United History 102, summer, Blue Star.
Longhua District, Ninghe City, First Middle School.
Inside the Martial Arts Hall, students from the graduating class were busy honing their Qi and toughening their muscles and bones.
With every punch and kick neatly executed amid energetic shouts, the youths' blood boiled with unbridled fervor.
Yet, Chu Feng walked out of the Martial Arts Hall with a sullen expression, carrying an aura that kept others at bay, his long strides echoing his mood.
The bustling crowd around him seemed to sense his gloom, parting to leave a two-meter circle of space around him.
Chu Feng's ears twitched as he picked up snippets of hushed conversations from the crowd, with some people quietly pointing at him.
"I heard that during the recent demon uprising, Chu Feng's family was at the northern front line, and they all perished?"
"Yeah, it seems so. The uprising was so sudden. The north couldn't respond in time and lost many martial artists…"
"Such a talent in martial arts, he wouldn't be crushed by this event, would he?"
"Hard to say. If it were me, I'd feel like dying…"
After faintly hearing these words, Chu Feng felt even worse.
Early this morning, Chu Feng, a martial arts prodigy from Ninghe No.1 Middle School's graduating class, failed to cope with the reality of his parents dying in the battle and gave up on life at home.
Subsequently, the overworked drone and king of internal competition, Chu Feng, transmigrated and was resurrected on the spot, inheriting his predecessor's memories.
His dark expression wasn't due to his predecessor's experiences.
He felt little for the parents in his memories and was not much saddened by their demise.
He only lamented the tragic fate of his predecessor's family, feeling that misfortune often targets the vulnerable.
He had no complaints about being orphaned now, as he had been an orphan even before transmigrating.
On his own grit and ruthlessness, he had also led a life where he called the shots as the chosen hard worker.
He was only extremely dissatisfied with the world he had transmigrated to; if given a choice, he would definitely choose to transmigrate again.
Simply because this world was far too dangerous!
Demon Realms and Demon Domains descended globally, with the Demon Clan and monsters emerging, killing and eating humans, vowing to exterminate mankind!
Gunpowder weapons were ineffective within Demon Realms, putting human civilization in dire straits.
A united governance had to be formed on Blue Star, barely maintaining mutual surveillance.
Although martial arts later revived and martial artists rose to prominence, holding up half the sky for humanity.
They were still only just managing to maintain a balance on the battlefield, overall still at a disadvantage.
—This was even under the circumstances where the monster and demon races also had disputes and were nearly at each other's throats!
In such a twisting and unpredictable world.
Chu Feng, although having taken over the legacy of a martial arts prodigy, had the chance to become a powerful martial artist, he felt no joy.
Though he did not fear hardship, being thrown into a war's whirlpool washing machine without explanation was an entirely different matter.
He indeed liked to challenge himself and push his limits, but that was under the condition it did not endanger his life.
But this damned world couldn't even ensure his very life!
The fate of his predecessor's family served as a cautionary tale!
Both parents dead, a once-happy family shattered in a blink.
Besides a significant amount of condolence money, his strict father and kind mother didn't even have time to leave a will.
This was just hell-level difficulty!
...
"—Zzz—"
The school's campus broadcast system suddenly activated above Chu Feng's head, making everyone prick up their ears.
After a burst of static, a grave voice came through the speaker, "Students, I am your principal, Luo Yong.
"Perhaps you've already heard the news. Just last week, a demon uprising took place at the northern frontline.
"Tens of thousands of martial artists sacrificed their lives on the battlefield to resist the invaders.
"Among them, there might be our relatives and friends. I hope everyone will mourn respectfully.
"They died defending Blue Star and are heroes of humanity. Their brave spirits will forever remain in our hearts!
"Everyone, please put down what you're doing, close your eyes, and observe three minutes of silence.
"Let's send off our heroes!"
People looked at each other, gradually stopping their movements, closing their eyes in mourning, sending the souls of the heroes on their way.
Lowers sobs emerged from the crowd, weighing heavily on everyone's hearts.
Chu Feng clenched his teeth and closed his eyes:
"Predecessor, although you awkwardly soared off and tossed me into this chaos,
"I don't blame you, since you let me live another life.
"Since I'm here, I can't bring you back for a beating to vent…
"I'll live well for you, make a name for myself, achieve great things, and outperform everyone!
"I hope you have some spirit up there, and let me have a smooth life!"
...
In the silence, after who knows how long, everyone suddenly heard a puzzling murmur:
"Hey? Why is it foggy? Where did this fog come from?"
Hearing that, people opened their eyes in surprise only to find that in that short period, a dense fog had enveloped the area.
Threads of milky white fog slowly drifted about like a veil over the eyes, rendering people invisible beyond a five-meter distance.
"What's going on, wasn't the weather forecast clear skies?"
"It looks familiar, like something I read about in a book. Let me think…"
Suddenly, Chu Feng caught a glimpse of a black shadow from the corner of his eye, like a streak of black lightning.
"Ah—"
A second later, a half-shriek tore through the fog, then abruptly cut off!
Chu Feng was startled and subconsciously drew the long sword at his waist.
What the hell? What was that black shadow?
Clang! Clang!
Upon hearing the sound of Chu Feng drawing his sword, everyone else also quickly drew their weapons, readying themselves for a confrontation.
"Students, students!"
An urgent shout from Luo Yong suddenly erupted from the school's broadcast system, "Follow my orders, immediately take shelter in the academic building..."
"Bang!"
A massive blood-colored figure suddenly burst out from the dense fog, leaping into the air and smashing the broadcast speaker with a punch!
Following that, the figure roared as it landed heavily in front of the Martial Arts Hall, shattering the stone path and sending fragments flying in every direction.
Still echoing in the air was Luo Yong's roar, "... Demons are invading!"
...
The moment the blood-colored figure appeared, the surroundings plunged into chaos, with students screaming and running everywhere.
But from within the fog, many blood-colored shadows suddenly surged out, roaring and chasing after them!
One of the blood shadows grabbed a student who failed to escape in time, while another claw extended sharp nails and slashed forcefully!
The student's body was instantly split into two, the upper half still screaming horribly!
Seeing this scene, Chu Feng was so horrified that his hair stood on end, and a cold sweat quickly covered his back!
Was this the demon mentioned in the textbooks? It was brutally fierce!
At that moment, Chu Feng's vision darkened, prompting him to swiftly turn his head.
A massive creature had also emerged beside him, glaring menacingly at him!
What a terrifying monster!
Standing about two and a half meters tall, it towered over Chu Feng by half his height, pressing down on him with an overwhelming presence.
It was covered in blood-red flesh without skin.
Its gruesome veins and muscle tissues twitched, completely exposed to the air.
The most horrifying aspect was the black and blue mushrooms growing out of its dried-up eye sockets!
The tops of the mushrooms were where the blood-red eyeballs sat!
The eyeballs whirled around, spitefully staring at Chu Feng in front of it!
The monster opened its mouth, full of sharp teeth, releasing a foul stench and smirking viciously.
The next second, it raised its enormous claws, flicking out nails as long and sharp as swords.
Accompanied by a sharp breaking sound, it fiercely clawed down towards Chu Feng from above!
...
Chu Feng's eyes widened, startled, though his young body reacted nimbly!
His feet instinctively performed the Rapid Wind Steps, his legs slightly bent as he sprung to the side, dodging swiftly.
At the same time, his mind suddenly filled with methods for utilizing Life Force, Rapid Wind Steps, and Demon-Slaying Sword Technique.
It felt incredibly familiar, as if deeply engraved into his instincts.
"Swoosh!"
The monster's sharp claw barely missed Chu Feng's clothes, hitting nothing, leaving it wide open!
By then, Chu Feng had recovered and thought sarcastically to himself:
'That reflex just now must be the result of the hard training from my previous life...
'Not bad, landed with a martial arts starter pack!'
Memories kept flowing, and at that moment, his identities from two lives began to slowly merge, gradually becoming indistinguishable.
He turned and saw the monster's vulnerable state, his eyes lighting up, the hand holding the sword suddenly itching excitedly:
'Perfect stance! Now's the perfect moment for a stab, otherwise, I'd be letting down this monster's cooperation!
'Sorry then, Mrs. Monster!'
Joking lightly in his mind, the next second he crouched low, his life force surged to his lower body, his legs tight like springs, suddenly unleashing power!
With a "swoosh," his body shot directly into the monster's embrace!
"Huh? Roar!"
The monster, having just missed a swipe, was briefly stunned, only to see its prey had moved closer and roared furiously in response.
"Roar hell! Die!"
Fury surged, and with a loud shout, Chu Feng spun and twisted his waist, dodging the monster's downward bite and gracefully thrusting his sword forward.
The sword point pierced directly into the monster's chest!
This move was called "Golden Needle Crossing Calamity," a technique from the Demon-Slaying Swordsmanship.
A golden needle is short and deadly, with all its strength concentrated at the tip of the sword.
It was particularly suited to close-range attacks against critical areas of demons, effectively utilizing the Life Force.
"Puchi!"
The sword deeply penetrated the monster's heart, and the Life Force attached to the sword suddenly exploded, completely shattering its heart!
A stream of foul-smelling blood sprayed directly onto Chu Feng's face from the wound.
"Aow—"
With a miserable howl, the monster's massive fist struggled to smash Chu Feng's head, but he easily dodged.
It tried to attack again, but its large and hideous body slumped to the ground, losing its vitality amid heavy gasping.
Suddenly, this monster eerily started shrinking rapidly, like a chicken hung out to dry for half a winter.
Its blood color faded, turning into a gray-green color, as if something had drained all its life force.
"Just a brute force dog breed! Ptooey, ptooey, ptooey!"
Chu Feng's face was covered in the monster's blood, sticking his eyes shut.
But the next second, he was shocked to discover.
A row of mysterious small text suddenly appeared in the pitch-black in front of him, flickering with a soft blue glow:
[Contact with complete new corpse: Spirit-level Bloodskin Wraith Demon, extracting attribute points: 1]
[Attribute Panel activated!]