Chapter Three: A Brilliant Star Is About to Rise

In a room of ancient elegance, both doors were tightly shut.

Zhang Sifan—now known as Zhang Yu—sat quietly on the bed, his gaze fixed intently ahead, an inexplicable, foolish smile lingering on his lips. Anyone who saw him would surely lament that such a handsome youth should be so simple-minded.

Yet at this very moment, in the heart of the so-called dullard, waves of turbulent emotion surged with tremendous force.

"System, are you there?"

"I am."

"Hey, you’re so responsive."

"I am."

"…"

"I am."

"Come on, is it really appropriate for a system to be this down-to-earth? You’ve learned to auto-reply now?"

"If you have questions, please state them."

Zhang Yu let out a long breath. If this system had only shown up for a moment and then vanished without a trace—without offering the slightest benefit—his mood would have been as uncontrollable as a derailed roller coaster.

"I want to ask... why did I transmigrate?"

"The host is randomly selected by the system. The time, place, and whether arrival is true incarnation or possession are all determined at random."

"So, the fact that I came to my favorite era—the Three Kingdoms—means I’m lucky? Looks like I really am fated with this period—ha—" His laughter had barely begun when Zhang Yu seemed to realize something, abruptly stifling it and swallowing his smile, "…Is it really lucky to arrive in the most chaotic era of China’s history?"

He steadied his breathing and asked internally, "Then, may I ask, what can you offer me?"

"The system can display your current ability values, physical condition, and the emotions and closeness others feel toward you—"

"Wait! Isn’t that just the bond system from Romance of the Three Kingdoms XIII? Come on, you’re advanced enough to send me across worlds! Can’t you offer something special?" As he spoke, Zhang Yu raised his eyebrows mischievously. Had his previous self made such a face, it would surely have seemed lewd, but now, possessing Zhang Yu’s upgraded appearance and bearing, the slight arch of his sword-like brows gave rise to a roguish, bewitching charm.

"For example?" The system was certainly no starry-eyed girl.

"Don’t you have things like martial arts manuals? Summoning generals? Divine weapons? Treasures that would let me instantly dominate the heroes and have the mighty kneel at my feet!" His excitement grew with every word, and by the end, he could no longer keep his voice in his mind, blurting it out aloud.

"No." The reply was cold as ice.

"Damn, so you’re just an intelligence database. And you don’t even have an edit function! Look at those other transmigration novels—some summon Yue Fei and Qin Qiong, others practice magic or cultivate immortality… the hosts are having the time of their lives! Who made you? I want to file a complaint!"

"The Multiverse Omnipotent Transmigration System was originally equipped with those functions."

"Originally… what does that mean?"

"It means that, due to certain uncontrollable factors, those functions can no longer be activated."

"And with technology like that, you still dare to haul me across time and space? This is outrageous—utterly absurd!" Zhang Yu’s scholarly speech came fluently and eloquently.

"In fact, your successful transmigration is extremely fortunate. Just seconds after you crossed over, the system’s base station on Earth exploded, unable to withstand the pressures of time and space, erasing every trace of you from your old world. As such, the system now bound to you may well be the only one still in existence. Due to this catastrophe, all cutting-edge transmigration research on Earth is likely to be abandoned. You may be the first—and also the last—transmigrator in history."

…

For a long while, there was only silence.

That afternoon, attended by Ying’er, Zhang Sifan drank a large bowl of meat porridge, then curled up under his blanket.

At this moment, he felt like the loneliest person in the world.

"Still, it’s a small comfort that my parents responded to the two-child policy and have my younger brother with them. They shouldn’t feel too lonely."

Wiping his reddened eyes, Zhang Yu called up the system interface in his mind, finding that it wasn’t nearly as useless as he’d first assumed.

The first thing to meet his eye was the content included in the previous notification: his personal information, age, stats, and badges. The first three needed little explanation, while the badges were akin to special skills—each lit badge represented an ability acquired by the host.

Besides the main interface, there were three auxiliary panels that could be toggled through.

The first was interpersonal relationships, just like the bond system in Romance of the Three Kingdoms. Currently, Zhang Yu’s strongest connections were the two radiant, thick lines linking him to the Zhang Shiping couple—his parents. The circle representing Ying’er flickered with an aura denoting "admiration," while the rest consisted of various household servants marked as mere acquaintances. Notably, even Zhen Yan—whom he had only met briefly that afternoon—was marked with a "favorable impression."

"It seems this ‘Jade-like Young Master’ badge is really powerful—a killer tool for winning hearts and forging connections! I really shouldn’t complain about the system. Finding a predecessor with looks worthy of Pan An or Song Yu, perfectly matching my temperament, is no easy feat."

With his mood adjusted, Zhang Yu preened a bit, then switched to the second panel, which featured a taskbar. Except for the now-grayed-out "Successfully Inherit Zhang Yu’s Identity" starter task, the rest was empty.

Opening the third panel, Zhang Yu’s eyes suddenly shone—

Skills!

Poetry!

Musical Instruments!

Chess!

Painting!

Calligraphy!

Of the six main categories, "Skills" was greyed out and inaccessible, but the remaining five boasted rich inventories.

"Poetry" resembled a massive compendium of classical verse, encompassing nearly every renowned poem, song, or ode in Chinese history. Each entry showed only the author, title, and a representative phrase; to unlock the full text, experience points were required for exchange—Zhang Yu realized that this was the true purpose of the experience points he’d just earned. Now he’d never have to worry about running out of impressive things to say.

Browsing the poetry panel was like selecting songs at a karaoke lounge: he could search by author, title, or even by meditating on a line or theme.

From Qu Yuan’s Songs of Chu and Confucius’ Book of Songs, to Sima Xiangru of the Han, from the Seven Sages of Jian’an in this very Three Kingdoms era to the famed landscape poets of the Southern and Northern Dynasties, then to Li Bai the Immortal and Du Fu the Sage leading the Tang poetry legion, followed by the Song lyricists—Su Shi, Lu You, Xin Qiji—and the Yuan drama masters, all the way to Nalan Xingde of the Qing, who drew the final flourish.

"Musical Instruments" worked the same way, containing every classical instrument Zhang Yu knew or didn’t know: sheng and xiao, pipa, flute, yangqin, erhu, guzheng—anything imaginable. He could purchase instruments, proficiency, or even pieces to play for each one.

Chess, painting, and calligraphy followed the same pattern. The dazzling brilliance of the finest cultural treasures in Chinese heritage left Zhang Yu utterly intoxicated.

Wait a minute!

Why were only arts and culture represented?

"System! Why are there no weapons? No martial arts?"

"Categories not yet added. Base station destroyed. Data cannot be transmitted."

"And you call yourself the ‘Omnipotent Multiverse Development System’? You’re nothing but an ‘Ancient-Style Celebrity Training System’!"

Fuming, Zhang Yu sprang from his bed and began pacing in the room to vent his frustration. Suddenly, he caught sight of his reflection in the slightly misted bronze mirror—long ink-black hair cascading past his shoulders, a face of breathtaking beauty rendered anything but feminine by the boldness of his lips and brows, instead radiating a devilish masculinity. Most striking of all were his eyes, deep and melancholy, as if holding countless stars that flickered within, drawing one’s gaze irresistibly in.

"What am I going to do… I think I’ve fallen in love with myself."