In the first year of the Yulan Calendar on the Yulan Continent, a bolt of lightning streaked across the sky and struck a small town on the edge of the Yulan Empire. At the same time, a baby's cry rang out from a household in town, announcing the birth of a new life.
Five years passed in the blink of an eye, and the baby born amid the lightning had grown. Now he sat on a large rock like a little adult, a strange smile on his face. Beside him, a chubby little girl gave him a push and called in her babyish voice, "Big Brother, play with me!"
The little boy came back to his senses, jumped off the rock, and picked up the girl beside him, laughing. "All right, I'll play with you, Ling'er. Come on, let's go for a horse ride!" With that, he put her on his back and began to jog.
The little girl seemed to love it. She spread her little hands, her silvery laughter trailing all along the way.
"Andrew, you're running around with your sister on your back again. Be careful you don't fall!"
The two had just entered a small courtyard when a voice came from inside the house. Then a beautiful blonde woman in her twenties or thirties stepped out. Seeing the siblings, she spoke with equal parts affection and reproach.
The boy, Andrew, put his sister down. "Mom, I won't fall."
His little sister Ling'er chimed in beside him. "Big Brother runs fast and steady. He won't fall."
The blonde woman shook her head helplessly. "You two..."
"Janice, what have those two been up to?" Just then, a burly man over two meters tall walked in from outside and asked loudly.
The moment Ling'er saw him, she ran over. "Daddy!"
The burly man picked Ling'er up and lifted her over his head. "Ling'er, have you been good today? Did you miss Daddy?"
Ling'er spread her arms as though she were flying. "I've been the best girl, and I missed Daddy the most."
The burly man gave a hearty laugh. "That's my good daughter."
Janice took Andrew by the hand and stood to one side with a gentle smile, watching father and daughter play. Warmth filled the little courtyard.
After dinner, once his family was asleep, Andrew quietly went out into the courtyard alone. He gazed at the bright moon above, his little face full of complicated feelings.
I never thought I'd actually transmigrate into the world of Coiling Dragon. I really don't know whether this is good or bad!
As it turned out, Andrew was no ordinary boy, but a transmigrator from twenty-first-century Earth. Before transmigrating, he had also been a webnovel enthusiast, especially fond of Tomato's Coiling Dragon. People who enjoyed webnovels usually enjoyed indulging in fantasies as well. He, too, had once fantasized about transmigrating into the Coiling Dragon World, never imagining that his wish would actually come true.
When he first arrived, he had not known he was in the Coiling Dragon World. That had lasted until today, when his mother, Janice, began teaching him to read and told him about the continent as it was now. After hearing about the Yulan Continent, the Far East Prairie, the Chaotic Territory, and the Mountain Range of Magical Beasts, he finally confirmed that this was the Coiling Dragon World!
Since I'm here, I might as well settle in. I should set aside my previous life for now. Thinking about it any further would be pointless. Right now, I'd better think about what to do next.
It was not that Andrew had never missed home. His parents, relatives, and friends were still on Earth, but merely sitting there thinking about them was useless. It had taken him a full five years to gradually bury those memories deep in his heart and accept his present family and loved ones.
It's the first year of the Yulan Calendar, and the wars across the Yulan Continent have only just subsided. I've arrived at a fairly good time. According to Mother, we're on the edge of the Yulan Empire, with the Far East Prairie farther east. With the High Priest overseeing the Yulan Empire, no one would dare invade. In the short term, at least, my safety is reasonably assured.
After confirming that he had arrived in a world of magic, Andrew had felt a strong sense of insecurity. Only now, after establishing where he was, had that feeling eased slightly.
Without strength, nowhere is safe. My most pressing task is to figure out how to learn magic and battle qi.
Andrew set aside his other thoughts and began making plans. Magic flourished in the Yulan Empire, and its number of magi far exceeded that of other nations. Quite a few people here had an aptitude for magic. Andrew's current mother, Janice, for instance, was a fifth-rank Fire Element magus.
The most important thing now is to test my aptitude for magic, so I can decide my future path. Janice is a Fire Element magus, so she should be able to test whether I have an aptitude for Fire Element magic. Right, I must ask her to check tomorrow. As for whether I have any other aptitudes, that can wait. Besides magic, I should start training my body, too.
Andrew was extremely familiar with the story of Coiling Dragon, so he knew full well that both warriors and magi had to comprehend the Laws to become deities. However, it was not easy for someone who was solely a warrior or a magus to comprehend the Laws, while cultivating both magic and martial arts made becoming a deity easier. Take Linley's younger brother Wharton in Coiling Dragon: his aptitude as a warrior was undeniably high, but unfortunately, he had no aptitude for magic and could only choose to refine a divine spark.
Thus, Andrew settled on a path of cultivating both magic and martial arts.
In truth, Andrew was quite fortunate. In this life, his mother was a fifth-rank magus, while his father, Howard Lance, was a Sixth-level Warrior. With his father's aptitude, becoming a High-Level Warrior should not have been difficult. Unfortunately, Howard was a commoner and had no battle qi manual, so even after cultivating all this time, he remained only a Mid-Level Warrior.
A battle qi manual... That's a problem. Forget it, I'll think about that later.
In the Coiling Dragon World, battle qi manuals and magic incantations were the exclusive preserve of nobles. Ordinary families had no way to obtain them, and even being a transmigrator did not enable Andrew to change that. Fortunately, he was still young, only five years old. Once he grew stronger, he would have plenty of opportunities to seek those things out.
By then, more than half the night had passed, and Andrew was growing sleepy. He tidied up a little and carefully returned to his room.
Early the next morning, Andrew forced himself out of bed and went to train with his father, Howard. Howard was both surprised and delighted to see him.
"Boy, now that you're five, you're old enough to join the training. You look pretty excited."
Dressed in a short shirt and shorts, Andrew tilted his little face upward. "Of course! One day, I'm going to become a warrior as strong as you, Dad!"
Howard burst into delighted laughter. "Good! That's my son. You've got ambition! Come on, I'll teach you the Qi-Nurturing Stance. As long as you persevere, you'll become a Sixth-level Warrior sooner or later."
With that, father and son left the courtyard, one behind the other. By the window, Janice watched their retreating figures with both pride and heartache. She knew very well how arduous warrior training was. Only Ling'er remained tucked beneath her covers at home, drooling with her eyes closed and a sweet smile on her face, lost in some unknown happy dream.
When they reached the stream outside town, Howard's expression grew serious.
"Andrew, we're not nobles. We have neither battle qi manuals nor cultivation resources. If we want to grow stronger, we can only temper ourselves bit by bit. You're five now, old enough to bear the toll of conditioning your body. It's time you started training. Do you understand?"
Andrew nodded earnestly. "Don't worry, Dad. I'll keep tempering myself. I won't give up."
Seeing how obedient his son was, Howard felt gratified. "Very good. Now, follow my instructions and perform the most basic exercise, the Qi-Nurturing Stance. Spread your feet shoulder-width apart, bend your knees slightly, and hold your hands at your waist. That is the posture for the Qi-Nurturing Stance. Pay particular attention to this: while nurturing qi, focus your attention, keep your mind calm, and breathe naturally. Understood?"
Having lived two lives, Andrew had considerably greater soul strength, and he quickly entered the proper state. At that moment, he felt as though his body had vanished. Every breath made him feel fuller. The sensation was so wonderful that he could not help losing himself in it.
After watching for a long while, Howard looked astonished. Andrew's state was precisely what appeared when the Qi-Nurturing Stance reached its deepest level. Though the stance was simple and easy to learn, it truly was the simplest and most effective way to train the body, the accumulated experience of countless generations. Unlike a battle qi manual, the Qi-Nurturing Stance could not produce battle qi. However, it could help people absorb the essence of heaven and earth and strengthen their bodies. Practiced to its utmost, it could grant the strength of a Sixth-level Warrior through the body alone.
Howard had practiced the Qi-Nurturing Stance for more than twenty years without stopping through summer or winter. With his considerable talent, he had brought it to its pinnacle and knew it inside out. At a glance, he could tell that Andrew's state was a sign of advanced mastery of the stance. As Andrew's father, he naturally knew that today was his child's first encounter with cultivation. This discovery filled him with surprise and joy.
Could this be the legendary cultivation genius? It took me twenty years to enter this state, but he did it in a single morning! If the person before me weren't my son, I'm afraid even I would feel jealous.
Howard muttered to himself, then stepped aside to avoid disturbing Andrew.
Time passed quickly. As the sun climbed higher, Andrew emerged from that elusive state. He took stock of himself and swung his fists hard, feeling his entire body brimming with strength, as though he could overturn a mountain.
Howard stepped forward and caught hold of him. "All right, it's getting late. We need to head back. Janice is still waiting for us at home."
Andrew struggled a few times but could not budge Howard's large hand in the slightest. At last, he snapped out of his earlier illusion. Seeing this, Howard released him.
"Dad, why was I like that just now?" Andrew thought for a moment, then asked.
Howard smiled. "That's normal. It was your first time cultivating, and you entered a meditative state. The results were far beyond expectations, and your strength increased considerably. Right after finishing cultivation, your state of mind was still unsettled, which gave you that illusion. It'll be fine in the future."
Andrew gave an "Oh" and asked no more. The two returned home in silence.