World's No. 1 Swordsman-Chapter 1: To the Wudang Mountains!

The rhythmic chirping of the cicadas filled the air.

The cabinet air conditioner did its best to cool the minimalist living room. Still, the heat lingered on the balcony, constantly attempting to regroup and launch another assault.

In front of the sofa, beside the coffee table, a not-so-broad back rose and fell in a steady rhythm.

Drops of sweat dripped down every part of his body while the cicadas outside kept a beat for him. A few simple workout tools lay next to the yoga mat, still marked with stains of drying sweat.

It was summer break. Being seventeen, he should have been hanging out with his buddies, holed up in internet cafés playing games, or lounging on the sofa near the air conditioner with his phone in hand, eating some snacks, and recklessly wasting away the last of his abundant youth...

But Wang Sheng didn't dare to do any of that. After all, in his previous life, he had wasted this exact summer in idleness.

In his previous life, he had achieved nothing until the day he died!

Now, the time left for preparation was running thin.

Getting to talk about "this life" and "the previous one" meant that he'd died and been reborn. There was nothing worth celebrating about that—only a bit of post-catastrophe relief and a renewed drive to push himself.

He had died at the age of thirty-one, killed in a chaotic battle between two gangs.

Ridiculously enough, Wang Sheng couldn't even identify who killed him. All he saw was a silver needle with a dragon carving flash across the edge of his vision. In the next moment, the needle had snuffed out his soul...

Just when he thought he was dead for good, he suddenly woke up from the endless darkness and found that he had returned to his seventeen-year-old self, back in that summer break.

The damn heavens finally showed me some mercy... he thought.

Wang Sheng knew that his death back then had been meaningless; it wouldn't have changed anything about that battle.

Years later, people like his former self—those who, after the resurgence of the primal qi of heaven and earth, had spent over a decade following cultivation methods found online but still couldn't move objects with their will or cast spells—could be picked off the streets like nothing.

This seemingly ordinary life is, in truth, nothing more than mediocrity... How pitiful...

But now, with this inexplicable regression, Wang Sheng firmly grasped the brush of fate.

Given a second chance, would he continue to blend into the crowd? Or would he spread his wings and rise with the wind?

The answer was obvious.

Buzz—

The phone on the coffee table suddenly lit up. The alarm set for 3:00 PM on July 14th had just begun to vibrate when he stopped the ringtone that would follow.

Wang Sheng looked up at the TV cabinet in front of him, where a calendar sat with the number 14 marked conspicuously in red marker.

Today, an event that would alter the course of human history was about to occur. He had been waiting for this exact moment ever since his regression.

For one, it would make or break a theory that he had been testing—if the event unfolded precisely as he remembered, he'd be sure that he had indeed regressed, and everything that had happened on that rainy night four months ago was not just a vivid dream.

He took a shallow breath and continued doing push-ups, his short hair already drenched in sweat.

The manned lunar spacecraft that would change everything would launch at 4:15:24 PM. This moment had been mentioned repeatedly in his past life; it was almost impossible for him to forget it.

Wang Sheng did a couple more reps.

"Four hundred fifty-one... Four hundred fifty-two..."

Feeling his arms growing sore and swollen, he sharply snapped up straight like a tightly coiled spring. He couldn't afford to waste his strength.

Clap!

He pressed his hands together, stood upright, and closed his eyes. He then took a deep breath and focused. Silently, he recited the basic mantra that was deeply ingrained in his mind and carefully sensed any changes in his body.

A few minutes later, he calmly opened his eyes, his sweat already dried by the cool air from the AC. As he had expected, there was no reaction. Forget sensing the Initial Essence of Truth—he couldn't even feel any of his meridians. There was only a slight tightness in his back due to the mantra's effect that slowly expelled impurities from his body.

At this time, Earth had not yet entered the initial stage of primal qi resurgence. Still, having lived through it once, Wang Sheng knew that in just over a year, primal qi in some remote mountains and forests would recover to a level that would allow ordinary people to start cultivating.

He turned on the TV and switched from the paid adult channel that his parents had watched last night to the most authoritative news channel in the Hua Republic. Afterward, he increased the volume just enough to hear better without disturbing the neighbors. He then grabbed some clothes and headed into the bathroom.

To change fate, he had to seize the opportunity first; the early bird would catch the worm. Otherwise, with his average talent, he would surely end up as cannon fodder on the path of immortality. He'd have regrets again in the upcoming era where the strong reigned and the weak submitted.

After four months of training, Wang Sheng, who had always been fond of exercise, had developed a noticeably toned physique. Strictly following the schedule that he had created, he had pushed himself to an inhuman level. He didn't allow himself to deviate even by a minute.

Wang Sheng knew he was already far behind those his age who had started cultivating earlier despite the absence of primal qi. He would have to make up for that difference with several times more sweat and effort.

He had to prepare his body for cultivation before the resurgence of the primal qi of heaven and earth!

To minimize the loss of primal yang qi, he had even formatted his hard drive, deleted folders buried deep in cloud-based storage, and deliberately avoided all physical contact with the blossoming teenage girls at school.

He had no other choice. Primal yang qi was important for male cultivators who had not yet completed the three foundational steps—the Breath Condensation Realm, Spirit Convergence Realm, and Seed Formation Realm.

He wouldn't be fazed even if Shen Qianlin—the senior he had secretly liked for two years and had recently saved—suddenly ran up to him and offered herself to him, wanting to start an incredible journey together!

Well, that wasn't entirely off the table. After all, he had already wasted plenty of primal yang qi before. Using a bit more wouldn't hurt. While listening to running water, Wang Sheng kept reviewing the plan that he had made last month based on his memories of the next decade. Even if his foundation was lacking, he was now standing on the same starting line as the so-called prodigies and cultivation geniuses from his previous life.

How could he not want to compete with them?

How could he not want to fight for his future?

The worst that could happen was dying once more in the chaos—what else was there to fear? He could just cautiously follow his original life path and carefully avoid his death at the age of thirty-one, but after that, what then?

Would he resign himself to being a mediocre cultivator, training through methods found on the internet and entrusting his life to the mercy of powerful immortals and their fleeting whims?!

No! Never again!

He slammed his fist onto the bathroom tile, the pain making him gasp sharply. Still, he couldn't help but grin.

The damn heavens had given him another chance. Ahead lay the Great Upheaval, the reemergence of the Immortal Dao—a time filled with limitless opportunities!

Wang Sheng was determined to live up to his name and make something of himself in this life! He now strived to ascend to the heavens, grasp the moon, boldly fight for the path, and laugh alongside the immortal heroes!

The first step to changing his fate was climbing the mountain!

When he exited the bathroom, he saw a live broadcast from a satellite launch base on the TV. Seeing the announced ignition time, he was confident that the Great Upheaval he knew of would come as scheduled.

There was no joy, let alone excitement. All he could feel was a slight ripple in his heart, similar to when he first realized he had regressed.

Wang Sheng didn't know how he could remain so calm. Even now, his emotions were only tinged with a faint reluctance to leave this home and a bit of guilt toward his parents.

He wandered around the house, his fingers tracing the patterns of the wallpaper. His nose stung slightly when he stopped in front of the wall covered in photos of him and his parents.

He had fallen short of his parents' hopes for him to graduate with flying colors, and now he was going up a mountain to become a Daoist. That would be hard for them to accept, wouldn't it?

Still, the resurgence of primal qi wouldn't make ordinary people's lives more exciting. If anything, it would only decrease their chances of survival.

Wang Sheng wanted to provide his parents with more protection and ensure that they could enjoy their retirement even though they couldn't cultivate. To achieve those goals, he had to stop clinging to the happiness of their family life.

He couldn't have all the good things in the world.

A cheer came from the TV in the living room. Wang Sheng turned and walked up to the TV, which now showed scenes of celebration at the launch tower.

The launch was a success.

The time was fixed exactly at 4:15 PM.

If his memories served him right, it was during this lunar mission that Chinese astronauts brought back a female corpse that did not decompose and six ancient celestial tablets from a deep crater on the moon's far side. However, they kept the discovery a secret from the world.

Wang Sheng didn't know why primal qi had suddenly returned to this world. Even decades later, it remained top secret—far beyond the knowledge of a small fry like him.

However, from various online rumors, it was definitely related to the Chinese scientists studying the female corpse.

"Forget it. It's too early to be considering these things."

With everything confirmed as unchanged and the incredible transformation of heaven and earth still on track, Wang Sheng couldn't let himself waste any more time at home.

He spaced out in front of the TV. By the time he snapped back, it was already a quarter past five.

It was time to go—to leave this warm little nest.

He returned to his bedroom, changed into a gray-and-white tracksuit, put on his favorite sneakers, and pulled out the suitcase that he had packed yesterday.

After confirming that he had his ID and checking the time of the evening bullet train ticket on his phone, Wang Sheng pushed the suitcase into the living room. He sat on a corner of the sofa and vacantly watched the dull interviews on the TV screen while quietly waiting for the door lock to click open.

When his parents returned, he would lay his cards on the table and reveal his true aspirations. If they disagreed, he would have to rely on his wisdom and determination to convince them.

Knock, knock, knock...

What's up with the weak knocking? Did the delivery guy get heatstroke?

"Coming," Wang Sheng replied lazily, stretching his arms. He habitually peeked through the peephole when he reached the door and frowned slightly.

Nice boobs—cough! Senior Sister?

Did modern-day beauties also sense when they were summoned?

He thought about her while showering, but he didn't say anything out loud. How did she end up knocking on his door?

From behind the door, the girl nervously and shakily muttered, "I-Is anyone home? I'm looking for... Wang Sheng...."