Chapter 1: Arrival

Boom!

As a series of blinding lightning bolts tore through the sky over the city of Atlanta, the entire metropolis of millions was bathed in a bluish hue. Torrential rain began to pour down, instantly shrouding the entire city in a veil of fine raindrops. Thunder roared continuously, shaking the heavens and earth with deafening claps.

In a narrow, dark alley in the southern part of Atlanta, a pale-faced young man stood by a puddle, staring blankly at the unfamiliar face reflected in the water.

André: Citizen of the USA, sixteen years old, also known as André Lee Wildenstein, a mixed-race student at Linden Academy in Atlanta, and a Level 3 Magus Swordsman. His father, Li Chunchu, is deceased, and his mother, Elena Wildenstein, is also deceased. He is the nineteenth in line to inherit the Wildenstein family. Fifteen minutes ago, he suddenly died for unknown reasons.

Tao Ran: Originating from the realm of Yuanchong, he entered the Shenxiao Sect at the age of ten. Within half a month, he began guiding qi into his body; by thirteen, he had established his foundation; at sixteen, he attained the innate stage; at twenty-two, he merged the energies of dragon and tiger to form his golden core; and by thirty-seven, he had reached the nascent soul stage. At sixty-four, he achieved the grand ascension and was conferred the title of 'Immortal King of Shenxiao Wuji Zixu' by the Langya Celestial Empire. His accomplishments in the Dao were heralded by contemporary immortals as unprecedented and unmatched.

In the forty-seventh year of the Langya Celestial Empire's reign, a great demonic calamity arose in Yuanchong. Dragons and snakes emerged, causing chaos across the divine lands. As the leader of the Shenxiao Sect, he led the immortal sects in battle for twenty-four years, vanquishing numerous demons. In the decisive battle, he broke through the barrier of the heavens and ventured alone into the vast void, pursuing the Nine Heavens Desire Demon, Du Gutianyi.

Unfortunately, the outcome was not as desired. Though he ultimately slew the demon, he himself fell into a near-death state—

As these fragments of memories surged in his mind, Tao Ran gradually pieced them together. He couldn't help but feel a bit irritated, rubbing his temples as he looked up at this unfamiliar world.

It was a narrow alley, flanked by tall, blocky buildings. Bright lights shone from the windows, and neon signs flickered on the back doors of several shops not far away. Even under the cover of the stormy night, everything was clearly visible.

According to the memories of the body's original owner, this was the backstreet of the Atlanta Storm Stadium. He had come here today to participate in a competition—the comprehensive cold weapon combat tournament hosted by the NHSAA (National High School Athletic Association).

"What a strange world, with such rich spiritual energy?"

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

Especially when he tried to gather his magical power at his fingertips, only to be overwhelmed by a sense of weakness from his soul and a searing pain that felt like being torn apart.

After being reborn in this body, his soul was severely injured, and his true essence was depleted. It seemed impossible to return in the short term—

This clear thought emerged in Tao Ran's mind, causing his emotions to become exceedingly chaotic.

The Nine Heavens Desire Demon, Du Gutianyi, was dead, but his five subordinate demon gods remained and could still wreak havoc in the world. There were still traitors within his sect, controlling the core of their stronghold. Moreover, the current emperor of the Langya Celestial Empire had long been wary of the Shenxiao Sect, eager to eliminate them. Furthermore, the 'Tiandao Sect' in the south had emerged unscathed from the demonic calamity. After this disaster, they would undoubtedly covet the numerous spiritual veins in the central plains.

The great sect of the central plains, which had been passed down for 6,300 years and entrusted to him by his master, was now in grave danger, beset by internal and external troubles.

The torrential rain poured down, drenching Tao Ran from head to toe. It was early winter, and the cold wind was biting, yet the damp chill on his skin couldn't extinguish the burning turmoil in his chest or even slightly cool it down.

This was inner demons!

When these chaotic thoughts began to appear in his mind, Tao Ran realized this. His soul was severely injured, and the merging with André's residual soul had created a significant flaw in his almost perfect mental state.

If his mind were a city, then all the walls of this city were collapsing, allowing all kinds of demonic thoughts to come and go freely.

Understanding was one thing, but whether he could control and suppress these inner demons was another matter.

Tao Ran gritted his teeth, his fingers digging into his flesh. A trace of red appeared between his brows, spreading like a spider's web until it covered his entire face.

At this moment, someone slapped his shoulder heavily. "André, you damn fool, what are you doing here? Even if you want to calm down, you don't need to come out in the rain, do you? Do you know how crazy I've been looking for you?"

Tao Ran was startled, the light in his eyes gradually returning to clarity. The blood-red lines on his face quickly faded away.

When he turned around, he saw a fifteen or sixteen-year-old black boy with dark skin and natural curly hair, panting heavily behind him.

Instantly, memories of this person surfaced in Tao Ran's mind.

This was William Jack, a friend who lived in the same neighborhood as the original owner. Not only were they the same age, but they also attended the same school. With similar backgrounds, they quickly became inseparable friends after André transferred to Linden Academy.

Yet, for some reason, Tao Ran felt a slight annoyance rise in his heart, which was reflected in his expression.

"OK, OK! André, I know you don't like being called André."

William Jack raised his hands in a gesture of surrender. "Can we go back now? Your match is starting in less than five minutes. If you miss it again and forfeit, our Lady Louise will probably explode with anger."

"Louise? Louise Linden?"

Tao Ran found the name familiar and unconsciously muttered it. At the same time, a picture flashed in his mind.

A young girl with waterfall-like pale golden hair and almost flawless features, as exquisite and beautiful as a Barbie doll.

—Louise Linden, the sole direct heir of the Linden family in Atlanta, currently sixteen years old, a student at Linden Academy, and the president of both the student council and the cold weapon combat club.

"Who else could it be?"

William rolled his eyes and dragged his 'friend' forward. "André, you have no idea. Elena and John Richardson both suddenly said they were transferring schools just before the competition started and forfeited. Our club had nineteen individual matches today and lost fifteen of them. At this rate, we won't even have enough points to qualify for the team competition next semester. How do you think our lady feels about that? Linden Academy's ranking in all of America will hit rock bottom."

Tao Ran, still somewhat dazed, followed him. His mind was now filled with a flood of information.

NHSAA, or National High School Athletic Association, is an organization that includes tens of thousands of high schools across the USA. Its primary activity is hosting various sports leagues annually.

The two most popular events are mixed old steel (MOS, comprehensive cold weapon combat) and mixed martial arts (MMA, comprehensive unarmed combat).

In a world where magical energy flourished and various superpowered individuals were common, these two combat sports were the most popular worldwide. Their related events had the largest audiences.

The comprehensive cold weapon and unarmed combat tournaments hosted by the NHSAA were second only to the NCAA (National Collegiate Athletic Association) in terms of attention and scale in the USA.

For many private schools in America that pride themselves on having and nurturing more magus professionals, rankings and achievements in these two events were crucial—they affected their reputation, student enrollment, and government funding.

Louise Linden, not only the eldest daughter of the Linden family but also the future owner of Linden Academy, had chosen to attend Linden Academy over the four prestigious noble academies. Her mission was to reverse Linden Academy's recent decline in comprehensive cold weapon combat and secure a respectable ranking for the school.

"Your opponent this time is Ichabod Wood from Cardiga Academy. I heard he's already a Level 4 Magus Swordsman with excellent swordsmanship. Last year, when he was in the tenth grade, he reached the top sixty-four in Atlanta in the individual competition. Although luck played a part, he's undoubtedly stronger now after a year. So I don't expect you to win this match."

William Jack spoke with a wry smile as he continued, "But even if you lose, you absolutely cannot forfeit. No one in the club expects you to beat him, but if you dare to forfeit, I bet your scholarship is gone. Our lady Louise is looking for someone to vent her anger on. Hey, André, at least give me some reaction. Are you too nervous? Oh, shit!"

At that moment, a female voice broadcasted over the hallway speakers: "Match 5 on Channel P12, Ichabod Wood vs. André Lee Wildenstein, starting at 20:15—"

William stopped talking and dragged Tao Ran forward. The latter was still in a daze, overwhelmed by

 the flood of information from the original owner's memories. But Tao Ran thought it was better than being lost in his thoughts and having a mental breakdown.

When he came to his senses, he found himself in full armor, holding an unopened one-handed sword, being pushed into the ring by William Jack.

Opposite him stood a particularly burly figure, also in full armor with a face hidden behind a helmet. His eyes were fierce, with a hint of a sneer. "Hey! Boy, are you so scared of my name, Ichabod, that you're frozen? If so, you have one last chance to surrender and avoid some pain."