Era of Mist

The world Shi Tiexin came from was one of prosperous technology and flourishing culture. Even with his social status, he had access to all sorts of imaginative novels. In his world, they were called piecemeal literature. Sometimes free articles would be pushed to his device, and he had read them when they were cheap.

Shi Tiexin was familiar with transmigration stories and the like. If he had been transported to some other world with Beastmen and Magic, Shi Tiexin wouldn’t have given it a second thought. He’d just master his Force and Mind Arts and get to it.

But this was no unrelated, alternate world.

Two such identical Earths, yet with such different historical turning points. It was as if the main trunk of history had, at the node of 1919, forked and grown two different branches.

Besides, both worlds had a version of him. What was the deep, intrinsic connection here? Was there some reason his consciousness was able to descend into this body?

Just as Shi Tiexin was knitting his brow in deep thought, the information in his vision suddenly shifted. In that instant, Shi Tiexin froze, completely stunned.

"Class has begun."

"All rise!"

With a great scraping of chairs, everyone rose. Class 2-8 may have been a garbage class, but they still observed basic classroom etiquette. The students, whether obediently or with faces full of indifference, all eventually got to their feet.

The substitute teacher was about to reflexively say, "Be seated," when they noticed a large figure in the third-to-last row by the window, sitting there imposingly, not moving a muscle, with no intention of standing up.

’This student doesn’t even have basic manners?!’ The substitute teacher felt a surge of anger but knew that a garbage class was full of troublemakers. If they really called out this big guy, it was more likely they’d be the one left in an awkward position. So the teacher swallowed their anger three times over, bit their tongue, and suppressed the urge to reprimand him. They simply said "Be seated" and planned to just teach their lesson.

’Why pick a fight with these delinquents? Anyway, at least half of these kids will be expelled by their second year.’

Although the teacher didn’t make a scene, the delinquents in the back rows saw everything clearly, and their reverence for Brother Tie instantly rose to a new level. To the punks of this age, a big bro who didn’t even give a damn about the teacher was the coolest big bro. What’s the use of good grades? It just makes you your parents’ yes-man and the teacher’s pet.

Look at our Brother Tie, he doesn’t even budge when class starts. See how even the teacher doesn’t say anything? Now *that’s* badass!

The delinquents all cast admiring gazes at Shi Tiexin, as if the words "Delinquent Faction Reputation +10" had lit up above him.

If Shi Tiexin knew what these delinquents were thinking, he would have scoffed. ’Cool? Badass? Striking some useless pose is what you call cool? Acquiring real skills is what’s truly cool, what’s truly badass.’

’Besides, having someone teach and lecture publicly on the Mind Arts is such a rare opportunity. Shouldn’t showing some respect be a given? If it weren’t for the fact that Old Tie here was really caught up in something and truly hadn’t noticed, you think I wouldn’t have stood up and respectfully said, "Good morning, teacher"?’

But right now, he really couldn’t be bothered.

Because a diagram had appeared in Shi Tiexin’s field of vision.

He didn’t know where this diagram came from or where it was going. He didn’t even know why it was triggered or what had caused it to manifest. Perhaps Shi Tiexin’s intense contemplation had triggered some kind of mechanism, or perhaps some inexplicable logic caused it to surface at this exact moment. In any case, as soon as this diagram appeared, it consumed Shi Tiexin’s entire field of vision.

Everything else—the progress bars, the attribute descriptions—it all vanished.

He couldn’t even see the real world anymore.

In his vision, only this diagram remained.

The diagram was incredibly complex, yet incredibly simple; immeasurably vast, yet immeasurably specific. Shi Tiexin couldn’t describe the feeling. It was as if he had stared directly into some higher-level concept beyond his capacity to bear, and infinite information came surging in.

If not for a special mechanism kicking in, his consciousness and sanity would have been obliterated in an instant by this infinite concept, his personality washed clean to a blank slate. Fortunately, some special mechanism acted like a dam, holding back the overload, leaving Shi Tiexin merely stunned for a moment.

Looking at the diagram, with his current ability, he could only see a part of it, an insignificant fraction. Or rather, only a tiny reflection of those higher-level concepts and information could be mirrored in his consciousness right now.

It was an image made of lines of light. It looked like a tree, with forks and extensions. But it also resembled a trident, with each offshoot branch being a parallel line, some thick, some thin.

On the thickest, straightest, and brightest line, Shi Tiexin saw a point of light, and in that point, he felt a sense of familiarity. Then, on a thick branch, he saw a faint glimmer. This tiny spark also gave Shi Tiexin an inexplicable feeling of intimacy.

The positions of the two points of light on the lines were different. The one on the main trunk was a bit further back, while the one on the branch was a bit further forward. Besides the main trunk and this one branch, there should have been something else, but with his current ability, Shi Tiexin couldn’t see it at all.

The diagram vanished in a flash. It was but a fleeting glimpse, yet it struck Shi Tiexin like a bolt of lightning, leaving him unable to move. Unable to think, unable to feel, unable to act. He was in a state of primordial chaos, like before birth.

It wasn’t until the substitute teacher began to lecture loudly that Shi Tiexin let out a long breath and suddenly regained his senses.

’What... was that?’

Shi Tiexin was shocked. It was impossible not to be. Even if it was just a glance, that diagram was impossible for anyone to forget.

After being dazed for a long time, Shi Tiexin suddenly understood something.

Although there was no explanation, no written notes, no voice-over, the diagram itself was a message. Shi Tiexin’s brain automatically began to decipher this information to the best of its ability, and he suddenly had a vague insight into his current situation.

There weren’t many, just two points, but they were critically important.

First, the world he was in now and the world he came from were one and the same. To be precise, this world was another possibility created from his own world at a different historical turning point—a parallel world-line. And this "Champion Scholar Stone" here was the version of himself from that other possibility.

’He really is me. It’s just that the world’s evolution and different circumstances led to a different possibility.’

’You could call this my "incarnation."’

With this realization, Shi Tiexin felt the connection to this body and to the other consciousness suddenly tighten. The other consciousness’s resistance to him also weakened, and the primal essence in his lower abdomen and the psychic energy in his mind both seemed to liven up a bit.

The second point was even more crucial—he would not be staying here forever.

Although he didn’t know when his return would come, Shi Tiexin knew with certainty that his consciousness would eventually go back to his original body, back to his "original self," back to his original "possibility."