Re-birth: The Beginning after the End

Li Hua crawled out of the bed and slowly stood up, her legs trembled beneath her, unused to supporting the weight of such a powerful soul. This body was small, weak, and untrained - a stark contrast to her previous self.

The stone flooring was cold beneath her bare feet, sending an unfamiliar shiver up her spine. In her old body, such minor discomforts would have been beneath her notice, but now every sensation felt amplified.

Slowly, Li Hua walked over to the closed door and pressed her palm against its weathered surface, feeling the rough grain of wood beneath her fingertips.

A dilapidated room, old and outdated furnishings, stone flooring, a thatched roof and the smell of mildew and damp earth permeated the air. This was clearly a rural home, far removed from the sleek modernity she'd known in her previous life.

Still gauging how much strength this body had, Li Hua pulled open the door, causing a loud creak that echoed through the empty home. Luckily, no one seems to be around to hear it.

"Master? Are you feeling well enough to explore?" Little Firefly spoke up.

"Yes." Li Hua responded. "Do you know anything about this new place?"

"A bit, Master. This is no longer your world. I, I didn't have the power to keep you bonded to your previous world." Little Firefly said softly as if he was anticipating his master to lash out with anger. His shoulders were tense, and he covered his face, afraid that she would pop in and smack him.

"Mmm, I could tell. What world is this?" Li Hua asked calmly.

Sighing with relief, Little Firefly said, "It's a world that resembles my world. When your soul was thrown out of your body, I used most of my power to keep your soul together, but I used too much of my reserved power and could only hold onto this world. This world has a high density of spiritual power and luckily we were sucked in without much effort."

Little Firefly waited to see if his master would ask another question, but there was only silence. Feeling a bit anxious he continued to speak, "Master, your body now, met the conditions of a transfer. One, it was a body without a soul occupying it and two, the body could withstand your spiritual powers."

Pausing in her steps, Li Hua asked "You mean I have spiritual powers?"

Nodding its head quickly, Little Firefly responded, "Yes, master! You do. Although, it's at a low level. You have it!"

Li Hua nodded, continuing to examine her surroundings.

The home had two small bedrooms and a small living room. The kitchen and bathroom were not in the home, which means it's either outside or attached to another part of the home. Regardless, you'd still need to walk outside to access it.

"Little Firefly, tell me more." Li Hua said out loud.

"Yes, master. I still don't know much about this world, so I won't be able to give you specifics." Little Firefly responded.

"That's fine. Be general, I don't want to confuse the terminology in this world." Li Hua replied.

"Yes, master. Worlds that have a high density of spiritual powers also have beings with high spiritual powers, this extends to beasts as well. Humans and beasts are born with innate talent or an inner core. This is the source of your powers. When you cultivate your inner core, this increases your capacity to absorb and control spiritual energy and increase the grade of your spiritual powers." Little Firefly paused, its tiny form pacing back and forth in its space. "Cultivators are divided into ranks or a hierarchy system based on their cultivation level. In your world, seniority, strength, skills and intelligence is ranked using the military system. You have lieutenants, commanders, captains and so on and so forth. But don't let the hierarchy fool you, for inner cores also have grades. There is low-tier, mid-tier and high-tier. High tiers can still easily beat a mid-tier in the level above it."

Li Hua's brow furrowed as she processed this information, her fingers absently tracing the unfamiliar contours of her new body. The concept wasn't entirely foreign - after all, when she first bonded with Little Firefly, they had the same discussions about his world. Plus, in her world, she's seen firsthand how lieutenants can outwit or outperform a commander.

"And this body," she spoke softly, more to herself than too Little Firefly, "where does it stand in terms of its inner core?"

Little Firefly's hesitation told her more than words could, and she felt a familiar tension coil in her stomach. She would need to be cautious until she fully understood her new limitations.

"Master, you must train well and cultivate." Little Firefly said, his words hung heavy in the air, carrying the weight of unspoken concern.

Li Hua closed her eyes, remembering when she first started out as an assassin. She was young and weak, like her body now. To hone the skills to survive she had endured countless nights of grueling training, pushing her body past its breaking point until her hands bled and her muscles screamed in protest.

Each failure had been a lesson, each scar a reminder of what it took to rise from nothing. The memory of that raw determination stirred something within her—a familiar fire that even this weak vessel couldn't diminish. She would need that same resilience now, perhaps even more than before, as she navigated this new reality with its own rules and hierarchies.