Chapter 1: The Journey Begins: An Unfamiliar World

Sword Qi Continent, Lower Realm.

This is a world where only the strong are respected.

Cultivation here means defying fate, where all living beings search for the secret to immortality—risking everything to step onto the legendary Divine Path, hoping to reach the Sword God Realm!

The journey along the Divine Path is a death trap—almost no one survives!

Succeed, and you become a Sword God. Fail, and you turn to dust.

No matter what you do, all efforts can end in regret along the Divine Path. Even those at the Demi-God Realm, just a step below Sword God, can’t cross this chasm—it’s an unshakable fear in everyone’s heart.

If you make it to the Demi-God Realm, there’s still hope. But if you can’t even reach it, it means death. Nothing more for all eternity—no reincarnation.

Those who fail become nothing more than nourishment on the Divine Path.

Many powerful cultivators, even when their life is almost over, spend every last breath just trying to qualify for the Divine Path, only to end their days gazing upon it in regret.

……………..

Sky Sword City.

Here stands a mighty spiritual mountain, towering proudly skyward—Sky Sword Mountain.

Jade towers and fairy pavilions line the peak, rainbows stretch through the sky, birds sing in unison—truly a paradise for cultivators.

At the foot of the largest peak, a sprawling courtyard seemed to cover the entire mountain.

A plaque hung above the entrance, boldly inscribed: Gu Residence.

Painful cries filled the courtyard.

In a main hall, a crimson coffin was set up. Inside lay a handsome young man clad in blue, surrounded by mourners in white mourning robes.

Nearby, a gentle-faced woman burned paper offerings, her eyes fixed on the coffin. She choked up, “Oh, my son—how could you leave us like this? What are we supposed to do now?”

Her name was Shen Yue.

Just then, a gentle breeze stirred through the yard.

A young girl appeared, her jet-black hair flowing like silk, slender brows arching gracefully, her bright eyes shining like stars and moon.

Her delicate features glowed with youth—small nose, rosy cheeks, lips like cherries, skin smooth as snow. She moved with an easy, ethereal grace.

She rushed forward and wrapped her arms around the weeping woman, her eyes red. “Mother, Brother wouldn’t want to see us this heartbroken.”

This was Gu Qingxiao.

Shen Yue glanced thoughtfully at Gu Qingxiao.

Wiping tears from the corner of her eye, Shen Yue swallowed back a sob. “You’re right. He wouldn’t want us like this.”

“Let’s get some rest then, Mother,” Gu Qingxiao said gently, comforting her.

Shen Yue hesitated then agreed softly. “Alright, let’s rest for now.”

She stroked Gu Qingxiao’s slender hand with care. The pair soon walked off hand in hand, their figures slowly fading away.

………………

Deep into the night, an unnerving silence hung in the air.

Only the distant chorus of insects could be heard.

A long time passed.

Suddenly, the coffin trembled.

Inside, Gu Qingyi—the man in blue—opened his eyes wide, staring at the coffin lid above him.

Fury and shock hit him all at once.

With a loud crash, he smashed the coffin lid to pieces with a single kick.

Gu Qingyi climbed out, looking around in confusion. “Where am I? Wasn’t I just at home gaming…?” He glanced down at the crimson coffin.

“What the hell, why am I in a coffin?” His temper flared. He scanned these unfamiliar surroundings. “Whoever thought this was funny is dead meat once I find them! Putting me in a coffin? I’ll beat the crap out of you!”

A servant pointed in his direction, voice trembling, “A-a-a—a corpse! Ghost!” Panic exploded as everyone scattered and bolted.

“Run! Run for your lives—a ghost!” The Gu family servants, who’d been fighting off drowsiness just moments earlier, stared in horror. Some collapsed on the spot, fainting dead away.

“Hurry—go tell the madam what’s happened here!” A burly, imposing man barked, though he too didn’t seem certain what to do.

“R-right, we’ll leave it to you, Captain.” Seeing the brawny man appear, the servants felt a little less afraid and quickly fled.

“My back is killing me from lying in that thing.” Gu Qingyi jumped down from the coffin, cracking his joints.

The burly man shouted, “Let’s see who dares play tricks on the Young Master of the Gu family! Show yourself!” His name was Gu Wei, head of the Gu family guards.

Before Gu Qingyi could even react, Gu Wei lunged forward, sword in hand.

But the next instant, a mysterious force clamped around the blade—a barrier he could not break through.

Gu Qingyi, still fuming about this tasteless prank, only noticed the sword at the last second.

His instincts kicked in. He caught the blade, swept his sleeve forcefully, and barked, “Get lost!”

With a loud thud, Gu Wei flew through the air like a broken kite, slamming into the wall.

Gu Qingyi stared at his hands, bewildered. “What the… Did I do that? Am I in some kind of sci-fi movie?” It was as if he’d gained superhuman strength.

“Y-you’re not… a ghost?” Gu Wei, blood trickling from his lips, struggled to his feet, pointing shakily at Gu Qingyi.

“Ghost? Do I look dead to you? Name a jumping ghost that casts a shadow!” Gu Qingyi waved him off in irritation.

“Amazing! I knew the Young Master wouldn’t die that easily!” Gu Wei slapped his forehead, realizing how right that sounded. Suddenly overjoyed, he tried to hug Gu Qingyi.

“Keep your distance!” Gu Qingyi squirmed, trying to push off Gu Wei’s tight embrace.

…………..

A huge crowd rushed in, drawn by the commotion.

“Thank heavens, Young Master is alive! We always knew you’d pull through!” The crowd froze in shock and then broke into tears, running to crowd around Gu Qingyi.

“Let us check—are you hurt anywhere, Young Master?” They pressed in, sandwiching Gu Qingyi in the middle, faces ecstatic.

“Don’t crowd me!” Gu Qingyi wheezed, almost out of air.

“My son, you’re alive!” Shen Yue charged forward, hugging Gu Qingyi as she sobbed uncontrollably.

Gu Qingyi scowled at Shen Yue, confused. “Son? Where even is this? Why am I here?”

“I’m your mother! This is the Gu family!” Shen Yue felt his forehead, shocked. “You… you’ve forgotten everything?”

“Mother? Gu family?” Gu Qingyi thought hard, then suddenly a flood of unfamiliar memories crashed into his mind. “Argh… my head is going to explode!” He dropped to his knees, clutching his skull in agony.

“Son, what is it—are you alright? Are you sick?” Shen Yue quickly supported him, hands shaking, at a loss for what to do.

Through these strange memories, Gu Qingyi pieced together the truth: this was the Sword Qi Continent, where strength was everything.

The stronger you were, the more others listened. The weak were less than grass.

The original owner of this body was also named Gu Qingyi—just like him. Somehow, he’d wound up inside this world by mistake.

In Sky Sword City, the original Gu Qingyi’s talent was unmatched, crushing all the other prodigies and putting immense pressure on them.

He had a freakish constitution and always made a spectacle of himself, suppressing the geniuses of every rival faction. He didn’t hold back.

Years of this drew endless grudges from other sects.

While others struggled for years just to reach the next level, Gu Qingyi advanced in leaps, leaving everyone else gnashing their teeth in envy.

On his very first days of training, he already broke through a level every three days. In spars, he showed terrifying talent, defeating enemies several grades above his own, turning the whole continent’s geniuses into his enemies.

……………………

Every major power knew the score. “If this kid isn’t eliminated, our geniuses will be forever overshadowed.” The top brass from each sect met, agreeing: Gu Qingyi had to be eradicated—the greatest threat to their interests.

An elder of the Sky Sword Sect suggested, “Let’s strike while Gu Qingyi is in the middle of his Sword Sea Realm breakthrough—his powers are unstable. Let’s send a squad of Sword Kings to assassinate him. What do you all say?”

The crowd nodded. “That’s sensible—we agree.”

“The Vast Sea Sect agrees.”

“Heavenfire Gate agrees.”

“Ten Thousand Beast Sect agrees.”

“Azure Profound Sect agrees.”

The Sky Sword Sect elder grinned. “Very well! Since everyone agrees, let me declare—our joint operation to assassinate Gu Qingyi begins now! My own disciples will lead the assault.”

………………..

Somewhere atop a cliff—

“Will advancing so fast wreck my foundation? Eh, whatever!” Gu Qingyi had just broken into the Sword Sea Realm and paused, worried. But after a moment, he continued to steady his cultivation.

Meanwhile, the alliance of top sects moved out. Their leader: Zhi Yin, a core disciple from Sky Sword Sect.

Under Zhi Yin’s command,

they finally tracked Gu Qingyi down at the edge of a remote cliff—after exhausting themselves to the brink.

“Finally found you, brat. You’re a tough one to catch! You kept burrowing away—took all our effort just to corner you.” Zhi Yin’s face twisted into a fiendish grin, his laughter chilling the blood.

“We searched every inch of Sword Qi Continent, yet here you are,” he sneered, eyes full of malice like he would eat Gu Qingyi alive.

“It’s just like they say: worn-out shoes, but I stumbled right into you!” Zhi Yin covered his face, staring at Gu Qingyi. “Not that it matters anymore.”

“You have nowhere left to run. Give yourself up quietly.”

“Struggling is pointless. You’ll only end up suffering more—just kneel and accept your fate.”

“Bow down, beg for mercy, and maybe we’ll spare you a whole corpse—if we’re in a good mood! Hahaha!”

“But you won’t, will you? As a genius with your own pride, you’ll never yield!”

“You actually think you still have a chance? That you can slip out of our grasp?”

“You’re wrong. All hope is gone for you.”

“We’re powerful, we’re invincible! You’re surrounded, driven to the edge.”

“There’s no path left—except towards death!”

“Kneel now, brat. This is your last chance. Or else, we’ll act.”

“We’ll carve your throat open, drive a sword through your heart, kill you slow and painful until you vanish in despair!”

“That’s your fate. That’s how you end.” Zhi Yin licked his knife, eyes hungrily scanning Gu Qingyi.

………………..

“Who the hell do you think you are? You want me to surrender?” Gu Qingyi swept his icy gaze over the mob, entirely unfazed.

Zhi Yin just smirked. “Back when you were strong, maybe we wouldn’t dare, but look at the forty-plus Sword Kings behind me! You’re only a Sword Sea now—you really think you match us?”

Gu Qingyi met his sneers with a cold look. “Less talk. Let’s find out right now!”

Someone in the mob jabbed a finger at him. “Arrogant brat! You’d better be ready—the hard way’s coming!”

“Warned you! Since you refuse advice, let’s get on with it!” Zhi Yin glared.

The rest chimed in. “Don’t blame us for your death. This many Sword Kings sent after you—you should’ve played it low-key in your next life!”

Gu Qingyi stared them down, not flinching. He chuckled, “I have a sword called Skydome. All who’ve faced it died. Consider it your honor to become ghosts under my blade!”

“Insolent whelp!” The crowd burst into motion, vicious and deadly. Blades flashed, whips snapped—every move aiming to kill.

But Gu Qingyi just smiled coldly, charging headlong into their midst. Blades and swords clashed, sharp metallic rings echoing in the night.

In an instant, his blade howled like lightning and thunder, blazing with fearsome Sword Qi. Sparks exploded everywhere.

The golden blade gleamed under the moon, painting a dazzling arc. Gu Qingyi raced between enemies like lightning, striking true with each blow—every thrust finding its mark. In a heartbeat, lives ended.

In one sweep, he cut down several Sword Kings, their bodies splitting in two, heads rolling away.

“Impossible—how are you this strong?” More corpses littered the ground. The survivors recoiled in terror.

“It’s the Skydome Sword! Be careful!” One recognized the blade, a chill running through his heart.

Zhi Yin roared, “Useless fools! Come, all of you—charge with me!”

Even after this, Zhi Yin saw that none of his men could beat Gu Qingyi. He shook his head. “Didn’t think I’d have to step in personally.”

“Fine, I’ll see just how capable this so-called genius really is!” He lunged at Gu Qingyi.

Their battle was brutal; blades everywhere, the earth trembling, the cliff splitting in two.

In mere moments, corpses covered the ground, rubble everywhere—a scene of utter carnage.

Blood soaked the earth, shattered weapons glittering under the moon.

Finally, thanks to Zhi Yin’s sneak attack—not even Gu Qingyi’s monstrous talent could hold out against overwhelming numbers and higher realms.

Gu Qingyi glared at Zhi Yin, roaring in fury, “Coward! You ambushed me! I haven’t reached the supreme realm—not yet… I won’t give in!” Then his eyes rolled back. He died, unwilling to go.

“If not for Zhi Yin’s ambush…” The survivors couldn’t help but shudder, barely escaping death. Gu Qingyi had almost killed them all.

“We would’ve been buried here today if he’d reached a higher level. Given more time, we’d have no way to stop him!”

“What good is genius if you die young? A prodigy before maturity might as well be trash!” Zhi Yin spat at Gu Qingyi’s corpse, giving it a vicious kick.

He wiped the blood off, turned, and ordered, “Enough talking. Clean up this mess—now!”

The survivors obeyed and quickly cleared the battlefield. As they were about to move Gu Qingyi’s corpse, a voice stopped them.

“Wait!” Zhi Yin’s sinister smile curled as he eyed Gu Qingyi’s body. “Dump his corpse at the Gu family’s gates. What rare mercy I have today, hahahaha!”

At his command, the team handled things accordingly, then left.

………………….

Meanwhile, the Gu Qingyi from the 21st century was just an ordinary young man.

He’d spent years studying hard, poor as dirt, only to fail his college entrance exam—ended up at a regular college.

For three years there, he mostly went through the motions. Most friends just hung around the dorm all day.

Unlike some people off dating and enjoying life, he kept to a simple, unremarkable routine.

Time flew; in a blink, graduation arrived.

But unlike many, Gu Qingyi had never been one to push himself to extremes.

At graduation, he realized the career fair didn’t even have jobs for his major—three years wasted. He went job hunting, looking for anything relevant.

Every interviewer started by asking, “So, do you have three years’ experience?” Or it was some pay-for-work scam.

Suddenly, a phrase he kept seeing online popped into his head.

“Living frugally, using bargain smartphones through high school, bargain laptops in college.”

“On the street I’m a nobody, in life I’m just an NPC. Swore to leave my hometown one day.”

“Ten years of schooling for a college degree, graduate, get a cheap car, manage to find a partner who’s only so-so, piece together enough for a tiny apartment.”

“Literally have to sell everything just to have a child. Every conversation has to be started by someone else. Every time I try to speak, I get ignored. Want to explore, but never have the money.”

“Just repeat meaningless tasks, telling myself I’d become a dark horse, only to find the script already written from the start.”

“Life—the birth of a failure. Never mock the poor, whether young, middle-aged, or old—those who suffer most open doors for others. Better to let go of dignity and enjoy being shameless than to break your back for nothing.”

Out in the real world, everyone around him was hustling for the next step.

If the future’s already set in stone, why go crazy trying to change it?

Sometimes, just accepting things as they are is its own kind of living.

He thought life would stay this bland forever—free and easy.

Until one day, everything changed.

Because of a single game, the gears of fate began to spin. His new life in another world was just beginning.

【Sword Qi Continent Realm Rankings: Ordinary Person, Sword Practitioner Realm, Sword Qi Realm, Sword Sea Realm, Sword King Realm, Sword Emperor Realm, Sword Saint Realm, (Demi-God Realm), Sword God Realm】

【No one has ever reached the Demi-God Realm—it’s been forgotten. Demi-God, or False God, is detailed in the Ancient Inheritance Scrolls.】

【Lifespans: Ordinary Person 100 years, Sword Practitioner 300, Sword Qi 600, Sword Sea 900, Sword King 1500, Sword Emperor 3000, Sword Saint 9000, Demi-God & Sword God—life tied to the heavens, immortal!】