A vast valley forest. Nestled between several mountains forming a mountain range, this forest has mist shrouding it. In here, all manner of animals and plants thrive. Things that thrive here are mostly protected from the world outside, letting them flourish under the watchful nature of the peaks that surround the valley. 

In this vast forest, there lies a red fox, laying in a tree hollow. It lay motionless, almost as if it was devoid of life. Some flies have actually landed on it, perhaps sensing there was something to claim. However these flies soon took off, as the breath of life of the fox began to stir once more. Though its breathing was shallow at first, it began to become deeper. Then, its eyes slowly opened, showing the world that it was not yet dead.

Huh…? I can open my eyes? I’m not dead? The fox thought to itself, seemingly bewildered that it in fact is alive. How? If somehow those people kept me alive, I should be floating in a Genesis Vat, being hooked to life support? But I don’t feel like I’m floating in liquid, nor sense I’m hooked up to life support systems?

The fox groaned, trying to get up.

And what that thing I’m feeling on my ass? It feels long and weird. Is it attached to me or something?

Suddenly, it heard a voice in its head; a gentle and calm female voice.

[Detected vital signs from the host.]

Wha?! The fox tried to scamper up and back, but could only end up moving just a bit before falling back down due to imbalance.

[Startup sequence complete. Hello, host. Welcome to the Myriad Realms.]

<Who are you?!> The fox tried to scream that out, but what came out were a couple of barks and yelps.

[Host, calm down. You can speak to me with your thoughts. You’re in a dangerous forest filled with predatory animals and spirit beasts.]

Who are you? It then noticed its hands in front of it. It raised them off the ground and inspected them. These hands were now actually paws; black paws that had the markings as if they were wearing black socks over reddish-brown fur. And why are my hands like this?

[I am what you would call a System, host. As for why your hands are like that now, you were reincarnated into the body of a fox.]

A fox? But I’m human!

[Unfortunately that’s not the case anymore.]

This doesn’t make sense. First off, I should’ve been dead, since I decided to peacefully pass away on my deathbed. Second, Myriad Realms? Where the hell is that in the universe? Third, why the heck a fox? Why couldn’t I be reincarnated as an ordinary human?

[To answer your questions. First, you were a benevolent soul with many merits in Diqui. Thus you were favored and allowed to reincarnate with your memories instead of going to the underworld, feasting on the soup of forgetfulness, and reincarnating anew. Second, the Myriad Realms don't exist in your previous universe. Rathter, it exists in its own dimension, far removed from your old one. Third, unfortunately you do not have the authority to have the answer to that question. Perhaps you can think of it as a quirk of fate?]

Authority…and being favored. That means there’s someone above you, right? You have a maker after all. You couldn’t have been spontaneously created by my consciousness after all.

[Your query is correct. I do have a maker, and they have bound me to your soul.]

I suppose I don’t have this “authority” to know who your maker, or makers, are, right?

[Yes you do not.]

How can you guarantee you won’t harm me?

[There are no guarantees in life, as you should know. 99.99% can never actually be 100%, and 100% doesn’t exist in the real world. There is always uncertainty. However, what I can say is that I am bound to your soul. If you cease to exist, then I cease to exist, and there is no way for me to remove myself from your soul. That shows I do not have an incentive to do anything harmful to you.]

…So what can you do?

[I can provide assistance like tips and answer queries about cultivation. I can also open up a “store” feature, where you can buy and sell items, from mundane food and daily life necessities to valuable items that could be considered immortal treasures. This also includes talents and skills as well.]

So like an A.I. assistant.

[Yes, you can consider it. I can also be a conversation partner as well, if you want.]

What’s this though about “immortal treasures”? I know valuable things can be considered treasures, but immortal? Does that mean there’s beings that are considered immortal?

[Yes there are. Beings with long lifespans and can manipulate the world freely. To the current you they can wield unfathomable power.]

So that means…cultivation is a thing?

[You know about cultivation?]

The theory of it. I am familiar with qi however.

[Yes, cultivation does encompass taking qi from the environment and bringing it into yourself until you can create your own qi. This also encompasses manipulating the elements and the environment using your own power and qi. There’s many more to it, but that’s the basics.]

Well…doing this, I could cultivate until I become an immortal and beyond, right? Heh…I always said if I ever become immortal, I’d use all of immortality to heal people. Though it’ll be a problem if I try healing people or making medicines with these grubby…paws.

[When you cultivate to a higher realm, your body adjusts, and becomes more human. Once you become immortal for example, you can make it that you’re indistinguishable from ordinary humans.]

Oh. That’ll make things easier in the future. So, where do I start?

[First I want you to look at your status. Please think “status” in your mind.]

Like this?

I’m seeing a lot of things.

[This is your status. It’s a breakdown of your total capabilities. I suggest looking into it frequently to gauge what you can do.]

Why am I so weak?

[Hmm? You’re weak? That’s…odd. Judging from what the higher ups have told me, you’ve performed so many feats of merit that it should’ve strengthened your body. Let me look into it.]

Oh okay. The little fox decided it was a good time to try and adjust to its new body. It tried getting up on all fours. Though a bit shaky, it managed to get up. It then took a deep breath, taking in the fresh air and the scents. Yeah…this is a forest alright. 

[I’ve checked. Indeed there’s a problem. Let me rectify this.]

Oh, okay.

Sagefox

Hi! Sage here. This is a little project I've been working on in my spare time. It started off as a silly little thing, my little "flipping the script" of Xianxia. Anyways, I have a lot of plans for this story, so I plan for this to go on for a long time. Hope you'd stick around for the ride.

I am juggling this and another story that I'm writing. So, I'll be updating this every Wednesday at around 12:00 - 1:00 CST.

 

I'd like to make a shout-out to Ezy and AnDwHaT5. Both have had the time and patience to read this as I had been writing along, and gave me the encouragement and support to bring this story out in the open for you all to enjoy.

Once again, I hope you enjoy the story. Thank you!