In this world, mixed-blood individuals are usually very attractive, and both of Ethan Thompson's parents were rare examples of handsome men and beautiful women. So, the original owner of this body naturally had a fresh and elegant, dashing appearance—far more striking than Brian Carter's original physical form.

The only slight flaw was that this guy's complexion looked a bit pale, as if he was showing signs of malnutrition.

At this moment, Brian Carter's eyes were blank. He dipped his finger in water and wrote the three characters ‘Ethan Thompson’ on the mirror, then fell silent.

He thought to himself that no matter what had happened before, or what things were like in the Original Vault World, in this world, he could only be called Ethan Thompson. From now on, the name Brian Carter could only remain hidden in his memory.

This was not only to better integrate with the remnant soul of Ethan Thompson, to quickly achieve a seamless union with this body, soul and flesh as one, but also to establish himself in this world.

When Brian Carter's spirit entered this body, he immediately sensed this world's ‘rejection’ and ‘pressure’ against him. That was why he had chosen to merge, rather than the simpler ‘devouring’ or ‘refining’.

But this method could only serve as a temporary solution. Until he and the remnant soul of Ethan Thompson truly became one, indistinguishable from each other, he would still be an outsider in this world.

Moreover, the many cultivators of this world were also something Brian Carter needed to be wary of.

According to the original owner's memories, the ‘Grand Ascension’ stage that Brian Carter had reached in the Original Vault World was only equivalent to the ‘Legend’ rank in the West of this world, or the ‘Nascent Soul’ stage in the Eastern cultivation world.

It was hard to imagine that this world actually had so many powerful beings far above him!

His title in the Original Vault World was ‘Divine Firmament Boundless Purple Void Immortal King’, but that was only a nominal title granted by the Langya Celestial Dynasty, not matching his true strength. Yet in this world, there really existed true kings of immortals and lords of gods.

Brian Carter guessed that outsiders like himself were probably not welcomed by the cultivators of this world, so he would have to keep a low profile to avoid drawing attention.

And to avoid giving himself away, he would have to start with the small things in daily life, never letting his ‘self-awareness’ slip.

Thinking about it, he really was beset by troubles both inside and out, with every step a struggle.

“—Ethan Thompson, Andre Lee Wiltonstein? All right, I wish you a new life.”

After sighing in an American accent, Ethan Thompson began brushing his teeth and washing up. Having lost his Grand Ascension-level body, he no longer possessed that pure, flawless form; if he didn’t wash his face for a day, it would get a bit oily.

Once he had cleaned himself up thoroughly, Ethan Thompson stepped out to carefully inspect his living quarters.

The room was small and dim, cold and damp. The walls on all four sides were mottled and peeling from years of neglect, and the room was filled with a musty smell.

Just from this living space, it was clear that the previous owner of this body was currently living in extreme hardship.

This matched what Ethan Thompson remembered: two months after that incident, the original owner could no longer afford the property his parents had bought with a loan. However, according to current federal law in America, when the bank repossessed the property, they let him rent this room as a place to stay for a year.

Still, Ethan Thompson seemed to be quite diligent by nature; every corner of the room was spotless, and the bedding on the bed was clean and fresh, with no unpleasant odors.

The only problem was that the refrigerator was completely empty—not even a crumb of bread. Before the original owner’s soul was replaced, he had already used up all his food reserves.

Ethan Thompson touched his loudly growling stomach, and a look of helplessness appeared on his face once again.

Ever since he had reached the ‘Fasting’ stage in cultivation, able to go long periods without eating or drinking, living on air and dew, how long had it been since he’d felt this kind of hunger?

But there was nothing he could do—this body was only a level-three Magus Swordsman, still far from the Fasting stage. Besides, in America’s cultivation system, there was no such thing as ‘Fasting’; even the Eastern civilization here, which somewhat resembled the Original Vault World, didn’t have it.

People here had big appetites, believing that the more and better one ate, the faster one’s strength would grow, and the stronger the body would become.

This was probably due to environmental differences. The Original Vault World was resource-poor, with weak spiritual energy, so cultivators there emphasized ‘aligning with the virtue of heaven and earth, and the brightness of sun and moon’. Not only did they try to use as little of the world’s spiritual energy as possible during cultivation, but they also protected rare herbs, treasures, and exotic beasts, avoiding excessive harvesting and killing.

In local terms, this meant blending with nature, protecting the environment, and practicing environmental conservation during cultivation to avoid waste.

But in the original owner’s world, both material resources and spiritual energy were so abundant it was hard to believe.

—At least, that’s how it seemed to him. In all the cultivation systems in the original owner’s memory, if they were placed in the Original Vault World, they would most likely be considered demonic.

Ethan Thompson had no inner conflict about this, nor did he feel he had any right to look down on or criticize the cultivators of this world.

Different environments lead to different perspectives. Besides, people in this world were already aware of these issues.

In any case, he was ready to adapt to local customs. The various rare treasures and miraculous medicines of this world could help him quickly regain his strength.