Chapter 2

After a while, Tang Yan slowly woke up, still somewhat dazed, and remained呆呆地 leaning by the lakeside, digesting the nightmare-like reality and gradually accepting the memory fusion in his mind.

It took a full while for his consciousness to gradually recover. At this moment, he was surprised to find that the excruciating pain of ten thousand ants drilling into his heart was gone, and the feeling of fatigue had also vanished, leaving him filled with abundant strength. Moreover, a warm sensation was flowing through his meridians.

"This is... spiritual energy?" Tang Yan suddenly sat up, focused inward, and after a moment, his face showed surprise. All the chaotic meridians in his body were now unblocked, seemingly even widened. The thin energy flowed through the meridians, connecting various acupoints, like slow-moving vortices, linking the entire body's meridians.

This energy is spiritual energy!

Through the memories of this Tang Er, he learned that the martial arts system in this world is divided into nine realms: Warrior, Martial Master, Spirit Warrior, Spirit Master, Spirit King, Spirit Venerable, Spirit Saint, Spirit Emperor, and Spirit Overlord, each realm divided into three stages.

'Spiritual energy' is the foundation of all martial artists' cultivation, the source of power, and the basis for performing martial techniques.

A 'Warrior' is someone with strong physical abilities and astonishing explosive power, surpassing ordinary soldiers. The essential difference between a 'Martial Master' and a 'Warrior' is the ability to condense one's own spiritual energy and guide the flow of spiritual energy within the body to nourish the body and meridians.

Tang Yan followed the memories of this life to circulate the energy. Indeed, as expected, the spiritual energy accelerated, and the feeling of abundance became even stronger, making him feel incredibly comfortable all over.

"Should be... a First Stage Martial Master, right? I'm actually a Martial Master?" Tang Yan recalled the strange black threads and golden light in the abyss, and a sense of caution arose in his heart. He checked his body again, but found no abnormalities, only a vast green area in his dantian.

According to the genetic constitution of the Tang family, based on fire attributes, the dantian should be a warm red, but his dantian had turned green and was misty, making it impossible to see the inside.

Then, Tang Yan noticed faint green patterns on his wrists, resembling flames or water ripples, very light and almost imperceptible. He lightly touched them, but felt nothing special.

Circulating the spiritual energy to this area, the acupoints in his hands suddenly accelerated, like vortices crazily absorbing the spiritual energy. Then... pfft... faint flames appeared at the tips of his fingers.

The spiritual energy condensed and formed, a sign of a Third Stage Martial Master!

"What's going on?" Tang Yan was increasingly surprised. His spiritual energy was clearly at the First Stage Martial Master level, so how could he condense spiritual energy to appear at his fingertips? Was there some special change in his body, or was there a problem with the memories of this Tang Er?

But Tang Yan quickly dispersed the flames at his fingertips because the speed at which the acupoints in his hands devoured the spiritual energy was terrifying, far beyond what he could currently handle, as if it would drain him dry.

What exactly happened just now? Tang Yan was full of doubt, standing by the lake, staring at the clear, deep pond, searching for traces of the 'crack' and the abyss, but after much effort, he found nothing, as if the nightmare was just an illusion.

Trying again several times, he still found nothing. Tang Yan temporarily put it aside, got up from the pond, and curiously looked around. Ancient trees towered, branches lush and dense, with the faint sounds of beasts roaring and birds chirping echoing through the forest. The air was humid and warm, with a bit of white mist, like being in a tropical rainforest.

Arriving here in a daze, becoming a young master in a daze, and being killed and dumped at the bottom of the pond? Tang Yan tried to accept this bizarre reality but was surprised to find that he had no resistance.

The Divine Weeping Continent, nations in conflict, martial arts and techniques, survival of the fittest, extreme slaughter—wasn't this the life he had dreamed of?

Since he had no ties in his original world, why not live a carefree and bold life here?

Tang Yan enjoyed the pleasure brought by this mysterious event for a while, but was soon pulled back to reality.

Yang Ruyan, the third miss of the Yang family, with a beautiful face and astonishing talent, was the Yang family's beloved daughter and a genius student at 'Giant Elephant Academy,' and one of the few women Tang Yan had been trying to get his hands on. Unfortunately, Tang Er was a 'half-finished' product and a notorious playboy, and his persistent pursuit was seen as a disgrace by Yang Ruyan, leading to her and Li Shouze, the young master of the Li family, luring 'Tang Yan' to this place and killing him with a barrage of swords, leaving his body at the bottom of the lake.

"The most venomous are women's hearts; this is too vicious! And Li Shouze, I'll castrate you one day!" Tang Yan touched the wound on his chest that had unexpectedly healed, his eyes cold.

Long-term exploration of ancient tombs had made him frequently face life and death, not only making his willpower strong but also making his character ruthless and decisive. These two dogs wanted his life, so he couldn't let them off easily! This Tang Er was timid and fearful, but Tang Yan was fearless, a complete madman.

However...

Should he leave this place and wander the world freely, or continue as the second young master of the Tang family and adapt to this world?

After a brief hesitation, Tang Yan made his decision: stay!

With his weak strength, it was impossible to venture out alone and achieve anything. For now, he would rely on the identity of the second young master of the Tang family to gain some survival capital, and then decide whether to stay or leave based on the situation.

Tang Yan tidied his clothes and was about to leave when he noticed a white cloth fragment among the nearby rocks. He dug it out and found it was a woman's white dress, with some bloodstains on it.

If he guessed correctly, this should be Yang Ruyan's. She might have changed her clothes when handling Tang Yan's body, fearing discovery, and buried the old one here.

"Stupid woman, can't even hide things properly." Tang Yan pursed his lips, about to throw it away, but suddenly stopped, slowly spreading out the dress, a strange smile on his lips.

A bra?!

Hey, this girl even changed her bra.

Tang Yan took a deep breath, smelling the faint body scent, and laughed, stuffing it into his pocket and whistling towards the campsite.

The Enchanted Forest is vast, with powerful beasts roaming, including many super-strong beasts of levels five and six. Normally, only mercenaries and powerful 'Demon Hunters' would dare to enter.

Even during the biennial baptism ceremony, where various forces had to delve into the Enchanted Forest, they would generally follow pre-established routes to minimize the risk of beast attacks. Of course, all the young participants in the baptism were the future hope, and each academy would send powerful mentors to escort them. Moreover, any young men and women qualified for the baptism were already Third Stage Martial Masters, capable of self-preservation.

Tang Yan followed the route in his memory to find his way back, gradually digesting and sorting out the memories of Tang Er. Slowly, he deduced another reason why Yang Ruyan dared to act against him.

From the moment they entered the Enchanted Forest, the 'Giant Elephant Academy' team had been encountering difficulties, constantly attacked by beasts, mostly just wild animals, but in large numbers, causing significant trouble and slowing their progress.

Especially in the past three to four days, a thin mist had appeared nearby, almost causing the team to lose direction. Sensing the 'abnormality' behind the 'unusual,' the mentors decided to temporarily stop and wait for the mist to clear before continuing.

Yang Ruyan planned to use this chaos to eliminate him, and if questioned, she could blame it on the beasts.

However... was there another reason? After all, he was the young master of the Tang family, and Yang Ruyan was a shrewd woman. She wouldn't take such a risky step unless absolutely necessary.

"Dog lovers, no matter the reason, just wait and see!" Tang Yan coldly thought, walking towards the campsite with his hands in his pockets.

Ancient trees towered, green leaves shading the sky, and by the clear river, three carriages were parked, filled with trunks, tents, and food. Forty horned horses were lazily gathered around, some eating grass, others dozing.

Several young men and women in their twenties, dressed in neat white robes, were riding on a few of the horned horses, vigilantly patrolling the surroundings. The red elephant heads embroidered on their chests indicated their identity—mentors of the Giant Elephant Academy.

To become a mentor, the minimum requirement was to be a Third Stage Spirit Warrior! Compared to Martial Masters who could only control spiritual energy simply, Third Stage Spirit Warriors were already formidable.

By the river, groups of fifteen to sixteen-year-old boys and girls gathered, some meditating in silence, some whispering, and some discussing martial arts or interesting stories with the mentors.

"Jiang Yan?" A cry of surprise drew everyone's attention. Yang Ruyan's face turned pale, staring at Tang Yan as if she had seen a ghost.

Li Shouze was also startled, closing his eyes tightly to confirm he wasn't seeing things. Tang Yan? It's really Tang Yan! Wasn't he already dead at the bottom of the lake? How did he come back?

"Jiang Yan, you brat! Didn't I warn you not to leave the team for even a step? Where did you go?" A middle-aged man with thick eyebrows and a broad mouth shouted angrily. If Tang Yan didn't return soon, he would have to send people to look for him.

"Hehe, Mentor Ano, don't be angry. I was just talking with Sister Ruyan. She was afraid of causing a misunderstanding, so she left quickly, and I was left behind, almost getting lost." Tang Yan smiled and returned to the team, but his eyes never left Yang Ruyan.

Admiring and marveling, no wonder this Tang Er was so infatuated; she was indeed a beauty. Her face was exquisite and beautiful, her skin tender and fair, and though only fifteen, she was tall, with a slender waist and full chest, her white dress making her look even more pure and elegant.

If this were his original world, she would be even more charming than any other beauty.

"Who talked with you?!" Yang Ruyan's face turned cold, and she scolded sharply.

Oh! Even when blushing, she's so charming!

"Hey? Blushing? Who was just sweet-talking and kissing me?" Tang Yan casually pulled out the white bra from his pocket, twirling it on his finger, and put it to his nose, taking a deep breath before throwing it to Yang Ruyan. "Forgot to bring it? Find a place to change it quickly, don't want to expose yourself later."

Huh? The faces of the surrounding students immediately became strange and playful. That's... a bra? A white bra! There weren't many female students in the team, and even fewer wearing white.

Recalling that Yang Ruyan, Li Shouze, and Tang Yan had all left earlier, could it be...

Yang Ruyan instinctively reached for her chest, but noticing Tang Yan's mocking smile, she struggled to control her rage and said, "Tang Yan, if you dare to speak nonsense again, I'll cut out your tongue."

"Hehe, just a joke, don't get so worked up. I know what I am, why would Miss Yang look at me?" Tang Yan laughed self-deprecatingly, walked to the campfire, and without hesitation, picked up the roasted meat, tearing and swallowing it greedily. Whether it was because he was too hungry or the meat from this world was especially delicious, Tang Yan's eyes lit up after just two bites, and he devoured it ravenously.

"Good to know! If you dare to speak nonsense again, I won't let you off!" Yang Ruyan secretly breathed a sigh of relief and glared at Tang Yan.

But before she could sit down, Tang Yan's next words almost made everyone spit blood: "Next time you and Young Master Yang have a secret rendezvous, remember to clean up the scene. Don't lose such an important thing."

"Jiang Yan!!" Yang Ruyan and Li Shouze almost jumped up.

Everyone suddenly understood, their eyes becoming even more playful. No one would believe that Tang Yan and Yang Ruyan had a secret relationship. However... Yang Ruyan and Li Shouze had a good relationship, and their parents even intended to match them. Moreover, they had both left earlier.

Could it be...

They couldn't wait to get intimate?

"How can you do it and not take responsibility? Are you even a man?" Tang Yan glanced at Li Shouze, whose face was ashen, and continued to fight with the roasted chicken in his hand.

"You're asking for death..." Li Shouze drew his sword to charge, but was stopped by the students around him, who were trying to hold back their laughter and calm him down.

Yang Ruyan took a deep breath, forcing herself to calm down, and her gaze towards Tang Yan became colder. With the bra as evidence, her reputation was ruined! This bastard was indeed a menace; he had to be eliminated to ensure her peace.

"Huh? What's that look?" Tang Yan glanced at Yang Ruyan, suddenly realizing, "Are you really afraid Li Shouze won't want you? Don't worry, I don't mind. I'll talk to your father and marry you as a concubine."

"Pfft!" Finally, someone couldn't