Chapter 1

In the darkness, he opened his eyes, with a ferocity and savagery akin to a beast. A flood of memories surged in, transforming into a low whisper.

"Yun... Luo, from now on, I am Yun Luo."

...

He heard the sound of the air conditioner's main unit, the rhythmic breathing and heartbeat of his new body, and saw the room in a grayish dimness. The blue indicator light of the laptop flickered on and off, and the hazy moonlight filtered through the glass windows, casting a corner of light. He also saw the countless stars in the night sky, shining brilliantly and splendidly, marking the summer of July.

Two sets of memories surged in his mind. The Yun Luo with only twenty-three years of memories could not withstand the impact of the man who had struggled for survival in the post-apocalyptic world for two hundred and thirty-seven years. Yun Luo's soul and will were mercilessly crushed, and the one who awoke, from soul to body, was him, now possessing all of Yun Luo's memories.

He reviewed Yun Luo's twenty-three years of memories, countless words, sounds, and images flooding his mind. He understood this peaceful and safe new world, where the air did not carry the strange radiation smell left by nuclear explosions in the post-apocalyptic world.

This was Earth, in the Jiangnan Province of Huaguo, in Xihu City. There were no eight billion zombies that devoured everything, no radiation clouds that seemed to always cover the sky, no mad new humans or mutants, no omnipresent terrifying viruses, no millions of bio-beasts roaring and howling, and no mutated plants that hunted all blood food.

Huaguo had not been at war for many years. There were all kinds of food that could make people eat until they were full, and one did not need to kill to be fed.

He liked this peaceful new world very much and sincerely thanked the Level 10 Zombie King in the post-apocalyptic world that had killed him.

...

Yun Luo's body was very weak, with no muscles and little strength, standing at 1.7 meters tall. He was very dissatisfied with these aspects. Coming from the post-apocalyptic world, he needed the security brought by great strength. He remembered the cultivation technique inscribed on a broken stele he had dug out from the ruins of a temple—the Nine Heavens Star Sword Technique with Intangible Sword Qi.

In the post-apocalyptic world, having strength meant having everything—food, water, weapons, women...

He stood in front of the glass windows, intangible starlight falling on his body. Closing his eyes, he recalled the cultivation method of the first level of the Nine Heavens Star Sword Technique with Intangible Sword Qi.

Nine movements, nine hand seals, nine true words—those who did not understand the language and writing of the post-apocalyptic world could not even begin to learn. Those who did not understand the culture of the post-apocalyptic world could not comprehend the cultivation techniques beyond the third level, let alone cultivate to the fourth level.

Bathed in the starlight, his body assumed a strange posture, his hands forming a hand seal, and he uttered a deep, growling true word. It seemed as if the stars were shedding a tree of clear light, and his skin faintly glowed with starlight.

Proud like the stars, lonely like the starlight, he grasped the dormant divine will that had slumbered for countless years. The nine movements, nine hand seals, and nine true words caused his body to undergo a wondrous transformation, as if he had transformed into light, assimilating and swallowing the starlight.

Countless stars and starlight, like a great river, poured into Yun Luo's body, thread by thread, continuous and unbroken, forcibly penetrating 108 meridians and 365 acupoints. The pain of being cut by knives and pierced by needles came from all over his body, but he remained indifferent.

He spat out several mouthfuls of black blood, and fresh red blood and gray impurities flowed from all his pores. His internal organs seemed to be torn apart, and his 206 bones seemed to be crushed, but he did not care.

The refined starlight traveled through Yun Luo's body like a sharp blade, finally forming a large, strange three-dimensional pattern, which, if seen clearly, resembled a map of the stars.

When the star map appeared, the flowing starlight underwent a subtle and indescribable change, transforming from starlight into a crystalline, warm energy form, which he called true force, meaning real power.

The first thread of true force was born, like the creation of a new world. Countless starlights transformed into true force, traveling through Yun Luo's body, repairing and nourishing the damaged flesh, muscles, and skin. He instinctively continued the nine movements, nine hand seals, and nine true words, swallowing and transforming countless starlights into his own.

The first level of the Nine Heavens Star Sword Technique with Intangible Sword Qi was completed. With a thought, an intangible starlight sword appeared before him, three feet and three inches long, with an ancient and simple form, faintly glowing with starlight. With another thought, the starlight sword dissipated.

The first-level starlight sword was still just a form, capable of being commanded to fly slowly within about ten steps, with a destructive power similar to a wooden sword, lasting about three minutes. To wield the starlight sword in battle, one needed to reach the fourth level of the Nine Heavens Star Sword Technique with Intangible Sword Qi, and to completely conceal the starlight, one needed to reach the seventh level.

He smiled slightly. With the vast mental power accumulated over 237 years, he used the boundless starlight to complete the entry of the Nine Heavens Star Sword Technique with Intangible Sword Qi, catching up to the cultivation progress he had achieved in 103 days in the post-apocalyptic world, and achieving it in a new world. The sense of accomplishment made him somewhat joyful.

Cultivation should be done in moderation. Stopping the movements, he took off his clothes, went to the bathroom to shower, and after feeling refreshed, cleaned up the blood and other substances on the ground, then went to sleep.

...

Earth and the post-apocalyptic world were different. He did not know that when the first thread of true force appeared, an intangible wave emanated from Yun Luo's body. He felt the wave but did not pay much attention to it. The true force wave was captured by a mysterious instrument in the deepest part of the Xihu City National Security Bureau base, triggering a sharp alarm!

"Quickly notify the Baxia people! A new Evolver has awakened, and the area is in the high education zone!"

"The third Evolver this year. Any available National Security team can go to help and form a good relationship."

"Be quick to act, or you'll miss out. Baxia would have lost the Evolver last time if not for our National Security agents. There are many organizations in the Black Domain that want to snatch Evolvers."

"Those bugs want to bite again. It's time for a cleansing."

Numerous voices exploded in the silent National Security base, and countless pieces of information were transmitted to various places. The forces behind the light of society in Jiangnan Province began to move, stirring up a storm.

...

He suddenly opened his eyes and listened. Gunshots echoed in the night!

At 3:19 AM, he sat up. The intuition he had developed from countless battles with strong opponents in the post-apocalyptic world told him that four Evolvers were coming, and one of them was emitting a faint malevolence.

He did not take the well-equipped National Security agents seriously; they could be killed easily, so why bother to care?

He did not expect Earth to have Evolvers. He recalled the mysterious and unfathomable abilities in the post-apocalyptic world—fierce fires burning 300,000 zombies, a valley over ten thousand meters long and a thousand meters deep created with a wave of the hand, and even Evolvers who could regenerate from a single piece of flesh.

The four Evolvers did not give him a sense of mortal threat, so he did not stay in the house. He silently disappeared into the night. To be safer in the new world, he needed to understand the true nature of the world. Capturing an Evolver for interrogation was a good idea.

...

A cold man with the codename Double-Tailed Scorpion quietly followed three Baxia Evolvers, waiting for the Awakened to appear. He was alone and needed to rely on Baxia and the National Security Bureau to search for the new Evolver. Double-Tailed Scorpion knew Baxia's style well; after finding the Awakened, they would engage in a lot of talk, giving him the opportunity to strike and capture the Awakened.

Double-Tailed Scorpion came from a gray organization, a loose alliance of Evolvers worldwide, which gave him the courage to compete with Baxia, the official Evolver organization of Huaguo. For every Awakened he found for the gray organization, he could receive a large reward. Accumulating 1,000 points would allow him to exchange for a set of初级秘武 (初级 means '初级' and 秘武 means 'secret weapon') that he had long dreamed of.

If he could not capture the Awakened, killing them was also an option, but there would be no reward and he would be scolded by the gray organization. However, no one would do something that harms others and oneself; there were some unspeakable benefits that he understood.

The gunshots just now were from National Security agents who had discovered a fugitive and shot them down.

Double-Tailed Scorpion was a Level 4 Evolver. Even though Baxia's three Evolvers included one Level 4 and two Level 3s, he did not take them seriously. His ability was a thirteen-minute time limit for creating two identical bodies, each with two-thirds of his original combat power. He would not die unless both bodies were killed simultaneously.

The gray organization had the most powerful intelligence system in the Black Domain, and Double-Tailed Scorpion knew the identities and abilities of Baxia's three Evolvers—one could control fire and form curved blades, one could manifest illusions, and one could detect energy. Of course, Double-Tailed Scorpion also believed that the Level 4 fire Evolver knew his background.

Trained as the top assassin, Double-Tailed Scorpion followed Baxia's three Evolvers and the scattered National Security agents like a shadow, and no one noticed his presence.

Double-Tailed Scorpion felt a slight sense of pride. Searching for an Awakened was not easy; finding the person in a sea of people sometimes required luck. Of course, an Evolver was easiest to detect when they first awakened. If he could not find the Awakened tonight, the search in the area would continue for half a month.

...

He stood in the shadow of a building, quietly watching the three Evolvers pass by, and the one emitting a faint malevolence approaching him. His heart stopped, and his breathing ceased, becoming part of the shadow. He immediately saw through Double-Tailed Scorpion's stealth style and knew that he would pass by him in one minute and seventeen seconds.

True force, like threads, surrounded him, distorting space. Double-Tailed Scorpion took one step, two steps, three steps, and arrived at the predetermined location, not a hair out of place. The more skilled one was, the more such compulsive behavior they had.

In complete silence, he struck. True force exploded, and his right hand moved as fast as lightning, tapping Double-Tailed Scorpion's back three times. True force spun like needles, piercing into Double-Tailed Scorpion's body, exploding and disrupting his strength, causing him to lose control of his body for one second.

He dragged Double-Tailed Scorpion away. The strength brought by the first level of the Nine Heavens Star Sword Technique with Intangible Sword Qi was used to perfection, without wasting a single bit of power, capturing a Level 4 Evolver.

Baxia's three Evolvers and dozens of National Security agents continued to search the high education zone, looking for the Awakened, gradually moving away. The moonlight fell, and it was slightly cool.

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