On Rifeng Antique Street, Zhang Tao was turning a seal over in his hands. It looked neither gold nor metal, neither jade nor stone, and its design was quite distinctive. Figures were carved into it, with a jade dragon coiled around them.
The seal had no inscription, and Zhang Tao had no idea what it was for. But as a secondhand antiques dealer, his instincts told him it was valuable.
Just as Zhang Tao was wondering how much he could sell it for, a series of shouts suddenly rang out. The pedestrians in front of him scattered in every direction.
Zhang Tao stood there, completely dumbfounded. His mind couldn't react in time; he could only stare blankly at what was happening, with no idea what was going on. Suddenly, the ear-piercing sound of tires scraping against the road reached his ears. It was like a devil's scream, and his heart began pounding. Then he saw his great-grandmother.
Before he died, Zhang Tao got a taste of the bliss of soaring into the clouds.
When Zhang Tao opened his eyes again, he found himself lying in a hospital bed. He was overjoyed. Had he survived?
But just as he was about to call out, a rush of memories flooded in. Scene after scene flashed rapidly through his mind: one life-or-death battle after another, a constant cycle of killing and being hunted.
"Holy shit!" Zhang Tao blurted out.
That exclamation woke the person beside him. The man had sharp brows and bright eyes, and his military uniform was crisp and well-fitted. Determination and resolve shone in his gaze. His handsome face was equally resolute, and every detail of his immaculate uniform spoke to his bearing as a soldier. An air of authority surrounded him.
Now, though, he looked at Zhang Tao with delight. "Zhang Tao, you bastard, you're finally awake!"
Zhang Tao looked at him, hesitated, then said, "Li Zhen?"
That was right. The man in front of him was Li Zhen, the eldest young master of Zhenxing City and now one of the leading young figures of the New Martial era.
"Are you okay?" Li Zhen asked suspiciously, looking at Zhang Tao. Why was he looking at him like he was confused?
Zhang Tao grinned. He remembered now: he'd never called Li Zhen by his full name. He always used his nickname. "Li Hanhan, do I look like something's wrong with me?"
Only then did Li Zhen relax. Same as ever. It really was Zhang Tao, that bastard.
"Since you're awake, I'll get going. I've got a lot to take care of!" With that, Li Zhen left without a moment's hesitation. Zhang Tao opened his mouth, but in the end, said nothing.
Now he was alone in the hospital room, and could finally think things through.
He'd transmigrated, and into the body of another Zhang Tao, someone with the same name. This Zhang Tao was only at the late fifth rank, but among the younger generation, he was already considered a gifted standout. After all, even Li Zhen, the eldest young master of Zhenxing City, was only at the sixth rank.
And Li Zhen was two years older than him.
This was the world of Global Martial Arts. Zhang Tao's expression darkened. He had actually taken the place of the future Martial King, the so-called Shame of the True Kings, the backbone of humanity—Zhang Tao. The pressure was immense.
He had no idea how he'd possessed the Zhang Tao who was cultivating. Maybe the other man had been too badly injured, and he'd taken advantage of the opening. Or maybe it was the mysterious seal in his mind.
That was right. When Zhang Tao had still been in a soul-like state, the seal had brought him to this world. He hadn't been aware of anything at the time, but the seal had left images in his mind.
And that wasn't all. Zhang Tao also knew the seal was called the Kongtong Seal, the legendary Human Sacred Artifact that suppressed humanity's fortune.
"The Kongtong Seal..." Zhang Tao murmured.
He didn't know what the seal could do. All he knew was that it was a Human Sacred Artifact, something he'd read about in the ancient Chinese fantasy novels he'd read before. Supposedly, it had been in the hands of Taiqing Saint, Leader of the Human Sect. How it had ended up in his world and brought him here was beyond Zhang Tao's knowledge.
"Zhang Tao, you bastard! I told you not to take stupid risks, but you never listened! Now Wang Feng and the others will never come back!" Just then, the hospital room door was kicked open. A spirited woman stormed in and immediately gave him an earful.
Of course, she might have seemed more imposing if she didn't have bandages on her head and a cast on her arm.
Zhang Tao didn't argue. It was true that his recklessness had cost him many of his friends. Wang Feng was one of them. If Zhang Tao hadn't been lucky, he would have died in the Catacombs too.
"Yunyue, don't get worked up!" Another woman hurried in and quickly pulled her back.
"Big sister, stay out of this! This deadbeat was just too reckless!" the woman called Yunyue snapped, not caring in the least about sparing Zhang Tao's feelings.
"Zhang Tao is hurting too. Don't be so hard on him. Going into the Catacombs is a near-death experience to begin with. Who can guarantee every trip will be safe?" The woman sighed, then turned to Zhang Tao. "Zhang Tao, focus on recovering. Yunyue, come outside with me!"
Without waiting for Yunyue to say anything, she pulled her out.
Watching the two leave, Zhang Tao sighed as well. They were the sisters Nan Yunping and Nan Yunyue, both of them friends of his.
As Zhang Tao was still pondering things, the Kongtong Seal inside him lit up with a golden glow. It seemed to absorb and suppress something, and wherever the light passed, Zhang Tao realized that his body was healing.
Even the injuries that had damaged his lungs and internal organs had completely healed.
His Three Burner Gates even appeared above his head in an instant. He had already located them.
All he had to do was seal the Three Burner Gates, and his sixth-rank cultivation would be complete.
In that instant, Zhang Tao had broken through the fifth rank and entered the sixth.
A glint flashed in Zhang Tao's eyes. There was no reason he couldn't do better than the Zhang Tao who'd come before him. After all, he had the Kongtong Seal, and the previous Zhang Tao hadn't.
"Did he just break through to the sixth rank?" The door was forcefully pushed open again. Nan Yunyue and Nan Yunping came in, and Nan Yunyue looked utterly incredulous. She was so jealous she could barely stand it. Damn it, why? Li Zhen was the eldest young master of Zhenxing City, so fine—he'd never lacked resources. He'd become a sixth-rank martial artist at twenty, but not just anyone could pull that off.
But Zhang Tao? What right did this guy have to reach the sixth rank in such a short time?
Then she remembered that this guy had managed to stumble across a Rank 9 Monster Plant when he was only at the fourth rank—and one with Life Essence, at that. Nan Yunyue's anger deflated. Who could stand against that kind of ridiculous luck?
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