Leizhou Peninsula used to be nothing but wild land. It only got developed tens of thousands of years ago as a gateway to the South Sea cultivation world. Now, it's bustling with activity.

To the north lies the Duanyuan Mountains, full of feral beasts and constant danger. But danger brings opportunity. Whether it's rare herbs or beast materials, cultivators flock here. At any time, several beast-hunting squads are active in the mountains.

Qingniu Market sits at the edge, serving as a key supply point. Naturally, business thrives.

In a courtyard pasted with red paper charms, an eighteen-year-old youth sat sour-faced before a bronze mirror.

“Crap. I’m doomed. Five spirit roots… the worst possible talent. Hell, I’m worse off than that plain-faced old demon Han—only slightly better looking.”

The boy’s name was Evan Walker. Yeah, that Evan—the guy whose soul just got thrown into this body from modern times.

Evan had no clue how it happened. After work, he grabbed a bite, then stayed up late gaming with the guys. Out of nowhere, someone said, “Ugh, so boring. I miss sneaking out to play stupid farm games back in school.”

Evan scoffed, “Seriously? Farming games? That’s some weak stuff.”

Soon, drowsiness hit like a hammer. When he woke up again—bam—he was here.

Just as he was still trying to make sense of the original body's memories, the front gate clanked open. A young man walked in. Sharp eyes, strong brows, good-looking—but his face was stone cold.

“Can’t believe I fathered such a good-for-nothing. Weak talent’s one thing. But causing trouble every damn day? Useless.”

Evan blinked. “Wait… you’re my father?”

“Unbelievable,” the man snapped, eyes blazing. Then—smack!—sent Evan sprawling with a slap.

“Holy crap,” Evan yelped, crashing to the floor. As pain surged, fragments of memory surfaced. Yep. That really was his father—Chandos Walker. Core member of the Walker Clan, a Foundation Establishment cultivator, and an alchemist to boot.

He looked young because cultivators shed impurities as their level improved. Evan's current cultivation? Third layer of Qi Condensation—not through effort, but from being practically force-fed pills by this same father.

Evan shot Chandos a pitiful look. “Damn, he’s got a heavy hand. But a pill-making dad is still a good dad. With crap talent like mine, I'd better not piss him off.”

Just as he opened his mouth to smooth things over, Chandos pulled a storage pouch from his robe and tossed it over. His gaze was heavy.

“I owed your mother. Tried to make up for it all these years. Thought I was doing right by you. Turns out I was dead wrong.”

That line hit hard. More memories came flooding in. Evan had a bad feeling—was this guy about to cut ties?

“I’m an alchemist, sure, but I can’t afford to keep wasting on a spoiled brat like you. I’ve got other kids to consider too. This pouch’s the last thing I’ll give you. From now on—you're on your own.” He sighed long and deep, then added, “And I’ve already sorted out that rogue cultivator mess for you. Don’t go bothering them again, or suffer the consequences yourself.”Chandos Walker stood silently, eyes sweeping over the familiar courtyard and rooms. In the end, he didn’t say those cold final words—didn’t sever their ties as father and son—but made himself clear: he was done cleaning up Evan’s messes.

Evan Walker slammed his hand against the floor as the door shut with a loud thud. “What the hell is this?”

His mind was a tangled mess. “What now? I don’t even have a system... Wait. This thing might count!”

The moment he thought of a system, something flickered in his mind—a mirror, no, more like a screen. Letters danced on it like a computer monitor.

He leaned closer, eyes narrowing. “Damn. It really is a damn computer.”

Excited, Evan dove into it. But after digging around for a while, he was hit with disappointment. This so-called ‘system’… was just a plain computer. Plenty of apps, sure—even drawing software. But man, that was nearly identical to what he had back home.

“What am I supposed to do with this? Make blueprints for buildings? Folks here use jade slips. They’re faster, clearer, and in freaking 3D.”

Still, he didn’t give up. He took his time, examined every corner of it, and finally noticed something different.

This computer? It was connected to him. His eyes? The camera. Mouth? Microphone. Thoughts and vision? Instantly fed into the system.

The room he currently sat in appeared in perfect 3D inside the software—with rendering options, measurement tools, everything.

“Okay, but what the hell’s the point? I’m in a damn cultivation world, not designing houses…”

Well, maybe it wasn’t totally useless.

For a Foundation Establishment cultivator? Useless. They could sweep a room with their divine sense faster than he could blink. But for someone still in the Qi Refining stage like him, it was something. Basically, this was a massive jade slip strapped directly to his brain. Eye-seen data? Instantly logged. Every angle, every detail.

Not ready to give up yet, Evan kept digging. Nobody cared if he rotted away in this room right now. Might as well use the time to figure out his “golden finger” properly. Besides, he needed to really understand this world before stepping outside again.

Next, he found something called a ‘Degenerate Map.’ This one, at least, felt useful.

It displayed the entire Qingniu Market and its surroundings in ridiculous detail. You could spot the color of a mutt’s fur from street level. Out toward the Duanyuan Mountains, there were skull icons sprinkled all over the map.

Evan, who’d played more than his share of online games, figured the skulls marked monster locations—small ones for weak creatures, big ones for the dangerous stuff.

Whether that was right, he would find out eventually.

There were limitations, of course. Based on his merged memory with the original owner, the map only revealed places he—or rather, his body—had been. The rest? Blank fog.

Still, it wasn’t like he had to walk every path himself. Like in a game, once you entered an area, the full surroundings lit up on the map. For instance, Duanyuan Mountain’s map had already unlocked more than the original host had ventured into.

One by one, Evan clicked through the programs. Each was somehow hooked into this world, though not game-changing. The map, at least, could help him dodge monsters and find safer paths.

But even that much wasn’t unique—cultivators with divine sense could scout for danger easily, and the Market sold maps with regular updates on monster movements. Some merchants made a living off that alone.

So yeah. His map saved a few spirit stones, maybe. The only upper hand? His updated in real time. Unlike others, Evan could spot a rampaging beast before it got within sniffing distance. Most cultivators had to be right near the threat before sensing it.

Limited, sure.

But to Evan, it was better than nothing.