Chapter 2: Principles of Peaceful Coexistence in Another World

Back in 2009, villas in the Fuhua residential area were already reaching over 20,000 per square meter.

Wang Teng’s family villa was a full 800 square meters. It had cost over ten million to purchase initially, and with renovations, the total exceeded twenty million.

Walking into the villa, a spacious hall greeted the eye.

Two domestic helpers were busy cleaning.

Wang Teng’s mother, Li Xiumei, was busy in the kitchen.

She came from a scholarly family and was a well-known talented woman in university during her youth, but she wasn't the type to avoid housework.

On the contrary, her culinary skills were superb, and the dishes she made always left Wang Teng and his father full of praise.

That was why Li Xiumei always cooked herself, preparing meals every day to wait for her husband and son to return.

Watching the busy figure in the kitchen and smelling the familiar aroma of food, Wang Teng stood at the kitchen entrance. His mouth opened, and it took a long time before he finally called out.

"Mom, I'm home!"

"You're back!"

Li Xiumei turned around and smiled. "Wait a little longer. Your dad should be home soon, too. Let's wait for him to come back and eat together."

"Okay! I'm going to wash my face first." Wang Teng rushed upstairs without looking back and ran into the bathroom.

"This child! What's wrong with him today?" Li Xiumei shook her head.

In the bathroom, Wang Teng turned on the faucet and let the cold water wash over his face.

He was back!

He never expected that, after ten years, he would have the chance to return to this home again.

After the Wang family fell into ruin, Wang Shengguo was plotted against and passed away, and not long after, Li Xiumei also died of grief.

Wang Teng lifted his head, wiped his face, and looked at himself in the mirror. His eyes were slightly red.

Ten years had changed too much.

Wang Teng had changed; he was no longer the person he once was. He could treat many people and things with indifference.

But in a corner of his heart, there were still some soft spots hidden; he just hadn't been willing to touch them before.

Now, living his life over again, his heart felt warm once more.

Wang Teng dried his face, walked out of the bathroom, and followed his memory to open his bedroom door and walk inside.

Familiar furnishings, everything was familiar.

Posters of NBA stars were plastered on the walls, music CDs and novels were piled on the bookshelves, and the desk was against the window, not far from the bed, with a computer sitting on it.

The computer model was very new, and it was an Apple—the bright silver body was lightweight and stylish.

Another item that didn't fit the timeline.

Seeing the computer, he suddenly remembered something. He took a mobile phone out of his schoolbag; sure enough, it wasn't an old antique from 2009, but the latest iPhone 8.

Wang Teng had been mentally prepared for this. He calmly entered his password and unlocked the phone.

He was suddenly very glad that he was the type of person who couldn't remember passwords. He had been using the same one for so many years and had never changed it.

Meituan, Ele.me, WeChat, Douyin... many of the apps inside only appeared much later; they didn't exist at all in 2009.

When he first reborn, he had wanted to rely on his memories from his past life to make a comeback and force big shots like Jack Ma and Pony Ma to sing "Conquer" for him!

Well, that was off the table now!

He let out a breath, put down his phone, and turned on the computer.

There was no better way than searching online.

Since computers and mobile phones had developed to this extent, there was no reason for the internet to remain stuck in 2009.

Technology and the internet were inseparable.

After opening the computer, Wang Teng was a bit surprised.

The computer's operating system wasn't Windows 10, but already the 11th generation.

It seemed it wasn't exactly the same level of development as 2019; there were still differences.

He familiarized himself with it for a while before he adapted.

He opened the Baidu browser and searched for the word "Martial Artist." A massive amount of information flooded the screen.

Over an hour later, Wang Teng closed the browser and leaned back in his chair, his face full of disbelief.

"Thirty years ago, spatial rifts appeared all over the globe. The other side of these rifts connected to another world—the Star Martial Continent!"

"The Star Martial Continent contains Force, and everyone cultivates Force to become a martial artist!"

"Martial artists are incredibly powerful!"

"Low-level martial artists can split stone monuments and cut through water with a blade; high-level martial artists can destroy mountains and overturn seas..."

"This is too fantasy-like!"

Wang Teng didn't even know what to say.

Earth's scientists had researched Force and discovered that it was very likely [Dark Matter]. However, they had no way of knowing why the people, animals, and plants of the Star Martial Continent could absorb dark matter to change themselves, while Earth's organisms could not.

Not long after, with the appearance of the spatial rifts, Earth seemed to undergo some kind of change. Earth's organisms actually began to be affected by dark matter.

Plants became taller and more lush, and some long-extinct species reappeared in the world.

Animals also became larger, and their physical characteristics—such as scales, sharp claws, and teeth—were strengthened.

Some gifted animals even mutated, possessing special abilities with attributes like metal, wood, water, fire, and earth.

As the primates of all things, humans were naturally within the scope of evolution.

Human bodies became stronger; they ran faster, jumped higher, had more strength, and their lifespans... were also longer!

Most of the elderly who were seventy or eighty years old thirty years ago were still alive; they were over a hundred now, and their mental state was no different from someone in their sixties or seventies.

The people of Earth went crazy!

Countries around the world put aside their prejudices and held a global joint conference.

They finally decided to organize personnel to explore the spatial rifts. After confirming they were safe, they successively sent soldiers and various experts and scholars into the Star Martial Continent.

These people were called the Pioneers!

The Star Martial Continent was vast and boundless. The Pioneers claimed to be from overseas, gained the trust of the locals, and engaged in communication and trade with them.

Earthlings were not a barbaric invasion; they adopted the principle of peaceful coexistence and interacted with the indigenous people of the Star Martial Continent in a gentle manner.

Not long after, the Pioneers brought back the cultivation methods of the Star Martial Continent.

After research and experimentation, it was found that Earth humans could cultivate. Eventually, all countries unanimously decided to make the cultivation methods public and usher in the era of universal martial arts.

This was a major transformation!

History took a sharp turn from that point on, developing along an unpredictable path.

*Knock knock, pay attention here, this will be on the college entrance exam.*

The greatest strength of humanity is wisdom. Through cultivation, humans rapidly strengthened themselves. In just a few short years, a large number of powerful martial artists emerged all over the world.

Some of these martial artists joined the military, some joined the government, and others belonged to various large financial groups and families, forming alliances. There were also civilian freelance martial artists who did not want to be bound, so they established various martial arts gyms to provide cultivation paths for commoners.

It was precisely because of the existence of these martial artists that some mutated, powerful beasts could be kept outside the cities, preventing large-scale impact and destruction to civilized society.

However, being a martial artist was ultimately a profession that required talent; not everyone could become one.

To become an official martial artist, one must temper the body and build a solid foundation.

Practitioners at this stage were known as Martial Apprentices.

Only when the foundation was solid enough could one absorb Force and store it in the body, becoming an official martial artist.

If Force were compared to water, the body would be a container for it. The process of absorbing Force was like filling the container with water; only by widening, enlarging, and strengthening the container could it hold more water.

In simple terms, that was the principle of martial arts cultivation.

Martial Apprentices were divided into three levels—low, middle, and high—based on their comprehensive physical qualities such as strength and speed.

He Manyun, whom he had met at the school gate earlier, was a high-level Martial Apprentice, just one step away from being an official martial artist.

However, this one step stumped many people.

Whether or not one had absorbed Force into the body made a qualitative difference.

An official martial artist who had already cultivated Force could beat ten high-level Martial Apprentices without Force, and do so without any pressure.

Between a high-level Martial Apprentice and an official martial artist, it seemed like only a small gap, but in reality, it was like a chasm.

Moreover, "literature is poor, martial arts are rich." Martial arts cultivation required a massive amount of resources, and resources were expensive; ordinary people were at a disadvantage after all.

In short, given the large population base, the number of martial artists was still a minority. Most people were just slightly stronger ordinary people.

But this could not stop martial artists from becoming the mainstream. The scarcity and importance of martial artists instead created their transcendent status.

——I am a newbie separator line——

Hello everyone, as a little newbie, updates and such are just a breeze. I'll update when I have time, update when I finish writing, update when I have inspiration... In short, it depends on my mood. If you're not happy about it... come and hit me! Don't send me razor blades, or I'll look down on you!

(End of chapter)