Everyone Says I’m Cold and Aloof, But I Just Have Social Anxiety! - Chapter 1

Yuanling Continent.

Outside the Ethereal Valley of the Yuqing Immortal Sect.

A secluded cultivation site reserved for Inner Sect and Progeny Disciples.

“Finally! I’ve managed to scrape together enough contribution points to successfully exchange for this Ethereal Valley token! All that tireless work on sect missions was truly worth it!”

An Inner Sect disciple, dressed in blue and white robes, held the token tightly with eyes glittering in excitement. He stared at it affectionately before he couldn’t help but kiss it repeatedly.

Another Inner Sect disciple nearby curled his lip in disgust. “Enough! Stop making an exhibition of yourself! Where is your decorum?”

The first disciple chuckled, his face radiating uncontrollable joy. “Hey, I’m just too excited!”

“By the way, I remember Senior Brother Gu has been in secluded cultivation in the valley for almost two years now. Why hasn’t he come out yet?”

“I heard Senior Brother Gu was attempting to break through to the Golden Core stage at such a young age. I wonder how it’s going!” As he spoke, he frowned slightly, filled with curiosity.

“Why do you care so much? Just get in there.” The impatient disciple gave his curious companion a forceful shove, pushing him into the valley.

“Hey, wait”

As the voices faded, the two figures vanished before the gates of the Ethereal Valley. Only two expressionless gatekeeping disciples remained, standing as still as statues, silently guarding this place of tranquility and mystery.

Within the valley, whenever someone enters with a token, a unique and isolated small world is instantly formed for that individual. The spiritual energy here is so abundant it has nearly turned into a physical substance. Disciples can cultivate here without any interference, each immersed in their own world of practice.

In one of these small worlds, a youth in white sat cross-legged with his eyes closed. His features were sharply defined as if carved from stone, and his ethereal aura gave him a cold, aloof quality. His high-bound black hair swayed slightly in the breeze, adding to his graceful appearance.

Just moments ago, he had fainted without warning. After a short while, he had struggled to climb back up but now, he seemed like a completely different person. Those eyes, which used to be as cold as wintry stars, were now filled with confusion. He looked as bewildered as a lost lamb.

“Where am I?” the youth murmured to himself as he looked around.

As far as the eye could see, there was nothing. The first thing he noticed was the sky, as thick and dark as ink, deep enough to swallow a soul. Yet, this dense darkness did not hinder the strange brightness of the area, which was as light as day. Beneath his feet, the ground seemed solid, but every step he took created ripples of light on the surface like water—dreamlike and ethereal.

He felt as though he had been placed in a surreal dream…

Before he could untangle his messy thoughts, a flood of unfamiliar memories rushed into his mind like a surging tide.

“Ah—!”

He curled into a ball, clutching his head. The massive impact felt like a stormy sea, making him dizzy and making his head feel as though it were about to explode!

After a long time, those strange memories took deep root in his mind. They were now as clear and profound as if he had experienced them himself.

He was in the vast world of cultivation. On this magical Yuanling Continent, the pursuit of immortality was at its peak, with sects as numerous as the stars. The continent was divided by many powerful factions, and the struggle for precious resources, secret techniques, and territory never ceased. The cruel law of the jungle was played out here to its fullest.

And he… was the only son of Gu Yuan, the Sect Master of the Yuqing Immortal Sect—Gu Qingzhi.

Did I transmigrate into someone with the same name? Is it a coincidence? Then did the original owner…

What he didn’t know was that his soul was a perfect match for this body.

Usually, the original owner was a cold person who seemed indifferent to the world, spoke very little, and rarely interacted with others. Now, the youth was curled in a corner, chin resting on his knees, brooding in deep thought. This posture was completely at odds with his usual transcendent aura.

“Holy crap!”

“What on earth is going on?!”

He whispered softly, unable to understand how he ended up here. He tried to remember… he was clearly back on Planet Blue. Before sleeping, he had been reading a novel on Fanqie while using the text-to-speech feature. At the time, his eyes were racing ahead through the text while the automated voice was “chasing” behind him. He hadn’t paid it much mind and eventually drifted off, leaving the voice to play through the pages he had already read.

When he woke up, he was in this strange place. Strangely, based on his memories, this wasn’t any novel world he had ever read. The book he was reading before bed was indeed a cultivation transmigration story, but he was certain he had never encountered this specific world in his reading history.

Perhaps this wasn’t a novel world at all, though he had no way of knowing for sure yet.

“Could it be that what I was reading and hearing before bed was just a ‘transmigration trigger’? That… sounds pretty ridiculous.”

If you walk in a minefield often enough, you’re bound to step on one. The popular trend of transmigration had finally descended upon him.

“System?”

“System Bro?”

He cupped his hands cautiously around his mouth and whispered into the void, looking incredibly sneaky.

“It seems my expectations were too high. The amenities for this transmigration are incomplete!” He finally abandoned the hope of having a “Golden Finger” cheat.

Then, his gaze fell upon a token lying beside him. From the memories in his head, he realized its use: it was the passage token for this mysterious small world. He picked it up, his eyes full of hesitation. He kept agonizing over whether or not he should leave this place.

He thought to himself: If I go out and see a lot of people, what am I going to do?

He really didn’t want to see people, much less interact with them! Moreover, to his current self, those people were total strangers with no sense of familiarity.

While this small world was empty and extremely friendly to his social anxiety, he didn’t want to stay here forever. After all, this wasn’t a place where a normal person could live long-term. He desperately wanted to stay in his own room and live his own comfortable, leisurely life…

Was that too much to ask?

He spent another two days procrastinating and hesitating. Finally, he took a deep breath, mustered his courage, gripped the token tightly, and stepped out of the Ethereal Valley.

The moment he stepped out, the two expressionless, statue-like gatekeepers suddenly spoke in unison: “Congratulations on completing your seclusion, Senior Brother Gu!”

The sudden sound made Gu Qingzhi stop dead in his tracks. He felt as if he had been struck by lightning; a jolt of shock surged through his entire body. Fortunately, on the surface, he remained as calm as if nothing had happened, and all the disciples saw was his back.

He silently steadied his nerves and continued forward, leaving the area.

He still clutched the token in his hand, wondering if he should go to the Sect’s Contribution Hall to return it.

Wait… return it? Why bother!

He was a Progeny Disciple and the Sect Master’s own son. What did it matter if he kept an Ethereal Valley token? Wasn’t that only natural and right? Thinking this, he shoved the token directly into his storage ring.

No need to take the initiative to talk to people. Excellent!

“This identity really isn’t bad!” he thought to himself.

As he followed the path in his memory toward the Main Peak and his own residence, he encountered many disciples along the way. Upon seeing Gu Qingzhi, every disciple respectfully bowed with hands clasped, offering congratulations on his successful seclusion.

There were people who knew him and people who didn’t. Those who didn’t know him identified him by his clothing and the identity jade at his waist. After all, only Progeny Disciples had the freedom to wear what they liked; Inner Sect disciples wore blue and white, while Outer Sect disciples wore grey and white.

Walking through the crowd, he felt extremely uncomfortable, as if thousands of ants were crawling all over his skin. He grumbled internally: This damn feeling! I’m totally numb.

However, his expression remained as cold as frost. Just like before, he gave off an aura of being cold and aloof, as if nothing in the world was worthy of his attention. The disciples were used to this and simply went about their business.

But it wasn’t as if there were no people who disliked him or couldn’t stand the sight of him.

Once Gu Qingzhi had walked far enough away, a man in black brocade robes showed a look of displeasure. He gritted his teeth and whispered, “Curse him… not only did he not die, he actually reached the Golden Core stage!”