Chapter 2: A World Moved On
The sun had barely crested the hills when Chen Yu stepped outside, his bare feet sinking into the dewy earth. The village of Qinghe lay spread before him—rustic homes nestled among tiered rice fields, thin trails of smoke rising from cooking fires, and the distant clang of a smith's hammer echoing through the mountain air.
It felt… unfamiliar.
A hundred years had passed, and the world had changed in subtle ways. The trees were taller, the air thinner, and the people different—descendants of a generation that no longer remembered him. Li Tianming, the Dragon Sovereign, had become little more than a forgotten whisper in ancient scrolls.
> [Tutorial Quest Initiated]
Objective: Gather basic information about your new identity.
Reward: Memory Integration +10%, Status Unlock
Hint: Seek the one who found you.
The voice of the Heaven's Chronicle System resonated in his mind, calm yet unyielding. It seemed the System didn't merely serve him—it guided, tested, and perhaps even judged him.
Chen Yu exhaled slowly and adjusted the simple hemp robe he had woken up in. His body still felt weak, foreign. But the fire in his soul was unbroken.
From the edge of the hill, an old man approached. Thin-framed, hunched, with hands stained by herbs and age. His eyes, however, were sharp—observant. This must be the one who found him.
"You're awake," the elder said, voice creaking like old wood. "I wasn't sure you'd make it. You've been unconscious for three days."
Chen Yu bowed slightly. "I'm grateful, Elder. May I ask… where exactly am I? And who am I supposed to be now?"
The old man chuckled. "You're in Qinghe, lad. Mountain village, mostly farmers and herbalists. I found you floating in the Ling Stream—half-dead, half-frozen. No name, no identity. So I gave you one: Chen Yu. Chen, for dust—because you came from the earth. Yu, for rain—because you were reborn in the river's grace."
Chen Yu, he repeated inwardly. Fitting. Symbolic. Almost poetic.
The elder leaned on his cane. "You're welcome to stay. But if you seek more than peace, you'll have to earn it."
> [Quest Complete]
Memory Integration: 13%
Status Interface Unlocked
Suddenly, a glowing panel appeared before Chen Yu's eyes, invisible to all but him:
> [Status: Chen Yu]
Cultivation: None
Dao Affinity: Hidden
Potential Rating: ???
Legacy: Suppressed
Title: Former Sovereign (Locked)
He frowned. Suppressed? The System wasn't just giving him power—it was binding it, too.
A test.
The wind picked up, carrying the faint cries of sparring in the distance. The villagers trained with wooden staffs and calloused fists—simple but diligent.
Chen Yu's eyes narrowed.
He would start at the bottom. Relearn every step. Earn every inch.
But the world would learn one truth soon enough.
The Dragon Sovereign had returned.