The expletive ripped from my throat as a tidal wave of memories crushed my sanity.
One hour ago, I was just cultivating as usual in my room when suddenly, like enlightenment, I began to gain knowledge beyond what I previously knew.
Soon enough, I realized it wasn't enlightenment in Martial Arts as I thought. Instead, I was regaining memories from what was perhaps my previous life.
My old life—nine-to-five drudgery, late-night gaming marathons, and a graveyard of cultivation webnovels.
I stumbled from the silk-draped bed, heart pounding. The jade floors were cool against my bare feet, the air thick with the scent of incense.
Gilded screens, spirit lamps, and treasures littered the room—luxury fit for a young master.
My name... Bai Zihan!
Arrogant! Cruel! Wasteful! A third-rate villain!
You could say that I was a person who liked to bully the weak, spending every day picking on other clan members.
There was no other reason for what I did than because I could.
With my parents being the Clan Master and Matriarch of one of the strongest clans in the Empire, there weren't many who could go against me.
It was also one of the ways I relieved my stress and anger, knowing that I was a 'waste' whose talent wasn't worthy of being called the heir of the Bai Clan.
However, that is not why I am freaked out right now.
After regaining my memories from Earth, my knowledge of different cultivation novels also flowed into me.
And the reason why I am freaking out is because, comparing my circumstances with the cultivation novels I read on Earth, I found out that...
My family is a villain family destined to die!
For one—one week ago, my elder sister broke off her engagement with her fiancé, whose cultivation had been crippled—a walking cliché destined for greatness.
There's no need to elaborate on such a cliché story where he would rise up, topple his ex-fiancée, and perhaps even destroy her clan.
My sister's ex-fiancé was definitely one of those protagonists, and I might get killed by him.
If only I had regained my memories a week earlier, I could've stopped my sister from antagonizing the inevitable protagonist of this world.
Deep down, I knew the truth: even if I had regained my memories earlier, I wouldn't have been able to stop her.
I was nothing but a waste—a disappointment to the Bai Clan, eclipsed by my genius sister.
My talent was a disgrace, and my reputation worse—a bully who terrorized weaker clan members and branch families.
Our relationship was strained beyond repair due to such repeated behavior.
Worse, breaking the engagement with that crippled fiancé was something both the Bai Clan and the Heaven Sword Sect—my sister's sect—wanted.
No one would have listened to me. They'd see me as a fool stirring up more trouble for the clan.
And that was just one death flag raised by my sister.
Because if that wasn't enough to kill me, my mother made sure to raise the stakes.
She ripped a Dao Bone from my cousin and gave it to me—an attempt to salvage my talent.
It helped, a little. But not nearly enough!
Now, my cousin would hunt me down in the future, seeking vengeance for what was stolen.
There was a high chance that she would grow stronger and, sooner or later, come to claim her Dao Bone.
So, even if I survived my sister's ex-fiancé's inevitable revenge... my cousin would finish the job.
And these two death flags were only the start. There were even more things done by my family and clan—definitely things only villains would do.
There was also me—making trouble and creating enemies everywhere I went.
My sister and mother might be major villains who survive for a hundred Chapters.
Looking at my behavior, I'm just a third-rate villain—fodder who would die in three Chapters just after meeting the protagonist.
My fists clenched, nails digging into my palms.
Surveying my family's actions and my reflection, I knew one thing:
No matter how I looked at it, death flags sprouted around me like weeds.
From my family's sins to my own foolishness, it was a perfect storm.
And if even one of those flags played out like a standard cultivation novel...
"What should I do... What should I do..."
I paced back and forth, trying to think of a way to salvage my situation.
Looking at the dire situation, severing ties with the Bai Clan was the only thing that might guarantee my safety from the hands of those protagonists.
There was no way to salvage the relationship with those protagonist-like people after what had happened.
My sister had already disgraced the Lin Clan—her ex-fiancé's clan—and broke off the engagement in front of other clans.
There's nothing to say about my cousin, whose Dao Bone my mother stole and gave to me.
Not only did my mother commit this horrible crime, but my cousin was also expelled from the clan with her parents' whereabouts unknown.
I'm 100% certain that the moment I meet her, she will take my head before any conversation can take place.
Additionally, I don't think I treated her well even when she was in the clan. She must definitely be holding a grudge for that as well.
"However, leaving the clan might be even more dangerous!"
Like I said, I wasn't the kindest person, and knowing I had my family's protection, you could say that I had antagonized a lot of people.
One might even say that those people would be more eager to kill me than the protagonists.
The moment they knew I had left the Bai Clan, there was a high chance that I would be killed right after stepping out of the Bai Clan territory.
Even if that wasn't the case, this world wasn't safe like Earth, and one careless mistake could lead to death especially with my current strength.
There was a high chance I would die faster outside without the Bai Clan's support than by the hands of these protagonists.
There was also a chance I would meet one of those heaven-blessed protagonists even after severing ties with Bai Clan and still get killed.
Without Bai Clan protection, getting killed would be much easier.
"No! I still have this!"
There was perhaps one thing that could truly save me from my death.
"Indeed, this is a System Screen!"
Before my eyes was something that refused to leave—it was my golden finger.
It had been with me since I was born, though I never knew what it was and couldn't even make it go away before.
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Cultivation Realm: Core Formation (Early)
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Scratching my head, I felt more annoyed than excited, remembering my past suffering because of this.
"Why the hell is this in English?"
The reason why I had no idea what it was until now, or how to make it go away, was because...
This System was in English the whole time!
A language I wasn't familiar with—until I got my memories from Earth.
"Why the hell would a System I've had since birth be in a language that wasn't common in this world?"
If I hadn't regained my memories, I would have never figured out what this was and would've stayed blinded by the System's inferences for 16 years.
Otherwise, with such a cheat, how the hell would I have been treated as a 'waste'?
But without knowing about the System or English, for the past 16 years...
This System has been nothing but a nuisance—blocking my sight and ruining my life.