Chapter 1: The Journey

Shen'en Continent, a parallel world where spiritual energy has revived, and the heart of the Huaxia Empire, Chaoge City, is immersed in a solemn and dignified atmosphere. The Awakening Square, usually silent, is now bustling with people.

In a corner of the square, Jiang Wenming appears somewhat flustered. His face is pale, and cold sweat drips from his forehead, indicating that he is undergoing immense inner turmoil. Just moments ago, he was woken up by an alarm clock on an ordinary morning, and the next instant, he was transported to this strange and dangerous world.

"Jiang Wenming, hurry up! What are you dawdling for? Don't you want to awaken?" An impatient voice broke Jiang Wenming's confusion, pulling him out of his chaotic thoughts. He turned back and saw a schoolboy with a stern face and a school uniform glaring at him impatiently.

Jiang Wenming's heart tightened. He knew he couldn't continue like this. He must adapt to this new world as quickly as possible, or he would be faced with endless darkness and despair. He took a deep breath, trying to calm himself down, and began to recall the memories flooding into his mind.

In this world, everyone who turns 16 undergoes an Awakening Ceremony. This ceremony is a fate-defining test, where those who successfully awaken their power system will soar to become the elite, enjoying limitless glory and power. However, those who fail can only find a job or, worse, may not even be able to attend university. In this world, those who awaken their power system are recruited by the country, becoming the equivalent of civil servants.

Today is the annual Awakening Day, the day when 16-year-olds undergo this crucial test. Jiang Wenming knew that he must succeed in this test; otherwise, he would lose his footing in this world.

However, Jiang Wenming felt despair. The original owner he had crossed over to was a useless existence. He possessed neither any talent nor specialty, nor any knowledge of this world. Jiang Wenming felt as if he had been thrown into an abyss, unable to escape no matter how hard he struggled.

"Damn it! Even if the original owner was useless, couldn't you have given me a few days to adapt? Throwing me straight into the Awakening Ceremony like this, is this not screwing me over?" Jiang Wenming groaned in his heart. He knew that the Awakening Ceremony was not entirely safe. One wrong name or identity during the ceremony could lead to instant death. For him, a newcomer to this world with no knowledge of it, this was an uncrossable chasm.

However, Jiang Wenming did not give up. He knew he must face this challenge; otherwise, he would never be able to escape the fate of being useless. He took a deep breath and began to recall the memories flooding into his mind. He must quickly grasp the knowledge and rules of this world to succeed in the Awakening Ceremony.

So, Jiang Wenming spent the final moments before the Awakening Ceremony in trepidation. He didn't know if he would succeed in awakening his power system or what challenges and dangers he would face. But he knew that he must forge ahead bravely, unafraid of difficulties, to establish himself and soar to new heights in this strange world!

Jiang Wenming's feelings were complicated at this moment. He was originally a lazy person who often chose to "lie flat" in life, thinking that he could take a shortcut and lead a relaxed and comfortable life. However, when he accidentally traveled to this unfamiliar world, he found himself facing a brand-new and challenging environment.

In this world, everyone had the opportunity to awaken their own power system, which was connected to their bloodline. Successfully awakening would grant one extraordinary abilities. Jiang Wenming, who had just arrived, faced this unknown and mysterious situation with trepidation and uneasiness.

At this moment, everyone's attention was focused on the platform, where a young man was slowly walking towards the mysterious gateway known as the "Gate of Creation." The young man's name was Xiao Yu, only sixteen years old, but he was already a standout in everyone's eyes. He excelled in comprehensive performance, ranking first all year round. More importantly, his father was one of the school directors and possessed a powerful Giant Spirit bloodline.

"Look, it's Xiao Yu!" Someone exclaimed in the crowd, "I don't know what power system he'll awaken."

"It's obvious! His father is a Giant Spirit, so he'll definitely awaken the power of the Giant Spirit too," someone next to them replied. "After all, with the inheritance of bloodline, his chance of successfully awakening is much higher than us ordinary people."

Jiang Wenming listened to the surrounding conversations and felt a ripple in his heart. He was also pondering whether he could find his place in this world and awaken his own power system.

With everyone's gaze, Xiao Yu walked calmly into the Gate of Creation. As he entered, a brilliant golden light burst out from the gateway, illuminating the entire space. Everyone held their breath and awaited the miracle that would unfold next.

Xiao Yu entered a mysterious space surrounded by densely packed statues of various shapes. Some were humanoid, some were beastly, and some were half-human and half-beast. They stood there silently, as if waiting for something.

Xiao Yu scanned the surroundings and eventually settled his gaze on a particular statue. This statue looked particularly majestic and powerful, wielding a gigantic axe that seemed capable of splitting heaven and earth. Xiao Yu's face lit up with joy, and he walked over to the statue, bowed deeply, and chanted softly, "Mighty as a mountain, invincible in spirit. With this divine axe, I will stabilize the heavens and earth. Junior Xiao Yu humbly requests the descent of the Giant Spirit."

As Xiao Yu's chanting ended, the statue suddenly emitted a brilliant glow. The light gradually expanded, engulfing the entire space. Everyone present gasped, realizing that Xiao Yu had successfully awakened his power system—the Giant Spirit!

"Puff!" A muffled sound came from within the Gate of Creation, as if something heavy had fallen. Everyone's eyes widened as they looked inside, only to see a gigantic figure slowly emerging from the gateway—it was Xiao Yu after his awakening!

When Jiang Wenming heard the praise of "lifting mountains with one's might and overpowering the world with one's spirit, wielding the divine axe to shape the universe," a strange sense of amusement instantly welled up in his heart. His lips curled into a slight smile, and his deep eyes sparkled with mockery. In this solemn and reverent awakening ceremony, his sudden laughter was like a stone thrown into a still lake, drawing the attention of those around him.

"You call the Giant Spirit 'lifting mountains with one's might and overpowering the world with one's spirit'? Well, that comparison is somewhat apt," Jiang Wenming chuckled, spreading his hands as if presenting a trivial joke. He glanced around and saw faces of surprise, confusion, and anger, but felt a strange sense of satisfaction within.

"But what is this about 'wielding the divine axe to shape the universe'? That praise is a bit excessive, don't you think?" Jiang Wenming continued to tease, a trace of provocation in his voice. He knew that such words were undoubtedly challenging everyone's faith and dignity. But he didn't care; he just wanted to make this boring and沉闷 ceremony a bit more interesting.

"Who, besides Pan Gu, dares to claim shaping the universe? Just because of this puny Giant Spirit?" Jiang Wenming's voice grew louder, his words pounding like hammers on everyone's hearts. His tone was filled with质疑and disdain for the Giant Spirit, as if he were trying to dethrone the deity revered by all.

"Even if Pan Gu nodded, I dare say he wouldn't dare to accept such a claim!" Jiang Wenming's words were like adding fuel to the fire, making the already tense atmosphere even more tense. Those around him glared angrily, as if they wanted to devour him alive. However, Jiang Wenming didn't care; he relished the feeling of being the center of attention.

"Silence!" Finally, Teacher Li Peng could no longer contain himself and shouted loudly. His voice boomed like thunder in everyone's ears, silencing the noisy classroom instantly.

Teacher Li Peng glared at Jiang Wenming and Wang Lei, his eyes filled with dissatisfaction and disappointment. He knew the personalities and backgrounds of these two students well, aware of their enmity and disputes. But he never expected them to cause such a commotion during this important moment.

"You two, pay attention! This is an awakening ceremony, not a place for you to fight and quarrel!" Teacher Li Peng's voice was stern and forceful, making everyone feel a sense of oppression. His gaze swept over the crowd, as if warning them not to repeat the same mistake.

The gaze shifted back to the screen, where the gray stone statue had begun to fade. As the colors disappeared, the outline of the statue gradually became clearer. It was the image of a deity with a towering figure and dignified countenance, holding a massive axe as if it could split heaven and earth.

"This is the Giant Spirit!" Teacher Li Peng pointed at the deity's image on the screen and said, "He is one of our human guardians, possessing immeasurable power. During the upcoming awakening ceremony, you will have the opportunity to establish a connection with him and obtain his power. But remember one thing: respect the deities and revere them!"

Teacher Li Peng's words pounded like hammers on everyone's hearts. They lowered their heads and silently prayed, hoping to successfully awaken and obtain the power of the Giant Spirit. Jiang Wenming and Wang Lei, however, exchanged a smile as if they had forgotten their previous grudges and were now on the same page.

The process only progressed halfway and suddenly stalled. The originally tense and solemn atmosphere instantly lightened as a purple light vanished into Xiao Yu's body. The purple light hovered around Xiao Yu's body, as if cloaking him in a mysterious veil.

"Success! And it's purple potential! Director Xiao has given birth to a great son!" A group of school leaders gathered around, smiles of joy spreading across their faces. Purple potential was an extremely rare occurrence in this world, and their school hadn't seen such a student for several years.

Jiang Wenming stood on the side, watching the scene with a bewildered expression. He had expected the awakening to be a thrilling contest, but it had been completed so effortlessly. He glanced around and noticed that everyone else also looked surprised and excited, as if the awakening process was a miracle to them.

"That's it?" Jiang Wenming muttered under his breath. He couldn't understand why these people were so excited and thrilled. To him, this awakening process was simply trivial.

"Heh... truly, ignorance breeds boldness." A girl next to him glanced at Jiang Wenming disdainfully. "Do you think adding abilities would be easy? Every word in those descriptions is a testament to countless lives lost." The girl's words made Jiang Wenming feel awkward. He had indeed not realized the gravity of the situation.

"Is it that difficult?" Jiang Wenming asked somewhat defiantly. In his opinion, these descriptions were all based on mythological stories he was familiar with, and all he needed to do was make minor adjustments.

"Absolutely!" The girl glared at Jiang Wenming. "This world doesn't have the mythological stories you mentioned. All abilities are explored and created by ourselves. The mythological figures you imagine are merely fictional entities here. The reason we can awaken these abilities is because we constantly research and experiment, gradually finding methods that suit us."

Upon hearing this, Jiang Wenming was startled. He hadn't expected that this world lacked mythological stories, and all abilities were discovered through people's own explorations and creations. This was undoubtedly a significant blow to him, as he had originally believed he could easily obtain powerful abilities by utilizing these mythological stories.

"Could this world have experienced a cultural gap?" Jiang Wenming began to suspect. He quickly took out his phone and started searching online. However, he soon realized that the history and culture of this world were completely different from what he knew. There were no mythological stories here, nor were there the historical figures he was familiar with.

Jiang Wenming gradually realized that he might have truly entered a completely unfamiliar world. He no longer felt as confident and relaxed as before, but instead became cautious. He knew that in this world, he needed to work harder to learn and explore in order to gradually adapt to this new environment.