Chapter 5: The Golden Amber of Memories

The pain was excruciating!

It felt like countless red-hot iron wires were piercing through his body, from his spine all the way to his fingertips. This soul-deep agony made one crave only a swift death; living even a second longer felt like an endless torment.

His cheek, pressed against the ground, felt the bone-chilling cold. Beneath the night sky, the city was stained with blood, stretching out before him in a viscous, blurry haze.

The only thing in clear focus was his own right hand, gripped tightly in front of him. The thumbnail was torn back, exposing a pale nail bed, and the white, jagged bone of his index finger’s second joint protruded through the skin. Even so, his palm remained firmly clenched around a necklace: a custom-made, dark green military paracord holding a golden memory amber. Within it, golden, swirling clouds drifted slowly, as if sealing away infinite secrets.

Suddenly, a woman’s hand descended. Her wrist was smooth and fair, her nails trimmed short and clean, and a wavy platinum ring adorned her ring finger. Her movements were gentle, as if she were unwrapping a gift, prying open his tightly clenched fist. As the necklace was pulled away and swept across his field of vision, he clearly saw two Chinese characters engraved on the golden amber:

"Lin Xiao"

...

Bang!

Lin Xiao bolted upright in bed, his back soaked in cold sweat. He instinctively looked at his right hand—it was empty.

The fourth time.

It had been thirty-seven days since he transmigrated into this world, and this dream haunted him like a festering sore. Was this a memory from the original owner of this body? Lin Xiao couldn't answer that, for aside from this dream, he had gained none of the original's memories. It seemed someone had murdered the previous Lin Xiao and stolen that seemingly precious golden memory amber. Was this the reason he had taken over this body?

What baffled Lin Xiao even more was the fact that the amber bore his Chinese name! Although both he and the original owner were named Lin Xiao, this world had no Chinese characters; the written languages of the two worlds were entirely different. Why would his name from his previous life be engraved on that golden amber?

Lin Xiao had a premonition that the memories sealed within that amber were of vital importance to him. It was highly likely linked to the "Oath of Pain" that forced him to never tell a lie.

In this world, the path to supernatural power was not through cultivation, but through transaction. At the age of eighteen, during their coming-of-age ceremony, everyone was granted a single opportunity to stand before the world’s only true God. By offering up one’s most precious possession—perhaps love, perhaps a part of one's body—one could gain supernatural power: an Ability. The more precious the offering and the deeper the pain it caused, the more powerful the resulting ability.

This was the "Ritual of Pain."

When Lin Xiao first heard of this rule, his mind immediately went to the *Evil-Warding Sword Manual*. The difference was that in this world, what you chose to sacrifice wasn't limited to a part of your body, but anything you held dear. It sounded somewhat wicked, but Lin Xiao didn't find it repulsive. You want power? Then pay the price. It was a consensual transaction, and that was fair.

However, Lin Xiao soon realized that if everyone practiced the "Evil-Warding Sword Manual," the result was that no one had actually gained an edge, and they had all suffered for nothing. If you didn't want your suffering to be in vain, you had to endure more pain than others to become stronger than them. When everyone thought this way, it devolved into a cycle of intense, cutthroat competition.

After years of this mindless rat race, a "genius" emerged. He realized a simple truth: how could the fleeting, one-time agony of a single sacrifice compare to the intensity of a lifelong, constant pain? Thus, he created the ultimate form: the "Oath of Pain." You swear an oath based on your most desperate desire, vowing never to break it, or you will drop dead instantly.

It was ruthless. Most people struggled to quit smoking, sugar, gambling, or other vices, let alone swear an oath based on their deepest, most craved desires. The Oath of Pain gradually became the mainstream, as the suffering it brought was more persistent and profound, naturally exchanging for greater power.

"Exchange the shackles of a lifetime for the ultimate power."

The original Lin Xiao had evidently made some extremely rigorous oath. The problem was that Lin Xiao, having inherited no memories, had no idea what that oath was. This meant he had a Sword of Damocles hanging over his head, ready to drop at any moment if he inadvertently broke his vow.

The only clue he had were the "Absolute Truth and Sincerity" prompts scattered throughout his room. Was this his oath? Lin Xiao didn't know, but following this guideline had kept him safe for over a month. Yet, life was not easy. Humans survived in society precisely because they understood how to feign and compromise, but he could not.

Worse still, Lin Xiao wasn't entirely sure what "Absolute Truth and Sincerity" meant. Such a vague phrase was incredibly difficult to calibrate. Did it mean he couldn't lie? Or that he couldn't hide his inner thoughts? Or did it mean he had to actively understand the needs of others and respond with total sincerity? Clearly, each level was more demanding than the last.

For example, if your ex-girlfriend was as beautiful as Liu Yifei in *Demi-Gods and Semi-Devils*, and you had to break up due to reality, and your current girlfriend asked, "Who is prettier, me or your ex?"

"Not lying" would mean saying: "You are both beautiful, and I am very happy to be with you now."

"Not hiding your inner thoughts" would mean honestly replying: "She is prettier... by a lot..."

"Understanding needs and responding with sincerity" would mean realizing she actually wants to know who holds the place of your "white moonlight." You would have to fearlessly answer: "She accompanied me through my youth and left an indelible mark. I am sorry, you will never be my white moonlight, but you can consider being my cinnabar mole."

Lin Xiao had no doubt that if he lived by the Oath of Pain this way, he would have few friends, and even with his handsome face, he wouldn't be able to get a girlfriend. But he dared not lower the standard; the stronger his supernatural ability manifested, the more terrified he became. Furthermore, his life was becoming increasingly interesting, and he was even more reluctant to die.

"What kind of insane oath did I make to gain such power?"

Lin Xiao desperately wanted the answer. And the answer to everything might just lie within that golden amber necklace. He hadn't tried to find it before because he had no clues or direction; searching for a single necklace in a sea of people was a fool's errand. But his breakthrough last night had revealed a new possibility: he could manifest the necklace from his memory directly into reality.

But that was only possible if it were a true memory, not a false dream.

Lin Xiao took a deep breath, closed his eyes, and tried to sink into that blood-stained scene... The cold ground, the bone-piercing pain, and that bloodied hand clutching the necklace.

"It’s real..." Lin Xiao’s heart hammered against his ribs.

This was no dream; it was an indisputable fragment of memory. He grabbed for the amber necklace without hesitation, putting all his strength into pulling it into reality—

"Ah!"

Violent pain surged through his brain, as if a high-speed drill had been jammed into it. The amber was heavy as a mountain, not moving an inch. Lin Xiao was violently snapped back to reality, his forehead covered in cold sweat.

"Is this... am I too weak?"

That golden amber was an incredibly powerful extraordinary object! The ability level required to manifest it was far beyond his current reach, so much so that he couldn't even determine how much energy it would consume.

"It seems I have to put this aside for now and try to replicate it after the next breakthrough."

Lin Xiao had no choice but to shelf the idea. To become stronger, he needed to acquire more painful memories, and that required money. With a mountain of bills piling up, he needed money for that, too.

Lin Xiao rubbed his temples and, ignoring the night outside, sat up from his bed.

Sleep? How could he sleep when his life could end at any moment?

Get up and make money!