Chapter 1: Torch God System

Hucheng, Xingyuan Industrial Park, Feiyu Tech headquarters.

In a luxurious top-floor office, Chen Yansen sat in a chair, skillfully tearing open a foil packet, tossing a small diamond-shaped blue pill into his mouth, then washing it down with warm water.

Once a man hits thirty, without a little tech help, he really can't keep up.

Chen Yansen let out a long breath and sighed inwardly.

Thirty-four years old that year, after more than ten years of grinding, he finally had a five-hundred-square-meter standalone villa, a three-million-yuan Maibahe GLS600, and a main-board-listed Shangshi Company.

Add the single buff, and young girls were even more obsessed with him.

Who doesn't dream of marrying a rich man and leaping up the social ladder?

Chen Yansen knew this perfectly well.

Talk money with young girls, sure; talk feelings, absolutely not!

"Daddy, I bought a really sexy swimsuit."

The phone buzzed, popping up a new message.

Chen Yansen glanced at it and couldn't help but smile faintly.

Chengguo was indeed the girlfriend he'd been seeing the longest—pure in public, seductive in private.

Calling him President Chen by day, calling him Daddy by night—what man could resist that?

Chen Yansen calculated when the pill would kick in, then replied: "Daddy prefers Angel, be good and wait at home."

Saying that, without waiting for a reply, he pushed open the door and headed straight for the parking lot.

Then, an all-black Maibahe pulled onto Yixian Avenue, then sped along the North-South Elevated Road.

The street scenes outside the window kept retreating.

Neon lights rose, streams of traffic merging into flowing ribbons of light, like a galaxy on the ground.

A few minutes later, Chen Yansen's heart suddenly clenched, his chest pounding *thump thump* *thump thump*, his head growing heavy in waves.

"Holy shit! The pill's hit this hard?"

Chen Yansen cursed under his breath.

The strength in his hands gradually weakened, and finally he actually let go of the steering wheel!

The car shot straight through the guardrail, flying dozens of meters into the air!

*Boom*—a thunderous blast, and Chen Yansen lost consciousness completely.

……

……

"Damned Chen Yansen, please stop sleeping!"

In a daze, Chen Yansen heard someone calling him; along with a bout of shaking, the intense weightlessness rapidly faded, and the pain in his five viscera and six bowels vanished instantly.

A flash of white light, and he slowly opened his eyes.

"Do you even know what time it is? The gathering's set for seven-thirty, and you just had to sleep straight through to a quarter past eight!"

The speaker was a slightly chubby dark-skinned teenager, around seventeen or eighteen, wearing an expression of helpless grievance.

"Wang Zihao?"

Chen Yansen stared at the fatty in front of him, and a familiar name suddenly popped into his head; he called it out instinctively.

No, that's not right!

Wang Zihao died three years ago!

Because he married a scheming woman as his wife, and unexpectedly had a son darker than charcoal—Wang Zihao's skin tone was indeed a shade darker, but there was no reason to produce a black baby.

Hell, that was cross-species!

After the paternity test, both sides had a huge blowup.

In the end, half his assets were split away; unable to think it through, Wang Zihao chose to jump off a building.

"Aren't you dead?"

"Pah! What nonsense are you spouting now? If you don't get up, I'll drown you!"

Wang Zihao grabbed a short-sleeve shirt and tossed it right onto his buddy's forehead.

Chen Yansen pulled the shirt off, looked around, and only then realized he was lying in the rest area of a bathhouse.

The interior decor was shabby, looking just like a public bathhouse from over a decade ago.

Since graduating from college, he hadn't been to a place like this.

Seeing him still spacing out, Wang Zihao simply snatched up a pair of gray shorts nearby, planning to put them on Chen Yansen himself.

"Let go, I'll do it myself."

The moment Wang Zihao touched him, Chen Yansen felt uncomfortable all over; he kicked Wang Zihao aside, nimbly pulling on the shorts and shirt.

No sooner had he just put on his shoes than Wang Zihao grabbed him and rushed outside.

Passing a full-length mirror, he finally got a clear look at his current appearance.

A head of long hair with slanted bangs, one right eye exposed, a ring of dark fuzz on his upper lip—looking both green and stupid.

Sealed memories broke out of their shell, and he finally remembered!

This was the summer of 2010; having just submitted his college application, he had dragged Wang Zihao to the baths for the evening's group dinner.

Holy shit, I've been reborn!

Chen Yansen's scalp went numb, as if electrified.

It wasn't exactly a happy feeling—after all, his 2026 self had everything top-tier except his kidneys.

There were still sixty million in the bank card he hadn't spent!

Thinking of this, Chen Yansen couldn't help cursing inwardly.

Standing at the intersection, Wang Zihao hailed a car with one hand while sizing Chen Yansen up and down with the other, and asked tentatively: "Had a fight with Zhou Keyuan? That's why you're trying to stall and skip the gathering?"

In 2010, Chen Yansen observed the appearance of Chenshen; compared to more than a decade later, it was slightly less neat and beautiful but had more of a human, everyday charm.

The early summer night, though somewhat stiflingly hot, was not without a refreshing, gentle breeze.

Shadows of people were numerous on the main street, bustling and lively.

"No."

Hearing this, Chen Yansen was momentarily stunned, then immediately denied it.

The reason he refused to marry in his past life was half due to Wang Zihao's plight, and the other half due to this woman named Zhou Keyuan.

Back then, his cultivation was shallow and his ability to discern a fake was poor; he was simply fooled around in circles by her.

He voluntarily acted as a simp for someone for five or six years!

"I've hailed a taxi, get in quickly!"

Wang Zihao flagged down a taxi and urged them frantically.

"What's the rush? We're already late anyway; accompany me to get a haircut first."

Chen Yansen waved his hand, speaking unhurriedly.

"Are you two going or not?"

The taxi driver poked his head out, asking with a face full of impatience.

"Sorry, we need to discuss it."

Seeing his friend standing still and refusing to move, Wang Zihao could only turn to the driver and say apologetically.

"Take your time discussing it then."

The driver pouted, rolled up the window, and sped off in a flash, giving Wang Zihao no time to consider at all.

Chen Yansen, standing nearby, laughed; the taxi industry, which hadn't yet experienced the beating of ride-hailing apps, had quite an arrogant attitude!

Unfortunately, those good days wouldn't last many more years!

"Let's go, old man! We can only tell the Big Sister first that we'll arrive a bit later."

Wang Zihao sighed deeply.

"Haozi, for that 'old man' of yours, I guarantee your son this life will be your biological child."

Chen Yansen hooked his arm around Wang Zihao's neck, grinning as he spoke.

"A dog's mouth can't spit out ivory; you just spend all day slandering me!"

Hearing words that sounded off, Wang Zihao immediately cursed through gritted teeth.

Accompanied by the evening breeze, the two wandered until they found a barbershop.

"Can you cut a forward-swept style?"

Chen Yansen plopped down, first glancing at the barber's punk side-swept bangs, then asked uncertainly.

"Small case! But are you sure you want to cut it?"

The barber nodded confidently, yet, fearing Chen Yansen might cause trouble later, he nervously confirmed repeatedly.

You see, side-swept bangs were the mainstream hairstyle for trendy young men in the small town.

"It doesn't matter; even a crew cut would look better than what I have now."

Chen Yansen shrugged, speaking with certainty.

"Eight out of ten times, another heartbroken youth preparing to start from scratch."

The barber, seeing this as nothing new, sneered internally.

Silently tagging Chen Yansen, he then picked up a spray bottle and quickly wet his hair.

"Snip—snip—"

The sharp scissors moved back and forth; large clumps of hair fell away, revealing a broad and full forehead with lines as smooth as carved by a knife, a demeanor vastly different from before.

"Living again isn't bad; at least the kidneys are brand new."

Chen Yansen gazed at the youth in the mirror and finally accepted reality.

Future money-making opportunities were as numerous as ox hairs: Bitcoin, e-commerce, short videos, smart chips, or AI, and so on; catching just one would easily propel him into the ranks of the super-rich.

"Ding! The torch fire drifts into Profound Heaven, soothing the dusty heart to become a Dao Immortal."

"The Torch Fire Deity System has been loaded!"

Before the huge surprise brought by rebirth could be fully digested, a string of strange text appeared before Chen Yansen's eyes.

"What the hell is this?"

A semi-transparent panel floated in mid-air, its surface flowing with blue starlight, mysterious and bewitching.

Chen Yansen squinted his eyes and immediately fell into deep thought.

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(End of this chapter)