A Magical World

City Library.

The history section, where no one had set foot in a long time, was covered in a thick layer of dust. A young man was searching for something inside.

"Not here... still not here..."

The young man muttered to himself, feeling somewhat disappointed.

He shook his head.

He closed the book.

"Swish!"

A sharp sting.

A long, bloody scratch appeared on his hand.

"Again..."

The young man gave a bitter smile. He had been careful enough, yet he never expected to be cut by a page. However, he wasn't surprised; to be more precise, he was used to it.

His name was Chen Feng, twenty-two years old. From the day he was born, bad luck had followed him like a shadow.

He nearly choked to death drinking milk as a newborn, his parents died when he was one, the old man who raised him passed away when he was three, and the orphanage he lived in went bankrupt when he was ten. Later, he was sent to other orphanages, and by the time he reached adulthood, a total of thirteen orphanages he had stayed in had shut down for various reasons.

Beyond that, something was bound to happen every time he stepped outside.

According to his incomplete statistics, to date, he had been swindled by old ladies eighty-five times, involved in car accidents thirty-six times, targeted by thieves seventy-six times, fallen into sewers ten times, and chased and bitten by dogs fifteen times. The fact that he had managed to stumble his way through life until now was a miracle in itself.

By comparison, today's incident was nothing at all.

His purpose for coming here today was to search for a legendary "Lucky Artifact."

He didn't believe in such things, but the experiences he had endured since childhood forced him to acknowledge that luck existed in this world, and what accompanied him throughout his life was bad luck! Therefore, ever since he was old enough to understand, he had scoured every myth and biography, searching for something that could turn his fortune around!

Good Luck Beads, Jade Carps, Four-Leaf Clovers...

He had tried everything that represented good luck, but all of it was useless!

His bad luck had never changed.

Until one day, he saw some written records in the materials his father left behind before he died—the Stone of Destiny. Legend had it that possessing it would change one's fate.

His father was an archaeologist who had spent his whole life studying antiquities without finding anything of value, only to end up buried in his work. He hadn't left behind much information regarding the Stone of Destiny. Over the years, Chen Feng had visited all sorts of strange places, but the so-called Stone of Destiny had never been seen.

Did that thing really exist?

He was very skeptical.

His requirements were truly not high; he just wanted to live like an ordinary person, nothing more.

However...

Live?

No, just staying alive was already difficult enough. He had to be ten thousand times more vigilant every time he stepped out. If he let his guard down even slightly, he could die halfway there!

To him, this world was a battlefield everywhere.

"Where exactly are you?"

Chen Feng sighed, calmly taking alcohol out of his backpack to disinfect the wound before wrapping it in gauze. As someone who got injured every day, his backpack was essentially a small first-aid kit.

The sky had already darkened.

The library was about to close. Chen Feng prepared to leave, but his foot slipped. He stumbled and crashed into a nearby bookshelf, causing a stack of books to come crashing down.

"Damn it."

Chen Feng cursed under his breath.

He knew it wouldn't go that smoothly!

He looked at the spot where he had fallen and saw some water stains on the ground. He looked up and realized that the building was in disrepair; the roof was leaking.

"Really now..."

Chen Feng smiled helplessly.

His bad luck was at work again.

He climbed up, his whole body aching, and was just about to leave when he suddenly froze. Among the pile of ancient books that had fallen, one book caught his eye.

The title was—"Fortune."

"This thing..."

Chen Feng was a bit curious. Was there really a book about luck?

He carefully flipped it open. It contained extensive introductions to all sorts of strange fortunes, from cosmic astrology to horoscopes. Chen Feng had seen many of these in other books, and most of the content was nonsense. This book felt more like one of those twenty-yuan pirated compilations.

"I really thought too much of it."

Chen Feng gave a self-deprecating smile, but then his expression stiffened.

Because on the new page he had turned to, a name appeared right there—the Stone of Destiny!

It didn't matter which ancient texts this had been pirated from, because the introduction to the Stone of Destiny here was unprecedentedly detailed.

Stone of Destiny: A legendary artifact of fortune.

According to legend, there exists a power that transcends ordinary forces. It is invisible and intangible, yet it influences everything. To this day, no one knows exactly what kind of power it is, only that it may be related to luck—and the Stone of Destiny possesses the power to control it!

"It really exists!"

Chen Feng was so excited his throat felt parched.

He flipped to the next page of the introduction, but his eyes suddenly widened!

On this page appeared an image of the Stone of Destiny. It was the first time Chen Feng had truly seen what it looked like, and he was completely stunned.

It was an object the size of a coin, covered in strange patterns.

"This is the Stone of Destiny?"

Chen Feng's voice trembled, not because of the object's appearance, but because of... Chen Feng's hands shook as he pulled open his collar, revealing the item hanging around his neck. It was exactly the Stone of Destiny described in the book!

"How is this possible?"

Chen Feng was shocked.

The Stone of Destiny, he had been wearing it all along?

This item, which his father had recovered during an archaeological dig and given to him as a gift when he was born—the only memento his father had left him—was actually the Stone of Destiny? But if it truly was the Stone of Destiny, why had he been so unlucky his entire life?

Fake?

Or perhaps, was it a replica his father had made?

Suppressing the sudden shock, Chen Feng continued to read.

Legend has it that the Stone of Destiny possesses extraordinary power, but using it is no easy task. Before it is officially activated, the Stone of Destiny continuously absorbs the luck of its surroundings until it has gathered enough to awaken. Therefore, if you lack the ability to activate it, possessing it may well be a nightmare.

"Damn it!"

Chen Feng couldn't help but curse.

Absorbs the surrounding luck?

His entire body went cold. He finally understood where his misfortune came from! This Stone of Destiny, which his father had dug out of an ancient tomb, had stolen everything from him!

"This thing..."

Chen Feng instinctively tried to pull it off, but it wouldn't budge.

It was the only memento his father had left behind and his only emotional anchor; he had never taken it off. He hadn't expected that when he finally wanted to remove it, he wouldn't be able to.

"Can it not be removed by conventional means?"

Chen Feng calmed himself down and looked further down the page.

Once worn, the Stone of Destiny cannot be removed; only after activation can its power be controlled. If you have obtained it by chance, then, activate it.

Immediately following this, the method for activation was provided.

Chen Feng looked it over; it didn't seem too difficult. He just needed to use his own blood to draw a formation and then place the Stone of Destiny in the center.

"It's that simple?"

Chen Feng frowned.

He felt something was off, but the temptation to get rid of this cursed misfortune was too great. He dreamed of throwing it all away and living a life of his own!

"Let's try it."

Chen Feng tore off his bandage.

Blood flowed from his finger, tracing a strange formation onto the wooden floor. Chen Feng's expression was more serious than ever as he knelt on the ground and placed the Stone of Destiny in the center.

"Hum—"

A strange radiance flashed.

Chen Feng's heart shook violently.

It worked!

The formation formed by his blood transformed into a flickering Red Light, and the Stone of Destiny erupted with an astonishing halo. Just as Chen Feng was feeling excited, he saw a line of small text appear within the Red Light: "Upon activation, the Stone of Destiny will absorb all surrounding luck to replenish the energy required for its operation."

Oh no!

Chen Feng's expression changed drastically.

Absorb all surrounding luck? This damn bootleg book hadn't mentioned that at all! The Stone of Destiny hadn't activated in twenty years; what would happen if it absorbed all the luck in the vicinity in an instant?

He had no idea!

Run!

Chen Feng didn't hesitate for a second; he turned and bolted toward the exit.

However, at that very moment, the entire library began to shake violently.

"Boom!"

"Boom!"

An earthquake!

Before Chen Feng could even attempt to escape, he was submerged by the sky-filling boulders. Everything went pitch black before his eyes, and he lost consciousness; vaguely, he only remembered a brilliant golden light flashing from the Stone of Destiny around his neck.

Nighttime.

A certain news channel.

"At six o'clock this afternoon, a minor earthquake occurred in this city. The city library collapsed on the spot, resulting in one fatality. According to investigations by relevant departments, it may be related to shoddy construction..."

***

Darkness before his eyes.

His consciousness was in a state of chaos.

A long time passed.

Chen Feng's consciousness returned, and he slowly opened his eyes. The blurry world became clear, yet it remained shrouded in darkness, and the vicinity was filled with a strange, fishy stench.

"Where is this?"

Chen Feng looked around, feeling somewhat puzzled.

The surroundings were enveloped in darkness; the faint glow flickering from his wrist only allowed him to see that this was a cave, while everything further away was nothing but darkness.

"Strange, didn't I die?"

Chen Feng was shocked.

Looking at the glowing wristband on his arm and feeling memories that did not belong to him at all, he suddenly realized.

He had transmigrated!

He had researched various mythological biographies and naturally read quite a few novels. Recalling the golden light before his death, Chen Feng began to understand: the Stone of Destiny had absorbed all his luck to trigger the earthquake, but the successfully activated Stone of Destiny had allowed him to survive against all odds and transmigrate here!

"I survived!"

Chen Feng was thrilled.

He was naturally thrilled, because that damned bad luck had finally vanished! However, what kind of world was this? Just at that moment, the memories of the original owner surged forth.

Chen Feng flipped through the memories and was immediately struck with awe.

This world was somewhat similar to Earth but vastly different. After major breakthroughs in genetic research, the entire world had entered the Gene Era. Humans could not only develop their own potential but also undergo gene fusion with mutated biological organisms; almost everyone could possess genetic abilities!

Some people used these abilities to work and become elites in their fields. Others, after fusing with genes, possessed super combat power and were known as Gene Warriors.

The world changed because of this.

The emergence of genetic abilities allowed the entire world to enter a state of high-speed development.

Moreover.

Unlike Earth, where resources were nearly exhausted and humanity was forced to search for other planets.

This continent, this planet, was humanity's greatest wealth! This world had its own moon and sun; it was a place with a high degree of similarity to Earth, except for its size! The volume of this planet was countless times that of Earth! The landmass was vast and boundless, over ten thousand times larger than Earth!

This world did not lack resources!

Because, up until now, the development progress of the continent was only 18%!

Even though the level of human technology was already capable of easily traveling to outer planets, there were still many places on this planet that humans dared not set foot in!

For example—the ice plains of the Land of the Far North!

It was rumored that the area was affected by some special ability, causing time to nearly stand still; those who stepped inside would never be able to walk out for eternity! The Gene Guild had once sent a small squad of Gene Warriors there, and there was never any news of them again.

For example—the volcano at the Summit of Burning Heavens!

It was rumored that an ancient Mutated Beast slept there, which had once drunk an entire river dry. From then on, that place became a Forbidden Ground for humanity.

Similar places were everywhere.

This was a dangerous world, but also a miraculous one!

A brilliant, flowing light flashed in Chen Feng's eyes.

This world was even more spectacular than he had imagined!

And...

This was only a part of it.

According to the original owner's memories, the wonders of the Gene Era had given rise to many astonishing technological devices.

Some people continuously fused genes to possess super combat power, while others, through constant gene fusion, evolved miraculous genetic abilities!

For example—the founder of the world's largest technology company, Storm Technology, Luo Yuan.

His ability was datafication. Holders could release mysterious energy to detect their own genetic state, mental state, and could even determine the moves one had mastered based on muscle memory. Because it was a non-combat type gene, he had once been looked down upon by countless people.

However, after years of experimentation, Luo Yuan extracted those profound and mysterious energies, crafted them into a wristband that anyone could wear, and created a legend for the ages!

As long as you activated the wristband, you could detect your own status.

Therefore.

To this day, this world was not just the Gene Era, but also the Data Era!