That smile

Chapter 11: That smile

Zaner relentlessly employed the Digital Shade Gu as if there were no tomorrow.

In his previous life, there was a saying: "Information is power," and he wholeheartedly embraced this notion. Up until now, Zaner had been at his weakest because he lacked crucial knowledge about this new world. But now, he he...

Minutes slipped away like seconds, hours blurred together, and time flowed like water. Yet he continued to consume all the information he could gather, meticulously digesting it piece by piece.

"Oh... okay, now it all makes sense," he thought. He had always been wondering where exactly he was in the Gu world.

The Gu world is divided into five major regions: Southern Border, Western Desert, Northern Plains, Eastern Sea, and Central Continent. Their names denote their general directions within the Gu world, with the Northern Plains being in the north, the Southern Border in the south, and so on.

The continent into which Zaner had transmigrated was, as he had anticipated, the Southern Border. He had already surmised this upon first seeing the bamboo houses, but he hadn't been completely sure.

"Hmm... interesting. I've been transmigrated into the Southern Border—is this just a coincidence or..." His thoughts trailed off as he pondered the implications.

Let's set aside the question of "where" for a moment and focus on "when." "Well, at least I'm not in one of those 'Born to Die' eras," Zaner sighed in relief upon seeing the date. In this current time, there were no living Venerables. It was the era immediately following the Paradise Earth Immortal Venerable—not just after, but *just* after.

"This is good," he thought. "I'm so fortunate not to have transmigrated during the Spectral Soul era, the pre-Primordial Origin era, or the Great Love's era.

If I had, I might have been killed and eaten—especially with my innocent soul—or fed to beasts and turned into cultivation material, or even enslaved by variant humans."

He realized that while there were both advantages and disadvantages to this era, it didn't guarantee his safety or success. Just because he wasn't in those perilous times didn't mean he would be alive and well in this one.

No matter the era, the Gu world has always remained a brutal and unforgiving place—a butchering hell where only the strongest can survive and thrive. The weak are nothing more than prey for the strong, fodder in the relentless pursuit of power.

"I need to get stronger if I don't want to die," Zaner thought to himself, a flicker of determination igniting in his eyes. "If I were powerful right now, I wouldn't have to live in fear, constantly haunted by the specter of death."

"Okay, now let's consider the clan," he mused. The clan he currently belonged to was the Ren Clan, an upper-middle-sized clan in the Southern Border. "Huh... strange," he pondered aloud. "Why does transmigration always place me in a middle or lower-sized clan? Is this merely a coincidence, or some unwritten law of transmigration?"

There were two clans on Zorian Mountain: the Ren Clan and the Du Clan. Both boasted histories spanning no less than eight hundred years. As the saying goes, *'One mountain cannot hold two tigers.'*

The Ren Clan and the Du Clan had always been in a bitter relationship, engaged in a perpetual cold war. Yet, despite the deep-seated animosity and lingering hostility, they had never engaged in an actual war.

"Why is that?" he wondered. "Because of some incident in their history." At some point, the Ren and Du Clans had worked together toward a common goal. Perhaps a greater threat had forced them to set aside their differences.

"Hmm... everything bad has some good points to it," he reflected. "Shit... this has healed my heart a little, which was broken after seeing those lifeless rank 4 Gu. I didn't think I would ever feel happy because of the death of my Gu worms."

Zorian Mountain hadn't always been the land of two tigers. Once, an even more ferocious beast had roamed these lands.

The clans had been living not-so-peacefully until rumors began to spread that the ferocious beast was actually a demonic creature. The whispers turned into accepted truths as time went on. Then, the two tigers—the clans—along with a saint, fought against and eventually caged the demonic beast.

"Interesting... there's not a single piece of information about that saint," he noted with intrigue. "Who was the one that helped these tigers 'defeat' that bloody beast? The beast must have been truly terrifying to force these rival clans to unite."

"Interesting... so interesting," he repeated, a spark of curiosity igniting within him. "Am I the same Zaner who found history damn boring in my previous life, or is this history just different?"

A wide smile appeared on his calm and cold face. "I always used to complain about the sudden character changes of transmigrators, and here I am... undergoing one myself."

"Lets leave it for now, I will see it later," he concentrated his mind in other information.

"Wait, what?! Nineteen? Really?" he exclaimed, his eyebrows shooting up in disbelief.

"I am the clan leader of the Ren Clan, an upper middle-sized clan of the Southern Border. My original name is Ren Meng, and I'm only 19 years old! Only nineteen, and I've already achieved Rank 4 middle-stage cultivation? Isn't this the level of a once-in-a-thousand-years genius?"

Zaner wasn't overreacting—not in the slightest. Achieving Rank 4—no, Rank 4 middle stage!—at an age below twenty was truly beyond extraordinary. It was the kind of prodigy that legends spoke of, the type of genius that reshaped destinies and altered the fabric of the Gu world.

But even after that damnation talent, he is dead, replaced by me.

"But how did he die?, there must be a reason and the thing that could kill such a talented Gu masters", he murmured, his curiosity piqued.

"Zorian Mountain... three clans, clan leader, mysterious defeat of the third clan, most talented clan leader, Ren Meng..... I wonder what does the future have for me, or what will achieve in the future......?"

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Authors Thought:

Please at least comment yarr, I get the feeling that no one is reading my damn story, 

But no worry, I will write even If I am the last one reading, cause I love it.