Chapter 3

I opened my eyes in an unfamiliar room, staring at the slowly revolving fan.

Wait.....fan?

Didn't I die and meet God and choose to reincarnate?

Ah. Well. Guess that was all a dream.

".Ansel ! Are you awake, you dumb log?"

Ansel? Wait. What's up with all these memories? Who is Lukas?

Oh so it wasn't a dream. Thank...God?

"Wake up Ansel ! What's taking you so long?" Someone was shouting, probably Lukas, Ansel's....my brother.

I managed to get up and with the help of Ansel's memories, got ready for school.

However, in this place schools were vastly different from Earth. Even though the technology of the place was same or even better than Earth, schools still taught compulsory martial arts or weapon arts like swords, bows, spears etc. Ansel was pretty good in swordfighting while Lukas was a natural archer.

Even with the presence of nuclear weapons and the like, people all over this world have resorted to the old ways of warfare. However, unlike the traditional sword and bow fights here they were vastly different due to presence of magic and cultivation realms.

Here cultivation had to do with elements. All energy present in the world were linked to any element for example fire, water and the like. The first stage of the cultivation known as the Preparation Realm or the Beginning Realm involved the assimilation of the natural energy present in the environment not belonging to any element also known as Prime Energy. All cultivation realms had 3 stages after which the cultivator would progress to the next realm.

The previous owner of this body, Ansel was a 3rd stage Preparation Realm cultivator. Now herein lies the problem.

I asked God for me to be more powerful than the most powerful person in this world. But in the cultivation world one simply cannot jump realms but I cannot choose to remain as a 3rd stage Preparation Realm cultivator either because the innate power hidden in me, one that is actually the power I was seeking for, one which was granted by God, one that I cannot touch in my current stage, will sooner or later consume my body. Then I will simply die. For the second time.

Aaaaaaaaaahhhhhhhhhhhhhhhh !!!!!!!!!!!

I screamed mentally for a long, long time while getting ready for school. Or rather The Trueborn Academy. Trueborn Academy is present in every corner of this world as it is controlled and maintained by the Trueborn Empire, which rules over this vast world, far bigger than Asia, America and Africa combined. And this is not even the entire world. It is just one corner of it, barely 5% approximately. The government or dynasties and clans, here, rule over this entire world known as the Xia Universe. The Trueborn Empire consists of the Trueborn Dynasty along with other clans which follow it. Similarly other Dynasties rule over other Empires, each comparable to the one I am currently residing in.

Even though this is a modern world with the Internet and whatnot, far surpassing Earth technology, everything now has been reverted to the style of the medieval times. Supposedly nuclear technology was developed millions of years ago and when the Empires were going at it with absolutely no regards to anything else, Nature decided to take matters into its own hands. One humongous natural disaster after another plagued the entire world, decimating trillions. People gradually began to revert back to the olden ways, while also assimilating modern technology helpful in maintaining and improving the general environment. As a result things began to settle down but humans, being humans, could never truly coexist nor could be the satisfied with the amount of power they currently had. So Nature provided these humans the means of settling disputes, fighting against other Empires, conquering lands, enslaving enemies, or even slaughtering their foes without the need to depend on things capable of devastating nature, The Art Of Cultivation with the help of the natural elements. Thus everything is now a whole lot of different than earth. You know it's kinda weird seeing this Sci-Fi stuff along with swords and what not.

As Lukas and I were going to school to learn to survive in this world, where killing your fellow schoolmates is not out of the question at all... I mean seriously, what's up with these kinds of societies in cultivation worlds?

Anyway, as I was trudging along to school, albeit a little unwillingly while also feeling a little excited.. somehow, I kept pondering on how long I had before disaster struck me and I died for the second time.

After reaching school and entering my classroom, I went to the seat Ansel always sat in. As soon as I sat down, I felt dizzy. Before I knew it I had dozed off.

I saw some vague memories, some hazy, some crystal clear. I wagered it was related to the power sealed in me. Soon I felt someone shaking my shoulders, urging me to wake up. I sat up and realised it was time for basic physical training. As the tons of students were gathering I realised that there was a body tempering cultivation method in my brain called something or the other.

Welp. Time to go become OP.

Hopefully before combusting.