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In the year 2110, in a forbidden area on the rear slopes of Mount Wudang, an old man with white hair and a youthful face was engrossed in a book. One could only wonder which ancient classic had him so enraptured.
"I have cultivated for so many years that I can recite most of the ancients' books backward. Yet I have lived several hundred years in vain, unable to advance an inch. These modern novels, on the other hand, are quite imaginative. They depict mortals attaining the stature of gods; that may well be a path worth trying.
"Let me make a few changes so I can cultivate it."
Zhang Sanfeng, whose given name was Junbao: no one knew that Zhang Sanfeng, the founding patriarch of Taiji, had remained in seclusion cultivating to this day. But he had felt unable to break through for a long time. With nothing to occupy him, he had taken to studying modern online fantasy novels, and the authors' enormously wild imaginations had left him feeling inspired.
So, in pursuit of a breakthrough, he decided to draw on some of the theories in those novels and modify a martial art suited to his own cultivation.
Zhang Sanfeng had never been one to be bound by rules. The martial arts of the ancients had been created by people too, so why couldn't modern people create good cultivation techniques?
Just then, he felt a strange summons descend upon him from distant space and time. He slowly closed his eyes, and as his soul drifted away with the summons, Zhang Sanfeng felt himself surrounded by chaos. All he left behind was a novel-Swallowed Star!
After an unknown amount of time, space and time twisted ceaselessly before his eyes. Like a Reincarnation Passage, it sucked him in, ultimately casting him into the body of a teenager.
"Zhang Junbao, answer the question. Give us an account of the major events of the 'Great Nirvana Period'!" In the classroom, the teacher was furious at the sight of Zhang Junbao sleeping with his head on his desk!
In today's society, dangers lurked everywhere beyond the Base Cities. Countless human martyrs had fought monster beasts to the death in the wild so ordinary people could live in peace.
As a result, students now worked exceptionally hard. None of them frittered away their days chatting and shooting the breeze, playing games or reading novels.
And yet today, in his history class, a student was actually sleeping!
It was an insult to him, to all the fighters battling in the Wilderness Zone, and to the human martyrs of the Great Nirvana Period.
So, as his teacher, Li Xinmin decided to have Zhang Junbao revisit history!
Only by reading history could one clarify one's aspirations!
"Zhang Junbao?
"Who is calling me?" Zhang Sanfeng slowly woke, faintly hearing someone call his name.
"Junbao, why are you sleeping in class? Were you too tired from training yesterday? Get up, quick. Teacher Li wants you to describe the major events of the Great Nirvana Period!" Luo Feng, who sat at the desk in front of him, kindly reminded him.
He and Zhang Junbao had trained together yesterday. Luo Feng thought Junbao probably hadn't been able to keep up with the intensity of his training and had worn himself out.
"Hm?" At that moment, Zhang Junbao suddenly felt a flood of information pour into his mind. It was now the year 2156. In the early twenty-second century, several viral influenza outbreaks had occurred around the world in succession, from the type S virus in 2103 to influenza A in 2109.
The most frightening had been the R Virus, which had broken out thirty-three years ago and swept across the globe, infecting hundreds of millions. Over the course of several years, the virus had continued to mutate. Finally, thirty years ago, its most terrifying variant had emerged, known as the RR Virus. It had swept across the world, and animals had eventually mutated into monster beasts of astonishing strength.
True powerhouses had also appeared among humanity. Yet after the Great Nirvana, only five major powers remained on Earth: Huaxia, India, America, the European Union, and Soviet Russia.
At that critical moment, the Earth United Alliance had been established with the five powers at its core. Only after years of fighting had the many human safe bases of today been built.
"My head hurts. Who am I? Where am I?" Zhang Junbao felt as though he had dreamed for hundreds of years. The two sets of memories continuously merged, finally becoming one.
"Zhang Junbao, you still won't get up? Do you know that you can sit here and study in peace only because countless martial artists out there paid for it with their lives? And you still don't know how to cherish it!" With that, Teacher Li Xinmin looked at him with the frustration of one who wanted iron to become steel, and the chalk in his hand shot toward Zhang Junbao at a tricky angle.
"Hidden weapon? Someone's ambushing me!" Zhang Junbao, who had merged with all the memories, finally came to his senses, only to see a "hidden weapon" shooting toward him.
As a martial arts grandmaster, how could he possibly be hit by such a simple hidden-weapon attack? Zhang Junbao's hands traced a graceful arc through the air, and the chalk the teacher had fired was guided by his hands straight back the way it had come.
Li Xinmin was caught off guard. He had never expected that the chalk he had fired with the strength of an advanced martial arts school student would be sent straight back by Zhang Junbao, an intermediate student, striking him right between the eyebrows.
The moment the chalk collided with his brow, Li Xinmin felt the threat of death. Fortunately, Zhang Junbao had no intention of killing him and had used less than a tenth of his strength. And as an advanced martial arts school student, Teacher Li Xinmin was in quite good physical condition.
In the end, the chalk could not withstand their combined force and shattered into powder, scattering through the air and coating Teacher Li's face in white. He looked just like an amusement park clown, utterly ridiculous.
Seeing their teacher suddenly turn into a clown, the whole class laughed without sparing his feelings.
"Junbao, how-how did you catch the teacher's chalk?" Luo Feng was startled by his classmate. As an advanced martial arts school student himself, he naturally knew how much force and speed Teacher Li had put into that chalk. An ordinary intermediate student definitely couldn't have caught it, let alone sent it straight back and shattered it into powder.
"You're Luo Feng?"
Zhang Junbao looked at the classmate before him with a strange expression.
"I, your Daoist-cough, I just saw someone attack me and struck back on instinct. A natural reaction, a natural reaction. Don't be surprised!" Zhang Junbao had already merged the two men's memories, so he naturally understood the situation.
It was just that the soul of Zhang Junbao, the student who had originally inhabited this body, had vanished without a trace. Now Zhang Sanfeng occupied the body and had merged with his memories, but he hadn't yet adapted.
"Zhang! Jun! Bao!
"How dare you attack your teacher! I see you don't want to attend class anymore!"
Having had his face covered in chalk by his own student, Li Xinmin, already displeased, grew even angrier. He leaped up and threw a punch at Zhang Junbao. He was going to teach this hateful student a proper lesson.
But as soon as his fist arrived, Zhang Junbao easily dodged it with a sidestep. At some point, Zhang Junbao's hand had caught Teacher Li's fist. Following the direction of the punch, he gave it a gentle push and tripped him. Teacher Li's whole body flew out, hurtling toward the students behind him.
Zhang Haobai, who had been waiting to watch the show, had never expected this. All he had wanted was to see Luo Feng's friend get taught a lesson by the teacher. It would have been even more perfect if Luo Feng had gotten a lesson along with him.
Who would have thought that, by some means unknown to him, Zhang Junbao would send the teacher flying toward him?
With his skills as an advanced student, he could have dodged. But he had stood at the very front to watch the show, and in that moment of inattention, he had an intimate encounter with Teacher Li's cheek, leaving his own face covered in chalk as well.
"Whoa, Zhang, you're in trouble!" Only then did Wei Wen, who was standing nearby, react. He grabbed Zhang Junbao and tried to run.
"Trying to leave? Not so easily!" Zhang Haobai had been struck for no reason. With his temper, how could he possibly swallow that!
Besides, the teacher was right beside him. Zhang Junbao had slept in class and even attacked the teacher. As long as he handled this properly, even if Luo Feng's friend wasn't forced to leave school, he would at least receive a major disciplinary demerit.
As one of the school's only three advanced student trainees, Zhang Haobai had wanted to get even every moment since Luo Feng had beaten him up not long ago. He even hated the people around Luo Feng.
How could he pass up such a good opportunity?
"Sorry, classmate. I didn't notice you were behind me. Were you getting ready to ambush me?" Zhang Junbao had noticed Zhang Haobai from the start. With his experience, how could he fail to pay attention to his surroundings during a fight?
All the other students, apart from Luo Feng, who was ready to intervene at any moment, had moved away early on. Zhang Haobai alone had sneaked behind Zhang Junbao; one look was enough to tell he was up to no good.
"Zhang Junbao, stop playing dumb! You dared to attack a teacher. Just wait to be expelled!" At that moment, Teacher Li Xinmin finally climbed to his feet. He still hadn't recovered from his shock.
He truly couldn't understand how, with his skills as an advanced student, Zhang Junbao had managed to grab his arm and send him flying with a gentle push.
"That's right, Teacher Li. Zhang Junbao has no respect for his elders and actually attacked his teacher first. Let's work together to subdue him, take him to the principal's office, and have him expelled!" How could Zhang Haobai miss this opportunity? Eager to make matters worse, he wanted to seize Zhang Junbao himself, so he could force Luo Feng to act.
As long as Luo Feng made a move, he would have a way to drag him into it too. Once both were expelled, he would see how Luo Feng, that boy from a poor family, could still compete with him.
And he would be helping the teacher discipline a disobedient student, earning himself a good reputation to boot. He truly admired his own cleverness!
"Zhang Haobai, what are you trying to do? Stop talking nonsense!
"Teacher, Junbao was just too tired from training yesterday and accidentally fell asleep in class. He absolutely didn't mean any disrespect to you. Hurry up and apologize to the teacher, Junbao!"
Luo Feng explained anxiously. He didn't have many friends. Wei Wen was one, and Zhang Junbao, who sat behind him, was another, so Luo Feng didn't want anything to happen to them. He hoped that, for the sake of his standing as an advanced student, the teacher would let the matter be reduced to something minor.
Zhang Junbao glanced at Luo Feng, a little surprised. There was truly nothing to fault about the way the boy treated his friends. Someone who dared to stand up for him at a time like this was a true friend.
Wei Wen wasn't bad either. Though he couldn't get a word in, he stood silently behind him in support, and had even tried to pull him away to run just now.
Not wanting to let down his two friends' goodwill, Zhang Junbao didn't let his temper get the better of him. Sleeping in class was disrespectful to one's elders, whether in his own era or in modern times, so he naturally wouldn't put on airs and defend himself.
"Teacher Li, I'm very sorry. Sleeping in class was my fault. Please forgive me. My attack just now was an instinctive reaction. I haven't yet gotten proper control of my body's strength, and I'm willing to apologize for any offense I caused." Zhang Junbao apologized sincerely.
Although his soul was already several hundred years old, right was right and wrong was wrong. He would never use his age to lord it over others.
His Dao heart was clear; he wouldn't feel that he had lost face over such a small matter. Besides, no one knew he was no longer the original Zhang Junbao, and he didn't want to be hauled away and studied as a monster.
"This..." Teacher Li hesitated. Although being hit by his own student was humiliating, judging by what had just happened, Zhang Junbao's strength seemed to have improved, making him somewhat wary.
And Zhang Junbao had admitted his mistake with a very good attitude. What was more, the genius student Luo Feng was speaking up for him. To be honest, he could still punish him, but if he kept pressing the matter, he might offend Luo Feng.
The other teachers had long coveted Luo Feng, hoping he would transfer into their classes.
"Teacher Li, you mustn't let their sweet talk fool you. Don't worry, my family certainly won't be stingy with the nutritional allowance for your injury this time! Subdue him and have the principal expel him!" Zhang Haobai gave Li Xinmin a meaningful look.
During this final year of high school, Li Xinmin had taken plenty of "nutritional allowances" from Zhang Haobai's family. That had kept him in a high position among the senior-year teachers and allowed him to teach this class with its two advanced students.
Li Xinmin hesitated, then gritted his teeth, a vicious look appearing in his eyes. Being counterattacked twice in a row by Zhang Junbao had already left him deeply displeased, and now Zhang Haobai had promised him even more nutritional allowances.
His future standing depended on this.
Although he might offend Luo Feng, there were only a little over two months left before the college entrance exam. Surely Luo Feng, with his poor background, couldn't switch to another class now. As for Zhang Junbao, he dismissed him. An ordinary student who likewise came from a poor family and had only an intermediate student's strength wasn't enough to make him wary.
Besides, Zhang Haobai, who also had the strength of an advanced student, was at his side. As long as Zhang Haobai held off Luo Feng if he tried to intervene, wouldn't subduing Zhang Junbao be easy? What had happened just now had merely been an accident.
"Zhang Junbao, do we have to make a move, or will you obediently surrender? Don't worry. If you can't make a living after you're expelled, your teacher can introduce you to a few jobs carrying bricks."
"Teacher, this is all a misunderstanding!" Luo Feng still wanted to persuade him. Once a fight broke out, it would be a disaster for students from poor families like them.
Unable to take the college entrance exam and without a university education, they could only spend their lives at the bottom, relying on manual labor. Becoming a bodyguard for a wealthy family might be the best fate they could hope for.
Unless they could break through and become martial artists. But becoming a martial artist required enormous resources and training, neither of which an expelled, impoverished student could obtain.
But Zhang Haobai feared that another round of persuasion from Luo Feng would make Li Xinmin back down again, so he simply struck first, attacking Zhang Junbao.
He didn't attack Luo Feng because Luo Feng hadn't joined the fight yet, and he didn't want to leave him an excuse to clear himself. Attacking Zhang Junbao was different. In his view, if Luo Feng didn't intervene, Zhang Junbao would lose a layer of skin even if he didn't die.
He couldn't beat Luo Feng, but could he really fail to beat Zhang Junbao, a mere intermediate student? If that were the case, he, Zhang Haobai, might as well stop showing his face at the martial arts school.
To kill a man, first crush his heart. Zhang Haobai's aim was to force Luo Feng to join the fight of his own accord, so he could have Luo Feng expelled along with Zhang Junbao openly and legitimately! As soon as Zhang Haobai moved, Li Xinmin came after him.
Seeing Zhang Haobai and Li Xinmin attack, Luo Feng wanted to intervene. He could stop two advanced students.
But just then, Zhang Junbao spoke. "Luo Feng, you don't need to act. Just watch!"
Zhang Junbao already understood the situation before him. Zhang Haobai was still too green to play tricks in front of him. Even his intention to force Luo Feng into acting had been seen through.
Luo Feng froze for a moment, looking at Zhang Junbao in disbelief. His friend, whose talent was usually ordinary, seemed like a different person today.
Zhang Haobai had planned everything well. Unfortunately, for all his careful calculations, he hadn't anticipated that the present Zhang Junbao was no longer the Zhang Junbao of old.
Facing the two men, Zhang Junbao smiled and traced circles in the air with both hands. His whole bearing gave the impression that he had merged with nature, leaving Luo Feng watching in something of a daze.
"Bang!"
In midair, two fists slammed together with a startling crash. But those two fists belonged to Zhang Haobai and Li Xinmin.
Weren't we attacking Zhang Junbao? How did we end up hitting each other?
Advanced students focused more on training their physical condition and practiced combat techniques relatively little. They were still at the stage of laying their foundations.
With that level of fighting ability, how could they gain any advantage against Zhang Junbao, a martial arts grandmaster?
P.S. New book: "Battle Through the Heavens: Xiao Yan Undercover." Please bookmark and follow it, and please support me.
Xiao Yan: "Teacher, we're surrounded."
Yao Lao: "Xiao Yan, you're an undercover agent!"
Xiao Yan: "Teacher, I'm actually a member of the Hun Clan. Jie jie jie..."
Yao Lao: "What a coincidence. I am Tian Zun Yao of the Hall of Souls. Jie jie jie..."
From then on, the Hall of Souls became the Hall of Medicine, and the Hun Clan became the Xiao Clan.