"I regret to inform you, it's terminal lung cancer..."
The empty street was bitingly cold as Li Pingcan leaned against the railing, coughing painfully while the doctor's words echoed in his mind. Having grown up in an orphanage impoverished, he had no means to use monetary power to fight for time against cancer—let alone the fact that modern medicine offered no cure for terminal cases anyway.
"Is restarting my only option?"
He closed his eyes and "looked" at the text in his mind.
[You may reincarnate into a new world with your memories intact.]
[Scanning small worlds... You will enter the Cultivation Realm.]
[World Information: Ten thousand years ago, the Immortal Court unified sixteen domains, established the "Dao Laws," and enfeoffed nine royal dynasties. The Cultivation Realm has enjoyed ten millennia of peace—with prosperous dynasties, inherited noble clans, and countless sects flourishing. Here, mortals live in peace while cultivators develop their Dao arts.]
[You may select one custom class mod you created.]
Li Pingcan silently recited the words in his heart. A month ago, this text had appeared in his mind, casting a sliver of light into his hopeless world. While collecting, creating, and modding classes across various games, he had also posted questions on multiple platforms to gather opinions. After comprehensive consideration, this was the choice he arrived at.
With the Cultivation Realm having enjoyed ten thousand years of peace, there was no need to consider classes that were strong early but fell off later—like Warriors or Monks, mostly chosen by commoners with limited potential, especially in an immortal cultivation setting. And after ten thousand years of development, the Immortal Court's dynasties were surely heavily stratified, leaving mortals with little upward mobility. With mediocre talent, even more cultivation resources would be required.
Druids followed the laws of nature, their skills deeply connected to it—Plant Growth, Animal Companion, Wild Shape, Elemental Spellcasting... Capable of steady development with high potential, farming and beast-taming allowed for sustainable resource utilization, forming a perfect symbiotic ecosystem.
Most importantly, it guaranteed a survival baseline.
"If I reincarnate as a mortal in the Cultivation Realm, Druid can give me a decent start. Even in harsh environments, I can rely on a Druid's natural affinity to survive."
"If I reincarnate as an Immortal Clan descendant..."
Well, being reborn as an immortal's heir, why worry about cultivation resources? What difference would the class choice even make?
Li Pingcan smiled faintly, gazing at the stars as the panel prompted [Reincarnation commencing]. In the next instant, his consciousness plummeted, the starlight above swallowed by deeper darkness.
Year 657 of the Great Yu Dynasty's Immortal Calendar.
With ominous celestial phenomena—floods and droughts striking in succession—famine and plague spread across many regions. The minor landlord family of Li in Qingyuan County had been reduced to refugees, embarking on a desperate exodus.
Blood stained the earth, bones littered the fields, and vultures perched on bark-stripped branches, their eyes reflecting the scene—a gaunt, tall old man trailing behind, gaze greedily fixed on the family of four: Li Rongzhou and his kin.
This man had clearly tasted human flesh before.
Li Rongzhou set down his plump wife, Lady Qin, from his back, meeting the old man's gaze head-on like an eagle locking onto prey.
An invisible clash erupted in the air.
"Brother, no need for tension," the old man eventually retreated half a step, pulling out a skeletal child from behind him. Licking his lips, he said, "Hungry... too hungry. No choice. This is my grandson. Trade?"
His covetous eyes were fixed on Li Rongzhou's eldest son, Li Pingfu.
"Deal." Li Rongzhou pulled out his scrawny second son, Li Ping'an, unwilling to be shortchanged. "This one."
"Heh, little ones are tender, don't need much firewood. Fine." The old man's eyes flickered with eager delight.
"Grandpa! Don't trade me!" The grandson's cries were mosquito-like.
Li Ping'an pressed his lips tightly, silent.
As the adults exchanged the children, the situation abruptly changed—the old man revealed a dagger from his sleeve, his face twisting into a triumphant snarl as he stabbed toward Li Rongzhou's face.
The blade sank into flesh, blood spraying across Li Rongzhou's face. Watching the old man's stunned expression, he yanked out the spearhead and coldly said, "Within three steps, my spear is faster."
As the old man collapsed weakly, Li Rongzhou promptly delivered a finishing thrust to the heart. Turning to his sons, he ordered, "Come. Finish him."
The eight-year-old Li Pingfu and six-year-old Li Ping'an trembled as they tried their hands—one slitting the throat, the other stabbing the heart, breaking skin.
"Enough. Let's go—the blood will draw beasts soon." It was merely courage training. After looting the old man's body, Li Rongzhou ignored the wailing grandson, addressing his family, "Move."
"Grandpa!" The boy's piercing wails echoed behind them, stirring complex emotions. Lady Qin's face showed pity—until a bone-chilling "crunch" cut through the air.
Li Rongzhou suddenly halted. "Wait for me."
Spear in hand, he strode back. Moments later, he returned frost-faced, draped in bloody sunset hues like a crimson robe.
Lady Qin's pallid face turned to her husband.
The scent of blood hung thicker than when they'd killed the old man.
Li Rongzhou draped his coat over her, instructing his sons to scatter beast-repelling powder around them. His usually steady expression betrayed rare anxiety.
The harsh exodus—jostling, food scarcity, no midwife—made this birth perilous despite his wife's prior experience.
Of course the worst would happen.
An hour later, Lady Qin was truly in dire straits—hemorrhaging, swaying, strength failing.
Frantic, Li Rongzhou drew a white porcelain vial from his robes, tipping out a translucent pill.
A spirit pill, passed down through Li generations, allegedly crafted by immortals—capable of healing even mortal wounds.
His greatest trump card on this desperate journey.
Without hesitation, he helped her swallow it with water.
One incense stick's time later.
A clear infant's cry shattered the tense air.
"Mother and child are safe." Li Rongzhou exhaled in relief, feeling more drained than after killing. Gazing at the blood-smeared newborn, his heart melted.
"It's a brother!" Li Pingfu cheered.
Li Ping'an frowned at their exhausted mother.
"Ping'an, don't you like your brother?" Noticing his second son's expression, Li Rongzhou asked.
In a small voice, Li Ping'an said, "If brother hadn't come, mother wouldn't have hurt so much."
Li Rongzhou gently patted his head, guilt-ridden. "That's not your brother's fault—it's mine. As a man and husband, I failed to provide your mother a safe birth."
Then, solemnly, he added, "Ping'an, remember this: A lone man cannot sustain a family. Brothers are vital against tigers—your blood kin will always be your staunchest allies."
Li Ping'an nodded, half-understanding. "Father, I see."
With a gratified smile, Li Rongzhou turned hopeful eyes to the baby. "For a bright future, let's name your brother 'Li Pingcan'!"
As a newborn, Li Pingcan's vision was blurred, hearing faint—only his Druid instincts let him sense the wilderness's fading breath and the four figures surrounding him.
Terrible, just terrible!
Giving birth in the wild... This starting point might as well be hell!