Chapter 1: Dragon Slaying

“The sword slaying of the divine dragon by master Ding yesterday has drawn significant attention. Today, we’ve invited Professor Zhao to join us for analysis. First, let’s review the footage from the battle!” The television host introduced Professor Zhao before seamlessly transitioning to a new scene.

The video was filmed from an elevated position in Yunxi City. In the distance, the divine dragon fled, pursued by a cascade of sword light that surged ahead with breathtaking speed. A single strike claimed the dragon’s life, sending it plummeting onto a mountain peak. Every detail was captured with remarkable clarity.

Li Zhen stared at the screen, dumbfounded. That mountain—the very one he had crossed over to this world just days ago—was unmistakably visible. Cross-referencing the timestamp on the video, he realized he must have been inside the cave below during the entire incident.

Could my transmigration be connected to this battle? he couldn’t help but wonder.

Lying on his hospital bed, Li Zhen felt its headrest tilt comfortably against his back, allowing him to relax fully as he watched the TV.

He wasn’t truly Li Zhen; instead, he was a transmigrator who had taken over the body of this twelve-year-old boy, assuming his identity.

Having awoken not long ago, he had just received memories from his predecessor when he turned on the room’s television and stumbled upon this news broadcast.

“Professor Zhao,” the host interjected, “your expertise lies in studying mythical beasts. Could you enlighten us about these divine dragons?”

“Of course,” Professor Zhao nodded with a smile. “From the video, we can see that this divine dragon has a relatively small body, indicating it is likely an immature, juvenile Chaos Divine Dragon.”

“The Chaos Divine Dragon was actually just a youngling!” the host interjected, clearly surprised.

Whether for dramatic effect or due to genuine ignorance, many in the audience shared the host’s initial misconception. The dragon’s mastery of wind, rain, lightning, and thunder in the footage exuded overwhelming power, making it hard to believe such might could belong to a juvenile.

“An adult Chaos Divine Dragon is at least a late third-rank, possibly even fourth-rank, truly formidable creature!” Professor Zhao chose his words carefully, avoiding any suggestion that Daoist Ding couldn’t effortlessly slay such a mature beast.

“Daoist Ding’s swordsmanship is unparalleled, deserving of his title as a true blade cultivator. Even a being like the Chaos Divine Dragon met its end at his hand! Could you provide more details about these creatures, Professor Zhao? I’m sure our viewers would be particularly interested!” The host praised Daoist Ding before turning back to the professor for further explanation.

“Chaos Divine Dragons are among the most powerful beings from the realm of the demonic nation. They possess near-total elemental control; some even claim the strongest of their kind can manipulate space and time itself.”

The juvenile Chaos Divine Dragon appeared in the Xian Nation and was slain by Ding Zhenren—a stroke of incredible luck for the cultivator.

“Although this divine dragon was young,” Professor Zhao explained with a hint of envy, “its entire body is still invaluable. The scales are top-tier material for refining defensive magical artifacts, the horns for offensive ones, and its blood can even strengthen a cultivator’s physical form!” He paused before adding, as if struck by another thought, “And the dragon heart itself—the very source of a dragon’s spirit and power—is an unparalleled treasure!”

As Li Zhen listened to Professor Zhao describe the divine dragon, he couldn’t help but touch his own chest subconsciously.

“Little Zhen is awake! Quickly, call the doctor!” A woman entered the hospital room, her voice filled with both joy and urgency upon seeing Li Zhen watching TV. She turned to shout at the tall man behind her.

equally excited, swiftly left the room to fetch the doctor.

“Little Zhen, you must never leave the city alone again; it’s far too dangerous outside!” the woman said, her tone now gentle, as if afraid her words might upset Li Zhen.

Li Zhen gazed at the woman before him—she was indeed the mother of the body he now inhabited. And the tall man who had rushed out to get the doctor… he was his father.

Feeling the woman’s genuine affection, Li Zhen recalled his previous life when he had no one to turn to. Perhaps being reborn here wasn’t such a bad thing after all.

Having inherited the memories of this twelve-year-old boy, he also felt all of his emotions as if they were his own.

“Mom, I won’t do it again!” Li Zhen called her “mom” naturally, just like the boy before him would have done.

“You scared me half to death! When you got hurt, the city’s defense array was activated; apparently there was some powerful beast around,” Mother Li said while holding onto Li Zhen’s hand tightly.

Li Zhen could feel her hand trembling slightly—obviously, the shock from earlier hadn’t fully dissipated yet.

Just then, he sensed something approaching outside the door and turned towards it.

The door opened, revealing Father Li and a middle-aged doctor entering the room. The presence Li Zhen had sensed earlier was at the waist of that middle-aged doctor.

“Doctor, our child is awake now! Please check on him right away!” Mother Li exclaimed upon seeing the doctor enter.

“Well, since he’s conscious, it seems there’s no major issue!” The middle-aged doctor reassured Mrs. Li, then reached for a mirror from his belt.

This mirror was indeed what Li Zhen had sensed through the door earlier. His eyes fixed on it, trying to discern its special qualities—why could he sense it even through a closed door?

“This is a B26 body examination device, a mid-grade first-rank magical artifact provided by the hospital,” the middle-aged doctor explained with a smile, hoping to ease Li Zhen’s nerves. “It won’t hurt at all!”

In this world of marvels, where high-tech civilization coexisted, cultivators akin to gods reigned supreme.

Li Zhen delved into his memories, recalling information about mid-grade first-rank magical artifacts.

The ranking system for magical artifacts was based on the user’s strength. First-rank artifacts were designed for Qi Refinement practitioners, with mid-grade specifically catering to those between the fourth and sixth layers of Qi Refinement.

The B26 body examination device floated away from the doctor’s hand, gracefully circling around Li Zhen in mid-air.

He suppressed the urge to snatch it, grateful that the allure of the levitating mirror wasn’t overwhelming. His primary concern was whether the B26 might uncover the truth of him inhabiting this body. His eyes remained fixed on the mirror, fearing any ominous readings it might display.

As the middle-aged doctor examined the data projected onto his retinal display, he noted everything seemed within normal ranges. He couldn’t help but feel relieved, celebrating inwardly at the child’s good fortune.

He was well aware that this child had fallen into trouble after entering a high-intensity combat zone. Even if no physical injuries were sustained, such situations could have severe effects on both the brain and soul.

“The boy is perfectly fine,” the middle-aged doctor reassured them, “but it would be best to keep him here for one more day of observation. You should be able to take him home tomorrow!” With that, he packed up his B26 model medical tricorder.

“Thank you so much, Doctor!” Father Li expressed his gratitude promptly.

Mother Li embraced Li Zhen tightly; despite her earlier agitation, she hadn’t dared to touch him lest she exacerbate any hidden injuries.

“Zhen’er will be coming home tomorrow!” She couldn’t hold back her tears—these were tears of joy.

Seeing there was nothing else to attend to, the physician didn’t disturb Mother Li further. After giving some final instructions to Father Li, he left the hospital room.

Father Li waited a moment before suggesting, “Let our son get some rest now.”

“Mom, Dad, I’ll be okay by myself. Go ahead with your plans. We can leave the hospital tomorrow!” Li Zhen added, hoping for some alone time.

The hospital provided round-the-clock care and meals, and as per protocol, family members weren’t allowed overnight stays.

Li Zhen watched as Father Li reluctantly led Mother Li away. Only then did he find himself with an opportunity to think.

“System! Oh, System Dad!” he cried out in his mind.

Based on his experience reading countless web novels, every transmigrator should have a system by their side.

But it seemed he was an exception; no matter how he called, he couldn’t sense the presence of any system.

He suspected that perhaps he wasn’t activating it correctly. Just moments ago, he distinctly felt the presence of the B26 body examination instrument.

Being inside a hospital, he had limited options for testing different activation methods and could only wait until after discharge to experiment further.

However, one thing was certain: this new body of his was far superior to its predecessor, despite being only 12 years old.

Whether this transformation was due to the fusion of two souls, related to the young dragon within him, or caused by changes in his heart—whatever the reason, he could feel his body was incredibly robust.

Currently, he was on summer break from elementary school—a crucial period in one’s life.

At twelve years old, a human’s spiritual roots mature, allowing them to enter junior high and begin drawing qi into their body for cultivation.

Once they achieve this milestone, their social status drastically improves, as they become recognized as cultivators.

Take Li Zhen’s parents, for example: both were cultivators. Mother Li had reached the second layer of Qi Refinement, while Father Li stood at the third layer.

Despite being early-stage cultivators, in Yunxi County where they lived, they still ranked among the top echelons.