Rebirth in a Cultivation World: A Hilarious Adventure on Rainbow Star

Chapter 1: The Comical "Rebirth Surprise&quot

6:00 AM—the harsh buzzing of an alarm clock rattled the walls of that cramped, rundown rental room, making it quiver three times over. With a groan, Mo Qichuang jerked awake and fumbled to silence the alarm. His eyes felt gritty, heavy with lack of sleep.

He stared into the small mirror by his bed. The dark circles under his eyes looked so pronounced that they were nearly comedic. Last night, in a fit of boredom, he'd binged 18 episodes of an online xianxia novel, lost in fantasies of soaring across the sky like an immortal cultivator.

"Fantasy is nice and all," he muttered, "but reality is a pain. Still have to go to work." He rubbed the stubble on his chin. At only eighteen, he was already a high-school dropout who'd taken up a hairdresser apprenticeship. The meager salary barely covered rent on this tiny 10-square-meter place.

Dragging himself upright, he grabbed half a leftover bread roll from the previous night. "Better than nothing," he thought. He took one bite and stretched out both arms in a huge yawn, the tension in his shoulders popping audibly.

Then it happened.

A sudden, stabbing pain surged in his chest, so fierce that it knocked the breath out of him. The bread slipped from his hand as he staggered forward, eyes bulging. He tried to cry out, but found he couldn't make a sound. Every muscle felt devoid of strength, and an ominous, dull pounding filled his ears.

Within mere seconds, his vision darkened completely. He lost all sense of the cramped little apartment. There was no chance to call for help; no moment to question what was happening. His consciousness slipped away, replaced by a deep, silent void.

A Change of Scenery

When next he opened his eyes, a wave of intense brightness stung them. Reflexively, Mo Qichuang threw up his arms to shield his face, groaning at the pain in his limbs. But wait—where was the ceiling of his apartment?

The glaring sunlight receded a little, letting him see that he wasn't indoors at all. A vast expanse of rainbow light shimmered in the sky overhead, spanning horizon to horizon like a celestial archway. Beneath him, the ground felt soft and springy, like fresh grass. Nearby, a steep cliff rose, draped in swirling clouds. A waterfall cascaded down, splitting into misty droplets.

Shocked, he jerked upright. "W-what? Where is this?" The dryness in his throat surprised him, and he realized he was truly awake—not dreaming. No ragged bed, no peeling wallpaper of his rented room. Just a wide-open realm of impossible beauty.

Before he could make sense of it, a mechanical voice echoed in his mind:

Ding! Detecting Host: Mo Qichuang. Soul fusion complete. Welcome to Rainbow Star, a world of cultivation! Engaging "Genius Mode."

"Genius... mode?" Mo Qichuang blinked, as though he'd misheard. The swirling haze of new information in his head convinced him: This was real. He'd died on Earth—some freak occurrence during a morning stretch—and resurrected in a place called Rainbow Star.

Yet he barely had time to process it. Suddenly:

"Hey, you there, lad!" rang out a spirited, elderly voice. Turning, Mo Qichuang saw a ragged-robed old man standing on a small cloud, drifting his way. The man's hair was thin and white, his beard scraggly, and he wore a battered gray Daoist robe that looked held together by patchwork. A large jade pendant (clearly fake) dangled at his waist.

"Th-this can't be real," Mo Qichuang muttered. But the man cackled happily:

"Excellent, excellent! You have quite the special aura, my boy. I am Yun Tianya, Ninth Sect Master of the Xianyun Sect. By the system's recommendation, you shall be my final disciple!"