Transmigration

Chen Tian groggily opened his eyes, his head heavy as if filled with lead. He laboriously shifted his body and discovered that he was lying in a jolting carriage.

Beneath him was a hard wooden board covered only by a thin layer of hay, leaving his entire body sore. The wheels rolled over the uneven road with creaks and groans, tossing the carriage so violently that his stomach churned.

The carriage was filled with the pungent smell of sawdust, mixed with the moldy odor of hay and the decaying scent of old objects, making him nauseous.

Bulging sacks and wooden crates were piled all around him. The sacks were filled with grain, with kernels occasionally falling through the seams.

The crates were securely nailed shut with iron nails, bearing the emblem of the baron's territory—an eagle with spread wings. The emblem had already become somewhat blurred, clearly showing that this carriage had been in use for a long time.

"Where am I?" Chen Tian muttered, but then a vast stretch of unfamiliar memories suddenly flooded into his mind. He felt dizzy and confused as those memories surged over him like a tide, drowning him.

Chen Tian abruptly sat up, feeling as though a tangled mess of thread had been stuffed into his head. Those memories did not belong to him, yet they felt incomparably real. The two sets of memories continuously intertwined in his brain, making it impossible for him to tell whether everything before him was real or an illusion.

Without hesitation, he slapped his head a few times to clear his mind. Gradually, the two sets of memories separated and became clearer.

Chen Tian remembered that he had originally been an Earthling from the twenty-third century, a world-class genius renowned throughout the scientific community. However, as he aged and his body began to fail him, Chen Tian's abilities had steadily declined.

By nature, Chen Tian had always been rather radical. He had participated in a cutting-edge quantum chip implantation study. If the experiment succeeded, then with the quantum chip's exceptional performance, Chen Tian would become the smartest human being in the world.

But now, he was in a completely unfamiliar world, with a set of memories that did not belong to him added to his mind. It looked like the experiment had failed. A bitter smile appeared on Chen Tian's face. This situation was obviously identical to those transmigration novels from the twenty-first century.

If those people researching the multiverse learned about this, they'd probably be overjoyed. If they knew quantum chip implantation could send someone across the universe, they might fight each other bloody for a place in the experiment. Chen Tian silently thought of those colleagues who had gone mad researching the multiverse.

But then Chen Tian remembered that, in order to maintain his intellectual peak and even surpass it, he had risked undergoing quantum chip implantation. He was hardly any better than them.

After sighing helplessly, Chen Tian continued sorting through his memories.

"Lodin Kingdom... Green... baronial territory... Knight Breathing Method..." Chen Tian quietly repeated those unfamiliar terms, his heart filled with confusion and unease. He realized that not only had he transmigrated, but his soul had also fused with that of a boy named Green.

"Looks like I'll have to adapt to this new identity." Chen Tian nodded and decided to accept reality for the time being. He gathered his thoughts and began recalling Green's memories.

This was a world similar to medieval Europe. The continent where Chen Tian was located was called the Osfield Continent. Hundreds of kingdoms existed upon it, and conflicts between them never ceased. Every year or two, news would spread that another kingdom had fallen.

The kingdom where Chen Tian lived was called the Lodin Kingdom. It was considered one of the larger kingdoms in the surrounding region. The neighboring Saladin Kingdom and Maslow Alliance were the ones capable of threatening it.

However, the Maslow Alliance favored peace. Its entire nation revered commerce and had never launched a war against another country.

The Saladin Kingdom, on the other hand, often clashed with the Lodin Kingdom along their border. Neither side had gained a decisive advantage, yet their struggle had never stopped. Both wanted to completely swallow the other and expand their territory.

This conflict had also made the military merit nobility system popular in both the Lodin Kingdom and the Saladin Kingdom. Countless commoners had gained military merit by joining the army and risen to become nobles.

The territory where Chen Tian lived was one such example. In a war more than a decade ago, the ruling Klo Family had gained this fief because the current baron beheaded one of the enemy's knights on the battlefield.

The Klo Family was considered a relatively wealthy minor noble house throughout the northern province of the Lodin Kingdom.

The territory lay beside the Annabur Mountains. It was surrounded by mountains on three sides, while a river originating in the Annabur Mountains ran through it. The territory was enormous; even on horseback, it took an hour to cross the baronial territory.

That was all the environmental information Green remembered. In this medieval-like world, transportation was underdeveloped, and most people never left their homeland in their entire lives. Green had no further knowledge of the outside world. Even this information had been learned from Old Green's explanations.

At the thought of Old Green, warmth inevitably filled Chen Tian's heart. He forcibly suppressed the strange emotions inside him, knowing that this was unavoidable.

No one knew Old Green's real name. Everyone called him that, and Old Green gladly accepted the name. He never objected or revealed his true name. As time passed, the name became fixed.

During the previous war with the Saladin Kingdom, Old Green had served in the same unit as the territory's baron. During one operation, Old Green took a blade for the baron. Though his life was ultimately saved, he was left with hidden injuries and could no longer practice the Knight Breathing Method. After the war, the baron arranged for him to become the territory's warehouse manager. The position was leisurely, but the compensation was generous.

Old Green held a special status throughout the castle, and no one dared disrespect him. Those who had once mocked Old Green were seized by the baron and drowned in the river running through the territory.

Old Green himself was also very humble. He had never acted arrogant because of the baron's favorable treatment.

As for Green's relationship with Old Green, Green was an orphan adopted by him. One winter, Old Green had gone to the market to buy supplies and found him in the snow.

At the time, Green had still been an infant. He had been left in the snow, yet he had not died. Instead, he was brimming with vitality. No matter how one looked at it, it was strange.

Old Green later investigated the matter. No child had been born anywhere in the baronial territory that day, making him even more convinced that Green was a gift from heaven.

Old Green had lost his ability to have children because of his hidden injuries, so he paid even greater attention to Green. He treated Green as his own son and had cared for him attentively since childhood. Green was also very filial, and their relationship was exceptionally harmonious.

Recalling those memories, a brilliant smile appeared on Chen Tian's lips.

When the carriage struck a massive stone, the violent jolt pulled Chen Tian from his memories.

Rather than continue recalling memories about Old Green, Chen Tian hurriedly organized his thoughts and continued analyzing the information he could extract from Green's memories.

In this world, there existed a supernatural power known as the Knight Breathing Method. Through it, people could awaken the Life Seed within their bodies and thereby gain great power. Knights ranged from apprentices to Holy Knights, with four ranks in total.

Knight Apprentice: one who had initially learned the Breathing Method and formed a Life Seed. A peak apprentice could possess strength beyond the limits of the human body. Calling one a match for ten thousand men would not be an exaggeration. Based on Chen Tian's analysis, an ordinary Knight Apprentice was roughly comparable to Captain America, the popular movie protagonist from the twenty-first century. Every aspect of their abilities had reached the absolute peak of the human body. Human wave tactics were useless against them. They truly could hold off ten thousand enemies alone.

Formal Knight: a knight who, after years of training, had awakened his Life Seed. Their strength far surpassed that of ordinary humans, allowing them to wrestle head-on with the various wild beasts in this world and defeat them. In this world of supernatural power, the beasts were also far stronger and faster than those from his previous life, and they were exceptionally ferocious. Some of the more powerful beasts could be called tanks. Formal Knights capable of matching them could be called humanoid tanks.

Grand Knight: the Life Seed developed further and took root within the soul, allowing them to create a translucent life barrier around their body. Novices could not even break through its defenses. Their vitality was formidable, their lifespan greatly increased, and they could live to two hundred years old. Judging from the descriptions in his memories, the life barriers of these Grand Knights could probably withstand artillery fire.

Holy Knight: as their title suggested, they transcended the ordinary and became sacred. A Holy Knight's Life Seed fully grew into a great tree within the soul. Through the Breathing Method, they could transform external power and fight without rest. With a single sword strike, they could easily split mountains and shatter rocks. They were a kingdom's greatest pillar, with a lifespan of four hundred years, capable of ensuring a nation's long-term continuation. One Holy Knight was a kingdom's greatest guarantee.

"This world is truly fascinating," Chen Tian sighed inwardly. As the memories flooded in, he had already accepted his new identity. From now on, I will live in this world under the name Green.

He thought of the border clashes and how the two kingdoms were currently recuperating after the previous war.

So I'm living in a relatively peaceful time right now, Green thought. He was filled with curiosity about this world, but he also realized that he had to gain power as quickly as possible if he wanted to establish himself here.

If another war broke out and the king conscripted soldiers, he might end up among them. With these skinny arms and legs, he would probably be cannon fodder on the battlefield. Some Formal Knight might casually cut him down.

Just then, the carriage suddenly stopped. Green heard an elderly voice from outside. "Green, we're here." He lifted the curtain and jumped down from the carriage. Before him stood an extraordinarily bustling market.

The market was located in the center of the baronial territory. It covered a vast area and extended in all directions. People came and went around it in a ceaseless stream. Hawking cries, bargaining voices, and children's laughter intertwined, creating a lively atmosphere.

Old Green parked the carriage on the edge of the market, casually found a tree, and tied the horse to it.

He then headed directly toward the market. Old Green was not worried that anyone would steal his carriage. Throughout the baronial territory, no one failed to recognize it.

After walking for a while, Old Green discovered that Chen Tian was still sitting blankly in the carriage.

"Green, what are you spacing out for? Hurry over and help," Old Green called with a smile.

"Oh, coming." Green answered and quickly followed him.

The two began busily purchasing daily necessities. As Green helped, he observed his surroundings. Although the market was bustling, most people wore coarse cloth garments and had simple, honest faces. Their lives were clearly not prosperous.

The standard of living in this world seems rather low, Green thought.

Old Green led Green through various shops to purchase all kinds of supplies. Green obediently followed behind him the entire way, placing everything Old Green bought onto the carriage. This also suited Green's formerly quiet personality.

Just as they finished purchasing everything they needed and were carrying large and small bundles back toward the carriage—

"Old Green, I have a question," Green suddenly said.

"What is it?" Old Green set down the items in his hands and turned toward Green with a serious expression.

"I want to learn the Knight Breathing Method," Green said earnestly.

Old Green froze for a moment, then smiled. "You really are impatient. Don't worry. Once you're an adult and your body has matured, I'll teach you the Breathing Method."

"Why do I have to wait until adulthood?" Green asked in confusion.

"The Breathing Method places a great burden on the body. Training before adulthood can easily damage your foundation," Old Green explained.

"Then why can the baron's son practice the Breathing Method from childhood?" Green knew that the baron's eldest son had begun training at a young age.

Old Green would not deceive him. Green simply wanted to know the reason. Old Green looked at him in surprise. Green had never asked about the Breathing Method before, so why was he suddenly so eager today? Still, he patiently explained.

"Practicing the Breathing Method requires expending life force. The condensation of a Life Seed is itself a process of consuming life force. Although Knight Apprentices can gain strength far beyond ordinary people, that strength is purchased with life force. If they cannot break through to become Formal Knights, allowing their Life Seed to fully mature and absorb external energy to nourish themselves, they will soon die from the massive consumption of life force."

"The baron's son can endure such enormous consumption at a young age because the baron has infused him with his own life force. Without the help of the baron, a Formal Knight, the baron's son would only meet death if he recklessly began training."

"Besides, a Formal Knight can support only one person at most. Look at the baron's other sons and daughters. Aren't they just like you, unable to begin training until adulthood?"

After learning the reason, Green did not ask any further questions. He silently picked up the purchased goods and followed behind Old Green toward the carriage.

Chen Tian was also quite fortunate that Old Green possessed a Breathing Method. As a standard possession of nobles, Breathing Methods were nearly impossible for ordinary commoners to obtain.

Old Green had joined the army during the war between the Lodin Kingdom and the Saladin Kingdom. After earning some military merit, he had gained the favor of a certain Formal Knight, who passed the Breathing Method on to Old Green.

Although Old Green could no longer cultivate it, the Breathing Method itself was exceptionally precious. Aside from Old Green, only the baron and the captain of the guard possessed one in the entire territory.

Countless people throughout the baronial territory wished to curry favor with Old Green and obtain the Breathing Method's inheritance. Yet Green could receive it from Old Green without paying any price.

However, Old Green seemed to notice that this was the first time Green had cared so much about the Breathing Method. After walking ahead for a while, he suddenly said, "But if you're willing, I can teach you swordsmanship and archery in advance."

Green, who had been silently walking behind him, immediately lifted his head upon hearing Old Green's words.

"What? You'll teach me swordsmanship early? Yes, I'm willing. Of course I am." Green would naturally not refuse the chance to begin learning early.

Hearing Green agree, a faint smile appeared on Old Green's aged face. He did not say anything more, but his steps toward the carriage noticeably quickened.

After placing the purchased goods onto the carriage one by one, Old Green had Green sit in the back and continued driving the carriage toward the castle. The sound of hoofbeats rang out along the road once more.

Along the way, Green looked at the scenery outside the window, his thoughts churning. He knew that he was about to begin a completely new life. In this unfamiliar world, he had to learn to adapt, to survive, and to take control of his own fate.

In his previous life, Green had been willing to undergo a high-risk experiment in pursuit of knowledge and power.

In this world, Green likewise possessed the firm will to seek new power and knowledge.

"No matter what, only by becoming strong can I control my fate." Thinking of the knights in his memories who could split mountains and shatter rocks, Green clenched his fist and made up his mind. He had to gain power.

The carriage slowly rolled forward toward the castle's warehouse, where Green and Old Green lived.