Darkness. Cold. A dull, throbbing ache resonated from somewhere deep within his chest, a phantom echo of a pain that felt both intimately familiar and entirely alien. Kai’s consciousness flickered, struggling to surface from an oppressive void. Where… was he? The last thing he remembered was the acrid smell of ozone, a blinding flash from the overloaded power strip under his desk as he reached for a dropped screw during his latest PC build, a jolt that felt like lightning had ripped through his very soul… and then, nothing.

  This wasn’t the sterile white of a hospital, nor the comforting clutter of his apartment. This felt… rough. Gritty. He tried to move, a groan escaping lips that felt cracked and foreign. His limbs responded sluggishly, heavy as lead. Slowly, painfully, he cracked open eyelids that felt glued shut.

  Blurred shapes swam into focus. Rough-hewn wooden beams overhead, coated in dust motes dancing in a single shaft of weak sunlight slanting through a high, grimy window. The air was cold, damp, carrying the faint smell of mildew and unwashed bodies. He was lying on a thin, straw-stuffed pallet that did little to cushion the hard wooden bunk beneath. His own body felt frail, underdeveloped, a stark contrast to his twenty-something-year-old frame from… before.

  Panic began to bubble beneath the confusion. This wasn't his room. This wasn't his body.

  Then, the memories hit him. Not his own, not entirely. A flood of experiences, emotions, and knowledge crashed into his mind, merging with his original identity in a disorienting, painful cascade. This body belonged to… Kai. Also Kai. A fifteen-year-old outer disciple of the Azure Cloud Sect. An orphan, possessing abysmal cultivation talent, routinely bullied, starved for resources, living in the lowest dregs of the sect – the vast Outer Sect dormitory complex.

  This Kai… had died. Just moments ago, it seemed. A final, brutal beating from Zhang Long and his cronies over a perceived slight had resulted in severe internal injuries. Lying here, despairing over his inability to cultivate, to gain strength, to ever escape this miserable existence, his flickering life force had finally extinguished.

  And I took his place? The thought was staggering, terrifying. Kai – the original Kai, the one who loved web novels about transmigration and system apocalypses – felt a chill that had nothing to do with the damp air. This wasn't fiction. This was real. He was trapped in a world governed by strength, where the weak were prey, and he was currently occupying the body of arguably one of the weakest, most insignificant individuals in this entire sect.

  His cultivation? The memories confirmed it: Qi Condensation Level 1. The absolute bottom rung, a level most children in families with even minor cultivation heritage surpassed by age ten. This body’s meridians were sluggish, Qi absorption minimal. Hopeless. Utterly, terrifyingly hopeless.

  He could feel the phantom ache in his chest sharpen, a remnant of the fatal injury. Hunger gnawed at his stomach, a constant companion for the previous Kai. The cold seeped into his bones. Despair, thick and suffocating, the same despair that had killed the body’s previous owner, began to creep into his own soul. Was this it? Transmigrate just to die again, slowly and miserably?

  Just as the darkness threatened to overwhelm him, a sound, crisp and utterly out of place in the primitive surroundings, echoed directly within his mind.

  [Beeeep!]

  [Universal Drop-shipping System Activated!]

  [Scanning Life Signs… Confirmed.]

  This content has been misappropriated from Royal Road; report any instances of this story if found elsewhere.

  [Binding Host Soul Signature… Binding Complete.]

  [Welcome, Vendor #1!]

  Kai froze, his breath catching in his throat. His eyes darted around the empty, squalid room. Had he hallucinated? Was this a dying dream?

  Then, directly in his field of vision, a translucent blue screen shimmered into existence, hovering about two feet away. It looked uncannily like a minimalist e-commerce website interface. Clean lines, simple icons, text written in a language he instantly understood, despite knowing the previous Kai couldn't read this script.

  [Universal Drop-shipping System]

  Vendor: Kai (Designate #1)

  Vendor Level: 0 (0/50 Points)

  System Balance: 0 Spirit Stones (All Grades)

  Inventory: Empty

  System Store: Locked (Requires Vendor Level 1 or Initial Funding)

  Customer Base: 0

  [!] New Notification: Potential Customer Detected Nearby (Radius: 50 Meters)

  Customer ID: Outer Disciple Lin Fan

  Identified Need: Urgent Wound Treatment (Severity: Moderate, Non-Lethal)

  Potential Payment Offer: 1 Low-Grade Spirit Stone Fragment

  Kai stared, jaw slack. A… drop-shipping system? Here? In a cultivation world? He, a failed e-commerce hustler who spent more time reading web novels than managing his failing online store, had transmigrated into a cultivation world and received… a cosmic Amazon?

  The sheer absurdity warred with the desperate hope flaring in his chest. Was this his golden ticket? His cheat? Could he actually use this… thing? He focused his intention on the notification, a hesitant mental command. The notification expanded slightly.

  [Potential Customer: Lin Fan]

  Need: Treatment for lacerations and blunt force trauma (left arm, ribs). Moderate Qi disruption due to impact.

  Urgency: High (Risk of infection, prolonged recovery impacting chores/training).

  Willingness to Pay (Estimated): Up to 1 Low-Grade Spirit Stone Fragment. Values immediate relief.

  Drop-shipping… that meant he didn’t need stock, right? He just listed things, and when someone bought, the system sourced and delivered? But what could he sell? He instinctively tried to access the 'Sell' function. A prompt appeared.

  [Please Select Item Source: Personal Inventory (Empty) / System Catalogue (Locked) / External Sourcing (Requires Scan & Blueprint Analysis - Locked)]

  Dead end. He had nothing. He couldn't sell cultivation pills or spirit herbs he didn't possess. Then his eyes caught a faint, almost greyed-out category tab flickering at the bottom of the interface.

  [Categories Available: Earth Goods (Basic - Trial Access)]

  Earth goods? His heart hammered against his ribs. Could it be? He focused on the tab. A short list populated, accompanied by simple icons. Things like 'Instant Noodles', 'Pain Relievers (Basic)', 'Bandages', 'Chocolate Bar', 'Energy Drink'. Mundane items from his old world.

  How could these possibly help Lin Fan? Urgent wound treatment… Pain relievers and bandages were too basic for the offered price of a spirit stone fragment, likely perceived as worthless here. But then, an idea, born from countless hours reading web novels and crafting slightly exaggerated product descriptions for his old store, sparked in his mind.

  He focused on 'Instant Noodles'. Specifically, a cheap, spicy beef flavor cup noodle brand he vaguely remembered.

  [Select Item: Instant Recovery Noodles (Spicy Beef Flavor)]

  [System Query: Create Listing?]

  Yes! He mentally commanded. A listing creation screen appeared.

  [Create New Product Listing]

  Item Name: [Kai hesitated, then typed mentally] Miracle Recovery Noodles (Trial Size)

  Category: External Healing & Vitality Restoration

  Description: [He took a deep breath, channeling his inner marketer] "A unique culinary infusion crafted from worldly essences! Experience the invigorating warmth that surges through your meridians, instantly replenishing lost vitality. The potent broth aids Qi circulation, soothes internal discomfort, and warms the very soul, accelerating recovery from physical strain and minor injuries. Taste the miracle!"

  Visual: [System automatically generated a slightly enhanced image of the steaming cup noodles, making it look vaguely mystical.]

  Price: [Kai selected] 1 Low-Grade Spirit Stone Fragment

  Stock: [System default] Drop-ship Available

  [Confirm Listing?]

  He confirmed. A new notification popped up.

  [Listing Created: Miracle Recovery Noodles (Trial Size)]

  [System Prompt: Automatically offer listing to detected customer Lin Fan based on need analysis?]

  Offer! He commanded, hope and adrenaline surging through his weak body.

  [Offer Sent. Awaiting Customer Response…]

  Kai pushed himself into a sitting position, ignoring the protest of sore muscles. The translucent screen remained in his vision. He had to find this Lin Fan. He had to make this sale. It was the only lifeline he had in this brutal, new reality. Clutching the vague memory of Lin Fan's usual hiding spot after being bullied, Kai swung his legs over the side of the bunk, his mind racing. This absurd, impossible system was his only chance.