– So you’re leaving this place? Oh, a promising seed! Then I shall bestow upon you a stroke of good fortune.
For over an hour, Wang Feng had been sitting blankly on the wooden floor like a lost soul, still unable to believe the truth that he had transmigrated to a strange world—or more accurately, an otherworld—as this place was completely different from the Earth he had lived on for 22 years.
He recalled his last moments in his homeland, which were spent inside an ancient tomb. He had been traveling all over with an archaeological team, considered a young archaeologist, and had contributed significantly and received much praise on numerous occasions.
However, no one expected that this expedition to the ancient tomb would lead to such a major turning point. He had also received many warnings from others about the tomb’s strangeness. Many had given up halfway through due to the mysterious phenomena and inexplicable deaths, but he had ignored them, sealing his fate irrevocably.
– Hmph… This is a fortuitous encounter, a grand stroke of destiny, you hear, kid?
– Ugh… just let me think in peace.
The annoying chatterbox was a young boy who had emerged from a ring neatly worn on Wang Feng’s right index finger. It was also the item he had found inside the ancient tomb.
– …
The boy looked like a young monk, except his clothes were black. He seemed cute at first glance but was annoyingly talkative. Seeing Wang Feng’s apparent instability, he lost interest and retreated back into the black ring.
Wang Feng wasn’t suffering; he was precisely assessing the situation. He had no lingering attachments to his previous life, having been an orphan raised by monks in a temple. After growing up, he joined an archaeological team, doing odd jobs to get by, and had virtually no relatives from childhood to adulthood. It was simply that he was overwhelmed by the incredibly unbelievable truth of what existed in this world.
This world was extraordinarily vast, countless billions of times larger than Earth. And what fascinated Wang Feng the most was that cultivators and magic existed here, just like in the xianxia novels he used to read. There were also countless other special things, so much so that to learn everything, each person in this world had to study until they were 12 years old.
As for him, he had been reborn into a 15-year-old boy who was short-lived. This youth wasn’t a good-for-nothing from some prominent clan; his family background was utterly ordinary. He lived with his mother and an aunt from childhood, but his personality was utterly rotten, and his extravagance was unmatched. So much so that his mother and aunt had to work overtime tirelessly for over a month just to buy him an utterly worthless item.
Not only that, but his life in the academy involved forming cliques and being arrogant and self-important, until that fated day arrived, the day all who wished to become cultivators in this world had to undergo – the Awakening.
The first realm for cultivators in this world was the Awakening Realm. At the age of 12, people would get one chance to touch an Awakening Stone to awaken two things slumbering within their bodies: their innate attribute and their Guardian Spirit.
And the original owner of this body, also named Wang Feng, had awakened the Wood Element, which was considered the most common. His Guardian Spirit, moreover, manifested as a Green Light – only one rank above the lowest-ranked White Light. These two factors indicated that his future cultivation path would be difficult.
However, as long as the spiritual body (another prerequisite) hadn't awakened, there was still hope. But his past life refused to accept this truth, and furthermore, didn't want to make any effort, thus sinking deeper into bad habits and vices, causing his mother and aunt no small amount of distress on many occasions.
Ultimately, he was betrayed by a subordinate who provided false information, leading him to recklessly venture to this desolate temple to sign a pact with a Class A Tier 2 Battle Soul, only to suffer a backlash and die. Through some twist of fate, Vương Phong was reincarnated once more. And indeed, just as the young spirit boy had said earlier, this was a great heavenly opportunity for him, as his starting point was now too perfect – so much so that, according to the memories of this world's history from his past life, no one had ever achieved what he had.
Firstly, he arrived here due to the unintentional arrangement of a peak expert who had accidentally fallen to Earth – precisely the place of exploration. Knowing he wouldn't survive, that person left behind all their legacy and entrusted the young spirit boy, who was also the spirit artifact of the ring on his hand, to guard it, awaiting a fated individual. The way Vương Phong came to be here was by accidentally touching an awakening stone in the tomb, which resonated with that person's final divine ability.
Countless times, Vương Phong had dreamed of living in such a vibrant world. That's why he chose archaeology; he never expected it to actually come true one day.
Yet, those weren't the most important things…
– Why… why do I possess three elements within me?
– Hahaha, because the Master bestowed his elements upon you through a special legacy that he spent his entire life creating. That's all I remember. After all, billions of years have passed; I don't recall everything clearly.
– What about the other two attributes, then?
Vương Phong continued to ask, though inwardly he was still somewhat startled by the sheer age of the spirit boy before him. It had once explained that it had been sealed and fallen into a deep slumber, which was why it had survived until now, awaiting his arrival.
– One belongs to your past life, though its quality isn't high. The last one is your own; even I don't know its origin. However, I can guarantee that you are the most monstrous existence in this world, possessing three elements and three Guardian Spirits, and furthermore, you possess something incredibly precious…
– Precious? What is it…
Vương Phong's eyes shone with a brilliant light, because, typically, even a theoretical master would leave something special for their reluctant disciple, an ancient weapon, for instance.
– It's me, hahaha! The Primordial Spirit Artifact, invincible under heaven, looking down on all beings!
– …
– Hey, hey… are you even listening…?
With one hand, Vương Phong gathered a stream of dark green energy, brimming with vitality and an oddly fresh scent. His other hand held a brilliant radiance, seemingly capable of illuminating a vast space and penetrating all things.
First was the Wood element energy, of Common Wood Fifth Grade quality. Not only was it the lowest-ranked element, but its quality wasn't high either. However, it wasn't as if no Wood element experts had ever reached the peak of the world. And as for its quality, there was a chance for improvement, so for him, it wasn't a cause for concern.
The reason his past life detested it was because the Wood element leaned towards healing, leading most practitioners to become Priests later on. But his past life had always insisted on becoming a glorious frontline figure, with a majestic aura, and naturally refused to accept this.
As for the other path of light, it was the Light element, long lost on the continent. It occasionally appeared, but a ratio of one in a million was already considered extremely high. Its quality was even more astonishing. It didn't belong to the four basic qualities: Mortal, Spirit, Void, and True, but rather to a unique type of Anomalous Light that Master Wang Feng had coincidentally fused with inside an ancient treasure vault. It was called the Penetrating Divine Light. As for its functions or characteristics, he had no idea whatsoever. The little spirit only knew that much.
Finally, placing both hands together, he channeled his energy with full effort, and a cold, black stream of energy, symbolizing the Dark element, appeared. It wasn't an external coldness, but a trembling, fearful sensation from deep within the soul. Even Wang Feng, when he first summoned it, found it a little terrifying. However, he vaguely recalled from his memories that after sensing his impending death in his previous life, he seemed to have encountered this energy stream, and it had followed him here. It could be said that the Dark element and his Life Guardian were entirely for his sake that they came to this world. Not only were they familiar, but they were incredibly intimate, bound to him for life.
After a period of experimentation, Wang Feng suddenly spoke up.
"Hey, does having multiple affinities mean I can awaken a corresponding number of Life Guardians?"
"That's right. It's called the grace of the Heavenly Dao. Those who obtain such an opportunity are blessed by the Heavenly Dao."
"So, will the Life Guardian possess the same affinity as I do?"
"Wrong, it's random. It's just that you have unbelievably good luck, hogging all the benefits. If you can't repay the great debt to the old master, then I don't know what else to say."
"Of course, bestowing such great fortune upon me, I will certainly fulfill his wish. However, your memories of that incident have been sealed. For now, I must break through to sufficient strength before I'm qualified to know about it."
"Don't rush. Who knows how many years have passed? It's uncertain if the mastermind even still exists in this world. On behalf of the old master, I advise you to cultivate diligently and bring him honor; that will be enough."
"That's a given. But what exactly are you, a spirit artifact?"
"Yes, but my true form is simply a ring that the old master carried with him for a very long time, so much so that it gave birth to me, a spirit."
"So your functions aren't for combat, right?"
"Of course! How could I be so ordinary? My true form now possesses an immensely vast space, capable of holding living beings under absolutely optimal growth conditions. It's a pity that I hadn't reached this level back then, so the old master couldn't place living beings inside. Otherwise, you could now be the overlord of countless peak-level demonic beasts."
"No worries... I wanted to face challenges anyway. With you and three Life Guardians, what is there to fear about not becoming a mighty expert?"
"Good... I like those words. How can excessive ease create a peerless hero? Forge a path and be renowned throughout the lands!"
"Alright, forge a path and be renowned throughout the lands!"
At this moment, a firm voice echoed in Wang Feng's mind, making him smile happily. At least his beginning was far from lonely.