Tian Lei nodded slowly as the rules of the trial settled into his mind. "No cultivation, no techniques, no shortcuts," he murmured. "Just survive."

He opened his eyes—and the illusion of grandeur vanished entirely.

He was standing in a narrow, filthy alleyway. The towering walls of the city loomed above him, cracked and weathered by time. The air smelled of dust, smoke, and desperation. People hurried by on the main street beyond, not even sparing a glance at the small, dirt-streaked child standing barefoot in the shadows.

Tian Lei looked down at himself: torn clothes, thin limbs, an empty stomach that growled softly. His reflection in a puddle showed a pair of familiar silver-gray eyes hidden beneath grime and tangled hair.

"So this is how it begins," he muttered with a faint, wry smile. "Homeless. Hungry. Powerless."

He took a step out of the alley, feeling the hard stones beneath his bare feet. The city around him was vast and harsh—Eastern Wasteland's trade hub, a place where even children fought for scraps. Merchants shouted over one another, guards patrolled with cold indifference, and street gangs prowled the corners like wolves.

No one cared who lived or died here.

Tian Lei learned quickly. He scavenged wild vegetables from the outskirts, stole half-rotten fruit from market stalls, and slept beneath bridges when the nights grew cold. He said little, watched much, and listened more. Every sound, every movement of people and beasts in this world—he memorized it all.

Days turned into weeks.

The world's rhythm was cruel but predictable. Those who adapted survived; those who didn't, disappeared.

One evening, as he crouched by a dried-up stream outside the city, a shadow passed overhead—a vast one. The wind rippled violently as if bowing to a greater presence.

Tian Lei looked up, eyes narrowing. Far in the distance, beyond the mountains, a streak of obsidian and silver light cut across the clouds. The air shook faintly, like the echo of a growl from something Regal and proud.

"The Abyssal Serpent…" he whispered.

"The Beast of this City Lord."

Over the weeks, he had learned a lot. This world was entirely different—it revolved around beast taming. Here, cultivation wasn't centered on spiritual cores or divine energy, but on the strength of one's bonded beast. Every person was born with a beast egg within their Soul Sea, and when they reached the age of awakening—twelve—the egg would hatch, revealing their destined companion.

Through that bond, one's power grew.

"Hm. It's like I reincarnated all over again," Tian Lei muttered, sitting on a broken box in a narrow alley.

From where he sat, he could see people bustling about, trading goods and leading their tamed beasts through the crowded streets. "Now then… what should I do?" he murmured.

He was only six years old—six long years before he could awaken his beast. Yet even now, he could sense the faint presence of the egg slumbering in his Golden Divine Sea, nestled beside his Golden Fortune Core and the white gem where Murong was still healing.

The egg shimmered gold with streaks of deep violet, pulsing faintly like a sleeping heart.

"I can't wait to see what kind of beast will hatch from you," he whispered with a small smile.

As an avid fan of Pokémon in his previous life, he'd always dreamed of having his own partner beast—but never got the chance. Now, fate had decided otherwise.

"Though… I still have my advantage," Tian Lei smirked faintly. His Magus King Power was still intact, all the Arcane soul marks he had all are here too in this small body. His strength might be sealed for now, but his magical foundation was the same as before—stable, potent, and quietly terrifying.

"Who would think that a six-year-old kid like me could kill the City Lord?" he murmured, amused by the thought. He could sense the City Lord's beast's power—it was monstrous, but beneath his current reach.

"First things first—money," he muttered, brushing off the dust on his ragged clothes.

He wandered into the darker part of the city, where drunks and petty criminals lurked like shadows. After a few quiet minutes, he picked his target—a bandit dozing near a half-empty bottle of ale. A soft flick of his finger, and a faint glimmer of golden light danced in the air.

Moments later, the man's body went still.

Tian Lei approached, his gaze calm but glacial. "No sense letting good fabric go to waste," he murmured, kneeling beside the fallen bandit. With a practiced motion, he cast a Cleansing Spell, purging every trace of blood, scent, and filth from the man's clothes until they looked almost new.

Then, he whispered another incantation—Transfiguration Magic.

Golden light rippled across his body as his small frame stretched and reshaped. Muscles refined, limbs lengthened, and his boyish face matured into that of a fifteen-year-old youth—lean, sharp-eyed, and undeniably handsome. His hair darkened to a deep black sheen, and his aura settled into something that exuded quiet confidence.

He changed into the freshly cleansed clothes, adjusting the fit with a faint smirk. "Not bad… fits better than I expected."

With one last wave of his hand, he wove blending magic through the alley—erasing his magical footprints, blurring every trace of the scene until it was as if nothing had happened.

When he finally stepped out into the street, the transformation was complete. The ragged, dirt-streaked child was gone. In his place walked a young wanderer with golden eyes that shimmered faintly beneath the evening sun.

"Perfect," Tian Lei said under his breath, his grin sharp and ready. "Now… let's begin."

Tian Lei's footsteps echoed softly as he left the narrow alley, the fading glow of sunset washing the streets in molten gold. His stomach growled, a sharp reminder that he hadn't eaten properly in days—perhaps weeks.

He rolled his shoulders, still getting used to his new body. The Transfiguration Magic had worked perfectly, but the process had drained him more than expected. His limbs ached faintly, his mana threads sluggish from prolonged dormancy.

"Alright, first things first," he muttered. "Food. Then sleep. Then… money that doesn't come from corpses."

He walked toward the bustling heart of the city. Lanterns flickered to life one by one, painting the streets in warm amber. Vendors shouted over each other, the air thick with the smell of roasted meat, fried dough, and spiced broth. His golden eyes glimmered faintly beneath the hood he'd pulled up, scanning for an inn that didn't look too expensive—or too curious.

Next chapter will be updated first on this website. Come back and continue reading tomorrow, everyone!

If you find any errors ( broken links, non-standard content, etc.. ), Please let us know < report chapter > so we can fix it as soon as possible.