Chapter 1

"Hey, Aunt Qin. Did you receive my package today?"

"Oh, sure, sure, I'll come over right away... It's nothing much, just a knife."

"The old one broke... Don't worry, don't worry, I still have plenty of money. Alright, I won't talk anymore, the bus is here, I'll hang up and see you later."

Chen Jing's face was filled with excitement after hanging up the phone. He hadn't touched a knife for three or four days and was itching to do so. Fortunately, the package arrived today, and he could practice to his heart's content.

Should he go to the outskirts to test it out?

Just as he was thinking this, the roar of an engine sounded in his ears. A bus with a heavy metal body had already skillfully stopped at the station.

Chen Jing temporarily reined in his thoughts and hurriedly followed the crowd, queuing up in an orderly manner to board the bus.

The morning scene in Nansu City looked no different from other cities in Xia Guo.

Street vendors, workers, white-collar workers, OLs, students, and the elderly all flooded the streets.

The entire city awoke from its silence, bursting with vitality that left one speechless.

However, there was one thing that gave Nansu City a distinctly cold hue.

A few hundred meters away, at a crossroads, several police officers in black, thick protective suits, wearing steel helmets and fully armed, were holding guns, vigilantly scanning the surroundings.

Chen Jing curiously examined the special barrels of the guns in the hands of the police, which were clearly different from ordinary firearms, then turned his gaze away.

He had long become accustomed to such scenes.

Not only him, but even the other people on the street paid no attention.

It was his turn to board the bus.

Chen Jing tightened the black bow case on his shoulder, took a coin from his pocket, and casually tossed it, then stepped into the bus without even looking at the result.

The driver, who had been watching him, was about to say something but saw the coin follow a perfect parabolic trajectory and land precisely in the coin slot, so he promptly closed his mouth.

There were still some empty seats on the bus. Chen Jing casually found a window seat, placed the bow case, which was over a meter long, in front of him, rested his elbow on the window, and propped his head up, looking out the window with a lazy expression, his eyes unfocused. Suddenly, some memories surfaced in his mind.

Chen Jing was not his real name; it was the name he had in this life. In his previous life, he had died young in a car accident and was reborn in this world, which was similar yet completely different. It had been fifteen years since then.

It had to be said that this life was particularly exciting for him.

Because of the knife, because of the bow...

"Is there anyone getting off? Hurry up and get off."

The driver, sitting in the enclosed driving seat, habitually called out twice. When no one responded, he closed the door and drove off again.

The noisy environment on the bus did not affect Chen Jing's deep thoughts. However, his thoughts had shifted from reminiscing about his past to the confusion left by yesterday's martial arts practice.

It seemed he had a bit of inspiration, and his fingers began to move involuntarily on his chest.

Just as the bus had driven a few dozen meters, suddenly!

Boom!

A loud explosion suddenly sounded.

Chen Jing's whole body trembled, and his previously unfocused eyes instantly became sharp and piercing.

Before anyone else could react, he quickly got up to investigate the situation, opened the zipper of the bow case in front of him, and tightly gripped the black longbow that was revealed.

A thick plume of black smoke could be seen rising in the east, adding a layer of gloom to the otherwise clear sky.

Although the buildings blocked the view, it was clear that the accident site was still some distance away.

The crisis was temporarily averted, and Chen Jing breathed a sigh of relief.

It was only then that the other passengers on the bus began to react.

Breathing, trembling, screaming, and questioning sounds filled the air, creating a chaotic scene.

The driver instinctively hit the brakes, and the sudden stop made the bus momentarily silent, followed by even greater noise.

Seeing this, Chen Jing shouted "Quiet" a few times, and his powerful voice managed to suppress everyone's screams.

For a moment, everyone involuntarily closed their mouths.

He then quickly explained loudly, "Everyone, don't panic. The accident site is still a long distance away from us. It won't affect us here, so everyone can relax."

Hearing Chen Jing's words and noticing that nothing had happened to them, the people in the bus quickly calmed down.

The transition from fear to calm was short, as if they had experienced something they were already accustomed to.

Chen Jing also noticed that the armed police nearby did not rush to the scene as he had imagined. They remained vigilant, calming the pedestrians on the sidewalk.

It seemed they had noticed something unusual with the bus, and one fully armed police officer walked over, waving his hand to signal the driver to drive off quickly and not obstruct traffic.

The driver gave an OK sign and quickly started the bus.

The passengers on the bus, who had just been in a state of crisis, quickly changed their mood and began to chat excitedly in low voices.

Some of those by the window even took out their phones to record videos of the black smoke.

"Wow! That was loud! Was it hit by a shell?"

"The military wouldn't be so stupid as to hit their own people. Who else could it be but those uncivilized bastards?"

"Barbarians or beasts?"

"Barbarians. Only they could infiltrate this far."

"No, earthworms could also do it. Their size is enough to cause such a commotion."

"Hehe, would they come so far to find their death?"

"Who knows? The minds of beasts are incomprehensible."

...

Chen Jing, now free from the crisis, also returned to his seat. He was very curious about the cause of the incident.

Although he didn't know the specifics, the noise confirmed that this was not something a regular person could cause.

Meanwhile, the discussions in the bus continued to be lively.

"How many incidents have there been this year?"

"Who knows? The third? The fourth? These are just the ones that made noise and couldn't be covered up. How many others have been suppressed without making a big fuss?"

"Ah! The world is getting harder and harder. If only it were like fifteen years ago!" An old man with gray hair, his eyes filled with pain, said.

The passengers in the bus seemed to be reminded of unpleasant memories by the old man's words and fell silent for a moment.

"You can't say that!"

After a while, an excited voice came from behind Chen Jing. It was a young man in his mid-teens, his face flushed, holding a phone and gesturing excitedly.

"In my view, we should be grateful for the great change fifteen years ago. It was because of that change that we now have the possibility of cultivation! One against ten, one against a hundred, walking on walls, slicing bullets, controlling lightning... Hehe! The martial arts dreams of the past are no longer fiction, no longer fantasy, but reality!"

"I will definitely become a martial artist in the future!" The young man clenched his fists, his face filled with longing, encouraging himself.

The bus fell silent again.

"Martial artists..."

After a long pause, someone sighed. Others also began to express their feelings.

The young were full of enthusiasm, while the older ones were filled with regret.

"Martial artists!" Chen Jing sighed inwardly, and his superhuman vision caught a high-speed moving shadow.

Wearing military uniform, holding a long sword, the figure crossed the road before the ordinary people could react and rushed towards the direction of the black smoke.

"Military martial artist, third stage or higher."

...

"The Chigang station has arrived. Please disembark from the rear door in an orderly manner."

Chen Jing reorganized his quiver, got up, and got off the bus.

"Huh? This guy looks familiar! Where have I seen him?" The young man behind Chen Jing glanced at his profile, puzzled.

Just as he was about to look more closely, Chen Jing had already gotten off the bus.

"Who is he?"

Ding ding ding...

Accompanied by the pleasant sound of the wind chime as the shop door opened, Chen Jing walked into a clothing store.

The salesperson, ready to greet the customer, smiled and asked, "Why are you here, Xiao Chen?"

Chen Jing smiled and greeted the young woman in uniform, "Hello, Aunt Zhao. I came to pick up something. Is Aunt Qin in the store?"

Aunt Qin was a good friend of his parents and had been taking care of him since his parents passed away when he was very young.

Aunt Zhao pointed behind her, "The store manager is in the office. You can go straight in."

"Okay." Chen Jing politely nodded, greeted a few young women he knew on his way, and came to the office door, lightly knocking.

"Please come in." A slightly hoarse, mature female voice came from inside.

Chen Jing opened the door and walked in, immediately asking, "Aunt Qin, has the package I ordered arrived?"

The woman, who was busy working, looked up. Her face, though aged, still exuded a mature and charming beauty. She smiled helplessly, "You're really impatient."

Qin Qing rubbed her temples, her flawless, snow-white skin showing no wrinkles.

Chen Jing smiled and shrugged, wisely not responding.

Qin Qing understood that she couldn't persuade this stubborn bull, stood up, and stretched, her simple yet detailed brown lady's suit dress tightening as she moved, still showing off her excellent figure.

She then pointed to a silver rectangular box in the corner on the right, "It has been delivered. Try it to see if it fits."

Chen Jing's eyes lit up, quickly picked up the somewhat heavy silver box, placed it on the desk, and opened it.

A black, straight-bladed knife, about 90 centimeters long, lay quietly in the box.

Picking up the heavy combat knife, he gently drew the black handle, and with a crisp, pleasant sound, a bright, straight blade with beautiful tear marks appeared before his eyes.

Swinging the knife a few times, forming a few flower-like patterns, Chen Jing nodded in satisfaction. It was indeed a combat knife made with tear stone material, and it was worth the effort he had put into it.

Qin Qing smiled, "How is it? Are you satisfied?"

"Pretty good." Chen Jing sheathed the knife with a graceful motion, directly attaching it to his waist, "Aunt Qin, it's getting late, I'll go practice in the outskirts."

Qin Qing, knowing his nature, didn't stop him but reminded him as usual, "Remember to be careful, and come over for dinner tonight."

"Got it!"