C1 Ten Thousand Years Later
"Am I still alive?"
Within the walls of an ancient-styled room, a young man with a pallid complexion and beads of sweat covering his body abruptly opened his eyes as he lay on the bed.
His features were refined and striking, with sharp, sword-like eyebrows and eyes that sparkled like stars. A resilient spirit of defiance was etched between his brows.
At that moment, his youthful face was awash with the astonishment and elation of a second chance at life.
Suddenly, a deluge of potent memories flooded his mind.
Chen Chu had fully assimilated the memories of this body and understood his predicament.
The body's original inhabitant was also named Chen Chu, formerly a prodigious Young Lord of the Chen Family in Wanbei City. Now, he was reduced to a mere clan member, enduring insults and beatings, his life stretching out like an endless torment.
But this Chen Chu was different. He was the foremost among the eight supreme War Gods of Miracle World.
Moreover, he was revered as one of the six esteemed Alchemy Saint Masters!
The disparity between the two was vast as the heavens and the earth!
Yet,
In this moment, they had become one.
"Is this what they call soul transmigration?"
Chen Chu let out a wry chuckle.
He had been leading his close friend Leh Meng and other warriors into a secret realm in search of treasure and adventure. They had just uncovered a uniquely shaped small cauldron when Leh Meng turned on him without warning.
A visible spear is easy to dodge, but a hidden arrow is hard to guard against.
Despite Chen Chu's high level of cultivation and formidable talent, the surprise attack left him gravely wounded.
As blood poured out, Chen Chu, amidst excruciating pain, managed to slay over a dozen War God-level masters.
These men, like Leh Meng, had turned against him, seeking his demise.
Ultimately, overwhelmed by his severe injuries and outnumbered, Chen Chu couldn't escape...
A thunderous roar that shattered the sky and earth marked his end!
As Chen Chu's body and spirit dissipated...
In the instant before his eyes closed for the last time, he saw the woman he cherished most, Xue Zining, trapped in the Ice Fire Purgatory by the traitors, including Leh Meng.
Prisoners trapped within the Ice Fire Purgatory had to withstand not only the piercing cold of ice spikes but also the searing torment of flames. It was an agony beyond words, a fate worse than death.
This drove Chen Chu to the brink of fury, his life ending in bitterness and resentment.
"Leh Meng, you think I'm dead? You'd never imagine that I, Chen Chu, am still alive! Wait for me, for a blood debt must be paid in blood!" Chen Chu spat out the words with venom, his fists clenched tight, a glint of murderous intent flickering in his eyes.
A fearsome aura swirled around him.
A dragon's reverse scale spells death to any who dare touch it, and Xue Zining was Chen Chu's reverse scale.
Yet, in this moment, a chill settled over Chen Chu's heart, and he spoke with a profound melancholy:
"Who would have thought... ten thousand years have gone by... Zining, are you still out there... alive?"
Memories of Xue Zining's stunning beauty, her elegant poise, her skin soft as cream, and her boundless tenderness brought unbidden tears to Chen Chu's eyes.
Ten thousand years!
Even those at the Peak of the War God Stage Layer Nine might not live so long!
Only those with cultivation surpassing the War God Stage could.
A cultivator's lifespan upon reaching the Qi Refinement Stage and embarking on the true path was roughly five thousand years. Now, with ten thousand years elapsed, Chen Chu was uncertain whether his most cherished love was still among the living or had faded away like a wilted flower.
"Zining! I know you're out there, alive and waiting for me! I will ascend, traversing the Prehistoric Realm, the Supreme Realm, and the Mystical Empyrean to find you! Fear not..." Chen Chu's gaze was resolute. He was determined to find Xue Zining, alive or dead, to put his lingering thoughts to rest.
Perhaps it was the intensity of his emotions, the overwrought thoughts, but pain coursed through Chen Chu's body, sweat beading more profusely on his brow as he gritted his teeth in anguish.
"Ugh... This body... it's truly ruined! How can it be so utterly broken!?"
Chen Chu shook his head, his brow furrowed in frustration.
He hurried to assess the damage to his body.
His Dantian was shattered, the Genuine Qi within him utterly depleted; the Eight Extraordinary Meridians were all severed, making even standing a challenge... The previous beating his body had endured was truly horrific.
In the practice of Martial Arts, one draws upon the Spiritual Qi of Heaven and Earth, converting it into Genuine Qi that flows into the Dantian. With the accumulation of Genuine Qi, martial skills and strength enhance, and step by step, one's cultivation ascends, reaching the pinnacle of life.
Without even a sliver of Genuine Qi within, one simply cannot engage in Martial Arts training—it's no different from being worthless!
Is this some kind of divine prank?
Why couldn't my soul have taken residence in a normal man's body?
These thoughts occupied Chen Chu as he attempted to cultivate, to see if his meridians might somehow reconnect. It was then that the door swung open.
A woman, clad in simple garments but with features as exquisite as a painting and skin whiter than snow, glided into the room.
"Xiaowan?"
The name slipped from Chen Chu's lips instinctively. Memory served that Xiaowan was his personal maid from before.
They had grown up together, inseparable companions through thick and thin. Though their official roles were master and servant, their bond was closer than siblings.
For years, Xiaowan had meticulously looked after Chen Chu's every need.
Even after his Dantian was destroyed and his meridians shattered—reducing him to nothingness—Xiaowan remained steadfastly by his side, tending to his most humbling needs without complaint...
Her selflessness moved Chen Chu profoundly.
"Young Master! You're awake at last! This is wonderful!"
Xiaowan's delight was palpable as she beheld Chen Chu's awakening, her face breaking into a long-absent smile.
"Young Master, I've secretly brought this from the alchemy room. Please, take it quickly. This pill will aid in healing your injuries and restoring your Genuine Qi," Xiaowan urged, producing a pill from her pocket.
"Is this... an Origin Returning Pill?" Chen Chu was astonished to find such an item still existed after ten thousand years.
As an esteemed Alchemy Saint Master, he immediately recognized the impeccably smooth pill.
"Xiaowan, stealing from the alchemy room is far too risky! If they catch you..."
Chen Chu accepted the Origin Returning Pill, his voice laced with concern.
Yet, Xiaowan's daring act to procure the pill for him filled him with gratitude. Reborn into this world with such a devoted maidservant, a sister in all but blood, he resolved to protect her at all costs.
"Young Master, it's my duty. I've been by your side since childhood, my loyalty unwavering. I'd brave any danger for you."
Chen Chu's eyes softened with appreciation as he heard these words.
"Xiaowan, I must now close my eyes and meditate to heal my meridians. Ensure that no one interrupts me. I'm afraid I'll have to entrust the external affairs to you."
With a gentle nod, Xiaowan bowed and took her leave.
Once alone, a chill flickered in Chen Chu's eyes. "Zhang Xiangtian, Zhao Qianli! You've wronged my former self, and you won't get away with it!"
Determined to seek vengeance, he acknowledged his current frailty from severe injuries. Healing was his priority.
Eyes nearly closed, Chen Chu's hands slowly came together in a cross. Lost in thought, a portal opened within his sea of consciousness, and a burst of golden light shone forth.
"What... What's happening?"
Before him, an intricate alchemy furnace stood proudly in his sea of consciousness, leaving Chen Chu in utter disbelief.
"My heavens! The Refining Treasure Cauldron?!"
His eyes widened in astonishment, nearly exclaiming aloud. Inside the enigmatic cauldron, flickers of flame danced.
The Refining Treasure Cauldron had been at the heart of the betrayal and ambush by Leh Meng and others in his past life. A treasure Chen Chu had chanced upon in a secret realm.
As one of the six esteemed Alchemy Saint Masters, acquiring the Refining Treasure Cauldron had filled him with ecstatic joy. It could enhance any pill to its highest quality—a truly miraculous artifact.
Now, to Chen Chu's amazement, this very treasure manifested in his sea of consciousness!
His soul's journey through transmigration had brought this divine tool with him. Fortune indeed smiled upon him!
Simultaneously, the cauldron gleamed with golden light, and golden inscriptions began to materialize.
Chen Chu peered closely, his heart pounding with awe and wonder.
"Creation Body Refining Spell?!"
Could such a fortune really exist?
Chen Chu's face lit up with excitement as he intently scrutinized the blinding golden script, deciphering the ancient characters etched into it.
He was uncertain of the Creation Body Refining Spell's rank, yet he was convinced that this technique was far more enigmatic than any he had practiced in his past life!
Cultivation techniques were categorized into four ranks: Heaven, Earth, Profound, and Yellow, with Heaven Rank being the pinnacle. Each rank was further subdivided into nine levels based on quality.
Chen Chu studied the golden script with rapt attention, his heart swelling with elation.
With this technique, his cultivation speed would be astonishingly swift, vastly outstripping the common techniques and secret tomes!
"Now, after ten thousand years... If I clung to the cultivation methods of my past life, I'd surely fall behind. But with the aid of the Refining Treasure Cauldron and the Creation Body Refining Spell, ascending to the Peak of the War God Stage is within reach!"
...
In Miracle World, the Martial Arts Realms are as follows:
Qi Refinement Stage, Genuine Essence Stage,
Core Formation Stage, Foetal Stage, Deification Stage,
Transformational Stage, Tao Combination Stage, War God Stage.
Each realm encompasses nine layers, with the first layer being the lowest and the ninth the highest. Beyond the pinnacle of the War God Stage lie the Prehistoric Realm, Supreme Realm, and Mystical Empyrean.
