Cursed Destiny

As the full moon shone brightly throughout the night sky, a gentle breeze whispered through a dense forest, causing leaves to detach from the trees and dance gracefully in the wind.

The wind meandered through the forest, eventually reaching its very heart. At the center of the vast, dense forest lay a cave. Yet, before the wind could touch the cave, it mysteriously dissipated, as if an unseen barrier prevented its entry.

The cave appeared ordinary, but it exuded an eerie aura, warding off all the beasts. Strangely enough, a faint light emanated from within. The light came from a campfire, and beside it slept a child.

The boy, appearing no older than ten, lay in peaceful slumber despite the vast, beast-filled forest surrounding him. However, his expression soon changed. Sweat beaded on his forehead, and he began to pant as if struggling to breathe.

He woke abruptly, sitting up with a shiver, his breath ragged. He tried to calm himself, taking deep breaths. Finally, he sighed and began mumbling to himself.

"Four years... I've been stuck in this cave for four years... It's my tenth birthday today... And just like my past life... I'm once again alone on my birthday..."

His face grew somber as he reminisced about his past life. "Miyazaki Toru—that was my name before. An orphan who never knew a parent's love. I didn't enjoy my life, but my dream of becoming a writer kept me going. Fate didn't like that either... I died in a car accident at eighteen."

His breathing steadied. He leaned against the cave wall, facing its entrance. "I thought I died... but then I woke up in the body of a three-year-old. Mu Ren—that was the name I was given. The sole heir to the Mu clan, a prestigious family of respected warriors."

A slight smile played on his lips as he continued, "But destiny never favored me. My new body had a rare disease called '9 Yin Blockage.' It was a nightmare for an aspiring warrior, blocking the nine major meridians and preventing Qi circulation. Essentially, I was destined to remain an ordinary human."

He lifted his hands, staring at them in a daze. "Despite my father's efforts, he couldn't cure me. This caused a rift in the clan, and the elders rebelled. My father and I fled, pursued relentlessly. We reached this cave, and he left me here, saying,

'No matter what, do not leave this cave until you are fifteen. Take care.'

Those were his last words to me."

He smiled wistfully and continued,

"I didn't understand then, but I discovered this cave belonged to my father's master. Beneath the floor, there was a storage of food, enough to last one person twenty years."

"Only in this life did I learn what it felt like to be loved by a father... Even that was taken from me,"

he said, his eyes filled with sorrow.

He glanced at his frail body with a sad smile, then rummaged in his pockets. He pulled out a cerulean jade on a red string—a mystical-looking necklace.

"It was pure luck that I found this, hidden by my father's master along with a note that read,

'If you are reading this, I am probably dead. This necklace is a keepsake I found in a fortuitous encounter. Wear it at your own risk; many have died from not meeting its unknown condition. Even I haven't dared to wear it.'

For four years, I didn't dare to wear it. But there's no point in staying here any longer. Why not take a chance..."

Clenching his hands, he hesitated before putting the necklace around his neck. He waited, but nothing happened. With a blank expression, he said,

"Wait, what... Nothing happene—"

Before he could finish, the necklace shone brightly, and he lost consciousness.

When he opened his eyes, he found himself floating in a black void, though he could see his body clearly. It was disorienting. Suddenly, a bright light flashed before him, and a transparent blue screen appeared.

"Hidden condition - 'Reincarnation' has been met."

He stared, dumbfounded. "Wait, what...?"

The text on the screen changed again,

"The '???' is activating. System is being summoned."

******

With a very confused expression, He shouted,

" :0 IS THIS A CULTIVATION NOVEL WITH A SYSTEM??!! "

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