My classmates chose martial arts and fantasy, but I chose the prehistoric world.

In the depths of chaos, the Purple Cloud Palace dissipated.

Meng Chuan and Hou Tu walked side by side, following behind Di Jiang's figure with soaring blood and qi, entering the chaos and heading towards Buzhou Mountain.

Before entering the chaos, Meng Chuan turned back and glanced at the location of Zixiao Palace.

Having heard the Dao for three thousand years, the primordial order of the world has changed.

The era of Quasi-Saints has officially begun.

And he will embark on the most difficult, yet most steadfast, path of proving the Way through force.

"Let's go."

Beside her, Houtu spoke softly.

Meng Chuan withdrew his gaze, nodded, and stepped into the chaos with her. At the same time, he was quite curious about what the "generous reward" that Di Jiang mentioned would be.

……

A world of low-level martial arts.

The Great Zhou Dynasty, Qingzhou, Yunya Mountain.

boom! boom! boom!

The dull thud echoed across the cliffs in the early morning.

Xiao Yan gritted his teeth and punched the half-person-high bluestone in front of him again and again.

The fist was already torn and bleeding, with blood mixed with stone dust, splattering dark red spots on the stone surface.

With each punch, his muscles screamed in agony, and his bones groaned from the unbearable strain.

But he dared not stop.

Three zhang behind him, a middle-aged man with a wiry build and a cold expression stood with his arms crossed, his gaze like a knife, fixed firmly on his back.

If he slows down even slightly, or if his strength loosens even a little—

Snapped!

A whip flashed through the air and struck him precisely on the back.

His clothes were torn, and his skin and flesh were ripped open, leaving a bloody gash.

"Well!"

Xiao Yan grunted and stumbled forward, nearly crashing into the bluestone.

He gritted his teeth, swallowed the metallic taste rising in his throat, steadied himself, and continued to throw punches.

can't stop.

If you stop, the whip will only come harder and more frequently.

He had been living like this for three whole years.

Three years ago, he was transported from Earth to this low-level martial arts world, landing in a desolate wilderness.

Before I could even rejoice that I had been randomly assigned to a low-martial arts world with the lowest mortality rate, a group of bandits came roaring in.

Seven or eight burly men with bloodied knife wounds looked at him as if he were a fat sheep waiting to be slaughtered.

He held the specially made long knife that his family had saved up for over half a year to buy, his palms were sweaty.

It's a fine knife, military-grade quality, absolutely a divine weapon among divine weapons in this low-tech world.

But there were too many people on the other side, and with his rudimentary skills, even with this knife, he was no match for them.

"Kid, not bad. Leave it here, or I'll spare your life!"

The bandit leader grinned, revealing a mouthful of yellow teeth.

Xiao Yan's legs were shaking, and his mind was blank.

Run? You can't outrun a horse.

Fight? We can't beat them.

Just as the bandits were closing in, and he was almost in despair—

A gray shadow darted out from the woods.

The sword flashed like lightning, instantly slicing through the necks of seven or eight bandits.

Blood splattered, and corpses fell to the ground.

The gray-clad figure sheathed his sword and stood among the corpses. He was a man in his forties, with a gaunt face and deep, unfathomable eyes, dressed in a blue robe.

Xiao Yan collapsed to the ground, panting heavily, overwhelmed by the relief of surviving the ordeal.

He looked up at the man in the blue robe.

The other person was also looking at him, their gaze falling on the long sword in his hand, a hint of surprise flashing in their eyes.

"A fine knife."

The man in the blue robe spoke, his voice calm, "It's a pity, a pearl is covered in dust."

In a moment of impulsiveness, Xiao Yan, not knowing where the courage came from, suddenly turned over and knelt down, thumping his head three times.

"Senior! Please accept me as your disciple!"

He held the knife with both hands, raising it high above his head.

"This sword is a family heirloom. I offer it to you, senior, in the only request that you teach me your martial arts!"

The man in the blue robe looked at him, but neither took the knife nor spoke.

Xiao Yan felt a pang of panic, then gritted his teeth and added:

"If you do not reject me, Senior, I am willing to acknowledge you as my godfather! From now on, I will serve you faithfully and without any disloyalty!"

He felt ashamed as soon as he said those words.

But what does face matter when faced with life and death and opportunity?

Sure enough, a complex emotion flickered in the eyes of the man in the blue robe.

That look in his eyes contained pain, hurt, and a hint of...dazedness.

After a long silence, he slowly reached out, took the long sword, and ran his fingertips along the cold blade.

Get up.

"Godfather...you agreed?" Xiao Yan looked up in ecstasy.

"Um."

The man in the blue robe, Lin Hanshan, returned the knife to Xiao Yan, then turned around and said, "Come back to the mountain with me."

"Yes, Godfather!"

Xiao Yan scrambled to his feet and followed closely behind.

He thought he had made the right bet and had latched onto a powerful patron.

Little did he know that this was just the beginning of his hard times.

On the way back to the mountain, Lin Hanshan was taciturn and only asked him about his background.

Xiao Yan dared not tell the truth, only saying that he had fled here, that his family had suffered a disaster, and that he was all alone.

Lin Hanshan didn't ask any more questions; whether he believed it or not didn't matter.

Upon arriving at Yunya Mountain, Xiao Yan quickly understood why there was a hint of pain in the other person's eyes when he changed his address to acknowledge him as his "godfather."

Lin Hanshan had a son, who was left behind after his wife died in childbirth. If he were still alive, he would be about the same age as Xiao Yan.

Unfortunately, he died suddenly ten years ago.

Lin Hanshan's hair turned white overnight, and his personality changed drastically. From then on, he lived a secluded life in the mountains, rarely venturing out. With his mind focused and free from distractions, he entered the realm of the Innate.

Until that day, when he went down the mountain to relax, he happened to save Xiao Yan.

He had no interest in taking on apprentices, but when Xiao Yan knelt down and asked to be his "godfather," he was tempted.

Both of them got what they wanted.

With a master of innate talent as his backer, Xiao Yan could walk sideways in this low-level martial arts world.

He'll return to Earth in a decade or so, bringing back unparalleled martial arts skills to bring glory to his ancestors—how wonderful that will be!

He had a good plan, but he didn't expect things to change so quickly.

Seven days after becoming an apprentice, an old friend of Lin Hanshan came to visit with his daughter.

My old friend's surname is Su, given name Zhengyang. He is the leader of the prestigious "Iron Sword Sect" in Qingzhou and is a sworn brother of Lin Hanshan.

Su Zhengyang's daughter, named Su Qingyue, is sixteen years old. She has a beautiful appearance and a refined temperament.

When Xiao Yan first saw her, his heart skipped a beat.

Even on Earth, he rarely saw such a beautiful girl.

Su Qingyue was also sizing him up, her gaze calm and revealing no emotion.

During the meal, Su Zhengyang and Lin Hanshan reminisced about old times. As their conversation became more animated, Su Zhengyang suddenly said:

"Brother Hanshan, I think your adopted son is quite good. He's honest, dutiful, and has potential."

He paused for a moment, then smiled and said, "My Qingyue is also of marriageable age. If Brother Hanshan doesn't mind, how about we become in-laws?"

Xiao Yan was engrossed in eating when he heard this and choked on a mouthful of rice, coughing until his face turned red.

Su Qingyue frowned slightly, looked at her father, and said softly, "Father, I want to stay with you for a few more years..."

"Well, a woman should marry when she comes of age." Su Zhengyang waved his hand and looked at Lin Hanshan, "Brother Hanshan, what do you think?"

Lin Hanshan pondered for a moment, then looked at Xiao Yan.

"Yan'er, what do you think?"

Xiao Yan finally caught his breath and looked up, meeting Su Qingyue's gaze.

There was a hint of displeasure in the girl's eyes, but more than that, there was a condescending scrutiny.

It's as if it's saying: You don't deserve it?

The fleeting romance in Xiao Yan's heart instantly cooled down.

He thought about his situation.

He is a time traveler who will be forcibly teleported back to Earth in a little over ten years.

Marry a wife? What's the point? You can't take her home; she'll only leave you with worries, harming both yourself and others.

Moreover, Su Qingyue clearly looked down on him.

Why bother making a fool of yourself?

"I am deeply grateful for Uncle Su's kindness."

He stood up, clasped his hands in a respectful gesture, and spoke sincerely.

"However, Xiao Yan is burdened with a deep-seated blood feud, and with that feud yet to be avenged, he dares not marry. Moreover, Miss Su possesses a beauty beyond compare, while Xiao Yan is crude and uncouth; he truly dares not presume to be worthy of her. This marriage... please forgive Xiao Yan for being unable to agree."

After he finished speaking, the room fell silent.

Su Zhengyang's smile froze on his face.

Lin Hanshan frowned slightly.

Su Qingyue stared at him in disbelief.

She initially thought that it was just her who looked down on this ordinary-looking guy.

Unexpectedly, the other party rejected her first!

On what grounds?

She, Su Qingyue, is the eldest daughter of the Iron Sword Sect, a famous beauty in Qingzhou, and also possesses extremely high martial arts talent, which many talented young men yearn for but cannot obtain.

This Xiao Yan is of ordinary appearance and has mediocre martial arts skills. He was just lucky to have found a master of innate talent as his adopted husband, yet he dares to despise her.

An unnamed anger suddenly surged into my heart.

Su Qingyue was proud by nature, and being publicly "rejected" made her feel ashamed and angry, which aroused her rebellious spirit.

She took a deep breath, suppressed her anger, turned to Su Zhengyang, and said calmly:

"Father, I am completely at your disposal when it comes to my marriage."