Chapter 407: The Recorder of History (18)

The boy's name was Si Zhaonan.
His daily life consisted of fishing, catching shrimp, and occasionally checking which families were hosting feasts so he could beg for food.
Si Zhaonan had lost both his parents at a young age, not both parents, and grew up relying on the kindness of others. He had heard of a much larger world beyond the village, a world inhabited by cultivators called martial artists. Martial artists... Si Zhaonan had no concept of it until Wang Ergou's long-lost older brother, Wang Dahu, suddenly returned to the village and smashed the stone tablet at the village entrance—a tablet as large as himself—into pieces with a single punch. If that punch had hit a person, wouldn't that person have been torn to pieces too?
That stone tablet, inscribed with "Sanlitun," usually had even a tiny chip on it, and the old village chief would have to go door-to-door asking about it, leaning on his cane. He had been punished by the old village chief many times. But when Wang Dahu shattered the stone tablet, the old village chief didn't dare utter a single word.
What made Si Zhaonan even more envious was that Wang Dahu had returned from his mountain trip with the carcass of a fierce tiger. Si Zhaonan was fortunate enough to get a bowl of soup that day, with a large piece of meat in it—delicious and flavorful. For the first time, he dreamed of becoming a martial artist, but he didn't even have enough to eat for the next day.
Si Zhaonan never imagined that the scene that only appeared in his dreams would actually happen!
He had actually become a martial artist!
Just three days ago, he was fishing. He didn't catch any fish, but he did catch a strange bronze mask.
At first, he wanted to sell the strange bronze mask, but unfortunately… no one was willing to buy it, not even for a simple meal.
Disheartened, Si Zhaonan had no choice but to keep the bronze mask. Out of boredom, he picked it up and put it on.
After putting it on, Si Zhaonan seemed to see a person moving before his eyes… He copied the movements one by one. It all felt like a dream to him; he just thought it was fun. He never expected that when he woke up, he would find his strength had increased several times over.
Although he couldn't smash a stone tablet as tall as himself to pieces with a single punch like Wang Dahu next door, killing his former self with one punch wasn't a problem. The only bad news was that Si Zhaonan was incredibly hungry... already emaciated, he was now just skin and bones.
A strong will to survive drove Si Zhaonan into the deep mountains, hoping to find some meat. Luckily, he encountered a wild rabbit after only a few steps. Si Zhaonan unleashed astonishing speed, grabbed the rabbit, and, driven by extreme hunger, didn't care whether it was raw or cooked, swallowing it whole. But he felt even hungrier.
Until Si Zhaonan finally came to his senses.
He looked at his bloodied hands, foul-smelling blood frothing in his mouth.
Si Zhaonan murmured, "Have I become a demon? Am I no longer human?"
"This isn't a demon... Congratulations on becoming a martial artist!" Si Zhaonan turned around to see a burly man looking at him.
Wang Dahu!
Wang Dahu looked at Si Zhaonan, his eyes filled with confusion: "Making such a commotion in the back mountain in the middle of the night, I thought some demon beast had broken through to a higher level."
"So it's just a little guy who just broke through to the Martial Realm. Didn't you prepare enough flesh and blood to replenish your energy after becoming a Martial Realm cultivator?"
Si Zhaonan was completely bewildered.
Si Zhaonan revealed his identity, which surprised Wang Dahu. How could a good-for-nothing hoodlum become a martial artist?
Fortunately, Si Zhaonan was quick-witted enough to simply say he accidentally obtained a brightly colored fruit, and, being extremely hungry, didn't care if it was poisonous. He ate it and became like this. Wang Dahu believed this bizarre story, because strange things happen all the time.
Si Zhaonan was further intrigued by Wang Dahu's claim that he was a genius with unparalleled skill in martial arts, a once-in-a-century talent, and wanted him to return to the battlefield with him.
This was extremely dangerous!
Si Zhaonan finally agreed.
He wanted to see the outside world… to see the magnificent world of martial arts described in the book!
Great people have great dreams, and small people have small dreams. Some want absolute power, some want wealth and glory, some want eternal fame… These are all too distant for Si Zhaonan. Before, he only wanted to eat his fill. Now, although his dream is still to eat his fill, he has added another goal:
to leave this small Sanlitun and see a more magnificent world.
Back home, Si Zhaonan looked at the bronze mask still lying beside the haystack. He picked it up.
“This is… a celestial treasure?”
Si Zhaonan felt like it was all a dream, yet this dream felt incredibly real.
He knew he had struck it rich.
This really was a treasure. Thinking about how he had previously considered selling it for a meal, Si Zhaonan wanted to slap himself. Luckily, no one wanted it.
A few days later, Si Zhaonan and Wang Dahu were about to return to the military camp.
Si Zhaonan looked at the little flower at the village entrance, reluctant to part with him.
Xiao Hua was the village beauty of Sanlitun.
Everyone in Sanlitun, young and old, harbored feelings for Xiao Hua.
Si Zhaonan was no exception.
Ever since his identity as a martial artist was revealed by Wang Dahu, his status in the village was second only to Wang Dahu.
Xiao Hua secretly flirted with him.
Suppressing his excitement, Si Zhaonan ultimately chose to go with Wang Dahu to see the outside world.
The outside world was vast.
Si Zhaonan knew that everyone here was a martial artist, just like Wang Dahu, or even stronger!
Fortunately, he had all his meridians open, making him a martial arts prodigy.
Besides, he also possessed a mysterious mask; every time he put it on, a figure would appear.
Later, Si Zhaonan learned that this was a martial arts technique called Tianyuan Gong, a genuine King-level technique.
Si Zhaonan repeatedly distinguished himself, and after a century, he became the Grand Marshal of a powerful dynasty.
Reflecting on his journey, Si Zhaonan sighed deeply.
The weather was freezing cold.
"Marshal, it's cold."
"Put on another layer."
Si Zhaonan looked and saw that the garment was yellow, embroidered with a majestic nine-clawed dragon.
Si Zhaonan smiled knowingly.
In less than ten years, the original dynasty underwent a dramatic transformation, and a brand new dynasty emerged, named the Tianyuan Dynasty.
Si Zhaonan's legendary experiences allowed him to quickly establish a foothold in the human realm on this continent.
Besides the Tianyuan Dynasty, many other forces existed in this world.
The most powerful force among them, which rules over the entire human race, is called the Holy Mountain!