Author's note: This chapter was brought to you by the benevolent Karman D!

Host's note: I'm not the author. I'm just hosting this story on RRL. Btw, I cut out part of the author's note because it might cause a misunderstanding (*cough* mentions of extra chapters while this hosting will stay the same). Also, there was mention that this chapter was longer than usual ones.

“What could Brother Hu Feng be speaking about? Another world?” Jin Xia asked with his expression still calm.

The sudden change in topic had slightly caught Jin Xia off guard. He did not understand why Hu Feng would suddenly question him about something like this. A different world? Where the hell did he come up with that conclusion? Was his previous identity exposed?

Impossible!

With his soul power, there should have been no experts who can get within range of him so easily, undetected, in this Great Azure Country. They should not have such outstanding experts present here.

His secret should still be safe.

Not like he cared if his past life was actually discovered, though it’ll definitely be inconvenient in the long run so keeping quiet was the best option…

Seeing how Jin Xia denied so casually, a barely noticeable trace of disappointment appeared briefly between his eyebrows. Thinking for a while, Hu Feng continued to probe:

“What I mean to ask is, could Brother Jin Xia have ever had any…”dreams”, let’s call it, of memories from another place, another world? Perhaps you’ve seen a place where people were dressing quite differently from here, or seen, uh, metal objects rolling around? Or tall glass buildings? Hm?”

This time, Jin Xia frowned when he heard the foreign words coming from the youth’s mouth.

“Glass buildings? Different dressing? I’m afraid, I do not understand what you’re talking about Brother Hu Feng.” Jin Xia said, as his body relaxed a bit. It did not seem the other party knew about his real identity.

But if that’s the case, what the hell was he talking about?

None of the things Hu Feng mentioned matched any of the places and descriptions in his mind.

Even though Jin Xia had traveled across different spheres as a deity, most of the spheres were merely alternative worlds of the same Mortal Domain, with some being higher ranked than the other.

He did not dare venture into the other unknown spheres, as there was once a legend in the Heaven Domain.

It goes like this: At some point in time, an extremely powerful deity from the Heaven Domain decided to travel into one of those worlds, after getting “bored” with the mundane realms.

But the moment that deity entered the world, his connection with the Heaven Domain was instantly severed and no one had heard from that person ever again. Moreover, the deity was no weakling either, so his disappearance had sent a wave of alarm across the entire Domain. From then on, it became simply too risky to venture outside the range of known spheres. No one wanted to take that risk which held certain death.

“Perhaps…Brother Hu Feng has seen such a mystical place?” Jin Xia asked suspiciously, as he looked at Hu Feng.

The seemingly dejected Hu Feng suddenly perked up when he heard Jin Xia’s question.

“Eh? Me? Ahaha, of course not, Brother Jin Xia. I was merely trying to see if you had the same strange dream as I had before, you know, since there’s the saying that people who are ‘fated to meet would have connected dreams’ and such…haha…it wasn’t anything important. Please don’t mind it.” Hu Feng replied, scratching his head as an awkward expression hung on his chubby face.

“Mn..” Jin Xia slowly nodded as he paid no further attention on the matter. He was not worry if the youth had some things he did not want to talk about with him. They had met for the first time after all, and Jin Xia was not the type of person to force others to spill secrets that had no relation to himself.

Now that Hu Feng’s initial objective was revealed, the two youths slowly changed to other topics and started to chat heartily in a more relaxed manner.

The sun slowly slid down from the sky, before Hu Feng finally gave a polite bow before leaving.

“Brother Jin Xia, if you ever visit Harbin City, do stop by my Hu Clan. With this Feng Emblem, you should be able to easily meet me.” Hu Feng said as he handed Jin Xia a small, light brown plate with the carved character “Hu” on it.

“Alright, Brother Hu Feng, I will have to trouble you at that time.” Jin Xia naturally accepted the seal from Hu Feng. After all, having a few strong connections would be a good thing for his Jin Clan in the future.

After sending Hu Feng off, Jin Xia had a good impression of the blue clothed youth. At least, the other party had no malicious intention towards him and had only come to inquire about his cultivation.

Although it was not good to reveal one’s strength to others, in Jin Xia’s case he purposely wanted to expose his cultivation. This way, it could help deter any potential enemies and perhaps, even allow his Jin Clan to get acquainted with those of a higher power, for example like the Hu Clan.

“Another world, huh….this Hu Feng seems quite interesting.” Jin Xia thought to himself. This was the first time since he came into this Mortal Domain, that someone other than him had mentioned a world beyond this. Most people do not have the mental capacity, or tolerance, to imagine such larger picture.

At least, the people in Tian City and those within a few miles around its surrounding, would not be able to.

Looking at Hu Feng disappearing into a carriage door, Jin Xia had on a faint smile.

______

A few miles away from Tian City, on the crooked road, a carriage could be seen being pulled by horse as it traveled on its way. A burly man was sitting outside the carriage, half guiding the horse and half sleeping.

Inside, a slightly plump figure in blue robe. This person was the same Hu Feng who was at Jin Xia’s mansion several minutes ago.

Sitting in the carriage, Hu Feng had a dispirited expression on his face. Letting out a soft sigh, Hu Feng muttered bitterly to himself:

“Was I wrong again…that person, was not the same as me?…why is it like this every time…even with that monstrous training rate that should be impossible in this kind of country, and you’re telling me he’s a natural inhabitant?…”

Tilting his head as he looked out the carriage window, Hu Feng stared at the distant moon. “Is there really no one…who was originally from ‘Earth’, here?…”

As he continued to look at the moon, Hu Feng thought back to the first time he came to this twisted world.

Back on the place he once remembered as ‘Earth’, he had saved an unknown girl near an alley, while on his way home, from being raped by an apparent stalker.

And to say the least, in that split second of a decision, two outcomes became clear.

One was obviously that he had died after being stabbed six times in the chest, and the second was that girl had been saved from a potential trauma. Like this, his poor soul should have gone through a typical reincarnation towards a better life for his honorable sacrifice.

But Fate could be quite the Joker sometimes.

In the next moment, the young man had found himself in the form of a baby, his entire existence being washed and rebranded the name ‘Hu Feng’.

And after he had grown up enough to be able to read the language of this world, ‘Hu Feng’ quickly found out what type of place he had been reborned in.

It was exactly the kind of martial arts filled world that the man now known as ‘Hu Feng’ had frequently read about on web novels. The reincarnation setting in an unknown world, and the huge advantage that said person would gain after crossing over to another plane. And when he had realized this, the young man was quite elated.

After all, he had lived a normal, but short teenage life back on Earth. Average school grades, quiet days, and the typical social interactions. He had wanted something different. Something more exciting.

And here in this kind of martial world, Hu Feng would finally get the chance to experience that.

He had all his previous memories intact, and had a common sense no one in this world had! He should have been one of the blessed cultivators.

But again, Fate can sometimes be quite the Joker.

To say Hu Feng was disadvantaged would have been wrong; he lived in a large clan within a Greater ranked City, which many others can only dream about.

But to say he had an advantage in relation to the entire WuDang would have been incorrect as well.

In short, instead of receiving those so called special “cheats” where he could train rapidly in a secret domain in one’s mind, or where he would possess one of those unique items that host a great master whom he could train under, Hu Feng basically received nothing.

Except for his fat body.

His talent on the other hand, in respective to this country, was quite good having reached Wudan 5th stage at the age of 18. But that was all due to his clan’s resource and his countless nights of hard training. Otherwise, he might not even have been able to reach this level…

For a long time, Hu Feng had been trying to ‘discover’ his hidden talent that should have appeared on his body after his reincarnation. But to his disappointment, there was nothing. He only had his previous memories on Earth and his fat body to rely on.

And over the years, as he grew older, Hu Feng came to accept life in this world as it is. He practically began to integrate himself together with this world’s culture and accept the idea of the jungle rule here. His way of speaking became more and more similar to the people of this martial plane.

And at times, Hu Feng even thought that his memories from Earth was a dream that he had made up, after being beaten several times by his cousins. That it was a result of his trauma from having been outcasted by his parents. A delusion that he unknowingly created to escape his reality — whichever one it might be.

It was after he turned seventeen, that Hu Feng had a sudden idea of searching for those like him in this world. If he could truly find a person who’s in a similar situation as him, he may be able to work together with that person. This thought came at the brink of his patience and sanity. It was what lit the small pathway of hope for him in this distorted world.

Even if he was unable to go back to their old world, at least in this strange world, he would not be alone anymore. It would be fine even if that person did not have any special “traits” in their body. He just wanted someone to appear who could show him he was not insane, alone.

Thus, Hu Feng lent his ears to the rumors floating around in the Great Azure Country, tracking down talents who had suddenly appeared within the country. He believed whenever a sudden talent emerged, it may be an indication that it was caused by a person from Earth who was granted a secret “method” of cultivation.

These hypotheses were all based on the web novels he had read on Earth in regards to these type of scenarios. Although the idea was quite vague and poorly planned, Hu Feng had nothing else to rely on in his search for similar “humans” in this foreign world.

But for the past year, no matter where he went or how much he probed, no one understood what he meant nor confirmed his hypothesis. It was as if he was the only one “human” in this world.

When he had received news from his attendants on the rumor about a young Xing Profound expert from the Jin Clan in Tian City, the first that came to Hu Feng’s mind was to immediately set out to meet that person.

Although the Jin Clan was a major clan in the Tian Province, it was still weaker than the Hu Clan. But according to Hu Feng’s knowledge gleaned from martial arts novels and the likes, such small clan are often the perfect, stereotypical environment for a person from a different world to be borned into…

Furthermore, after living in the Great Azure Country for so long, he had naturally understood the levels of the powers in this country. To them, a Xing Profound expert was an absolute existence, and was often accompanied by the appearance of olden age. For someone young to appear would mean they had broken into the stage very early. This was almost impossible and could be said to be very abnormal — at least, it was very much so in a weak country like the Great Azure!

While Hu Feng had understood that this rumor may very well had been a lie, how many times have he traveled across within the several provinces of this country before, just because of a ‘mere rumor’?

The answer is too much; he had already gave up keeping track of his brief expenditures!

Hu Feng did not want to miss a chance in which he might really discover someone who was inherently similar to him. Thus, he treated every strange rumors as truths, as long as they touched on ‘genius cultivator’ and ‘sudden popularity.’

But when he arrived at the origin of the rumor, instead of discovering a fellow man from his homeworld, he had discovered a freakin’ monster.

The rumor had turned out to be true, but had not been the truth he was seeking….

Closing his eyes as he leaned back on the wooden board, Hu Feng bitterly murmured:

“If there’s none here, perhaps I should start leaving this country soon…”

After a while, Hu Feng’s eyes suddenly fluttered open as a strong light shone in them.

“I will not give up. Somewhere in this world, there’s got to be at least a single person who’s like me…even if I spent the rest of my life here, I’ll find one. Be it from Earth, or another damn world, I will find you…there has to be….there has to be….” Hu Feng continuously muttered furiously under his breath.

The carriage continued to trotted leisurely down the broken road.

______

Later, Jin Xia visited the living quarters of the Fei sisters. When the two girls saw Jin Xia enter, they were a bit startled.

“Relax, I told you already, I do not wish to do anything to you nor take anything from you. All I require is your strength and loyalty.” Jin Xia as he stared the girls.

By now, the two of them had properly washed up and dressed in silky garments. Fei Yu wore a light pink dress while Fei Qing had on a refreshing leaf-colored attire. Both of them now gave off an unearthly sense of beauty after they removed the dirt on their faces and body, though the rusty shackles on their wrists and ankles gave off a sense of despotic moodiness.

Fei Yu’s tension loosened after seeing that Jin Xia had no ill thoughts towards them, while Fei Qing still seemed to stare vigilantly at the latter.

Noticing this, Jin Xia smirked as a mischievous thought flit across his mind. Turning to face Fei Qing, Jin Xia put on a lecherous face as he seemingly looked the girl up and down while saying: “Aiyah, but with such a tender beauty in front of me, not requiring more would be such a waste, hehe…”

“You,,,!” Fei Qing’s body instantly went rigid and her face flushed pale when she heard Jin Xia’s comment. Looking fearfully at Jin Xia, Fei Qing quickly went to hide behind her older sister, who had become tense once again.

Although Jin Xia had on a “lecherous face”, with his current striking appearance, he had actually given off a seductive aura which caused both Fei Yu and Fei Qing’s heart to rapidly speed up. While they understood what Jin Xia had said was inappropriate, they could not help but feel a sense of excitement.

This made Fei Qing feel extremely conflicted in her heart.

Suddenly, Jin Xia laughed as he waved his hands at the sisters: “I am merely joking. Do not be so serious. I have promised you sisters that I won’t take advantage of you two.”

The Fei sisters stared blankly at Jin Xia before turning to look at each other in slight embarrassment. It seems they could not predict this person’s personality at all.

When they had first met Jin Xia at the Tian Slave Market, the youth had given off the impression of a lofty and indifferent young master. Then, at the alley this youth gave off the feeling of a reserved gentleman.

And tonight, this same youth had took the initiative to joke with them. The youth simply had too many kind of faces, causing the sisters to feel a bit at lost.

Without paying further attention to peculiar faces of the sisters, Jin XIa walked over to a round table and pulled out several bottles and books from his Eternal Gourd, placing them on the wooden stand.

Then, he turned to face the two girls before speaking: “As promised, I will help you raise your cultivation from now on. On this table, these white bottles contain high quality pills which should help greatly enhance your cultivation when you train. There are also four different martial art skill books, two for body cultivation and two for attacking: [Lotus Body Art], [Golden Spring Body Art], [Seven Petals Sword Arts], and [Moonlight Sword Arts]. Each has respectively 4 layers, except the [Seven Petals Sword Arts] which has 7 layers. ”

Fei Yu and Fei Qing’s eyes widened as they looked at the items on the table.

“You…know that we sisters use swords?” Fei Yu was the first speak as she asked Jin Xia. She was puzzled on how Jin Xia knew about their usage of swords.

“Ah, uh, let’s say I could feel it from your aura?” Jin Xia said.

“…”

When Jin Xia first came in contact with the two sisters, he had noticed a faint, sharp energy emitting from the two girls’ body. Jin Xia was familiar with this energy. It was a type of aura that could only be emitted from a seasoned sword cultivator, or someone who is adept at using the sword.

Although the aura of different weapon cultivators emit seemingly similar sharp auras, with Jin Xia’s previous experiences, he could naturally differentiate a sword user’s aura from another weapon master’s aura. It’s all from experience.

Thus, Jin Xia had searched for suitable sword techniques for the two girls to practice in.

“Anyways, these four skill books can all be practiced interchangeably by both of you two sisters, since your constitutions are quite similar. They’re all Top-grade skills, so they should be quite useful to you girls. You can choose which martial arts you want to practice first among yourselves. But make sure to take two pills each day before you start to cultivate.” Jin Xia said.

Then, he went on to explain the effects of the pills and the various benefits and weaknesses of the martial arts skills he gave them.

“And once you reach a certain level of strength and when I can be sure of your loyalty, I will personally help you two girls open up all your meridians so you can perhaps experience another leap in strength.” Jin Xia concluded.

While the benefits may seem large, they were actually not much. It was just that the country was too weak. In comparison to the entire continent, excluding the soul techniques, perhaps Jin Xia’s other benefits would just be slightly better than the norm.

The two girls were silent after Jin Xia finished speaking.