I Risked Everything to Become Uncle Jiu's Disciple

In the chaotic Republic of China, demons run rampant. Chen Mo wakes up to find himself an apprentice at a coffin shop in Renjia Town. He has no System, no special abilities, only hazy memories of zombie movies from his previous life and a fear of death.

When the first white-haired corpse breaks out of its coffin, its claws rip through the rainy night, and the stench of death hits him head-on. On the brink of death, Chen Mo grits his teeth, paints a talisman with his blood, and ignites his only chance to survive: calling on Uncle Jiu at the funeral home for help!

Uncle Jiu arrives in time to subdue the demons and exorcise the evil, but shakes his head at the young man, whose meridians are blocked and who has no talent for cultivation. "Your aptitude is mediocre. The path of cultivation is nine deaths to one life."

Covered in blood, Chen Mo drops to his knees. His eyes hold the fierce resolve of a lone wolf. "This disciple isn't afraid to die. I'm only afraid of dying without purpose! Master, please give me a chance to live!" His bone-deep will to survive moves Uncle Jiu.

He becomes Uncle Jiu's registered disciple and moves into the firewood shed at the funeral home. Others master talisman-drawing in a single try, while he ruins a hundred sheets of yellow paper and rubs his fingers raw until they bleed. His senior brothers laugh at his clumsiness, while he practices swordsmanship alone late into the night until he collapses from exhaustion. Sweat, blood, and falling down only to get back up again: these are his only "talents."

On the night the old master of the Ren family turns into a corpse, the inked string snaps and Uncle Jiu is in danger. The disciple once mocked as the "worst" drags his injured leg forward and boldly shields him with his mortal body, taking the deadly black corpse claw! As blood soaks through his Daoist robe, Uncle Jiu tearfully hands him a jade pendant, a token of his direct lineage.