Journey Of An Unknown - Chapter 1
Chapter 1 – Lost Rebirth
‘Average talent, average potential, average looks and average background. Now what I do with this not important life that I am reborn with.’
Zou Shen sighed in his heart and looked far away to the distance, to the distance where the world was new to him, the beautiful and dangerous world of martial arts and cultivation. He stood outside of a run-down cottage, looking at the dawn. He spent standing there from dusk till dawn thinking of the life he was given and the world he was in. The first time he opened his eyes he was scared looking around frantically to see if there was something from his past life, he wished he was dreaming, and he would wake up from this dream. After some time, he calmed down and realized it was all real, he remembers how he suffered from a rare heart disease and had been given till age 30 to live. That news had caused him to be depressed for a long time, but he eventually prepared himself for what was to come, he lives his life alone from then on till his death.
‘At least I have no issues in this life, I will live the way I want to. I will live free and strong forever and undying.’ He made up his mind after fully processing the life he was in.
In his past life he had read many fantasy novels and books, he had a lot of time to waste so he did everything he wanted to do in past life. He had at least that knowledge still with him, the wisdom and knowledge of another life would be the only help he would have in this unfamiliar world.
He was excited when he first realized he could sense the spiritual energy of the world around him, it made him realize the world he was in, it was the world of cultivation and martial arts he was born in. He then remembers all the fantasy books he read of legendary heroes and heroines and their great adventures. He started to believe he was one of those chosen ones, he probably had a great destiny ahead of him, a great secret background or some sort of treasure that was given to him or he was born with. Find authorized novels in Webnovel，faster updates, better experience，Please click www.webnovel.com www.webnovel.com for visiting.
Alas after asking around in the nearby village he realized everyone could sense the spiritual energy but not everyone had the gift to succeed in the path of cultivation. It required talent, potential, dedication and will to achieve any result. Many cultivated some basic form of breathing technique in their daily life for as long life they could hope for some would stay in the village and do the mortal work and some would try their luck to go into great sect, big families or clans and empires to achieve greatness only to fail and be relegated some low position for the rest of their life. It was the real hard truth, but it didn’t stop the dream and wish of people everywhere specially the young folks who had the look of excitement in their eyes whenever they met someone who was a cultivator of a sect or a big family or clan even if that person had no great position in life.
Cultivation also required capital and as he was born in poverty, he could not afford even the common pills for cultivation or the cultivation methods to properly cultivate with. One way to get these pills and books, scriptures or scrolls was to be a part of clan or family who had their own lineage. Work for the empire in the army, administration or in the court or palace where the empire would foot the bill for your cultivation or get you into sects. Be born of nobility or be rich enough that you could buy the things needed or get yourself into sects through connections and power, finally get into a sect who will provide their disciples with necessary things needed and even guide them on their path of cultivation. Then they could return to their families, clans or empires to take important position of power.
It was all too much for Zou Shen, all his hopes blown away by the wind of reality tearing his veil of dreams away. He was born in poverty, living outside of a village in a run-down shack, if not for asking from a village elder by feigning he lost his memory after a fall down while trying to run back to his house in panic after he was injured. The elder quickly summarized the previous owner’s life story as it was run of the mill in the mortal world as there was nothing special about it.
He had no parents or any living relatives in this world, his father who took care of him died during a hunt in the mountain. The previous owner of the body in a state of depression tried to commit suicide as there was no living relative alive and he was the last one alive, he was depressed about his fathers death and that he would live a life of mundane till his death. The emotional dam this person had broke and he tried to kill himself but luckily the sharp knife he used missed his vital parts of his heart and the village chief found him bleeding to death and helped him live. Live he did but the previous owner was dead, and Zou Shen took his place.
He got a scolding from the village chief and elders for his stupid actions, even he himself wanted to beat this idiot for trying to kill this body he had just gotten but he could not beat himself now as he lived in this body. Luckily no one realized the changes in his body, the wound healed quickly in a month with no visible scars, the chief used a special common healing pill to heal the wound in his body as a repayment for all the work his father had done for the village. He thanked the village chief as unlike the previous owner he knew how precious this life given to him was even if it was average and ordinary. He had been given a new life after dying to a death timer in previous life, he would be really lost and angry if he lost this one just as soon as he got it.
In this months’ time of rest and recovery he learned a lot about the village, the life and the empire he was living in. This world was huge even more so than the earth he knew. It’s depth and mystery were unknown to him; he only knew the names of the empire he was in. He would need to get the world map to even know the world he was in or where he was located even some islands were big as continents in his previous life.
He knew he was in the Great Red Rain Empire located in the middle west of the Heavenly green region. There were plains, mountains and rivers aplenty in this region. There were also many empires and sects located here from what he was told. The Great Red Rain empire was a Mid-Tier empire which was built by the 5th ranking High Tier Red Rain Sect. Many People in the Heavenly Green region respect and feared the sect but not the empire under it. It was still a great and strong empire but there were many stronger than it and it was not the only power or empire Red Rain sect controlled, but it was the first empire it had built since the founding of the sect.
Many children, young men, women respected and dream of becoming a disciple of the Red Rain Sect to have their name spread throughout the world of cultivation, to be respected and feared or adored by many. They hear so much about the legendary founder and the legendary heroes and goddesses that come out of the sect. To the average mortal that place is like a heaven they can’t reach and to cultivators that is sect is they would kill for to be a part of. The village chief was just a guard in the grand city of Feathers Peak. He had reached the 5th step of the Mortal Human Realm, he then retired and came to this village to take the role of the village chief. The whole village respects him, the elders of the village are at 3rd step of the Mortal Human Realm and even they respect the chief as he was the strongest among them. Still even would remind that the world has many other who are stronger than him even at Mortal Realm and he is but a speck of dust in the path of cultivation.
The whole month was spent on recovery and learning about the world he was in as much as he could. He had made up his mind to leave the village and travel the world, he could sense Qi so he might as well try becoming a cultivator. He knew he was average, but it didn’t matter to him he wanted to live free and strong and live for a long time and cultivation was his ticket to living long.
The higher the realm of cultivation, the higher power of vitality and the longer his lifespan would be. It might be the hardest thing for an average mortal like him to do, maybe even resulting in his death. Still to him it was better than sitting and doing nothing while waiting for death to come knocking again. He would go out and see what he could make of himself in this world no matter what he was like now. He always thought in a positive way ‘I am nothing in world, but I will become something.’
While others could live doing something else and return to their mundane life he had already lived like once in misery, he never wanted to be like that again.
Today was the day he left this run-down cottage, give respect to his previous life and its people and move on to the world ahead of him which shined the dawn upon him. It was a warm feeling and it scared him too, but he had to be strong and calm in this life. He had to overcome this fear and journey on. Nothing would be gained by feeling the warmth of this world and by sitting in the safety of his own life. Moving on was the dawn he needed in his dark life and when he left and opened the door to cultivation danger and death would come rushing and he had to live free and strong never letting death break him the same way again.
Zou Shen picked up the small wooden bamboo stick of 1 meter with an empty bag strapped around his back and a bowl to beg or to eat with. He had no money left as he used it all to repay the chief for his help in saving his life. He walked away from the run down cottage which was now empty and silent and went towards the walking path leading to the main road out of the village, his destination was the grand city of Feather Peak but what he wanted truly was the journey he would take to reach there.
As soon as he started to walk towards the direction of the Feathers Peak city, thoughts started to come into his mind. Voices speaking to himself saying, shouting, warning.
‘TURN BACK, IT’S DANGEROUS. ONLY DEATH AWAITS.’
‘WHAT DO YOU THINK YOU CAN ACHIEVE WITH YOU AVERAGE BODY, TALENT AND POTENTIAL.’
‘YOU ARE NOT THE SAVIOR OF THIS WORLD, YOU HAVE NO DESTINY IN THIS WORLD. YOU ARE NOT SMART, YOU ARE NOT STRONG, YOU ARE AN AVERAGE MORTAL OF NO VALUE.’
‘TURN BACK THE CITY IS FAR AWAY; IT WILL TAKE 2 MONTHS TO REACH. SAVE YOURSELF SOME TROUBLE AND LIVE A PEACEFUL AND EASY LIFE.’
Zou Shen stopped for a while looking at the sky sighing inside, he closed his eyes and then quietly said to himself “If death awaits me, I will conquer it. If this world has no destiny for me, I will be master of myself. If this world tries to destroy me, I will crush it. I will make my own power and strength and I will make my own life now. I will be free and strong; I will be undying to break forever and ever. If this world collapses just to kill me I will survive and be eternal. From now on I will always be free and strong, always and forever no matter what.”
He opened his eyes and looked back the path leading to the cottage. “There is no turning back death awaits either way but this time I will not let it rule my life, I will rule it.”
Then he looked straight forward of the road he was going to take and started slowly walking again, swinging his bamboo stick up and down, left and right. Keeping his head straight he walked on to Feathers Peak.
