The starlight was faint, the clouds low and heavy!
In a quiet city alley, trash littered the ground. A few stray cats and dogs darted about, barking and fighting over territory.
Suddenly, a Patrol car roared past, its siren wailing piercingly!
"Quick, quick, don't let him get away!"
"The suspect is believed to be a Martial Artist. Everyone be careful. If necessary, you are cleared to open fire."
A group of armed Patrols sprinted into the pitch-black alley.
...
With an old travel bag slung over his back and a gloomy look on his face, Zhao Rui kicked a crushed can in his path. It went flying with a CLANG, scattering the cats and dogs in the corner.
'Lost again. This whole talent thing is so damn frustrating!'
Zhao Rui thought sullenly.
Just then, a sudden rush of air came from behind. A dark figure closed in fast, its hand chopping toward his neck like a blade.
Zhao Rui's sharp brows furrowed. He tilted his head just enough, then flipped his left elbow up, catching the incoming hand-chop with a single hand.
The dark figure's eyes widened in shock. Before he could react, his body was sent flying backward like a sack of rags, crashing heavily against a trash can.
His vision went black, and he lost consciousness.
'I was already in a bad mood, and you had to go looking for trouble!'
'So what if I can't beat them? I'm not a fucking weakling! Fuck!'
Zhao Rui spat, shook his head in self-mockery, and, without pausing, disappeared into the shadows of the alley.
Just as he vanished, five or six heavily armed Patrols finally showed up at the mouth of the alley.
"Captain, that person just now...!"
"He's probably a Professional Martial Artist. Leave him. Check on the suspect first. If he's still breathing, cuff him and take him away. Make sure to attach a restrainer beforehand!"
"Yes, Captain!"
A moment later!
"Captain, he has broken ribs, but he'll live!"
"Take him away!"
The group had rushed in and now, without having broken a sweat, rushed off again with the criminal in tow.
...
Name: Zhao Rui
Height: 182cm
Replicable Martial Arts: Butterfly Flapping Hand (Replicate?)
Replication Progress: 0/10
Available Advancement Points: 0
...
'What is this?'
Zhao Rui froze, staring in astonishment at the transparent digital panel that had materialized in his mind.
'Don't tell me this is the mandatory system panel for transmigrators?'
Three days ago, Zhao Rui had awakened memories of his past life—or rather, a life in another dimension.
This world, on the surface, didn't look too different from a certain societal stage of his previous life's Earth. Cities were filled with skyscrapers and endless traffic, while the countryside was lush with green trees and flourishing vegetation.
Even the course of history and technological development were extremely similar.
People worked busy jobs to make a living, bustling through their days.
However, this was all just a facade.
As a Martial Artist, he knew that this world and his past one were not entirely the same. The biggest difference was that this world had something called Martial Arts.
Martial Arts, or the Martial Dao, was roughly similar to what was described in the wuxia novels of his past life. When practiced to a deep level, one could unleash Piercing Palm Force and leap dozens of feet with a single bound.
What's more, one could infuse their body with Inner Strength, making them difficult to injure with ordinary blades and guns. They could wound people from afar with nothing more than a plucked flower or a thrown leaf.
Of course, this was only what Zhao Rui had seen for himself. As for the stories online about people who could fly through the heavens and tunnel through the earth, he couldn't tell fact from fiction.
In any case, he, a registered Professional Martial Artist, had never seen it.
Practicing martial arts was commonplace in this world; everyone knew that the Martial Dao was real.
However, not everyone could achieve mastery.
Ordinary people who lacked talent, or couldn't generate Inner Qi, could only train their bodies without cultivating their qi, just like in his previous life. They had the form, but none of the substance.
In this life, Zhao Rui was the type who was stuck in mediocrity—not good enough for the best, but too good for the worst.
You couldn't say his talent was low; he had an aptitude for martial arts, and his constitution was anything but common. He was far beyond the ordinary person who might train their whole life without ever achieving true proficiency.
But you couldn't say his talent was high, either. Compared to the top prospects, he lacked a great deal in both comprehension and intuition.
No matter how much he tried to compensate with diligence or how much of a head start he got, he was always lacking that certain something the top-tier crowd had.
His predecessor had trained diligently for ten years just to barely qualify as a Professional Martial Artist, planning to use his Martial Dao specialization for the college entrance exams.
The Martial Artists of this world were divided into Professional Martial Artists and non-professional Martial Artists.
As the name suggested, Professional Martial Artists were officially registered and documented individuals who specialized in martial arts innovation, fighting, and lethal combat.
They were widely distributed among various guard units, professional competitions, and the security departments of various government offices and corporations.
In truth, they weren't much different from the professional fighters of his past life, except their personal Combat Power was significantly higher, and feats like scaling walls and running across rooftops were child's play.
The other type was the non-professional Martial Artist, meaning those who weren't registered and existed outside of official channels.
These people, operating in the open or in the shadows, were the most numerous. They might work for private militias, form gangs, open their own Martial Arts Halls, or participate in unofficial tournaments.
Because of their explosive Combat Power, these unregistered Martial Artists were difficult to control, and the level of chaos in society far exceeded that of his past life.
It gave a sense of déjà vu, like the urban kung fu films from Hong Kong or the chaos of the Republican era from his past life. There were guns, and there was kung fu. Violence, murder, drug trafficking, gang wars, Jianghu grudges—chaos reigned.
The surface-level order stood in stark contrast to the hidden world of intrigue and violence.
However, the Zhao Rui of this life was, after all, just an eighteen-year-old student. His knowledge of the world was so-so, mostly gleaned from the news media and the people around him.
He had just finished participating in the district Martial Arts Hall association's friendly competition.
Unfortunately, he failed to make the top 100.
'Fuck, my talent is just as useless as it was in my last life!'
In his last life, Zhao Rui was a professional provincial table tennis player. Unfortunately, his skill was limited, and he could never make a name for himself, only serving as a sparring partner for the seeded players on the team.
And he did that for many years!
Everyone has some pride, right? Who doesn't dream of showing off, of standing victorious in the spotlight?
Unfortunately, in the competitive arena, sometimes you really can't make up for a lack of talent with hard work.
"Hey, handsome, wanna have some fun? Since you're so good-looking, two hundred will do!"
Just as his emotions were in turmoil over the appearance of the panel in his mind, a long-haired woman in sexy clothes appeared at a street corner. The woman leaned against a high wall, threw him a flirtatious glance, and spoke in a provocative tone.
Zhao Rui looked over at the sound of her voice, his gaze slightly surprised. He didn't expect this woman to be so beautiful.
Her delicate features seemed carved from jade, and her graceful figure was perfectly proportioned. Her exposed skin was fair and tender; he knew without touching that it must be incredibly smooth and fine.
Her legs, long and straight beneath her miniskirt, had a soft, sexy curve to them that made it hard to look away.
'Say what you will about the other perks of being a Martial Artist, but your eyesight is definitely top-notch.'
'What a pity. For such a beautiful woman to be a hooker!'
Zhao Rui shook his head and sighed. 'Two hundred... I don't even have two hundred.'
"Sis, I'm still a virgin. They say you're supposed to get paid for your first time!"
Hearing his words, the beautiful woman's expression froze for a moment. Then, a charming smile played on her lips as she said, "Then you tell me, how much should I give you?"
"Twenty thousand! I won't lift a finger for any less!"
Zhao Rui said shamelessly.
The woman was clearly pissed off by his words!
'With my looks, I have to pay him instead? The world's been turned upside down!'