Chapter One: Leaving the Family

Did the protagonist’s resentment break through the book and emerge into reality?

Suddenly, Liu Pan recalled the review left by Long Aotian in his novel’s comment section. A strange suspicion crept into his mind—could it be that Liu Kuang’s resentment had truly broken out of the book and dragged him into this world?

His heart thudded wildly. While Liu Pan’s thoughts ran chaotically, a voice snapped him back to reality.

“Liu Pan, what is going on?” Liu Xuanfeng frowned deeply. This was simply too strange—he himself had checked Liu Pan’s body earlier, confirming that Liu Pan was dead, even his body temperature had begun to fade. Yet now, after just a dozen breaths, Liu Pan sat up as though nothing had happened. How could this not astonish him?

Liu Pan was thoroughly bewildered. He knew Liu Xuanfeng was the clan leader of the Liu family, but why would he ask such a question—“what happened?”

He frowned slightly, then suddenly froze, for he realized that his name after transmigrating was still Liu Pan!

In his memory, the “Ultra Ultra Ultra Ultra Super Mad God” he wrote never featured a character named Liu Pan. So why was he still Liu Pan here? He couldn’t make sense of it.

Wait—what part of the plot was this?

Sifting through the new memories in his mind, Liu Pan realized this was during the Liu clan’s family contest. In this contest, the protagonist Liu Kuang wanted to use the opportunity to break away from the family, but at the critical moment, he was set up by the Second Elder, unintentionally killed a family disciple, and was thus expelled from the clan.

This was precisely where Liu Kuang’s suffering began.

Unintentionally killed a family disciple? When his memory reached this point, Liu Pan’s expression grew rather complicated, because the disciple who had just fought Liu Kuang—was himself!

This meant the original owner of this body had been killed, and he just happened to cross over, his soul attaching to this body, resulting in the current situation.

“Damn!”

A shiver ran through Liu Pan, nearly making him leap up from the ground. This transmigration was truly something—distinctive and outright stylish!

In his “Ultra Ultra Ultra Ultra Super Mad God,” the battle between Liu Kuang and that family disciple was only briefly mentioned, and the cannon fodder’s name wasn’t even given. Who would have thought that upon transmigrating, he’d find out this cannon fodder had the exact same name as himself!

To have the name “Liu Pan,” which in his eyes brimmed with promise, assigned to a bit-part extra left Liu Pan speechless. He was the author, after all! How could the author’s name be used so carelessly?

While Liu Pan’s thoughts churned with confusion, the members of the Lin family who had been spectating also recovered from their shock, and soon the training ground was filled with a clamorous uproar.

Hearing the commotion, Liu Xuanfeng snapped back to reality. Liu Pan had “died” earlier and naturally wouldn’t know what had happened.

The Second Elder’s face was unsightly. He simply couldn’t understand how Liu Pan had suddenly come back to life. His plan had almost succeeded.

Liu Pan’s body was examined again, and after confirming there was nothing amiss, Liu Xuanfeng and several elders all frowned. Meanwhile, the food fragments Liu Pan had vomited out were conveniently ignored by everyone present.

“Liu Pan! How did you die or lose consciousness just now? Did Liu Kuang secretly use some underhanded means?” Seeing the clan leader and the other elders fall silent, a cold glint flashed in the Second Elder’s eyes, and he suddenly shot Liu Pan a menacing look, his meaning unmistakable.

Liu Pan was dumbfounded. He could hardly believe there existed someone as shameless as the Second Elder. He’d thought such characters only existed in novels, but here he was, facing one in the flesh—or, well, in the pages of his own book.

He had written a plot of protagonist suffering, so having a few despicable supporting characters was hardly out of place. Besides, there was more to come…

Recalling the Second Elder’s character, Liu Pan quickly remembered his motivations. The Second Elder was the Liu family’s law elder, but unscrupulous in pursuit of his goals. His elaborate scheme to expel Liu Kuang from the clan was, at its heart, all for his two beloved sons.

The Liu family was a small, ordinary clan with limited slots to send disciples to martial sects. The Second Elder wanted both sons to be chosen, so he resorted to foul play.

Although Liu Kuang was a seventh-rank martial artist, quite talented for the Liu family, he wasn’t the Second Elder’s son. To secure the family’s future in his own hands, the Second Elder didn’t mind eliminating a few gifted disciples. Besides, Liu Kuang was just an orphan—no one would come for revenge.

If Liu Pan had simply stayed dead, Liu Kuang would have been expelled as a matter of course. But now, Liu Pan had died and come back to life.

Though the situation was more complicated, as long as Liu Pan insisted that Liu Kuang had used sinister means, with the Second Elder’s authority as law elder, it would be child’s play to accuse Liu Kuang of violating clan rules. Liu Kuang might not be expelled, but his chance at the sect quota would be lost.

Understanding the Second Elder’s ruthless motives, Liu Pan glanced at Liu Kuang, whose expression remained calm, as though he cared little about how Liu Pan would answer. He must have assumed Liu Pan would accuse him, so he feigned indifference.

At this turning point, Liu Pan felt a strange sensation—he remembered again Long Aotian’s review.

Resentment of the protagonist breaking through the book? Could a protagonist truly bear a grudge against the author? If not for that, why would he have transmigrated into his own story at this particular moment?

Liu Pan knew that if he accused Liu Kuang, the protagonist’s bitter journey would begin anew—though perhaps not with outright expulsion, the plot would proceed as he’d written: suffering, hardship, and eventual triumph.

But what if he denied the Second Elder’s accusation?

His heart beat faster. He didn’t know why this idea suddenly came to him, but he felt an irresistible urge to follow it.

Liu Pan was never one to make things hard for himself. With his mind made up, he didn’t hesitate.

A faint smile played at his lips as he stood, bowed to the Second Elder, and said, “Second Elder, my fainting had nothing whatsoever to do with Liu Kuang.”

Liu Pan left the Liu family. Before the contest had even ended, he found an excuse to leave the training ground.

He helped himself to a horse from the family stables, bought half a bolt of cloth and some rope in town, and galloped south without stopping.

He left in such haste because he knew that once the contest was over, he would have no chance to escape. As the author, Liu Pan was fully aware of the Second Elder’s cruelty. In the instant he decided to leave, he understood that he would never return to the Liu family.

Before departing, Liu Pan organized the new memories in his mind. He was still called Liu Pan, an orphan with no memory of his parents, raised by an old family servant who had passed away last year—now truly alone.

He had begun martial training at eight. Now, nearly sixteen, he had reached the peak of sixth-rank martial artist—barely above the bottom in the Liu family. Had nothing changed, after this contest he’d have been assigned to manage some family business and lived an unremarkable life.

But fate had shifted because of this contest—and without the Liu Pan from Earth crossing over, the Liu Pan here would simply have been a corpse.

Fate’s irony had not only played out for the Liu Pan native to the Tianfeng Continent, but for the Liu Pan from Earth as well.

Transmigration—hardly earth-shattering for someone who wrote fantasy novels. Even if he hadn’t written many, he’d read more than enough. What surprised him was that he had entered his own novel!

“A book is a world,” the saying went—and it was true.

Earth—could he ever return? Liu Pan sighed. Too many attachments: family, friends, and that person buried deepest in his heart. Perhaps, they were already gone from his life forever.

No—that couldn’t be. In a fantasy world, nothing was impossible. If he could transmigrate into his book, surely there must be a way back!

At this thought, Liu Pan’s spirits lifted.

Since he was here, he might as well live splendidly until he found a way home.

Liu Kuang? Thinking of his protagonist, Liu Pan couldn’t help but smile. Now that he was here, would Liu Kuang still be the main character?

Galloping through the wind, his hair streaming wildly behind him, Liu Pan suddenly reined in his horse, drew a half-foot-long knife from his breast, and with a sweep, sliced off his long hair, casting it into the air.

Strands fluttered down as the black steed thundered on, only the rhythmic clatter of hooves echoing through the silent forest.

Does fate have its trajectory? Who truly controls destiny? When certainties become uncertainties, the future brims with endless possibilities.

With a single sentence, Liu Pan had effortlessly changed Liu Kuang’s fate—but who could change Liu Pan’s?

The sky was still the same sky, and the earth still the same earth.

But Liu Pan—was no longer the same Liu Pan.