Entering A New World

Then, without warning, a faint screen flickered into existence before my eyes.

[Name: Michael]

[Title: Master of the Otherworldly Passage]

[Realm: None]

[Abilities: None]

[Treasures: None]

I staggered back, my mind reeling as a wave of information surged into my thoughts. I knew what this was. I understood it without knowing how.

This gate… it was not a dream. It was real.

A passage. A doorway to another world.

Not my body. But my consciousness. My mind could cross through, leaving this reality behind, if only for a short while.

I swallowed hard, my throat dry. It sounded impossible, but the knowledge burned inside me, undeniable and absolute.

There were limits. I could only use it for a short time. And once I did, the passage would seal itself, requiring an entire year to recharge.

I turned back to the gate, its brilliance almost too much to bear. My own reflection rippled across its surface—my face pale, my eyes shadowed with exhaustion.

This was it. The one thing—the only thing—that could change my fate.

If I did not use it, my path was already decided. The draft, the war, the near-certainty of death. I would be another nameless soldier, thrown against alien horrors until my luck ran out.

But this?

This was an escape. A chance, however small, however uncertain.

My hands trembled, but I clenched them into fists, forcing the fear down deep into the pit of my stomach. "I am not ready to die," I whispered, my voice steady. "If this is my one shot at survival, I have to take it."

I took a breath. Then another. Then, I spoke the words that would change everything.

"Travel into another world."

The gate pulsed, its radiant energy surging outward like a heartbeat. The air hummed louder, vibrations rattling through my bones. The space around me blurred.

Then, the world went black.

And I fell.

....

The world around me pulsed with heat and exertion. The heavy scent of sweat filled the air as hundreds of bare-chested disciples pounded their fists into the training dummies, their movements crisp and precise. Each strike sent shockwaves through the ground, a proof to their terrifying strength.

I stood at a distance, smaller than the others, my black robe hanging loosely over my frail frame. The other children around me, dressed the same, watched with wide eyes, their faces filled with awe and longing. Most of them were orphans, just like me—brought into the Iron Vein Sect after losing their families to beast raids. A twist of fate, a stroke of pity, had given us a place here.

But I wasn't like them.

Because I wasn't supposed to be here at all.

"I didn't expect this," I thought, my heart pounding in my chest. "I've been transported… into a world of martial arts."

A shiver ran down my spine as reality sank in. I wasn't Michael anymore. Not in the way I used to be. The name in my memories belonged to someone else—Xiao Huzi, a child whose life had been cut short before I took his place.

I clenched my fists, trying to steady myself. This world wasn't like my own. Here, warriors shattered stone with their bare hands. Here, the strong ruled, and the weak were crushed beneath their feet.

And me? I was nothing. Just a snotty brat.

A notification flickered at the edge of my vision.

[Name: Michael (Xiao Huzi)]

[Title: Master of the Otherworldly Passage]

[Realm: None]

[Bound Talent: Heaven-Defying Comprehension]

[Abilities: None]

[Treasures: None]

[Total Remaining Time: 25 years]

I inhaled sharply. Twenty-five years? That was all I had? It sounded like a long time, but in a world where warriors trained for decades just to step onto the path of true strength, it was nothing.

And Heaven-Defying Comprehension… what did that even mean?

Testing my senses, I focused on the disciples practicing their martial arts. I didn't know what I was expecting, but something inside me… shifted. My vision sharpened, my mind racing as I took in every movement. Their fists cut through the air, their footwork precise, their breath synchronized with the flow of energy coursing through their veins.

Then, suddenly, something clicked.

Countless memories of a particular martial art surfaced in my mind as if conjured from nothing. Yet, they didn't feel unfamiliar—instead, it was as though they had always been a part of me.

Before I could process it, another surge of memories appeared in my mind.

A spark of excitement ignited within me as technique after technique unfolded inside me like a book writing itself in real time. I could see them—each strike, each motion, each layer of energy compressed into devastating force.

"Molten Vein Cataclysm…" I whispered. The knowledge came to me in an instant. It was a technique that amplified power through continuous energy circulation, fusing heat into its strikes. By igniting internal energy pathways and layering force upon force, a single punch could erupt with strength far beyond the original technique.

Awe flooded my veins, but so did frustration.

"I can't even use it," I realized bitterly. I had no idea how to circulate energy, how to direct it through my body the way the disciples did. I was a newborn in this world of titans.

I turned my gaze back to the training disciples, watching them more closely. Their movements were powerful, yes, but there was something deeper beneath them. Something invisible.

And then it happened.

My vision sharpened, not just in clarity, but in depth. Suddenly, I could see it—the streams of energy coursing through their bodies, weaving through their muscles, flowing in harmony with their strikes. It was mesmerizing.

After watching for some time, a new wave of memories suddenly appeared in my mind. The memories told of a technique named-Ironflow Circulation Sutra. It wasn't just a set of instructions. It was a map, a revelation, a deeper understanding of something I had never known existed.

So this is internal energy… Qi.

I inhaled slowly, following the pathways laid out in the technique. My body was not just flesh and bone; it was a vast, intricate network of conduits.

Meridians.

They were the veins of my Qi, channels through which energy surged and flowed. There were twelve major meridians, the backbone of combat and cultivation, each one vital. But beneath them, like the countless roots of a great tree, were thousands of minor meridians, fine-tuning and distributing power with delicate precision.

I traced them in my mind, sensing the subtle, slumbering pulse of my own energy. The Yin and Yang meridians were like two opposing forces, yet they wove together in perfect balance. Each major meridian was paired—one Yin, one Yang—forming a duality that governed the body's energy. But beyond these lay something even deeper.

The Eight Extraordinary Vessels.

They weren't tied to a single organ like the twelve major meridians. Instead, they were reservoirs, hidden depths where Qi was stored and regulated.

They wove together in perfect balance. Each major meridian was paired—one Yin, one Yang—forming a duality that governed the body's energy. But beyond these lay something even deeper.

The Eight Extraordinary Vessels.

They weren't tied to a single organ like the twelve major meridians. Instead, they were reservoirs, hidden depths where Qi was stored and regulated.

These vessels are called Governing Vessel, Conception Vessel, Penetrating Vessel, Belt Vessel, Yin Heel Vessel, Yang Heel Vessel, Yin Linking Vessel, and Yang Linking Vessel.

There were also energy nodes (Acupoints) mentioned in the technique. Acupoints, are areas on the skin that have a high electrical conductivity and are connected to the internal organs. They are part of the meridian network, through which internal energy flows. These points were used in practices like acupuncture, acupressure, and martial arts to influence the body's energy balance, health, and vitality.

Each acupoint corresponded to a specific meridian and had unique effects based on its location and nature. There were as many as 2,000 acupuncture points present in the body.

And at the center of it all…

Dantian.

It was the main core reservoir of energy, effectively preventing energy from scattering. Dantian was located in the lower abdomen of the human body. All the energy was stored, refined, and distributed to the meridians from this central hub. It was also referred to as the "sea of Qi."

I took a slow, measured breath, steadying my thoughts. The disciples training before me were circulating their Qi, moving it through their meridians with practiced ease.

'Lets start practising according to the technique.'

I sat with my back straight, hands resting lightly near my abdomen. Around me, the other children chattered without restraint, their laughter ringing through the courtyard. Their voices blurred into nothingness as I closed my eyes and exhaled.

Darkness embraced me, but within it, I could feel something—something deeper than flesh, deeper than bone. My Dantian.

I visualized it, a glowing ember nestled deep in my core. Weak, fragile, barely more than a flicker. But I could change that.

With each breath, I drew in the natural energy around me. I imagined it flowing toward me like mist, invisible yet present, seeping into my skin, coiling inward, settling into the depths of my being. It was subtle at first, almost imperceptible, but the more I focused, the more tangible it became.

I exhaled slowly. My Dantian pulsed.

It stirred, like a beast waking from slumber.

Excitement flared in my chest, but I crushed it before it could break my concentration. Greed led to haste. Haste led to failure. I had no room for failure.

The technique's instructions unfolded in my mind, guiding me deeper. Refine. I commanded the gathered energy to compress, to shed its impurities, to become denser, richer. The ember within me flared ever so slightly, and warmth spread through my limbs.

Then, the next step.

I guided the refined energy downward, toward the Huiyin Point at the base of my body. From there, I led it upward, along my spine, through the Governing Vessel. The sensation was unlike anything I had ever known—like a stream of heat threading through my body, brushing past hidden gates.

The energy surged through the Mingmen at my lower back, Dazhui at the base of my neck, and at last, reached the very top of my head—Baihui.

For an instant, I felt as if I had touched the sky itself.

Then, the cycle completed. The energy descended down my front, merging once more with my Dantian.

I had done it.

A shuddering breath left me. My body felt strangely light, as though I were floating, yet at the same time, a sense of completeness settled within me. This is what it meant to cultivate.

Unbeknownst to me, someone was watching.