This is really not mechanical ascension - Chapter 522 - 275 Theo Regresses: The Early Bird Catches the Worm (Seeking Monthly Pass at the Beginning of the Month!)

Ren has never known kindness. He grew up alone in the slums, learning to survive by staying out of sight and trusting no one. One night, he stumbles into a strange tunnel and finds a hidden shrine forgotten by time.There, he sees a black cat with golden eyes and hears a voice inside his head.The shrine is more than it seems. So is the cat.As Ren is pulled into something ancient and mysterious, he must decide if he's willing to take a different step in life or keep running from the world that hurt him.Because the city doesn't care if he lives or dies, but something in the dark might.(No system, no isekai, no reincarnation, no regression, no harem. The story focuses on mystery and character development.)

He transmigrated and got a system but Lin Feng’s pressure is as big as a mountain.

System main quest: Lin Feng creates a school, establishing history’s number 1 sect, Lin Feng himself becoming the number 1 founder.

And so to become history’s number 1 founder Lin Feng started to work hard.

“Your name is Shi Tianhao? Natural born supreme king but it was stolen by your cousin. Now being raised in a little village your father placed you in? Come come come, come with master, we’ll let those people know that justice that is owed must be returned!”

“Your name is Xiao Yan? A genius in the past, now a loser. Your fiance even came over and humiliated you by breaking off the engagement? Come come come, come with master, we’ll let that brat know the meaning of don’t bully a youngster because he’s poor!”

“Your name is Zhu Yi? The bastard son of a marquis, suppressed by your father. Your mother was the previous saint but she was killed? Come come come, come with master, we’ll let your dad know the meaning of the world is big, fists are… no, reason is the biggest!”

- Description from Novelupdates

Go back to 2000.

Lin Feng didn’t want to disturb the situation, he just wanted to protect the things he cherished.

However, there is no need to explain the open life.

Since it’s all over again, there’s no turning back when you open the bow!

- Description from novelbuddy

Qi Condensation. Foundation Establishment. Core Formation. In the current world, only these three realms are known to be achievable. Nascent Soul is but a legend and the realms above it lost to the the long river of time. The modern era is known as Cultivation Civilization, a balance of power and civility, excess and moderation. While cultivation remains a secret practice, it has long since exposed itself to the mundane world, quietly intertwined with each facet of society. While the world appears to be at peace, what lies underneath is a conflict between human, cultivator, and demon, brewing for ages and waiting to implode. Yet in the wake of humanity’s rapid industrialization, qi—and consequently cultivation—is dying.