Chapter 1

Madison Locke was wrapped in a towel as she sat dazedly by the pool at the Locke residence in Riverview. For a moment, she couldn't understand what was happening. Her pretty face was ashen, and she was sopping wet. She remembered she'd just been in the world of cultivation just a second ago. She'd just killed a Ghost King who had been terrorizing the human world, and her cultivation had increased tremendously. After that, she'd blinked and shown up here. "How could you push Rebecca into the water? She's your sister! Apologize to her quickly!" an elegant-looking woman snapped at Madison with her arm around a young woman who was also drenched. At the sight of the woman, Madison suddenly remembered things she'd long forgotten. The woman was her mother, Tanya Sutton. Madison's past life hadn't been a nice one. She'd grown up in an orphanage and had spectral vision, which meant she could see things others couldn't. The people around her had thought of her as a freak, and nobody had wanted to play with her. She'd stayed at the orphanage until she was 18 years old and had been forced to get a job instead of attending university. Madison had always thought there was something wrong with her mentally. She'd taken three jobs and worked hard at them so she could save enough money to visit the hospital to cure herself and become a normal person. Everything had changed when she'd turned 22 years old—that was when the Locke family had found her. Only then did she realize she'd been mistakenly switched at birth. She was actually the daughter of the Locke family—one of Riverview's most affluent families. As someone who'd never once felt the love of a family, Madison felt like she'd suddenly hit the jackpot. She felt like she could finally lead the happy life that a normal young woman would have. However, life at the Locke residence wasn't as she'd imagined. The Locke family had raised another child as their own—Rebecca Locke. Rebecca had received the best education available for the past two decades and carried herself with elegance and poise. Everyone at the residence, from her parents to the maids, adored her. She and Rebecca were often compared to each other, and Madison was no match for her in every aspect. Under such circumstances, Madison's attitude changed thoroughly. She'd gone from initially being ingratiating and expectant to eventually becoming resentful and filled with hatred. Unfortunately, the more trouble she caused, the more she humiliated herself. The same thing had happened on this day. The Locke family had thrown a welcome party to welcome Madison back to the family. Madison had snatched Rebecca's evening gown so she could wear it, and the other trust fund babies invited to the party had mocked her for it. Unable to handle the jeering and mockery, she and Rebecca had gotten into a fight again. Then, they'd both fallen into the pool. The last scene Madison remembered from her past life was how everyone had been in a panic to save Rebecca. Meanwhile, she'd slowly sank to the bottom of the pool. As soon as Madison opened her eyes earlier, she realized she'd still been in the pool. After a few seconds, the Locke family's oldest son, Harvey Locke, had saved her. As the memories flooded her mind, the resentment and hatred she'd harbored in her past life overwhelmed her. She stood up and asked, "Why should I apologize?" "What do you mean, and why should you apologize? You almost killed Becky! What's with your attitude?" Tanya looked at Madison with a mixture of anger and disappointment. Rebecca leaned into Tanya's arms and said weakly, "It's okay, Mom. I'm sure Maddie didn't do it on purpose. I fell into the pool by accident. Maddie was only trying to save me…" Everyone present had clearly witnessed what had happened, so Rebecca's words only made them sympathize with her and think about how kind she was. At the same time, they felt that Madison was cruel and rude. "You're wrong. I did it on purpose." Madison approached Rebecca, her face devoid of emotion as water dripped from her clothes and hair. She looked like a ghost that had emerged from the water. Then, she said something that stunned the crowd. "I wanted you to die." "How could you say something like that, Madison?" Tanya's expression became steely with anger. She subconsciously shielded Rebecca behind her, seemingly frightened that Madison would hurt Rebecca. A trace of hurt flitted past Madison's eyes when she saw this, but she soon concealed it. "You think I'm cruel, huh? Her mother ruined my life, and she's stolen everything from me—my parents, my brothers, and my life! Yet, I'm the cruel one!" Tanya still defended Rebecca, saying, "Becky is innocent in this." "Innocent?" Madison snorted. "She's enjoyed my parents' love and my brothers' protection for the past two decades. She's lived a worry-free life since she was born. How is she innocent in this? "What about me?" This was something Madison had always wanted to ask. From the moment she'd stepped foot in the Locke residence, everyone had been telling her to get along with Rebecca and to learn from her. They were terrified she would bully Rebecca. At the same time, they were afraid Rebecca couldn't remain at the Locke residence after the truth was revealed, so they'd treated her even better than before. As for Madison, they'd regarded her coldly to avoid hurting Rebecca's feelings. "Am I not innocent in this? I was bullied and neglected at the orphanage, and I didn't even have the bare minimum for survival. Did I deserve that?" Madison asked. Tanya didn't say anything. Madison continued, "I got a university offer when I turned 18 but couldn't go because I couldn't afford the fees. Is that my fault? "I had to work three jobs a day just to survive, and I only got to sleep four hours a day. Is that what I deserve?" Her questions made silence descend upon the crowd. Tanya's eyes were filled with pain as she said, "I know life has been hard on you, and I do want to make it up to you. But you can't blame Becky for any of this—she didn't ask for this to happen. I just want you two to get along…" "Ha! You want me to get along with her without resenting her for everything that's happened?" Madison shook her head mockingly. "Do you think I can do that? What am I, a saint? Do you think I don't have feelings and wants?" "Are you my parents and brothers or not? Are you not my family?" Her voice grew louder. "Why are you guys helping someone who isn't even related to you instead of helping me?" The Lockes couldn't bring themselves to say anything. "Why was she the first one you guys thought to save when we both fell into the pool?" Madison asked. The feeling of almost dying was horrible—the water had flooded her nose, and her breathing had stopped. Her lungs had hurt like hell. In that moment, she'd felt tormented and in despair. "Why did you guys bring me back here if you don't even love me? I'd rather not have any parents or siblings. I'd rather not know that my own family doesn't love me at all." Tears streamed down Madison's face as she spoke. Then, she pushed her way through the people standing before her and ran into the villa. She ran straight to her bedroom and locked the door, blocking the outside world. "What's going on, System?" Madison asked coldly while wiping her tears. There wasn't any trace of the disappointment and despair she'd shown while outside. "Are you okay, Ms. Locke? How do you feel?" the system asked. "I'm fine. Tell me what's going on! Why am I back here again?" The words she had uttered earlier had been buried in her heart for far too long. Now that she'd voiced them, the resentment and hatred she'd bottled up in her past life had disappeared. The system explained, "You were never dead. I only extracted your soul and sent you to a different world." Madison understood now. She hadn't died—the system had merely sent her soul to a world of cultivation so she could learn the mystic arts. Now that she'd learned everything she could, she'd been sent back to her original life. Madison had spent a century in the world of cultivation, but only a few minutes had passed in this world.