Chapter 1 Henry Clark

"Whew!"

Henry Clark let out a long breath and suddenly woke up.

Memories that didn’t belong to him flooded in, making his head feel like it was splitting apart.

This... isn’t Earth, but a place called the Lower World. And he is no longer his old self, but the only son of a noble in Dongyun City.

His former self had no parents, abandoned at the orphanage as a baby. But his powers of deduction and calculation were astonishingly strong; after graduation, he swept through countless casinos with these abilities, amassing a fortune of hundreds of millions.

He was full of adventurous spirit. After earning enough “living expenses,” he lost motivation, and since he was blacklisted by major casinos everywhere, he started a “retired” life at just 25, traveling and adventuring around the world. He even made quite a name for himself, becoming rather influential globally.

Not long ago, he took his private jet to explore a mysterious island, but encountered a strange lightning storm that caused a crash. He naturally thought he was doomed, but unexpectedly woke up in another world, with a new identity.

"Is this just a dream? Was I always Henry Clark? Or did I really cross into another world?" Henry Clark muttered, but soon he was certain—his experiences on Earth were no dream. He had transmigrated.

"Judging from this Henry Clark's memories, this world is full of wonders: martial artists who rival mythic heroes, and ferocious beasts like monsters." Henry Clark's eyes lit up.

His body had changed, but his personality remained the same—still full of adventurous spirit.

There was little left on Earth to excite him, but here, there were powerful martial artists with terrifying strength of tens of thousands or even millions of jin. How could that not be enticing?

"Martial artists, huh? Sounds like fun." A smile appeared at the corner of Henry Clark's mouth. He had fully embraced his new identity, without the slightest discomfort.

He got out of bed and walked to the mirror. In the bronze mirror appeared a youth of at most 18, with fair skin and strikingly handsome features—on Earth, he’d definitely be a heartthrob.

"Ten years younger," Henry Clark said, rubbing his face. He had been 27, but this Henry Clark was only 17. "But my current situation doesn’t seem so great."

In this Henry Clark's memories, he had always been slow to react since childhood. Forget martial arts—even normal life was a struggle. Fortunately, his father, William Clark, was a noble, and the family was well-off, so there was no worry about food or clothing.

This problem likely started in the womb, as his mother was struck in the belly while pregnant. Both mother and child were fine at the time, but during childbirth, his mother died from complications, and Henry Clark was born slow-witted, earning the nickname "fool."

William Clark spent years running around, buying all sorts of rare medicines to cure his son. Half a year ago, he heard of a thousand-year-old spiritual ginseng in Huoyun Mountain and went into the mountains to find it for his son, but was never heard from again.

Five days ago, William Clark's clothes and sword were finally found, and the city lord’s mansion changed his status from "missing" to "dead," stripping him of his noble title.

—In the Lower World, nobility isn’t hereditary, but earned by strength. To compete for a noble title, one must first reach the Vajra Realm, and each city has only nine slots, determined every five years by martial competition.

After learning of his father’s confirmed death, Henry Clark was devastated, caught a cold, and after five days, passed away—leading to the current Henry Clark.

A trace of sadness appeared on Henry Clark's face. In his previous life, he was an orphan; he never expected to be an orphan again after transmigrating. But at least this Henry Clark knew who his parents were and had once felt fatherly love. Unlike before, when he had to name himself after learning to read.

"From now on, I am Henry Clark." He clenched his fist, merging with the original Henry Clark's memories. The two consciousnesses were now one; all the grievances and humiliations suffered by the original Henry Clark flashed through his mind, making him feel them deeply.

"First step: become a martial artist. In this world, only strength matters. Without it, anyone can bully you, and even if you own billions, you’ll just be robbed."

"But if you become a top martial artist, not only will everyone respect you, you’ll have the power to explore all sorts of mysterious places."

"This world has floating mountains and eternally burning seas—so fascinating. I really want to go see them right now."