Small upgrade system - Chapter 259 259 - Quarter Final (2)

"There is a thin line between poison and medicine, and I shall make you dance on it!"

From [Running], to the physics-defying [Godspeed].From [Aiming], to the causality-transcending [Bullseye].From [Health Cultivation], to the everlasting [Immortality] among men.From [Fitness], to the flesh-ascending [Turning into a Dragon].Having been reborn, Xue Jing, after gaining a panel that infinitely enhances skills, set a minor goal for himself.In this dangerous world filled with martial artists, Blessed Ones, and Transformed People, he aimed to rise above all merely with his mortal flesh and blood—to become the supreme deity among men.

Reborn in a frail body disgraced by its family, Zhuang Xing—the once-legendary Pill God—awakens to a brutal world where martial prowess defines destiny. Surviving an attempt on his life by his own family’s henchmen, he realizes he’s been reborn in the Great Qi Country as the despised son of the Zhuang family.Three months before the prestigious Hidden Dragon Ranking, Zhuang Xing must rise above his limitations to claim his birthright and reclaim his former strength. With enemies surrounding him, will Zhuang Xing overcome his frail shell and silence those who doubt him?

Ethan's head throbbed violently as he opened his eyes, his vision hazy and unfocused. A dull ringing filled his ears, drowning out his thoughts.“What’s happening…?” he thought, his mind sluggish, struggling to catch up with reality. One moment, he was asleep—or at least, he thought he was—and the next, searing pain forced him awake.His vision swam, shapes blurring together in a disorienting mess. But then, muffled noises filtered through the haze—frantic, panicked sounds. Someone was trying to scream, their voice smothered, choked by something.A cold shiver ran down his spine.As his sight gradually sharpened, Ethan's breath hitched.He was on all fours, looming over someone. A girl.Her body twisted and writhed beneath him, ropes biting into her wrists and ankles. Her mouth was gagged, muffling her cries. Her wide brown eyes, brimming with fear and fury, glared up at him.Ethan's body locked in place, his blood running cold.“What the…?” His mind reeled, thoughts slamming into each other in chaotic disarray. “What kind of bizarre dream is this?”Panic clawed at his chest. His breath came in ragged, uneven gasps as he scrambled backward, only to realize his limbs felt sluggish, uncooperative, like they didn’t belong to him.“Is this… is this some kind of twisted fantasy I never knew I had?” A sickening thought slithered through his mind, making his stomach churn.The girl's frantic squirming slowed for a moment, her gaze flickering with confusion as she took in his expression—his trembling hands, his wide, horrified eyes. But the fear returned just as quickly. She struggled harder, her body arching, her muffled screams rising in pitch.Ethan wanted to speak, to say something, anything, but before he could force out a word, a glowing blue window materialized before his eyes.His breath caught.A translucent, hovering screen?“What…?”Lines of glowing text scrolled across its surface.---[System Activated…][Host Confirmed.][Simulating Previous Data…]Ethan awakens in a mysterious world, shackled by a curse that clouds his judgment and drives him toward choices he never wished to make. Burdened by guilt and responsibility, he must navigate the fallout of his actions while unraveling the truth behind the curse—and his place in this enigmatic new reality.