Preparations Before Transmigration

In the living room, which was nearly 30 square meters, stood two space gates, both circular.

Calling them two was inaccurate; it should be one, as one space gate led to another.

This gate had been here for three days, yet showed no signs of dissipating.

"I don't feel tired, just a bit mentally drained, but that's because I stayed up all night reading. So, does this space gate really consume nothing?"

Zhou Qi felt this didn't align with the law of conservation of mass-energy. But then again, the law of conservation of mass-energy didn't involve space. Perhaps it was like how macroscopic mechanics didn't apply to the quantum realm; the law of conservation of mass-energy didn't govern space either?

Or maybe the space gate consumed energy that wasn't within his normal understanding, like physical strength or mental energy.

What if it was solar-powered or drew energy from the vacuum zero-point energy!

Zhou Qi regretted not studying harder in high school. If he had gotten into a good university and become a scientist, he would have the instruments to study this space gate now.

Instead of having to guess like this.

With a wave of his hand, he dismissed the space gate.

Actually, he didn't need to wave his hand; he could dismiss it with a thought, but waving his hand added a sense of ceremony.

He even planned to draw a circle when opening it in the future. He had even spent 18 yuan on a mystic code, which was arriving tonight. If anyone discovered it, he'd pretend to be a sorcerer from Kamar-Taj.

He drew a square in the air, and a square space gate appeared before him. He flicked his fingers, and the square space gate immediately followed his will, changing its shape.

This space gate could actually change its shape and size.

The maximum deformation was 12 square meters; whether circular or square, the largest area was 12 square meters.

The perimeter didn't matter. If the gate was compressed into a rectangle only 1 millimeter wide, the entire gate's shape would become a line...

Zhou Qi didn't dare to fully expand it.

As for the lower limit, it could shrink to a single point.

This might not even be the lower limit of the space gate, just his lower limit, because he couldn't see anything smaller.

So, he bought a microscope to test how small it could shrink under microscopic conditions, but the item hadn't arrived yet.

The space gate continuously changed shapes: square, circle, triangle, obtuse triangle.

Dragon?

That was a bit difficult. His imagination wasn't particularly precise, but he could adjust it slowly like editing a picture later.

And once it was adjusted successfully, it would be like having a backup for the next time; he could create it with just a thought.

It was like "one proof, forever proof."

Was changing shape its only ability?

Not quite.

Sun Jingyun opened a package. Inside was a foam box.

Opening the box, he found twenty metal rods, about 1 centimeter in diameter and 5 centimeters long, shimmering with metallic luster.

This was the alloy gift pack he bought online, with the product name "Hard Alloy Rod." After all, today's silly netizens wanted everything, so there were many shops selling strange items.

This gift pack cost him 450 yuan.

Some of these metal rods were pure metal, others were alloys, all polished to a bright, smooth finish.

Copper, iron, aluminum, manganese, titanium, aluminum alloy, copper-zinc alloy, manganese steel, 304 stainless steel, titanium alloy, carbon steel, tungsten steel...

Almost all the excellent metals available to the public were here. Even if they were still a bit short of top-tier special materials, they weren't far off.

First, the aluminum rod.

He picked up the small rod and lightly swiped it across the space gate, which he had shaped into a straight line. The aluminum rod snapped in two.

Even though he had been mentally prepared, as this was a space-cutting space gate, he was still startled by this performance.

But what followed was excitement.

This was so fun!

Iron rod, aluminum rod, copper rod, aluminum alloy, copper-zinc alloy, stainless steel, titanium alloy...

Not a single one could withstand even one strike from the space threads.

A few minutes later, the living room floor was covered in metal rods, each broken into small segments.

"They say this stuff is the Mysterious Iron from wuxia novels..." Zhou Qi picked up the last metal rod.

This was no ordinary metal rod; it was chrome-plated. Typically, such materials were used in gears and bearings, requiring extremely high hardness and wear resistance.

If a sword were chrome-plated, its overall properties would be greatly enhanced, like an enchantment, gaining a +10 hardness and +10 toughness effect.

However, facing the space threads...

Its performance was no different from its predecessors; a light swipe and it split in two...

Zhou Qi didn't even feel any resistance.

"It's not just a gate; it's also a terrifying weapon!" Zhou Qi instantly thought of the Guzheng Plan from The Three-Body Problem. If he were to place a few space threads on that canal in The Three-Body Problem.

Let alone ordinary cruise ships, even an air-to-space carrier from Marvel could be sliced through!

Not a flying blade, but better than one!

Flying blades can cut and be used as ropes for towing, but Space Threads can only cut.

Whether it's the inner or outer edge, they are incredibly sharp.

Fortunately, these rings recognize their owner and won't harm themselves, though the reason is unknown.

Zhou Qi thought for a moment, then returned to the bedroom and retrieved the Longquan Sword he bought for 150 yuan.

The sword is 105 centimeters long, with a blade length of 75 centimeters and a width of about 3.6 centimeters. It weighs a total of 3.8 kilograms.

The blade is blue, reportedly due to a quenching process, and is four-sided, made of High Manganese Steel.

However, it was not sharpened.

Zhou Qi bundled the Space Gate into a line and carefully began to wrap it around the sword's edge.

The High Manganese Steel didn't fare well against the Space Threads either; it was directly cut. Zhou Qi quickly adjusted the position, ensuring the Space Threads were tightly against the blade without damaging it.

Because his control over the Space Gate was not precise, he spent nearly an hour adjusting the almost 1.5 meters of thread.

An hour later, he had a sword with Space Threads as its blade, capable of cutting through anything.

But the problem was, this sword couldn't move.

It wasn't that it couldn't move, but anything that wanted to move the sword would also have to move the Space Threads simultaneously, keeping them attached to the sword in a relatively static state. This was an impossible task for him.

It was hundreds of times more difficult than sitting in a vat and swinging a sledgehammer!

"The control is too rough..." Zhou Qi shook his head, very dissatisfied.

The cutting ability of the Space Threads was terrifying, but Zhou Qi didn't feel invincible with it. After all, his body was still ordinary, and his reaction speed was that of a normal person. If he acted too conspicuously, he might attract danger. If a fatal crisis arose, he might not be able to react in time.

Moreover, he was unsure if he was the only one who had awakened this superpower, or if many people had it.

It was best to lie low for now.

As for becoming an ancestor in the One Piece world?

Zhou Qi had no interest in that. Without Armament Haki or Conqueror's Haki, let alone someone of Kizaru's level, even a Vice Admiral with Observation Haki would force him to flee.

Since he couldn't be invincible, his trump cards had to be hidden. Otherwise, those smart people would find a thousand ways to kill him.

The teleportation function of the portal could be revealed in the One Piece world. After all, they had Devil Fruits and weren't short on superpower users. Besides, he couldn't use this Space Gate to avoid everyone, so it was bound to be exposed.

But its cutting ability should ideally be hidden.

Disguising it as sword energy was a good idea. He remembered watching an anime called Superpowered Daughter where a superpower user disguised their telekinesis as martial arts. It looked good, was powerful, and didn't inspire fear, even earning them many fans who wanted to become disciples.

"I need to find a sword technique to practice. There are good teachers in the One Piece world, and they're absolutely genuine..." Zhou Qi thought of Koshiro. He was in the East Blue, taught everyone regardless of their background, didn't inquire about their origins, and seemed to not charge tuition?

There were many martial arts schools on Earth, but he didn't know which ones were genuine and which were scams. However, Koshiro's teachings could truly make one a Sword Saint or Great Sword Saint.

Furthermore, practicing swordsmanship would increase his control and perhaps his mental strength.

"Right, I also have an awesome sword technique stored on my drive, I remember!" Zhou Qi opened his computer and browsed through his folders, finally finding a sword manual.

Hun Yuan Sword Scripture.

The Hun Yuan Sword Scripture, written by Bi Kun during the late Yuan and early Ming dynasties, is a martial arts treatise that elaborates on the principles of sword techniques and their cultivation processes. Zhou Qi had collected many reference materials when he used to write novels; the Hun Yuan Sword Scripture was one of them.

But back then, he was dirt poor, busy with work every day, and didn't have the energy to learn swordplay after getting off work. This sword manual had been gathering dust ever since.

He would have a lot more free time now, and more importantly, he had hope for eternal life without having to travel to multiple worlds. In the One Piece world, there was pure gold that could grant eternal life...

So, this sword manual could be picked up again.

Of course, he couldn't just pick it up and learn it immediately. The book was not only written in classical Chinese but also filled with many Daoist terms. Without studying it, he wouldn't even be able to understand it.

He converted the TXT file to RTF format and opened it with Word, planning to break it down into sections. He intended to print this sword manual.

Reading on a phone or computer was always inconvenient.

"Since the computer is already on, let's make a plan!" Zhou Qi created a new note page, organizing the items he needed to bring with him for his transmigration and his future plans.

He couldn't go over now; he didn't know Japanese yet and wouldn't be able to communicate with anyone.

His rental in Beidun Community wasn't chosen randomly. A short walk from the community led to South China University, which offered a Japanese major. He could audit classes there.

The distance was over 800 meters, so running it every day would count as exercise.

South China University was just an ordinary university. Its security wasn't as strict as top universities in Beijing. He had only graduated five years ago and had always worked indoors, so he looked much like a university student and could easily get in.

Language was the first problem.

The second problem was what to do when he got there!

The first thing he needed to do was make money, as he was a pauper. Money was his top priority.

Secondly, it was time to fulfill his dreams. Who hadn't dreamed of waving their hand and splitting the sea with a sword energy?

In the One Piece world, this dream could be realized as long as you became a Great Sword Saint!

And not only were there Great Sword Saints there, but there were also superpowers!

The Smooth-Smooth Fruit could make people beautiful, the Thunder-Thunder Fruit could turn people into a thunder god, the Azure Dragon Fruit could turn people into an Azure Dragon, and the Phoenix Fruit could turn people into a Qing Luan...

Compared to these magical abilities, Nami and Robin had to take a backseat!

"Hmm, how should I make money?"

Zhou Qi was a bit conflicted, not because there were too few options, but because there were too many!

Most of the industries on Earth were vastly superior to those in the One Piece World. There were also countless industries that didn't exist in the One Piece World at all. As long as he brought them over, it would be a monopolistic business, earning money just by lying down.

However, considering the Devil Fruits he desired, there weren't many industries that could help him.

Zhou Qi thought for a moment, then decided on an industry: medicine!

Once life has hope, a person's spirit immediately lifts.

Over the past few years, his lifestyle habits had been very poor. He worked 12 hours a day and stayed up late watching videos, getting only a little over six hours of sleep.

Every day, he looked listless, lacked motivation, and was generally dispirited.

Studying?

What a joke. He had already returned all the knowledge from high school to his teachers.

As for university? Don't even mention it. He spent more time in the Summoner's Rift than in the lecture halls during his university days.

But after gaining superpowers, Zhou Qi's attitude towards life underwent a complete 360-degree change.

He would still read novels and watch Bilibili, as these things were quite hard to quit.

However, he no longer scrolled mindlessly day and night. His Bilibili viewing had shifted from weird, silly videos, or videos about obsessive-compulsive disorder or blackhead removal, to various trivia, guides for traveling to other worlds, and he even started listening to university open courses!

In the morning, he went from sleeping in to trying morning runs, and then gradually formed the habit.

In his favorites, there was a UP Master teaching swordplay. He had favorited it for five years without learning it, but now he could perform it skillfully in just two days.

Academically, he showed the same intensity as he did during his college entrance exam cram sessions.

He had tried learning Japanese before, but in the end, he hadn't even memorized the kana.

Now, he studied day and night. In less than half a month, he was already trying to watch Japanese movies without subtitles.

He also bought a bow. He had taken a semester of archery in university sports class and was decent. Unfortunately, he couldn't get into the class later, and after graduation, he hadn't touched a bow again. Now, he picked it up again.

A month later, Zhou Qi stopped studying and took a taxi to Jinsha District in Nanhai City. In an industrial park, he found a machinery manufacturing plant.

"Jiancheng Machinery," Zhou Qi knocked on the door.

"Who are you looking for? Oh, is that little Zhou?" A woman in her forties, wearing a work uniform covered in grease, opened the door. Seeing him, she was a bit surprised. "Why are you here!"

"Sister Luo, I'm looking for Master Wang..." Zhou Qi said.

"Oh, oh, come in!" Sister Luo nodded, then turned and shouted, "Old Wang, your apprentice is looking for you!"

"He's not my apprentice anymore!" Old Wang grumbled, looking up from the milling machine. Seeing Zhou Qi, he lowered his head again, turned off the machine, and took off his gloves. "Let's go!"

Zhou Qi gave an awkward smile. At one point, he was burdened by loans, so he was desperate and didn't bother with a slow interview process. He just found a machine factory to work in for the time being.

After all, he was a university student with excellent learning ability. In this field, he was actually a rare high-quality talent. He quickly mastered all the more than a dozen CNC machining equipment in the entire factory.

Old Wang thought he had received a disciple who could inherit his craft, but Zhou Qi didn't want his future to be tied to machine tools. He left after working for less than half a year...

Sometimes he thought, working in an electronics factory would be better than being tied to machine tools.

Especially with the explosion of self-media later, if he could make something with the factory's equipment, he might even earn a lot of fans...

What a shame, he didn't have the face to go back.

In Old Wang's single dormitory, Zhou Qi first cautiously looked around, then took out an item wrapped in red cloth from a drawer and handed it to Zhou Qi with a conflicted expression.

"As expected of Master, you can make even this!" Zhou Qi opened the red cloth, inspected it carefully, and found no issues. He then praised him with a thumbs-up.

"It's not technically difficult, but I had to do it secretly, can't let anyone see. Luckily, there aren't many people in the factory now!" Old Wang said.

"Mhm, thank you, Master!" Zhou Qi nodded.

"Are you sure you won't mess around?"

"I promise!" Zhou Qi raised his hand as if swearing, his expression serious. "I'm not crazy."

"That's true..." Old Wang nodded, then lit another cigarette. "Be careful over there, don't let them harvest your kidneys..."

He thought Zhou Qi was going abroad to seek his fortune.

He was also very conflicted. If this matter came out, Zhou Qi would definitely be in trouble, and he couldn't escape either.

But there was no other way, Zhou Qi gave him too much.

A middle-aged man nearing sixty with two sons at home – there were too many expenses.

Zhou Qi nodded, accepting his advice.

The place he was going was far more brutal than countries that harvested kidneys.

He hadn't even gotten started with the Hun Yuan Sword Scripture. The sword techniques he learned online were flashy and had no practical combat ability at all.

This item was more reassuring.