Long long ago…
The divine light of the Upper Realm, Immortal Shenxi, tried ascending to the unknown realm of the martial peak and disappeared from the face of the cosmos.
What remained of the handsome immortal was his epic journey in the hearts of the upper realm's residents.
Many tried to uncover his disappearance, many grieved, and many took inspiration and sought to ascend to the unknown realm, but none seem to have been able to meet the immortal.
At least not so far…
For the immortal currently sat cross-legged atop a steel crate, avoiding a puddle pooling beneath. He chewed on cheap gum and looked at a scrawny figure clad in tight-fitting latex gear in front of him while lazily spinning a pistol in hand.
The said figure whose complexion looked like he hadn't seen the sun in ages was hitting the hard metallic ground with a hammer, letting out loud clanging sounds.
Beads of sweat formed on his forehead and reflected the flashing ads on the huge billboard above him.
The billboard was hanging with sparks coming off from its overhanging cables, appearing as if it would fall at any moment.
To the scrawny figure though, it was the least of his concerns, despite being in a narrow alley with no time to run.
His brows were knit and he mumbled under his breath, "Shenxi… I swear Shenxi… when I find that chip Shenxi…"
The immortal seated on the crate blew a bubble. When it popped, he began chewing and said nonchalantly, "My dear regressor, you said slavery is common practice in this era. Why are you complaining about it then? I am not even treating you like a slave and yet here you are…"
The regressor frowned harder and hit the ground with more strength, as if he had just imagined it was Shenxi's head he was hitting.
"I told you so many times!"
Clang!
The regressor hammered the ground.
"Don't call me regressor! There's no such thing! My name is Zhang Ling!"
Clang!
"Zhang Ling!"
"What a feisty young lad. Oh to be so young and full of youth…"
The man, appearing to be no older than twenty-one, moved his arms as if they were rusty and creaking, needing oiling to be done.
Zhang Ling ignored him and continued to hammer the ground.
'That red-haired goddess said that I could regress and become the strongest in the world. Then what the hell is this!? How did I end up encountering such a maniac at the very get go? Wasn't my regression supposed to be me finding out a strong treasure then snowballing and defeating the villains to become the strongest and bring humanity to the pinnacle?'
'Why did I instead get to meet this guy after gaining consciousness and being forced to hammer in this place?'
If Zhang Ling could beat Shenxi to a pulp, he would've done so already. Though, his stinging behind was proof that he should avoid doing such a thing.
'After I get that chip, it's over for you Shenxi! It's not far from this place. Count your days!' Zhang Ling cursed internally and continued to hammer with a stoic expression.
Shenxi popped another bubble while keeping the pistol away. He was not interested in Zhang Ling, even though he had a rough understanding of what he could be scheming.
His attention was more on the spot Zhang Ling was striking. Each hammer blow caused a subtle distortion of time with droplets of water seeping back as if time was reversed with every impact.
Zhang Ling's hands ached and his muscles burned. If not for the tight-fitting latex gear optimizing circulation and slowing lactic acid buildup, he would've collapsed already.
With a sharp clang, the ground in the shape of a manhole gave way.
Zhang Ling leapt back in fright, staring at the gaping hole and wiping sweat from his forehead. His current body lacked agility, but past experiences let him act on instinct and evade danger.
Shenxi pointed at the hole, chewing gum lazily. "With that reaction time, you won't even be able to evade your mom's slippers. And yet you look relieved?"
Zhang Ling clenched his fists, but eventually took deep breaths as the stinging pain on his behind brought him back to reality.
'Endure. Endure just a little more.'
Zhang Ling tried to ignore Shenxi and move toward the hole, but a simple hand gesture from him stopped him.
The air suddenly turned icy. Even through his insulated uniform, a shiver ran down his spine.
Silence fell. Sparks from the broken billboard cables crackled faintly, and water droplets hit the metal ground—nothing else.
Shenxi's vision picked up the time distortion around the hole. Something was approaching, though it didn't feel immediately dangerous. Years of battle had hardened his will; he didn't flinch.
Seconds stretched. The silence grew so intense that Shenxi could feel Zhang Ling's racing heartbeat. Anxiety radiated off the boy like heat from a furnace.
"H-hey, let's run away…" Zhang Ling's legs wobbled; his primal fear of the unknown made him respond in such a manner.
Shenxi turned towards him and gestured him to be quiet, but he suddenly found Zhang Ling's eyes turn wide like saucers as his body staggered uncontrollably.
"T-t-that…"
A trembling hand pointed behind Shenxi.
He turned just in time to see a slender hand emerge from the hole. The next instant, the arm followed… and then the full figure leapt out, landing in front of Zhang Ling.
Zhang Ling was about to scream, but right then, as if a bucket of cold water had been poured on him and brought him to reality, his face showed a completely dumbfounded expression instead.
"Huh?"
"Goddess?!"