Chapter 2: Martial Arts Continent
BOOM! RUMBLE!
RUMBLE!
Electric serpents slithered across the sky, flashing with purple light. Bolts of lightning tore through the air, striking the ancient well. One after another, a total of nine thunderbolts crashed down.
After the thunder passed, the heavy rain suddenly stopped, and the dark clouds dispersed. The thunderstorm had arrived and departed with extreme speed and strangeness.
’What just happened? Why did so much lightning strike the well in my yard?’ Ye Xing blinked, his gaze filled with suspicion and uncertainty. After a moment’s hesitation, driven by intense curiosity, he finally approached the ancient well.
This ancient well was actually a dry well; it had been waterless for a long time. As a child, Ye Xing had often tossed pebbles into it for fun.
Ye Xing felt a little nervous, cautiously approaching the well one step at a time. What had just happened was highly unusual, so he was naturally being very careful.
Reaching the edge of the well, Ye Xing’s gaze shifted as he leaned over and looked inside. His face instantly filled with astonishment.
At the bottom of the ancient well, there was now a Purple Light Group. Since the well was dark, he couldn’t see it very clearly.
’What on earth is that Purple Light Group?’ Ye Xing’s curiosity grew. He immediately fetched a wooden ladder from the yard, lowered it into the well, and climbed down.
At the bottom of the well, Ye Xing finally got a clear look at the ball of light. The Purple Light Group was oval-shaped, somewhat resembling a Teleportation Gate from a fantasy game or TV show.
SWOOSH!
Ye Xing picked up a stone from the ground and tossed it at the Purple Light Group.
The next moment, an incredibly strange scene occurred. The stone vanished the instant it touched the Purple Light Group.
’Could it really be a Teleportation Gate? Leading to another world? Should I go in and take a look?’ Ye Xing pondered for a moment, took a deep breath, and gritted his teeth. Driven by his intense curiosity, he immediately started to approach the Purple Light Group.
One step, two steps, three steps... he was getting closer and closer.
’Wait, there are flashes of purple lightning inside the light group. It’s probably dangerous!’
Just as he was about to touch the Purple Light Group, Ye Xing snapped to his senses, realizing he was being too reckless. For safety’s sake, he suppressed his inner impulse and decided to back away and observe it for a while longer. However, the bottom of the well was slippery from the rain. He missed a step, stumbled, and his whole body pitched forward.
’It’s over! I’m done for! One misstep leads to eternal regret!’
A chill ran through Ye Xing’s entire body as deep despair flooded his heart.
However, when his body fell into the Purple Light Group, the electrocution he had imagined didn’t happen. Ye Xing only saw darkness, and the next moment, the scene around him changed. He was in a cave.
The cave was very dark, dimly lit only by the faint purple glow emanating from the Purple Light Group.
’Huh, I’m okay! It... it really is a Teleportation Gate! This is incredible! Could this be another world?’ Having survived the ordeal, Ye Xing’s expression was a mixture of lingering fear, joy, and excitement as he looked around, taking in his surroundings.
He saw that he was in a small cave about two meters wide. Unknown green vines and wild grass grew on the dark walls and floor.
’I’ll go take a look outside!’
Feeling as if the door to a new world had opened, Ye Xing was filled with boundless curiosity and eagerly hurried toward the cave’s exit.
The mouth of the cave was overgrown with dense weeds, tall enough to reach a person’s height, almost completely obscuring the entrance. Only a few faint rays of light struggled to penetrate the gaps between the blades of grass and shine into the cave.
Ye Xing pushed aside the weeds and stepped out of the cave. The world before him instantly brightened, and he looked up.
The sky was an intense, deep blue, like a giant Sapphire. A few White Clouds, like fluffy white cotton, floated high above. The warm sun shone at an angle, and the surrounding trees were a lush, vibrant green, their leaves and branches glowing with a jade-like luster.
Even the air carried the fragrant scent of plants and was exceptionally fresh. Taking a deep breath, he felt the pores all over his body open up in extreme comfort.
’The environment here is just too good! I think this might really... really be an Otherworld!’
Ye Xing’s heart surged with emotion as he immediately started running down the mountain.
The mountain was covered in dense trees, their abundant branches and leaves forming a canopy.
After passing through a stretch of woods, Ye Xing’s gaze suddenly shifted, and he looked toward the forest to his left.
Through the branches and leaves, he could faintly make out the shape of a manor ahead.
His heart stirred, and he immediately ran toward the woods on his left.
「A moment later」
A grand and elegant manor appeared before Ye Xing’s eyes.
The manor was surrounded by trees on three sides, with a flowing waterfall at its back, the spring water tinkling musically. From within, the occasional sound of a beautiful melody played on a zither blended with the crisp chirping of birds, creating an incredibly moving tune. At the entrance stood two elegant and noble White Jade phoenix statues. Two young female Guards, with long swords at their waists, dutifully stood watch at the main gate.
"Halt! This is the Immortal Spring Manor. Outsiders are not to approach!" The two female Guards gave Ye Xing’s ’strange attire’ a peculiar look, and one of them shouted at him.
Both female Guards were dressed in ancient-style clothing, while Ye Xing wore a pair of black jeans and a white shirt. In their eyes, his clothes were naturally bizarre.
’Ancient costumes and swords! Could this be a wuxia or xuanhuan world?’ Ye Xing thought to himself. He had wanted to ask the two female Guards a few questions, but seeing their stern, icy expressions, he worried that if the ’two ladies’ happened to be on their period and in a bad mood, they might just slice him in half with one stroke of their swords. That would be a truly unjust death.
So, to be cautious, Ye Xing decided to leave the Immortal Spring Manor and head down the mountain.
’Hey, wait a minute. I can’t just go down like this. I need to change my clothes. These jeans and a white shirt will look completely out of place in this world!’
Halfway down, Ye Xing suddenly stopped. Recalling the strange looks from the two women, he immediately returned to Earth.
Back on Earth, in Luoxian County, there was a clothing store that specialized in selling Hanfu and other types of ancient-style clothing. Many historical costume enthusiasts bought their outfits there.
Ye Xing spent over an hour making a round trip to Luoxian County, where he bought a green robe. After putting it on, he returned to this Otherworld through the Purple Light Group and ran down the mountain.
Currently, his mental map was completely black. He naturally needed to explore this unknown world first.
After half an hour of trekking, Ye Xing finally reached the foot of the mountain and entered a small town called Phoenix Town. Though small, the town had everything one might need. People bustled back and forth on the streets in a constant stream. Occasionally, he could even see a few burly men passing by, carrying Great Sabers and long spears.
The streets were lined with stalls, and the calls of vendors rose and fell one after another, creating a lively and bustling atmosphere.
"Come on, come on! Hot buns, fresh from the steamer! Only one wen coin each!"
"Candied hawthorns! Candied hawthorns! Only two wen coins a stick."
"Come and see! Exquisite hairpins at a fair price! High-quality Copper Mirrors..."
The calls of the vendors washed over him in waves. Ye Xing mingled with the crowd, wandering down the bustling street for over three shichen. By listening to conversations and subtly questioning pedestrians, Ye Xing finally gained a preliminary understanding of this world.
This Different Space-Time World was called the Martial Arts Continent. It was home to many powerful Martial Artists and Demon Beasts. The Martial Arts Continent was vast and boundless, with hundreds of nations. The place Ye Xing was currently in was Phoenix Town, which belonged to Sunset City in the Tang Country.
The sun was setting behind the western mountains; it was now dusk.
Ye Xing followed the same path back, his heart pounding with excitement. He knew he was about to strike it rich. Being able to travel between two worlds meant he could buy low and sell high. This was a massive treasure trove and business opportunity. Whether on Earth or the Martial Arts Continent, Ye Xing could become a top-tier tycoon.
Of course, what excited Ye Xing the most was that this world had Martial Arts Manuals, Martial Arts Manuals, and Martial Arts Manuals! What child hadn’t dreamed of being a martial arts hero? He’d watched Martial Arts Masters on TV run along eaves and leap over walls, or injure people with nothing but a plucked leaf, and had been filled with envy. He wished he could have Martial Arts too. Of course, back then, it was just a fantasy; TV wasn’t real. But now, these things actually existed in this world, and he even had a chance to learn them.
The trees in the forest were dense. Hazy moonlight filtered through the gaps in the leaves, casting dappled shadows on the ground.
Ye Xing was incredibly excited as he walked toward the cave. Along the way, he pondered what items from Earth would be best to sell in Phoenix Town.
As he was pondering, he suddenly heard the clear sound of a Sword Roar from up ahead.
’A Martial Artist?’ Ye Xing’s gaze shifted. He took a few steps forward and peered through the leaves toward the forest not far away.
The moment he looked, Ye Xing’s eyes went wide, filled with utter astonishment—
It was more than astonishment; he was practically stunned.
He saw a beautiful woman—or more accurately, a supreme, top-tier, absolutely stunning beauty, one whose looks could topple nations and outshine all others. Her beauty surpassed any category Ye Xing had ever known. Celebrities like Liu Yifei and Chen Yuqi were gorgeous, right? But after seeing the woman before him, Ye Xing felt his entire understanding had been overturned. So, a celestial-level beauty truly did exist in this world.
Bright moonlight spilled down, passing through the leaves and branches to illuminate the forest floor.
Under the hazy moonlight, a Snow-clothed Woman was practicing her Sword Skill with an antique Treasure Sword in hand. Her white robes were purer than snow as she danced with her sword beneath the moon. Her snowy-white wrists gleamed like jade in the moonlight, and her long, silky black hair flew about. Her graceful figure seemed completely untouched by the mortal world, as if she were a Moon Palace Fairy who had descended to the mortal realm.
’So beautiful! She... she’s just too beautiful!’
Ye Xing couldn’t help but take a sharp breath. For a moment, he was completely mesmerized.
Suddenly—
"DING-A-LING-LING! You’re my little apple, how I love you is never too much. Your red little face warms my heart, igniting the Fire of my life, Fire, Fire, Fire, Fire..."
A dynamic ringtone suddenly blared from Ye Xing’s pocket, carrying far and wide, instantly echoing throughout the entire forest.
...