Chapter 1: Great Yun, Year 404, a Great Drought Across the Land...
Chapter 1: Chapter 1: Great Yun, Year 404, a Great Drought Across the Land...
As Wu Chen regained consciousness, he quickly realized something was wrong.
His body didn’t ache with the excruciating pain he expected after being run over by a truck.
Instead, a wave of intense hunger washed over him, a raging fire searing his insides.
The searing pain of his own stomach acid was so intense that, in his weakened state, he nearly blacked out again.
"So hungry..." he mumbled, his voice frail.
Knowing he would starve to death if he didn’t eat soon, Wu Chen knew he had to do something.
With what little consciousness he had, he figured that after being hit by the car, some good Samaritan must have taken him to a hospital.
Wu Chen tried to get up, intending to ask a doctor for an IV drip to at least wet his throat.
But just then, a flood of memories surged from the depths of his mind:
The year 404 of the Great Yun Dynasty. A great drought in Qingzhou. The people flee south. Cannibalism is rampant...
These fragmented, unfamiliar memories pieced together one tragic scene after another in his mind, stunning him into a brief, blank-minded stupor.
But as he came to and processed these memories, no matter how stunned he was, he had no choice but to accept reality.
He had been hit by a car and transmigrated.
The world he’d arrived in was similar to the ancient feudal dynasties from the history books, but with one major addition: a glorious and magnificent path of Martial Arts.
Of course, none of that mattered to him now. He was just another refugee fleeing south, so starved he hadn’t had a proper meal in days.
If he wasn’t careful, he could end up on someone else’s dinner plate.
Along the way, he had even heard sinister rumors about the Northern Barbarians sacrificing to an Evil God, causing the refugees of Qingzhou to turn into monsters.
To say his situation was dire would be an understatement.
As the reality of his situation sank in, Wu Chen was at a loss for words.
’Couldn’t they have at least started me off with a bite to eat? I’m so hungry I’m seeing things!’
He squeezed his eyes shut, trying to banish the distorted, flickering images that he could only assume were caused by his extreme hunger:
[Long-Armed Fist Entry-Level Proficiency +1]
[Long-Armed Fist Entry-Level Proficiency +1]
[Long-Armed Fist...]
[Long-Armed Fist Entry-Level (26/50)]
Wu Chen didn’t examine it closely. He failed to notice that with every flicker of the illusory text, a sliver of his physical strength returned.
As the phantoms faded, his vision cleared, and he was finally able to see his surroundings.
His predecessor in this body had fainted from prolonged starvation.
Which meant Wu Chen was currently lying on the ground.
Just as he struggled to push himself up to continue his southward flight, the scene that met his eyes sent a chill down his spine and made him break out in a cold sweat.
He was surrounded by a dense crowd of people.
They were dressed in rags, their bodies as gaunt as withered trees, swaying as if they could collapse at any moment.
Like Wu Chen, they were all refugees fleeing the famine.
When Wu Chen had collapsed, hovering between life and death, this group of refugees—starving for who knew how long—had naturally swarmed over.
They stared down at Wu Chen, their eyes vacant and emotionless.
Their intentions were brutally self-evident.
DRIP! DRIP!
The refugees’ eyes, tinged green with hunger, were locked onto Wu Chen on the ground. Thick, foul-smelling drool trickled from the corners of their mouths.
Staring at the "food" on the ground, their stomachs rumbled like distant thunder—a joyous cheer before a feast.
Trapped in the center, Wu Chen’s face turned ashen. Hearing those sounds, he began to tremble uncontrollably.
He had never seen anything like this before!
Besides, these ghoulish refugees had probably eaten their fair share of "meat" on the road.
Tightly encircled with no escape, like a meal on a platter, Wu Chen saw no way out. His heart sank.
But before he could make a move, before he had any time to think of a way out, the surrounding refugees could no longer hold back.
Ravenous, they all bent down, reaching their twig-like hands toward Wu Chen on the ground.
Some of them noticed that the boy who had fainted was now awake, full of life, and even trying to push himself up.
But the refugees, minds consumed by hunger, didn’t care. They had only one thought: EAT!
"HUFF! HUFF!"
The refugees reached for Wu Chen’s torso, a beast-like growl rumbling in their throats that made his skin crawl.
Surrounded by growls, Wu Chen was terrified. There was no escape. It looked like he was about to become their next meal.
Just then, Wu Chen’s vision blurred.
The distorted text he’d dismissed earlier jumped back into view:
[Long-Armed Fist Entry-Level (50/50)] → [Long-Armed Fist Minor Achievement (0/100)]
[Martial Arts Realm: Body Tempering Realm First Layer]
[Long-Armed Fist Minor Achievement: Proficiency +1]
[...]
’I’m saved!’
Staring at the now-clearer text, Wu Chen’s heart leaped. He finally understood that what he’d seen wasn’t a hallucination.
It was his "golden finger"—his cheat ability as a Transmigrator!
A single glance was enough for Wu Chen to realize how terrifyingly powerful this ability was.
In the dozen or so breaths since he’d woken up, the fist technique his predecessor had struggled to learn for years without making any progress had already reached the entry-level.
Not only that, but his Martial Arts proficiency was skyrocketing straight toward Minor Achievement!
As his Martial Arts reached the entry-level, his Martial Arts realm rose in tandem. He had stepped into the ranks of Martial Artists, reaching the First Layer of the Body Tempering Realm.
He was now far beyond what an ordinary person could compare to!
What amazed Wu Chen even more was that as his realm advanced, a mysterious warm current began to circulate endlessly within him.
His Qi Power rapidly returned to his limbs, his Qi and Blood began to circulate, and feeling returned to his stiff body.
But his predecessor had been fleeing the famine for half a month, and his Qi and Blood were severely depleted. By the time the warm current was exhausted, he had only recovered most of his strength.
But for Wu Chen, it was more than enough!
Seeing the hands about to grab his torso, a sharp glint flashed in Wu Chen’s eyes.
The next second, he clenched his fist, and with a flick of his wrist, it shot out in a blur.
CRACK!
The movement felt as if he’d practiced it thousands of times, as if it were carved into his very bones. He executed it flawlessly, his fist striking a refugee’s forearm with unerring accuracy.
With a sickening SNAP, the refugee’s arm bent at an unnatural angle and fell limp.
"AAGH!"
A horrific scream erupted from the crowd as the refugee snatched back his broken arm.
The scream was horrifying, but it didn’t stop the others.
In that brief moment, another refugee’s hand had already latched onto Wu Chen’s torso.
"Hiss!"
Fingers as sharp as knives dug into his flesh, and Wu Chen’s face contorted in pain.
’Something’s not right with these people!’
The thought flashed through his mind. They looked emaciated, on the verge of death, yet the strength in their fingers was terrifying.
He didn’t understand. He was clearly alive, so why wouldn’t they leave him alone?
’Am I really that appetizing?’
In this life-or-death struggle, he didn’t dare hesitate or stop. He put all his strength into his arms, striking out again and again at the grasping hands around him.
SNAP! SNAP! SNAP!
The crisp sound of breaking bones echoed, and agonizing screams erupted from the crowd.
But there were simply too many arms.
Even though he struck out again and again, injuring several of them, he couldn’t stop the remaining hands from grabbing at him.
However, as several arms recoiled in pain, the pressure on him eased, giving him a moment to breathe.
Seizing the opening, he slammed a fist on the ground—BANG!—and used the rebound to launch himself to his feet, ready to break free from the crowd.
But once Wu Chen was on his feet and could see properly, he realized how naive he’d been.
He had thought there were only a dozen people surrounding him. Now that he was standing, he saw it was a dense mob.
At least thirty or forty people had him surrounded, packed in so tightly there was no way out. Every one of them wanted a piece.
"Everyone..."
Wu Chen’s expression soured.
From that brief exchange, he’d learned that the strength of the First Layer of the Body Tempering Realm was more than enough to handle a few ordinary people.
But as the saying goes, enough ants can kill an elephant. A mob of forty-plus people was a different story entirely.
Even if they were starving refugees with diminished Qi Power, their sheer numbers could easily wear him down and kill him.
Wu Chen took a deep breath, planning to try and reason with them.
Everyone had just witnessed him in action.
Even if his display of strength wasn’t enough to make them back down...
’It should at least buy me some time!’
As he thought this, his gaze fell upon the illusory panel.
There, with every rhythmic breath he took, his Martial Arts proficiency increased:
[Long-Armed Fist Minor Achievement: Proficiency +1]
[Long-Armed Fist Minor Achievement: Proficiency +1]
[Long-Armed Fist...]
[Long-Armed Fist Minor Achievement (35/100)]
The constantly ticking numbers in his vision made Wu Chen realize the invincible power he now possessed.
If he could just have another minute, he could fill the current progress bar and complete the Minor Achievement level for the Long-Armed Fist!
Once that happened, fighting his way out of this encirclement shouldn’t be a problem.
[New author, new book! To all my dear readers, your support would be greatly appreciated!]