Volume One, Chapter One: If the System Had Come Any Later, I Would Have Started Over

Yuncheng Academy. On a vast athletic field.

“That’s all for today’s lesson. When you go home, make sure to review the five new counter-moves I’ve taught you.” With his hands clasped behind his back, Liu He gazed at the group of freshmen who had just entered their first year of high school, his heart swirling with complex emotions.

Another weekend had arrived, and it was time for him to steal a couple of leisurely days amid his busy schedule.

Forty years ago, when Liu He was born into this world as an infant, he thought he would rampage through life like the protagonists in so many web novels.

But after struggling for more than thirty years, he finally realized he was not destined for greatness.

No talent, no luck, no family background.

In this high-risk world of martial cultivation, he could only struggle to survive.

Five hundred years ago, an upheaval struck the Blue Star. Spiritual energy surged forth, and all manner of creatures underwent radical mutations, plunging humanity into an existential crisis.

It was only when people unearthed ancient martial cultivation techniques from forgotten tomes that they managed to mount a feeble resistance.

Yet two hundred years ago, beings from other dimensions began tearing open rifts, randomly opening portals across the Blue Star and invading the world, each rift forming a pocket dimension.

Even after these spaces were cleared, new monsters would periodically spawn and continue their invasions.

To combat these extraterrestrial threats, humanity was compelled to establish a martial academy near every battleground—both to defend against invaders and to train new martial artists.

Yuncheng Academy was one of the earliest such institutions, with a history stretching back eighty years.

Its students spanned a wide range of ages, though most completed their mandatory education there through high school.

Of them, fewer than one-fifth managed to pass the martial arts university entrance exam to enter the academy’s university division.

Liu He’s aptitude for martial arts was mediocre at best; his cultivation had stalled at the peak of the second realm. Yet, through a stroke of luck, he’d barely managed to get into Yuncheng Academy in the first place.

After graduating, he was fortunate enough to stay on as a teacher, instructing high school students in the regular class.

“Youth truly is a blessing,” he sighed, watching his students gradually disperse. “But in the end, we must accept our fate.”

“Glory is for others. If I can live my life honestly and peacefully, I should be content.”

Such resignation had circled in Liu He’s mind for more than a decade, extinguishing any remaining passion for self-improvement.

But perhaps that wasn’t so bad.

His life now, neither at the top nor the bottom, was better than most.

Shaking his head to clear away his thoughts, he reached into his pocket, ready to scroll through QuickSound on his phone.

Suddenly.

A cool, mechanical voice sounded in his mind.

[Entry System has been bound]

[This system refreshes once a week. The host may randomly acquire one entry.]

[Would you like to begin the draw?]

“Damn it!” Liu He couldn’t help but curse. “After all these years, you finally show up?!”

Realizing he was still surrounded by teachers and students, he noticed their startled glances and his face flushed red with embarrassment.

---

Yuncheng High School Library.

[Host: Liu He]
[Age: 41]
[Realm: Peak of the Second]
[Current Entry: None]
[Entry draw cooldown has ended. Draw now?]

Sitting in a corner, Liu He had read the system panel over and over, finally letting out a long breath of relief.

Mentally, he uttered, “Draw an entry!”

The transparent panel before him morphed into a swirl of pale blue, then into a spinning wheel, though he couldn’t make out any of the entries upon it.

He didn’t hesitate, grabbing the edge of the wheel and giving it a forceful spin.

Only one choice—leave it to fate!

The wheel spun rapidly, countless entries flashing before his eyes.

[Dragon Emperor Bloodline], [Seven Fiend Sword Heart], [Blood Ignition], [Martial Clarity]...

Even the names alone made him envious.

But each appeared only for a moment before vanishing, leaving him feeling it was a pity.

At last, the pointer stopped on one entry.

[Exobeast Researcher (Rare)]
[Duration: One Month]

“Tsk...” Liu He clicked his tongue.

He had just finished studying the new system.

Entries were divided into seven grades: Inferior, Common, Rare, Fine, Excellent, Epic, and Legendary.

A rare entry—he could accept that quality.

But this “Exobeast Researcher” seemed useless for improving his martial prowess.

As a high school teacher, he had no opportunity to encounter exobeasts; that was the sort of thing university students and their mentors did.

The last time he’d entered an interdimensional rift to hunt exobeasts was twenty years ago, back when he was at university himself.

He had hoped to draw an entry that would speed his cultivation.

“Oh well, since I’m already in the library, I shouldn’t waste this talent.” With that thought, Liu He shook his head, got up, and browsed the shelves, gathering several books introducing various exobeasts before settling down to read.

The first was written by an elderly professor, titled “A Compendium of One Hundred Exobeasts in Yuncheng’s Dimensional Rifts.”

The very first creature listed was the “Winged Locust,” a rather common first-rank beast.

Yet as soon as Liu He read the first page, he was stunned.

The information about the Winged Locust was instantly branded into his mind, impossible to forget.

Not only that, but from these details he was able to infer much he’d never heard before, even developing new theories and ideas!

“This...” Liu He’s jaw dropped.

Who said this entry was useless?

It was incredible!

In less than ten minutes, Liu He had finished reading the entire compendium, his heart pounding with excitement.

“This wasn’t written very well. The theoretical framework is outdated, the creatures described all appeared a decade ago, and there’s barely any mention of recent new species in Yuncheng’s dimensional spaces. Likely the author never gathered new data—just patched together old research and didn’t dare present anything original.”

He critiqued the book in his mind.

“I remember the regulations at all the academies...”

“Publishing a paper earns you ten thousand Alliance credits; publishing a book starts at a hundred thousand.”

“This is just a way to scam research funding and rewards—shameless.”

“But...” Suddenly inspiration struck. “While this ‘Exobeast Researcher’ entry is active, I could quickly publish a few papers and make some extra money.”

He eagerly opened the other related books and began gathering material.

But just as he was immersing himself in the sea of knowledge, a commotion arose at the library entrance.

Two middle-aged men, followed by more than a dozen attendants, strode inside.