Volume One: The Awakening of the Dragon Soul Chapter 57: The Secret of This World

“What? We still have a chance to return to our original world?” Mo Xing asked.

“That’s right, as long as the conditions are met,” Zhang Zhihao replied, nodding as he took a mechanical sphere the size of an egg from his storage wristband and placed it on the table.

“What’s… what is this?” Mo Xing asked in confusion, gazing at the silvery orb.

“A text-conversion projector,” Xia Ningxin answered.

“It’s basically a projector that can store books and documents, and also convert them into holographic images,” Orange explained. “Think of it as an online class.”

“Online class… This should be my first time,” Mo Xing said, scratching his head. As he watched, the mechanical sphere began spinning frantically on the table, swaying side to side like a fan. Suddenly the room dimmed, and a blue image appeared hovering above the center of the table, rotating in three-dimensional space:

“The world of Aslant is the most mysterious part of the sky, located at the upper troposphere and lower stratosphere of the earth. Influenced by the ancient war of the gods, time in this region flows in near stasis, distinctly different from the world below.”

“What does that mean? Are we in Earth’s atmosphere right now?” Mo Xing exclaimed in surprise, picking up a piece of meat.

“Yes, Aslant is a mysterious region composed of countless floating islands,” Zhang Zhihao replied with a nod.

“Then what does ‘time flows in near stasis’ mean?” Mo Xing pressed.

“The ancients used to say, ‘A day in heaven is a year on earth.’ But in the world of Aslant, the concept is reversed,” Zhang Zhihao explained.

“In other words, if you stay in Aslant for a year, only a month passes in the world below,” Orange added.

“The ratio is twelve to one,” Xia Ningxin summarized.

“That’s a lot to take in…” Mo Xing scratched his head. “If any research institute on the surface knew about this, it would be a major scientific breakthrough!”

“Exactly,” Zhang Zhihao agreed. “That’s why, to maintain secrecy, every human who arrives in this world has their memory wiped. Please keep watching the screen.”

The mechanical sphere spun on, and more blue images floated in the air:

“In 1903, the Wright brothers succeeded in flying the first airplane, bringing humanity closer to the sky. During World War I, a pilot from a certain country, disrupted by air currents while on a mission, accidentally entered the world of Aslant and was cut off from contact with the earth below.”

“What the—this even connects to the Wright brothers and World War I?” Mo Xing was dumbfounded, almost choking on his rice.

“No need to be too surprised,” Zhang Zhihao said with a smile. “There’s more. You’ll get to see what this world is really like. Just watch as you eat.”

Mo Xing looked up, and the blue images in the air refreshed, projecting several scenes with captions:

“The plane crashed, and the surviving pilots arrived in Aslant, curious about this primitive and mysterious continent.”

“There happened to be villages nearby, so they sought help from the locals.”

“At first, the native Aslantians were wary of these strangely dressed pilots and resisted them.”

“With no other choice, the pilots set up camp in a patch of forest, surviving by fishing and foraging.”

“Gradually, they discovered that magic existed in this world, and that they, too, could harness elemental forces.”

“With practice and ingenuity, they used these elements to hunt, build shelters, and accomplish other tasks.”

“One time, when a horde of dragons attacked the villages, the pilots bravely stepped forward. Relying on their formidable military skills and tactical command, they successfully repelled the dragons and earned the trust of the Aslantians.”

The blue projection paused, freezing on the image of humans and Aslantians shaking hands.

“So did they live happily ever after?” Mo Xing scratched his head, sharing his thoughts.

“But that’s not what really happened,” Zhang Zhihao said after a pause. “This is information from long ago, and most of it has been destroyed. What I have here is one of the few surviving copies.”

“The later history has been deliberately altered. For example, the so-called ‘Modern History of Aslant’ might not record the truth at all,” Orange said, shaking her head.

“Alright,” Mo Xing said, scratching his head, “but I’m still confused. How did I get here? And how do I go back?”

“It’s all part of a scheme,” Xia Ningxin answered, as brief as ever.

“A scheme?” Mo Xing was at a loss.

“I told you before about an organization called the Immortals. They’re the ones who set all of this up. They hold the key to traveling between the sky world of Aslant and the earth below—the Transmission Star Crystal,” Zhang Zhihao continued. “At a certain moment, they use some means to bring us into this world.”

“I’ve heard of them—they’re a third party…” Mo Xing paused, recalling the previous operation at the Divine Arms Tower. On the return journey, Zhang Zhihao had mentioned that the Immortals, as a third-party force, constantly manipulated righteous Aslantian factions and the dark sects of Kalandis into fighting each other. They were the real masterminds behind the scenes!

“But what do they want? And why choose me?” Mo Xing was even more baffled. He was just an ordinary teenager—no money, no background—yet he’d been “kidnapped” into another world by these so-called Immortals!

“Your soul,” Xia Ningxin said suddenly, her gaze chilling.

“What?” Mo Xing shivered. Absorbing souls—wasn’t that straight out of some fantasy novel’s Soul Hall?

This wasn’t an ordinary crossing—this was a conspiracy!

“According to our research, the Immortals periodically abduct ordinary people from the surface world, forcibly altering their memories and sending them here to cultivate. When the time is right, they harvest their souls,” Orange explained.

“The stronger you become, the more valuable you are to them,” Zhang Zhihao added. “They prefer harvesting powerful souls, as it greatly prolongs their own lives. That’s the origin of the Immortals organization—symbolizing eternal life.”

“What if I don’t cultivate?” Mo Xing blurted out without thinking, and instantly wished he could take it back.

“In that case, you probably wouldn’t have had the chance to sit here eating with us,” Zhang Zhihao replied with a faint smile. “You might have been killed by Li Qingchi at the Divine Arms Tower, and I’d never have made it in time to save you.”

“Uh… Then I’d better choose to grow stronger. I don’t want to die so easily,” Mo Xing said, scratching his head.

If you get stronger, you die…

If you don’t get stronger, you die…

Well, then, I might as well get stronger!

“Yes, that’s the right attitude. But remember, growing stronger is just a process. Our true goal is to break this cycle,” Orange said.

“To free everyone from the Immortals’ control, and return together to the world we came from,” Zhang Zhihao agreed with a nod.

“Let’s work for that,” Xia Ningxin added simply.

Mo Xing was stunned for a moment. He’d read plenty of martial arts and fantasy novels, watched cartoons, dramas, and movies featuring young heroes joining forces, slaying demons, saving the world—the kind of stories that got his blood pumping. He’d never imagined that one day he’d be responsible for saving humanity himself!

“Alright, let’s do our best!” Mo Xing said.

“Good. Now, let’s talk about the Dragonfang Island operation,” Zhang Zhihao said, snapping his fingers.

The mechanical sphere on the table spun, and dense blue text swirled in the air.

“These are the names of those from Saint Sky Royal Academy participating in this operation,” Zhang Zhihao explained. “I copied the data in.”

“That’s… that’s amazing! It even works like a USB drive?” Mo Xing exclaimed, watching the slowly rotating names suspended in midair.

“You can tap any name with your finger to see that person’s detailed profile,” Orange demonstrated, tapping a name. A document popped up. “Just like this.”

“Oh, oh! Hey, isn’t this my name…” Mo Xing looked around and spotted his own name, so he tapped it. A document sprang up—

“Name: Mo Xing”
“Gender: Male”
“Profession: Magic Swordsman (formerly Elementalist)”
“Element: Water”
“Rank: Greenwood Grade (exact level unknown)”
“Priority: B-rank Student (688 points)”
“Year: First Year”
“Year Ranking: 8888th”
“Current Task Group: Group One”
“…”

Wow! It’s so detailed! It’s exactly like one of those audio learning machines—tap wherever you’re stuck! Even my profession has been updated. What does “exact level unknown” mean? My priority score seems to have gone up by twenty points? And what’s with that incredibly auspicious ranking? There’s even an ID photo! When did they even take that?

“You really are like a curious kid visiting a museum for the first time,” Xia Ningxin remarked, watching Mo Xing “browse” through everyone’s data.

“Well, even kids grow up eventually~” Orange laughed, sidling over. “By the way, that’s the longest sentence you’ve said all day, Ningxin~”

“No, it’s not,” Xia Ningxin pouted, the gesture totally at odds with her usual cool demeanor.

“Ningxin, you look cute when you pout, hehe~” Orange smiled.

“Cute?” Xia Ningxin shook her head. “I don’t like that word.”

“I actually like you better when you’re cool and aloof~” Orange teased.

“Mm.” Xia Ningxin replied.

“Is this Dragonfang Island rescue operation really so dangerous? The academy’s sending so many elites?” Mo Xing asked, surprised. He’d just skimmed the list and seen several A-rank students—Saint Sky Royal Academy’s finest.

“Yes, it’s extremely dangerous,” Zhang Zhihao confirmed. “That’s why you need to intensify your survival training over the next couple of days.”

“All these students are at the Azure Wave level, and I’m the only Greenwood. That’s awkward! Couldn’t I at least have a partner?” Mo Xing said with a wry smile.

“As it happens, there’s just one,” Zhang Zhihao said with a smile, tapping a name.

“Who? Who is it?” Mo Xing hurried over.

“Shiyan,” Zhang Zhihao replied with a smile. “Mo Xing, I think you two make a good pair.”

“No, no! Don’t say that, please!” Mo Xing’s face turned bright red, as if splashed with paint.

“Shall I play matchmaker and tie your red thread of fate?” Zhang Zhihao said lightly.

“No, no need, really… Please, you don’t need to be the matchmaker…” Mo Xing trailed off, his gaze caught by a line in the dossier.

“Why… why is her element listed as unknown?”