C1 Young Man Lu Chen

In the Song Country, within a secluded courtyard of River City, a young man lay motionless on a bed inside a wooden house. His complexion was deathly pale, with traces of blood at the corners of his mouth, and his eyes were sealed shut, giving the impression that he had drawn his last breath. Abruptly, the young man's eyes fluttered open, revealing deep, black orbs that scanned the room—a space both strange and familiar to him. After a moment, a wry, resigned smile crossed his face, and in a raspy voice, he murmured, "I never imagined I'd actually travel through time."

The young man was Lu Chen, formerly an average college student from Earth. During an outing, he was struck unconscious by a falling axe. Upon awakening, he found his soul had journeyed to another world, inhabiting the body of a family scion who shared his name.

Lu Chen harbored little regret. In his past life, he was an orphan with no ties, so the shock of transmigration didn't weigh heavily on him. The melding of his memories revealed the history of his new body.

He now resided on the True Spirit Continent, a world unlike Earth, where martial prowess was paramount. Here, the mighty were venerated, dominating all, while the weak eked out a meager existence.

The martial path was structured with clear realms: Body Tempering, Essence Congealing, Essence Breaking, and Chaos Origin, each divided into nine distinct levels.

Lu Chen recalled he was the scion of the Lu family, one of River City's three prominent clans. His father had vanished under mysterious circumstances, and of his mother, there was no memory at all.

After some time, Lu Chen massaged his temples, feeling a touch of gloom. The martial potential of this body was decidedly lackluster, bordering on useless.

He began training at eight, reached the Body Tempering stage at ten, and only managed to advance to Layer Three by sixteen.

For someone born into an average clan, such progress might be acceptable. But as a direct descendant of the Lu family, his lack of talent became infamous citywide, thanks to the deliberate machinations of those with ulterior motives.

Lu Chen was seething with anger over the fact that after his father's disappearance, Lu Hong, the current head of the Lu family, had callously seized all the inheritance meant for him and expelled him from the family.

"Having been given a second chance at life, I refuse to be bullied ever again. The Lu family will pay back what they owe me, every last bit," Lu Chen vowed, fists clenched, his resolve echoing silently within him.

"Hiss!" A slight movement sent a jolt of pain through his injuries, causing Lu Chen to wince and sharply inhale.

"Damn it!" he muttered, frustration etched on his face.

No sooner had he spoken than a piercing pain shot through his mind, feeling as though his head might split open.

"Boom!" A shockwave emanated from the depths of his soul, and the world before his eyes shifted into darkness. When he regained his senses, Lu Chen found himself in an abyssal void.

"What is this place?" Despite having lived two lifetimes, the eerie surroundings sent a wave of anxiety through him.

As he surveyed the area, a thought surfaced unbidden: "Is this my spiritual world?"

As the words left his lips, a beacon of light pierced the darkness ahead. At its center was an axe, aglow with divine radiance, ancient and enigmatic, blurring the line between reality and illusion.

"Isn't that the axe that knocked me out? How did it end up inside me?" Lu Chen recognized the luminescent axe as the very one that had rendered him unconscious in his past life.

Why was it here? Could it be...

Fixated on the axe wreathed in holy light, a spark of understanding flickered in Lu Chen's eyes. He pressed his lips together, lifted his foot, and tentatively stepped forward.

"Boom!" The step sent a violent tremor through the space around him, and darkness enveloped his vision once more. When Lu Chen's eyes fluttered open, he was back in his own body, his mind brimming with newfound knowledge.

In the beginning, the universe was as chaotic as an unformed egg... In ancient times, the pure yang formed the heavens, while the murky yin became the earth... the Heaven Splitting Axe...

After some time, Lu Chen regained his composure and meticulously reviewed the information in his mind.

A look of astonishment flickered in his eyes as he whispered to himself, "The Heaven Splitting Axe's Artifact Spirit!"

Through the knowledge he had acquired, Lu Chen finally understood that the axe which had rendered him unconscious was known as the Heaven Splitting Axe, or more precisely, its Artifact Spirit.

The Heaven Splitting Axe came into existence alongside the deity Pan Gu amidst the original chaos.

Once Pan Gu successfully cleaved the heavens, his body transformed into the eternal mountains, the earth, and the celestial bodies of the sun, moon, and stars.

The Heaven Splitting Axe itself evolved into three exalted primordial divine weapons.

Its blade became the Pan Gu Banner, tasked with splitting the heavens and earth and giving rise to the elements of earth, water, fire, and wind. The back of the axe became the Tai Chi diagram, responsible for separating purity from turbidity and stabilizing the elements. The handle turned into the Chaotic Bell, meant to suppress the vast chaos and fortify the primordial world.

However, in the final moments, the Artifact Spirit of the Heaven Splitting Axe broke free from its predestined path and vanished into the river of time...

The revelations flooding Lu Chen's mind left him utterly astounded.

"Buzz!"

At that moment, a searing heat flowed from his forehead, radiating warmth throughout his body.

"My injuries..." Lu Chen's eyes bulged in amazement as he watched the miraculous healing unfold before him.

His wounds visibly closed at an astonishing rate, and within the time it took to brew a cup of tea, his external injuries had fully healed.

After some time, the warmth subsided, and his internal injuries were also completely healed.

...

The following morning, Lu Chen awoke early. He dressed, got out of bed, and freshened up...

The wooden door creaked open, and Lu Chen stepped out of the cabin with a determined stride.

"Young Master, have your injuries healed?"

As Lu Chen stepped out of the wooden cabin, a voice filled with surprise rang out. Approaching him was an elderly man with white hair and a beard.

The man was well into his seventies, clad in a hemp garment that seemed to have seen better days. His skin was wrinkled and shriveled, his face dotted with dark yellow age spots – a somewhat frightening sight at first glance.

Lu Chen offered a warm smile. "Uncle Mo, my injuries have healed."

"Really?" Uncle Mo sounded skeptical.

"Absolutely," Lu Chen assured him with a nod.

His body had sustained grave injuries, but thanks to a mysterious warm current, his wounds had healed remarkably well.

After sharing an early breakfast with Uncle Mo, Lu Chen left the courtyard and made his way to the marketplace.

In his past life, Lu Chen had read fantasy novels with memorable tropes, such as the underdog's rise to marry a wealthy beauty, the wise old man in the ring, a brick becoming a sacred artifact, and stumbling upon ancient divine weapons at a street stall...

Now, with the hope of discovering such an ancient artifact, Lu Chen headed to the market.

After covering some ground and turning a street corner, a lively market came into view.

The road was lined with simple shops, most of which operated as makeshift stalls.

The market was unplanned and unmanaged, reminiscent of the flea markets from Lu Chen's memories, frequented mostly by the lower echelons of River City.

Navigating the uneven streets, Lu Chen tuned out the surrounding clamor, his attention fixed on the stalls lining the road.

To his disappointment, nothing caught his eye.

Just as he was about to leave, feeling let down, something at the end of the street caught his peripheral vision—an old man dressed in linen, surrounded by an assortment of odd items.

Not wanting to miss out, Lu Chen approached the stall.

The stall was littered with damaged ironware, weapons, and common herbs.

A quick scan revealed nothing of interest, and Lu Chen turned to leave.

But as he did, a buzzing echoed in his mind, and the Artifact Spirit within the Heaven Splitting Axe stirred ever so slightly.