Chapter 001: Primitive Era

The cold wind howls, and the sky is gray and gloomy.

The sunlight struggles to penetrate the thick clouds and reach the ground. People living in the era of apocalypse have not seen a sunny day for a long time.

Everything in sight is desolate. Once magnificent skyscrapers now have peeling exteriors, revealing the dilapidated interiors. It's as if sinister monsters have opened their mouths, creating a disheartening scene.

However, the hurried crowd on the streets seems accustomed to it. They neither lift their heads to the sky nor glance at the crumbling buildings. Instead, they numbly weave through the streets.

Yusu exits the library, holding a thick volume of magical arts. Standing at the library's entrance, he gazes at the sky, seemingly lost in thought.

Behind him is the city's largest library, once vibrant and bustling. Now, except for an old man at the entrance, Yusu is the only one foolish enough to come to the library at this time.

In the current era of apocalypse, the magical art sphere atop the library, which used to illuminate the entire city, has long extinguished. Even those with exceptional talents for cultivation have become useless individuals.

Yusu's biggest regret is being born in such a time.

He doesn't understand why he persists in coming to the library to read magical arts. After all, these things are now worth almost nothing.

Perhaps the fervor burning in his heart won't be extinguished by the depletion of spiritual energy in the apocalypse.

He has fantasized countless times about what he would be like if he could cultivate one day.

The old man guarding the gate lazily changes his position, leaning against the gate. He notices Yusu's yearning and ambition, unable to resist a mocking laugh.

"What are you looking at? Even if you stare at the sky, it won't bring back a trace of spiritual energy. No matter how talented you are, you'll end up as a useless person. If the spiritual energy of heaven and earth were still present, even the most useless individuals could live to be a hundred. But I'm lucky; I won't age prematurely. Wait and see, you little brats might not even live to be sixty; you might die by fifty."

The old man's words, full of malice yet truthful, reflect the harsh reality. Since the depletion of spiritual energy in the world, not only has spiritual energy disappeared, but various resources have also been exhausted. The harsh living conditions are becoming increasingly unsuitable for human survival, inevitably leading to the day when life prematurely ages.

Yusu looks at the old man with a mixture of sorrow and helplessness. This is a reality he cannot change.

He retracts his wistful expression, adjusts his collar, and, carrying the magical arts book, blends into the numb crowd, heading towards home.

Perhaps due to carrying the weight of his heavy thoughts, Yusu doesn't notice the commotion around him and misses the screams of the crowd.

It's only when a wall, falling from the sky, crashes above him that he realizes, but it's already too late.

After a loud bang, numerous screams fill the air.

Yusu only has time for one thought: that gatekeeping old man has a really ominous mouth.

***

When Yusu opens his eyes again, the first thing he sees is the thatched roof, the rough-hewn beams supporting it, and then the dilapidated rammed earth walls. The surface is peeling, revealing uneven wall surfaces interspersed with some grass roots—a primitive and ecological setting.

As he looks more clearly, he realizes he's lying on a wooden board, a hard makeshift bed.

In confusion, he turns his head and locks eyes with a pair of dark, shining eyes, startling him.

"You are..."

Before he can finish speaking, a flood of memories rushes in, accompanied by the return of physical pain.

Yusu is astonished to find himself no longer in the era of apocalypse. His soul has entered the body of a young man also named Yusu in this primitive era!

The original owner was a villager from a place called Yujia Village in the primitive era. The family was simple, with a deceased mother, only him, his mentally disabled and foolish father, and the brother in front of him who seems to have autism. To support his family, the original owner worked tirelessly every day, but due to being weak, he could only do a limited amount of work, barely enough to keep the family from starving.

A day ago, the original body fell from the mountains, unconscious. It was carried home by someone.

With injuries and a night of fever, he couldn't make it through. That's when Yusu took over.

Yusu lets out a long breath and then says to his younger brother, Yuzhou, who is sitting by the bedside, "Go fetch a bowl of water, little brother."

Yuzhou silently gets up to fetch water, holding a bowl with a chipped edge. He wordlessly utters a single word, and in his dark eyes, a hint of concern is hidden.

Yusu understands and reaches out to gently rub his brother's head before taking the somewhat murky water and drinking it in one go.

Yuzhou watches him silently, but when Yusu rubbed his head just now, a glimmer of light appeared in Yuzhou's calm eyes, not like those of a child.

[Author's Note: —Starting a new story, seeking attention and support. Thank you very much.—]