The First Round: Academic Supremacy and Mysterious Symbols

  Qianyuan Continent, a world where spiritual power is supreme!

  Nine suns hung high in the sky, casting a pale reddish hue over the heavens. Flocks of enormous birds with grotesque features soared through the air, their cries echoing freely.

  The Great Ming Dynasty, Mingsheng Prefecture, Xiangyang Prefecture, an ordinary small place - Gǔ Huái Village!

  "What is this place?" Shi Sheng slowly opened his eyes, first dazedly scanning the surroundings, then suddenly sat up straight, his face full of shock.

  This was a small thatched hut, and Shi Sheng found himself wearing an ancient coarse linen robe, his originally robust body now smaller by one circle, the wooden bed under him was cool and hard, covered with an old blanket with a hairy edge, in the room except for a broken wooden chair and a wooden table, there were no other objects.

  "I remember just finishing the academic elite program, and going to KTV with classmates to celebrate. Then I went to my new neighbor 'Old God Stick' house, coincidentally it was during an earthquake, a dangerous building collapsed...". Shi Sheng rubbed his dizzy head, vaguely remembering that several people were crushed under the house, and then lost consciousness without knowing life or death.

  "Ah!" Shi Sheng suddenly clutched his head, his face twisted in agony, as if an enormous amount of strange symbols and texts were drilling into his brain, mixed with a vast amount of information, causing him to almost faint again. His hands grasped wildly like a madman.

  After a moment, Shi Sheng gradually calmed down, but his face turned gloomy. Through the massive influx of new memories, Shi Sheng knew that this was no longer Earth, but an unfamiliar world - Da Ming Guo, which was actually ancient.

  "It turned out that there was also an orphan named Shisheng here, who was picked up by the Lin couple under an ancient locust tree on a stone, so he was named Shisheng. Three days ago, bandits from Wulong Mountain raided the village and stole property, killing many villagers, including the Lin couple." Shisheng slowly sorted out his new memories, but some places were still blurry and unclear.

  At first, Shi Sheng was born to protect his adoptive father's only daughter, Lin Wan'er. He was beaten by bandits and had his leg broken. Just as he was about to be beheaded, the government troops arrived and the bandits retreated. However, Shi Sheng was on the verge of death and was rescued back. On the second night, he became unconscious and lost all memory afterwards.

  "So it seems that the Stone Sheng of this world is already dead, and my soul has crossed over and taken possession of his body. But I was already in my twenties on Earth, yet here I've become a 16-year-old again!" Stone Sheng said with some helplessness.

  But this world is magical, it's said that everyone will meditate and think deeply, similar to the Earth's self-hypnosis!

  Some people, if they sense the power of thought, can change some bodily functions with hypnotic-like powers of thought, tap into more potential, strengthen their bodies and minds, and even make others fall asleep or become spiritually dizzy, simply controlling other people's words and deeds.

  "Isn't this the hypnosis I learned on Earth? If I master powerful hypnosis here, wouldn't it be...?" Shi Sheng's eyes gleamed with excitement, and he began to indulge in some wild fantasies...

  "Since I've already come to this world, I can only accept reality and think of a way to survive in this place. However, I mustn't let anyone know my true identity, or else I'll probably be treated like a monster and roasted. Besides, even if I said something, no one would believe me!" As an orphan, Ishi had strong adaptability.

  A moment later, Shi Sheng revealed a strange expression. Initially, Lin's parents had planned to let Shi Sheng and Lin Wan'er get married in two years. Although the two were very close, with Lin Wan'er usually taking care of Shi Sheng like an older sister, he himself was suddenly saddled with an unintended fiancée, and couldn't help but feel a bit odd about it!

  The door creaked open and a 16- or 17-year-old girl walked in, wearing a coarse linen flower skirt with patches, holding a bowl of hot porridge. Her small face was red and puffy, but her expression looked somewhat haggard. Seeing Shi Sheng wake up seemed to surprise her greatly.

  Although it was their first meeting, Shi Sheng had new memories and knew that the woman was Lin Wan'er. In this world, Shi Sheng's original self had perished while trying to save her.

  "Asheng, you...you're awake?" The girl's voice was crisp and clear, her skin was also very fair, with a melon-shaped face, a pair of bright and clear eyes, although she was wearing simple and tattered clothes, but still couldn't hide the beauty and elegance of the girl. She pulled over a chair to sit in front of the bed and handed a bowl of hot congee to Shisheng.

  "How beautiful, where on earth is there a girl with such temperament? This trip to the past was not in vain after all!" Shi Sheng thought that she would be his wife in the future and couldn't help but feel a little proud, finally finding some comfort.

  "Ah, thank you!" Although Shi Sheng was a person who only took advantage and didn't suffer losses, because he felt a bit unfamiliar, he didn't say much to his fiancée. There would be plenty of opportunities in the future. He was starving and feeling weak, so he quickly took the hot porridge with only a few grains of rice and gulped it down, feeling his body regain some strength.

  Lin Wan'er brushed a strand of hair in front of her forehead with one hand, exuding an elegant and refined fairy-like aura. Seeing Shi Sheng devouring his food, she covered her mouth with her small hand and smiled, her eyes narrowing into crescent shapes.

  "Shi Sheng woke up, he's been unconscious for two days, I'll give him some medicine first!" An old man with white hair and wearing a green robe walked in, opened the medical box on his back, took out a yellow paper of unknown material, picked up a brush, concentrated for a moment, and then drew a few strokes on the paper like a ghost.

  "Is Wang Bo giving you a prescription? How's Ah Sheng's leg?" As soon as Lin Wan'er finished speaking, Shi Sheng felt a dull ache in his leg, which he hadn't had time to notice before.

  Shi Sheng's face contorted in a mixture of pain and confusion, and he didn't recognize Wang Bo in his memories. He furrowed his brow and asked, "Wan Er sister, is this the doctor?" As a young man who grew up with advanced technology on Earth, Shi Sheng found it hard to believe that the old man in front of him was scribbling mysterious symbols, but out of caution, he didn't expose him, wanting to see what kind of tricks the old man had up his sleeve.

  Just then, Wang Bo had already burned the paper talisman into ashes, mixed it with water in a small bowl. Hearing Shi Sheng speak, he was taken aback at first, but Lin Wan'er hastily spoke up: "Wang Bo, Ah Sheng may have hit his head and can't remember some things, don't be angry."

  "It doesn't matter, Shi Sheng. You drink the medicinal water first, and I'll give you a thorough examination to see if I can help you recover your memory." Wang Bo's face was kind and gentle, although he was advanced in years, his eyes sparkled with precision, and his face wore a harmonious smile, his eyes always seemed to be smiling, but Shi Sheng thought he looked like a swindling quack.

  Although he didn't want to drink, looking at Lin Wan'er's expectant eyes, he couldn't bear to refuse.

  Some suspicious people looked at Wang Bo, Shi Sheng took over the small bowl and said: "Wang Bo, if this talisman water can't cure the disease, we won't pay for it." Shi Sheng picked up the small bowl, pinched his nose, and gulped down the talisman water.

  "It would be a miracle if it could cure the disease, but there's no way I'd fall for their scam to get my money!" Shi Sheng thought to himself, who wasn't some gullible fool that would easily fall for it, nor was he someone who would be cheated and not even make a sound.

  As long as someone takes the initiative to bully me, I will give it back tenfold when I have the chance. This is Shi Sheng's principle of being a human being. Not taking the initiative to provoke others does not mean being easily bullied. Shi Sheng begins to study how to deal with the old man in front of him.

  But the next moment, Shi Sheng was surprised to find that the entrance of Fu Shui had turned into a hot current, which slowly flowed towards the painful place in his leg. The injured area immediately felt itchy and warm, and before long, the pain had eased by more than half.

  "How are you, Ah Sheng? Are you feeling better?" Lin Wan'er asked with some concern, seeing Shi Sheng's strange expression, unaware that he was in a state of shock.

  Wang Bo smiled and said, "Shi Sheng, you're an orphan, from a young age you've been able to endure hardships, working tirelessly to repay the Lin family parents. Who would have thought that this time you'd be injured so badly that your life was in danger? But now all of that is behind us. Think back to happier times and try to relax as much as possible..."

  Wang Bo's next words, Shi Sheng almost didn't hear, he suddenly thought of things from his childhood on Earth, a scene after another appeared in front of him, he grew up in an orphanage since he was young, but after entering school, he worked hard and studied diligently, his academic performance was also excellent, and he persisted all the way to complete his studies.

  Shi Sheng's new neighbor is a weird old man who claims that Shi Sheng has a good foundation and can be accepted as a secular disciple, specializing in the practice of nian li (mind power), an ancient cultivation method passed down through the ages, known as "cultivating thought" in ancient times and "special abilities" in modern times.

  "Ah, young man, I see you have a remarkable bone structure, you're a natural-born martial artist! I have..."

  The scene in front of him suddenly shifted, and Shi Sheng found himself struggling in a collapsing house. His legs were injured, but his chest was pressed against a wall, his consciousness growing increasingly fuzzy, his breathing difficult. However, his legs began to shine with a thread of white light, feeling warm and cozy.

  "Actually, Lin Wan'er and Wang Bo were just a dream of mine. I'm still on Earth now, and I haven't died yet, but it seems like I'm about to. I won't die, absolutely won't die!" Shi Sheng said with some difficulty, desperately trying to break free from the wall that was pressing down on him, his heart filled with a strong sense of unwillingness and a fierce determination to survive!

  "Shi Sheng, wake up!" A low and solemn voice echoed in the deepest part of Shi Sheng's heart and mind.

  Shi Sheng suddenly shook his head, his eyes gazing blankly ahead, and Wang Bo and Lin Wan'er were staring at him in surprise.

  "How did I end up back here again?" Shi Sheng said with some confusion.

  "Ah Sheng, previously Wang Bo used 'Fake Sleep Secret Art' to assist in diagnosis and treatment. What you saw earlier were things that happened to you before, but you... " Lin Wan'er looked at Shi Sheng with some weirdness.

  "What's going on? Is this some kind of hypnosis technique? What did I just say?" Shi Sheng asked cautiously, his mind filled with disbelief. He couldn't believe he had been hypnotized without realizing it. While he could accept it happening to him on Earth, being hypnotized in ancient times felt strange.

  Wang Bo furrowed his brow: "Cough, cough, Shi Sheng, it seems your injuries are quite severe. The Secret Art of False Slumber can't help you recover your memories for the time being, and it might even make your condition worse and cause you to speak nonsense."

  "Alright, you rest first, I'll come visit you again another day!" With that, Wang Bo left with a strange expression. As soon as Shi Sheng got out of bed, he felt a dull ache in his legs and could only manage to bid him farewell.

  "Asheng, you said some strange things that I and Wang Bo couldn't understand at all. Wang Bo said that the only way to cure you is to let your consciousness return to where you were injured."

  But I didn't expect that when you recalled the injury, your face turned iron-green, as if you were about to suffocate, and it didn't feel like being beaten by a robber at all. Wang Bo immediately awakened you and ended the fake sleep secret technique!" Lin Wan'er said with concern, looking very considerate.

  "Could it be that drawing mysterious symbols can cure illnesses, and my chanting power can treat leg injuries through hypnosis? What kind of world is this? So, the old Taoist's method of cultivating one's mind that he taught me on Earth, could it also be real?" Shi Sheng stood on the ground, lost in thought, vaguely recalling the old Taoist's words and the cultivation methods he had practiced but to no avail.

  "Xiao Mei, if you can't pay back the 10 wen, hurry up and become my concubine, haha!" Just then, a lewd shout came from outside the door. Lin Wan'er's face immediately turned pale, her body slightly trembling, her eyes looking somewhat helpless as she stared at Shi Sheng! (End of this chapter, next chapter is more exciting.)

  (PS. Collecting, recommending, newbies seeking all kinds of help, wow!!!)