Chapter One: Lin Feng Transcends to the True Spirit Continent

Lin Feng was a modern-day astrophysics PhD, deeply engrossed in the exploration of the universe’s mysteries. During an experiment involving neutrino collisions, an unexpected incident occurred—a strange light flashed, and Lin Feng instantly lost consciousness.

When he gradually awoke, he found himself in a completely unfamiliar environment. Around him stretched rolling mountains shrouded in mist, resembling a fairyland. The air was thick with spiritual energy, making every pore on Lin Feng’s body seem to rejoice.

“Where is this?” Lin Feng stood up, his face full of shock and confusion. Looking down, he noticed he was no longer wearing his familiar white lab coat; instead, he was clad in a simple, ancient-style robe.

At that moment, a flood of unfamiliar memories surged into his mind. He realized he had transmigrated into a world of cultivation. In this realm, people cultivated mystical techniques, absorbing the spiritual essence of heaven and earth, seeking immortality and transcendence beyond the mundane.

Lin Feng was both shocked and exhilarated. As a scientist, he had always been curious about the unknown, and he had been researching cutting-edge astrophysics on Earth. At the age of twenty, he had become one of the top neutrino physics researchers in the Dragon Nation, leading a team at the Guizhou Astronomical Base to capture neutrino collision data. He had long suspected that the ultimate frontier of science bordered on metaphysics. This unexpected transmigration into a cultivation world undoubtedly opened a brand-new door for him.

Yet, Lin Feng was well aware that he was utterly alone in this world and knew nothing about cultivation. He had to adapt quickly and find a way to survive.

“Junior Brother Lin, you’re here...” A clear, melodious voice came from behind, breaking his thoughts.

“Ah...” Lin Feng turned around to see a young woman with delicate features, bright eyes, and pearly teeth, dressed in a similar azure ancient robe, approaching him. She moved gracefully, like an orchid blooming in the mountains, exuding an elegant and refreshing aura. Concern sparkled in her eyes, as if worried about Lin Feng’s safety.

Not only had he been reborn, but could it be a borrowed body rebirth, like countless fantasy novels? Lin Feng’s mind raced, and memories of this body flooded in.

The original owner of this body was also named Lin Feng, sixteen years old, who had entered the Qingyun Sect at ten and studied under Elder Li Changqing of the Dan Ding Peak as an alchemy apprentice. Because he possessed the Five Elements spiritual root, his cultivation had been stuck at the first level of Qi Refinement for three years. The Five Elements root was considered the most ordinary, even somewhat inferior, in the cultivation world, making Lin Feng’s path arduous. Despite diligent daily practice, he could not break through the bottleneck, as though fate tightly bound him.

On the True Martial Continent, the Five Elements root was the worst, causing extremely slow cultivation progress. However, Lin Feng’s family was influential in the secular world; his father, Lin Tianlu, was the current head of the Lin family, a powerful clan. Lin Feng was the only son, and the family had invested many rare treasures and wealth to secure his admission into the Qingyun Sect. The Lin family was renowned in the secular world, with vast industries and immense wealth. To ensure Lin Feng’s success in cultivation, the family spared no expense to provide him with a better future.

After all, the Qingyun Sect had many secular enterprises to manage; without the Lin family’s support, someone like Lin Feng would not even qualify to enter. The Qingyun Sect was a major cultivation force, closely intertwined with the secular world, relying on its resources for development. The Lin family’s backing also guaranteed the sect’s secular business interests.

Because of his low cultivation, Lin Feng was assigned to gather herbs on the outermost edge of the mountain, a supposedly safe area. By chance, he encountered a fierce battle between two powerful cultivators. Ultimately, a mysterious black-clad masked female cultivator trapped him in an illusionary array. Unable to resist, and drained of his vital energy, Lin Feng died with regrets, leading to his otherworldly transmigration. The battle between the two masters was earth-shattering, their magical light dazzling, energy waves surging. Lin Feng was caught in the crossfire, filled with helplessness and fear. The black-clad woman’s mysterious presence drastically changed his fate.

“Senior Sister Li, I’m here,” Lin Feng scratched his head awkwardly, shyly responding. A faint blush colored his face as if embarrassed by his clumsiness. Senior Sister Li smiled gently, like a spring breeze, warming Lin Feng’s heart.

With his memories restored, Lin Feng learned that this Senior Sister was Li Xiaoxia, Elder Li’s only daughter. She possessed a triple spiritual root, making her an exceptional cultivation talent in the Qingyun Sect. At eighteen, she had already reached the late Qi Refinement stage and was about to be accepted as a true disciple by the sect’s leader. Usually busy, she had led a team to gather alchemical herbs on the outskirts of the Ten Thousand Mountains due to recent disturbances and attacks by numerous spiritual beasts.

“Junior Brother, have you been here all along?” Li Xiaoxia’s eyes searched the surroundings anxiously. “Have you noticed anything unusual?”

From the memories, Lin Feng knew the things he had heard before were terrifying. But when Senior Sister asked, he quickly replied, “I don’t know why you suddenly returned this time. I’ve just been collecting some low-grade herbs nearby, and nothing unusual has happened.” He then took down a storage pouch embossed with the Qingyun emblem from his waist and handed it to the kind and beautiful Li Xiaoxia.

Li Xiaoxia accepted it without formality, glancing at Lin Feng before infusing some spiritual power into the pouch. Inside, a space over ten feet wide contained three century-old Polygonum multiflorum plants, two century-old ginseng plants, a volume of the “Qi Guidance Technique,” a “Detailed Herbal Compendium,” and some of Lin Feng’s clothes and daily necessities.

“Junior Brother, these herbs are useful in the secular world but almost worthless to cultivators like us,” she said, tossing the pouch back. Li Xiaoxia thought to herself that Junior Brother only had first-level Qi Refinement, achieved by relying on the family’s countless spirit stones and medicinal materials. What use could he be?

“Junior Brother, the outskirts of the Ten Thousand Mountains are no longer safe. Beast attacks are imminent, led by a snake demon at the True Spirit stage. I have to hurry and notify the other disciples. You should leave this place and return to the Yibao Inn in town to wait for us.” With that, she turned and left. “Strange...” she murmured, her feet stirring azure and crimson spiritual energy as she vanished from Lin Feng’s sight.

Watching her depart, Lin Feng’s heart was a whirlwind of emotions. Taking a deep breath, he steadied himself and cautiously approached the edge of the battlefield where the two powerful masters had fought. From his memories, he knew their fight had exhausted them completely. The male cultivator had died without a trace, and the black-clad female was in no better condition. Otherwise, how could a mere first-level Qi Refinement cultivator like Lin Feng have survived? After casting just a single illusion array, the black-clad woman had disappeared into a cave. Unfortunately, Lin Feng’s cultivation had been too low to resist the array and had died from the mental exhaustion it caused.

The new body was similar in size to his previous one, about 1.75 meters tall and weighing roughly 65 kilograms. At sixteen years old, it was a coincidence or fate that his appearance and name matched the original owner’s. Lin Feng smiled wryly, uncertain if this was a blessing or misfortune.

Since he was here, he resolved to adapt well. “Brother,” he silently sighed, “since I’ve taken over your body, I’ll live properly and make the name Lin Feng resound throughout the world.” As if in response, a lightness spread across his shoulders.

He adjusted his sleeves and noticed the left one bore the characters for Qingyun, and the right one for Dan Ding. Lin Feng was indifferent but stood quietly, his thoughts drifting. This strange cultivation world was filled with unknowns and challenges, and he, Lin Feng, had to face them bravely. He knew the road ahead would be hard, but the flame in his heart never died. He thirsted to explore the mysteries of this world and reach higher realms. Determination and resolve gleamed in his eyes; he believed that with effort, he would carve out a place for himself here.

Having absorbed all the memories of this body, he learned that this world was called the True Spirit Continent, home to many dynasties. They belonged to the True Martial Kingdom, one of ten smaller nations under the Great Xia Dynasty’s jurisdiction.

The True Martial Kingdom had nine major provinces, each housing a cultivation sect. Lin Feng was in Qingyun Province, where the Qingyun Sect was the largest. Currently, only three cultivators had reached the Golden Core stage there. The sect leader was an early Golden Core cultivator, and two others were senior elders. In the True Martial Kingdom, the Golden Core stage was the pinnacle of power, and those who reached it were exceedingly rare.

Foundation Establishment cultivators were also scarce in Qingyun Sect, numbering only a few dozen, forming the sect’s main strength.

Lin Feng’s master, Li Changqing, was only a late Foundation Establishment cultivator. Other peak leaders were Foundation Establishment Grand Masters, but Li Changqing excelled in alchemy, regarded as a top-tier alchemist in the True Martial Kingdom, where skilled alchemists were rare and highly respected.

Ordinarily, entering the Qi Refinement stage meant one could become an ordinary disciple of the sect, highly respected in the secular world. Achieving Qi Refinement from a mortal martial artist was a one-in-a-million feat. This explained why the Qingyun Sect, despite being a grand sect, only numbered about 300 members, while Qingyun Province had a population exceeding ten million.

However, cultivation was not for everyone; one needed spiritual roots. The best were single spiritual roots, which doubled cultivation speed but were extremely rare, appearing once in a century. Next were double spiritual roots, like the three Golden Core cultivators of Qingyun Sect, making them incredibly scarce. Then came triple spiritual roots, also rare, usually held by the sect’s true disciples. Four spiritual roots were fewer but often qualified one as an internal disciple. The Five Elements spiritual root, like Lin Feng’s, was considered a waste root in cultivation, easy to break through the first Qi Refinement stage but extremely difficult to progress afterward, requiring vast resources with minimal effect.

Within less than a short incense stick’s time, Lin Feng found a cave entrance. Illusion arrays generally did not vanish on their own. Now that he had escaped the illusion, only two possibilities remained: either someone stronger than the array’s power had broken it, or the caster had died. Lin Feng was certain the black-clad woman was dead, as no one could have broken her formidable power otherwise.

Fortune favors the bold. The cultivation world was about defying fate; he had to seize every opportunity to grow stronger.