Chapter 1 First Arrival

Boom!

As streaks of blinding lightning tore across the sky over Atlanta, the entire city of over ten million people was cast in a gloomy blue. Rain began to pour down in torrents, fine threads of rain instantly shrouding the whole city. The rumbling thunderclaps followed one after another, piercing clouds and splitting rocks, deafening and jarring.

In a narrow, dim alley in southern Atlanta, a pale-faced youth stood beside a puddle, staring blankly down at the unfamiliar face reflected in the water.

Li Mochen: Citizen of the Federated Republics of America, aged sixteen, also known as Andre Li Wiltonstein, mixed-race, current student at Atlanta Lyndon Academy, third-level magic swordsman. Father Li Chunchu (deceased), mother Elena Wiltonstein (deceased), ranked nineteenth in the line of succession of the Wiltonstein family. Fifteen minutes ago, died suddenly due to unknown causes.

Tao Ran: Born in the Primordial Dome Realm, entered the Divine Thunder Sect to cultivate the Dao at age ten; guided qi into the body half a month later; established foundation at thirteen; innate at sixteen; dragon-tiger confluence and condensed golden core at twenty-two; manifested nascent soul at thirty-seven; achieved Mahayana at sixty-four, and was ennobled by the Langya Celestial Dynasty with the title 'Divine Thunder Ultimate Void Purple Immortal King'. His Dao achievements were hailed by the immortals of the age as unprecedented and unlikely to be surpassed.

In the forty-seventh year of the Honghua era of the Langya Celestial Dynasty, the demonic calamity arose in the Primordial Dome Realm. Dragons and serpents stirred, the divine continent was in turmoil. As the leader of the Divine Thunder Sect, he commanded the immortal sects in battle for twenty-four years, slaying the demons. In the final battle, he broke through the dome of heaven and ventured alone into the boundless void, risking pursuit of the Nine Heavens Desire Demon, Dugu Tianyi.

Unfortunately, the outcome was not ideal. Though he ultimately slew the demon with great effort, he himself fell into a state of near mutual destruction—

As the fragments of memory surging in his mind were gradually sorted out by 'Tao Ran', he rubbed his temples with slight irritation, then raised his head to look at this unfamiliar world before him.

It was a narrow alley, flanked on both sides by square, blocky tall buildings. Bright light shone from the windows. From the back doors of a few nearby shops, colorful neon lights flickered. Thus, even under the cover of the stormy night, the place was still clearly visible.

According to the original owner's memory, this was the back street of Atlanta Storm Arena. He had come here today to participate in a competition—the Comprehensive Cold Weapon Fighting Tournament organized by the American NHSAA (National High School Athletic Association).

"Strange world, such dense primordial spirit?"

After a moment, the expression in Tao Ran's eyes became extraordinarily complex. Besides shock, there was more annoyance, regret, loss, unease, and even confusion.

Especially when he reached out a finger, trying to condense magical power at its tip, he was immediately engulfed by the weakness surging from his spirit soul and the excruciating pain of being torn to pieces.

After being reborn through borrowing a body, his spirit soul was severely wounded, his true essence was gone, and he might not be able to return for a long time—

This thought appeared with crystal clarity in Tao Ran's mind, making his heart extremely agitated.

The Nine Heavens Desire Demon Dugu Tianyi was dead, but his subordinate Five Sons Demon Gods still existed and could still wreak havoc on the human world. Within the sect, there were still traitors not yet eliminated, holding sway over the central hub of the mountain. Moreover, the current emperor of the Langya Celestial Dynasty was wary of the Divine Thunder Sect and had long desired to eradicate it. Additionally, the 'Heavenly Dao Sect' in the south had suffered almost no damage during the demonic calamity; after this calamity, they would inevitably covet the many spiritual veins of the Central Plains.

This Central Plains great sect, inherited for six thousand three hundred years and entrusted to him by his master, was now beset with internal and external troubles, riddled with holes, and in danger of having its lineage cut off.

The rain poured down in torrents, drenching Tao Ran from the outside in. It was early winter, and the wind was bitingly cold, yet the damp chill from his skin could not quench the heat in his chest, nor even cool it slightly.

This was a heart demon!

From the moment these tangled thoughts began to appear in his sea of consciousness, Tao Ran had already realized this. His spirit soul was severely wounded, and the fusion with Li Mochen's remnant soul had caused a huge flaw in his nearly perfect and leak-free state of mind.

If his mind were compared to a city, then all the walls of that city were in a state of collapse, allowing all kinds of demonic thoughts inside and outside to enter and exit freely.

But understanding was one thing; being able to control and suppress this heart demon was another.

Tao Ran gritted his teeth, his hands digging tightly into his flesh. Red lines began to appear on his brow, spreading like a spiderweb, quickly covering his entire face.

Just then, someone slapped him heavily on the shoulder: "Andre, you damn fool, what are you doing here? Even if you need to cool down, you don't have to come out and get soaked! Do you know I've been looking for you like crazy?"

Tao Ran was startled, the light in his eyes gradually clearing, and the red lines on his face quickly receded.

When he turned around, he saw a black youth of about fifteen or sixteen, with light black skin and naturally curly hair, standing behind him panting.

In an instant, memories of this person surged into Tao Ran's mind.

This was William Jacques, a friend who lived in the same neighborhood as the original body. He was the same age and attended the same school. With similar bloodlines, after Li Mochen transferred to Lyndon Academy, they quickly became inseparable friends.

Yet for some reason, a trace of displeasure rose in Tao Ran's heart, immediately showing on his face.

"OK, OK! Mochen, A-Mo! I know, you don't like me calling you Andre."

William Jacques raised his hands in a gesture of surrender: "Can you come back with me now? Your match starts in at most five minutes. If you forfeit again by being absent, our Miss Louise will probably blow her top."

"Louise? Louise Lyndon?"

Tao Ran felt the name was familiar and murmured involuntarily. At the same time, an image quickly flashed in his mind.

It was a girl with a waterfall of light golden hair, nearly flawless features, exquisitely beautiful like a Barbie doll.

—Louise Lyndon, the sole direct heir of the Atlanta Lyndon family, currently sixteen, a student at Lyndon Academy, serving as the school's student council president and president of the Cold Weapon Comprehensive Fighting Club.

"Which Louise else could it be?"

William rolled his eyes, then dragged his 'friend' inside: "A-Mo, you don't know, Elena and John Richardson suddenly said they were transferring schools just before the match started and forfeited. Our club had nineteen individual matches today and lost fifteen. At this rate, we won't be able to accumulate enough points for the team qualification tournament in the first half of next year. How can our大小姐 bear it? Lyndon Academy's ranking in all of America will hit rock bottom."

Tao Ran followed him dazedly, his mind now flooded with a mass of information.

NHSAA stands for National High School Athletic Association, an alliance of tens of thousands of high schools across America. Its main activity is organizing various sports league competitions each year.

The most watched are the mixed old steel (MOS) and mixed martial arts (MMA) categories.

—In this world where magic energy thrives and various ability users are prevalent, these two fighting sports are the number one sports in all countries worldwide, with the largest audiences for related events.

The comprehensive cold weapon and comprehensive unarmed fighting tournaments organized by the National High School Athletic Association are large-scale fighting events second only to the NCAA (National Collegiate Athletic Association) in terms of attention across America.

For the many private schools in America that pride themselves on having and cultivating more magic energy professionals, rankings and achievements in these two events are a matter of life and death—they relate to their reputation, student enrollment, and government funding.

And Louise Lyndon is not only the young lady of the Lyndon family but also the future owner of Lyndon Academy.

The reason she condescended to give up the four aristocratic academies where the children of the powerful gather and enroll in Lyndon Academy was precisely to shoulder the mission of reversing Lyndon Academy's recent decline in cold weapon comprehensive fighting and secure a reasonable ranking for the academy.

"Your opponent this time is Ichabod from Cardigan Academy. I've checked, he's already a fourth-level magic swordsman with superb swordsmanship. Last year, when he was in tenth grade, he made it to the top sixty-four in all of Atlanta in individual competition. Although there was some luck involved, a year has passed, and his strength must be even greater now. So I'm not optimistic about the outcome of this match."

William Jacques said with a wry smile: "But even if you lose, you absolutely cannot forfeit. No one in the club expects you to beat him, but if you dare to skip the match, I bet you can kiss your scholarship goodbye. Our Miss Louise is just looking for someone to vent on. Hey, hey, A-Mo, at least give some reaction. Why are you like a wooden dummy? Too nervous? OH, shit!"

Just then, a female broadcast sounded in the corridor they were walking through: "Platform 12, Match 5: Ichabod Wood vs. Andre Li Wiltonstein, starting at 20:15—"

William said no more, pulling Tao Ran forward at a sprint. The latter was still in a daze, the information surging from the original owner's memory overwhelming him. But Tao Ran thought this was good—it was better than letting his mind wander and falling into demonic possession.

By the time he came to, he was already wearing a full set of armor-like protective gear, holding an unsharpened single-handed sword, and had been pushed onto the platform by William Jacques.

Opposite him stood an exceptionally burly figure, also in protective gear, his face hidden behind a helmet. His gaze was fierce, tinged with a sneer: "Hey, BOY! Are you scared stiff by the name of Ichabod? If so, you still have one last chance—I allow you to surrender and admit defeat. That'll save you some pain."