Early summer twilight, Huaxia East Province, lightning and thunder, heavy rain pouring down.
Five Poison Sect Leader Xu Chunliang walked barefoot on the rough and hard asphalt road. He didn't know what had happened. Just a moment ago, he was fiercely battling the nine major righteous sects on Kunlun Peak, preparing to unleash a deadly strike, when suddenly, the sky was torn by lightning, thunder roared above, and his mind went blank. Upon awakening, everything around him had changed.
The towering mountains were gone, the nine major sects were gone, the glint of swords and blades were gone, as were the hundred thousand followers who would give their lives for him.
Looking up—
Brilliant lights, as if surrounded by a galaxy of stars.
One after another, different shaped iron-clad vehicles came and went.
Eyes full of surprise, mockery, or fear were cast upon him.
The thought of transcending calamities just emerged, followed by a flood of complex thoughts rushing into his mind—
Xu Cong, courtesy name Chunliang, twenty-one years old, a high school repeater, parents divorced, grew up with grandfather, introverted personality, sensitive and cowardly, pessimistic and world-weary.
This is the third time I failed the exam!
My parents don't like me!
My classmates look down on me!
Even I hate myself!
The whole world loathes and despises me!
What is the point of me living?
Xu Chunliang was astonished at the desperate and pessimistic thoughts in his mind, these absolutely did not belong to him.
Ten years of life not lost, I will make a comeback.
Enduring blows, withstanding loneliness, this is the basic self-cultivation of an evil sect demon lord. Without indomitable will and courage, how could I, Xu Chunliang, have subdued the rebellious Five Poison Sect members? Let alone dominate the world?
My parents giving birth to me is their greatest grace, what more to ask?
Classmates look down on me? I look down on you.
If anyone in the world dares to slander, deceive, insult, laugh at, belittle, despise, hate, or lie to me, I will kill! Torture them!
As a youth, I vowed to roam the Jianghu, not seeking eternal fame, only seeking a life of exhilaration and grand adventures.
If heaven did not birth me, Xu Chunliang, humanity would be an eternal night!
With this thought, Xu Chunliang's chest surged with boundless pride.
Screech!
The sound of tires skidding on the pavement was ear-piercing as a black BMW X5 braked sharply half a meter away from Xu Chunliang. The driver, holding a phone in his left hand, gripping the steering wheel with his right, and a cigarette in his mouth, stared menacingly at the tall, thin, and frail young man in the center of the road.
Under the car's lights, Xu Chunliang stood as if on stage, his height at 1.8 meters, face pale, appearing weaker compared to his age-peers who had better nutrition, the glaring lights dizzying him, blinding his vision, shrouded in a layer of mist.
Only then did Xu Chunliang realize something novel was perched on his nose—a pair of glasses. Though he had never seen such an object, he effortlessly recalled its name. The continuously emerging new consciousness swiftly enriched his understanding of the surrounding world.
Taking off the glasses, the world before him instantly became clear.
The rain grew heavier, bean-sized raindrops striking his pale and slender chest like exploding beans.
Xu Chunliang was still immersed in the shock brought by this new world, even ignoring the nearby armored vehicle.
Honk! Honk honk!
The driver inside the vehicle, unable to contain his anger, pressed the horn, urging the young man in just shorts to quickly make way.
Startled by the horn, Xu Chunliang looked up at the driver, his eyes erupting with a chilling murderous intent. The BMW driver wanted to curse him, but meeting his daunting gaze, his body inexplicably felt as if plunged into an icy cave, shivering involuntarily. The curse words on the tip of his tongue forcibly swallowed back.
Xu Chunliang turned and walked into the traffic, it was rush hour, cars flowed endlessly. The drivers saw a young man, only in shorts, swaggering against the flow in the fast lane, each opting to steer clear.
The sudden occurrence threw the road into chaos, with sudden lane changes, emergency brakes, and blaring horns.
Xu Chunliang remained indifferent, walking alone on the grand road.
When the on-duty police officer noticed the situation, Xu Chunliang had already walked onto Peace Bridge, leaning against the rail, with surging emotions, memories rushing like turbulent rivers.
He realized he was not struck by a thunder calamity but had arrived in an entirely new world. Here, he was no longer the Five Poison Sect Leader Xu Chunliang, but merely a thrice-failed repeater student, Xu Cong.
Police officer Lu Qi, upon hearing, parked about twenty meters away from the incident. The first thought anyone had seeing this scene was that someone was going to jump into the river.
Since Peace Bridge's completion and opening to traffic ten years ago, nearly every year, there have been pessimistic and despairing individuals who leap off.
Lu Qi immediately recognized Xu Chunliang. They were alumni of the city's Third High School, and Lu Qi was three years senior. Although Xu Chunliang was not a prominent figure in school, his grandfather, Xu Changshan, was a well-known figure in Dongzhou, an old and skillful Chinese medicine doctor. The old traditional Chinese medical clinic, Huichun Hall on Shunti Road, was his family's ancestral name.
Lu Qi dared not act rashly; he ordered his partner to disperse the onlookers to avoid further provoking the one considering suicide. He sought support from headquarters and contacted Elder Xu to come to the scene quickly.
The spectators all took out their phones to film; the advancement of modern technology continuously lowered the threshold for news gatherers.
Everyone watched the spectacle with different thoughts. Some kind-hearted people advised Xu Chunliang to come back, while others commented or pointed fingers, among them those who feared chaos in the world.