took the Silk Road…the Xiao Dynasty rose to great power!

Eli Turner had perfected the art of coasting through life, gaming, lounging, and vibing with no grand ambitions beyond the next high. But his laid-back existence is upended when his laptop inexplicably transforms into a gateway to another world. What starts as a surreal escape becomes a perilous journey as Eli finds himself wielding a mysterious system that allows him to level up, fight monsters, and gain abilities beyond his wildest dreams.At first, the portal world feels like a haven, offering purpose and adventure Eli never knew he craved. Guided, or manipulated, by Azrael, a mischievous god orchestrating the game, Eli rises as one of the system's chosen players. But as the quests grow more dangerous and Azrael’s true intentions begin to surface, Eli struggles to balance the fantasy world with his life back home. His girlfriend, Sara, and his friends are left grappling with a version of Eli they hardly recognize, as the lines between his two lives blur.When the system expands to players worldwide, Eli crosses paths with others drawn into Azrael’s cosmic experiment: Yumi Tanaka, a fiercely disciplined Japanese student with a perfectionist streak, and Arjun Mehta, a charming Indian playboy with secrets of his own. Each carries their own burdens and ambitions, but all three must face the harsh truth: Azrael’s game is far more than it seems.As alliances are forged, rivalries ignite, and the stakes escalate, Eli must confront not only the dangers of the portal world but the growing rift between the person he is and the hero he’s becoming. In a game where every move is a test and every choice ripples across both worlds, the question remains: can Eli, Yumi, and Arjun uncover the truth before the system consumes them all?

Do people chase greatness, or does greatness chase us?