The sunlight of early morning gradually dispersed the clouds and fog, filtering through the leaves onto the ground revealing a mottled illumination.
Shen Da opened his eyes, only to find himself astonishingly hanging upside down in a tree, utterly baffled, somewhat unable to comprehend his situation.
He distinctly remembered drowning his sorrows with alcohol by the lake. How come he woke up hanging upside from a tree? Could the buzz from that Erguotou lliquor have been that intense?
Wasn't that a bit too uncanny?
Unable to figure out what had happened, Shen Da discovered that his pants were hooked on a tree branch. His entire body swung precariously, and it looked like the branch was about to snap.
"Holy crap, wouldn't I be done for if I fell from this height?"
Looking down, Shen Da broke out in a cold sweat. It was at least three or four meters high; if he fell headfirst...
Just thinking of it made Shen Da shudder.
There was something even stranger; only then did he notice, at a short distance away, there were two people dressed in ancient garb apparently discussing something.
"Yan'er, you are exceptionally gifted. If you persevere in your cultivation, you can surpass your teacher in the future," said a middle-aged man stroking his goatee, his hands clasped behind his back, exuding a sage-like demeanor.
Standing in front of him was a stunning young girl. She held a silver longsword, her long black hair cascading like a waterfall, her purple dress swaying gently around her perfect body. She was facing away from Shen Da, not allowing him to see her face clearly, yet from her silhouette, she seemed to be a stunning masterpiece.
"Teacher, why can't I achieve the realm of 'the sword comes from the heart' that you mentioned when I use the 'Heavenly Immortal Sword Technique'?"
The girl's voice was like a melodious lark fluttering amidst the mountains, crisp and ethereal, quite a sight to behold.
"Heh heh, Yan'er, do not be anxious," replied the middle-aged man, shaking his head with a faint smile, one hand behind his back, the other stroking his beard, in a dignified manner, and said:
"The Heavenly Immortal Sword Art, is a soul technique masterfully crafted by your teacher after the painstaking study of thirty years. It is only a high-grade human level technique, but its power is comparable to that of the lower grade of Xuan level. Not even the slightest bit weaker!"
"At an age of merely sixteen, you've managed to initiate the initial phase of 'Soul Motion' stage. Even more, you've cultivated my Heavenly Immortal Sword Art to achieve the state of minor perfection; you've already done very well. So, avoid setting unrealistic goals."
Of these two, the young girl is the granddaughter of the old city lord of Spring Wind City, Huo Yan'er. Blessed with exceptional talent, she is at the initial stage of the 'Soul Motion' realm despite her young age and is revered as the once-in-a-century prodigy of Spring Wind City.
The middle-aged man is Zhang Baijie, an intermediate teacher of the Soul Martial Academy. Having immersed himself in soul techniques for many years, his reputation is renowned. He regards himself as a master of soul techniques in Spring Wind City.
"Alright, on account of your commitment to learning, your teacher will pass down a unique verse that aids in quicker comprehension of soul techniques."
Sensing the girl's eager gaze, Zhang Baijie showed a rather self-satisfied look, his face filled with arrogance.
"I've been studying soul techniques for thirty years. It's not a self-praise, but if you look at the whole of Spring Wind City, no one can quite compare to my understanding of soul technique!"
At this point, Shen Da still didn't understand the situation, and he wondered, "Did I accidentally stumble upon some film shooting?”
"But it's strange, why would the film crew hide their equipment?"
He muttered to himself. His voice was soft, but he couldn't hide it from the soul masters who had keen senses all around.
"Who's there? Trying to steal the knowledge of soul techniques covertly!"
Zhang Baijie was the first to question, his voice thunderous, resounding through the forest and causing birds to scatter in fear.
In the continent of Heavenly Soul, the most frowned upon act is to steal the learning of soul techniques. Theft of learning is despised by all and is intolerable amongst soul masters!
This startled Shen Da and the tree branch that was already under immense pressure finally broke. He fell into free fall without hesitation.
"Holy shit..."
With a startled cry, Shen Da fell backwards, his face covered in yellow mud, and his body felt like a disassembled skeleton.
"Aargh, that hurts so much..."
Shen Da grimaced in pain, struggling to rise from the ground. Seeing the gaze of Zhang Baijie, he protested:
"Man, what the hell! Almost killed me..."
"Hmph, who are you to dare ask for my name?"
Zhang Baijie snorted coldly, his tone unfavorable, he had already regarded Shen Da as a thief who wanted to steal his soul techniques.
"You're still acting? No props, what are you even performing?"
Shen Da rolled his eyes, was this old man obsessed with acting?
"Machinery? You're secretly setting up a mechanism?"
Zhang Baijie subconsciously backed away several steps, vigilantly watching Shen Da, like he was guarding against any hidden weapons he might pull out.
"Can you calm down?"
Shen Da was fed up with Zhang Baijie's constant panicking. Just then, he saw the girl next to him turn her head, and he was immediately spellbound.
Her skin was beautifully fair, with a pair of clear eyes under her willow-shaped eyebrows, as if endowed with a kind of magic that deeply attracted people with just one glance.
He had seen a fair amount of beauties over the years, but none as beautiful as her. In particular, her classic temperament could only be described as nation-shaking beauty.
Her appearance and figure were simply born for the silver screen. If she joins this field, she'll definitely outshine all the famous female stars.
Shen Da swallowed subconsciously, his gaze hard to remove.
Feeling Shen Da’s burning stare, Huo Yan'er's delicate eyebrows furrowed slightly; She undeniably treated him as one of those frivolous sons.
"Young lad, do you even know that I am the Soul Skill Master of Chunfeng City, Zhang Baijie? You even dare to prank in front of me?"
Zhang Baijie huffed coldly, his face filled with arrogance, seeming to have already anticipated that after hearing his name, Shen Da would be frightened and kneel respectfully.
"Zhang Baijie? Nothing rings a bell."
Shen Da thought carefully. He really had no impression and gave a serious answer.
"You! Ignorant!"
Zhang Baijie was so enraged that he pointed at Shen Da with his finger. His reputation as the Soul Skill Master was well known in Chunfeng City. Who didn’t know him?
Yet this lad dared to claim ignorance!
"Even an old man like me is unrecognizable to you. Which hole did you crawl out of?"
"I honestly haven't heard of it, what can I do?"
Shen Da disdainfully looked at him; this old man was absolutely unfathomable.
"Do you know that as the Soul Warrior Master of Chunfeng City, even the City Lord treats me as a distinguished guest? This ignorance of yours is pure arrogance!”
Zhang Baijie huffed coldly again, his expression still arrogant.
What do I care!
Shen Da silently cursed in his heart. This person must be out of his mind, he thought, just as he was about to lash out. But then, a voice echoed in his head.
"Ding! Welcome to Tianhun Continent. The Super Tutor System has been activated. Please collect your starter task."
"Ding! Congratulations on activating the Super Tutor System. Reward Skill: 'Leaving Fire Gold Eye'. Please confirm acceptance."
A series of prompts left Shen Da utterly bewildered, and it felt like there was some extra information in his head now.
World Background: Tianhun Continent, a world where people cultivate soul power. By cultivating, practitioners can awaken their martial souls, gain magical powers, and surpass human limitations...
It was at this moment that Shen Da realized, he, too, had somehow traveled to another world, just like those stories...