Chapter 1, The Ring in the Rabbit Hole

Chen Zining suddenly cradled his head, softly groaning as he felt two voices in his mind arguing fiercely, leaving him dazed as if he had been struck several times with a blunt object, unable to sort out his thoughts

Chen Zining looked around, hoping to find some medicinal herbs. In the mountains, hunting, practicing martial arts, and identifying herbs are essential survival skills. After walking a few circles, he had not found any herbs, but he did come across the burrow of a long-eared rabbit. Unlike other rabbits, the long-eared rabbit did not have multiple burrows for escape; instead, it dug a slightly larger nest with a very carefully concealed entrance. Chen Zining thought to himself: "Could there be a nest of baby rabbits? If I could catch them, I would give the little ones to my sister and eat the big one, which would also help me vent some frustration." The long-eared rabbit, unlike other rabbits, did not have multiple burrows for escape; instead, it dug a slightly larger nest with a very carefully concealed entrance. Chen Zining thought to himself: "Could there be a nest of baby rabbits? If I could catch them, I would give the little ones to my sister and eat the big one, which would also help me vent some frustration."

An astonishing event occurred; under the gaze of his eyes, the black ring on his middle finger was actually shrinking slowly! It continued until he felt a bit tight and then stopped.

At the time when Chen Zining obtained the Yanke Ring, it was just right; if it had been several hundred years earlier, it would have merely resulted in being possessed, and if it had been several hundred years later, it would not have worked either. By then, Qingwuzi's primordial spirit would have been nearly exhausted. Even if he obtained the ring and refined it with blood, it would be of no use. Without the cultivation techniques of immortality, one could not cultivate the unique spiritual power required to unlock the Yanke Ring. Thus, this eighth-grade magical artifact-level storage ring would merely be a useless ornament.

Chen Zining was about to respond when a robust man in his forties approached. With a fierce glance, the noisy square instantly fell silent

Chen Zining hurriedly got up and saw the long-eared rabbit bound at his feet still there. He quickly grabbed it and ran home, thinking as he ran: "This is bad! This is bad! No matter how refined my father is, he will probably lose his temper this time. I might have to taste the bamboo strips stir-fried with shredded meat that Zikang and the others mentioned."

Chen Zining hurriedly stood at the back, while a boy of about twelve or thirteen years old beside him laughed and said, "You really caught a long-eared rabbit yesterday. What trick did you use? Teach me, brother"

Out of curiosity, Chen Zining slipped a ring onto her left middle finger, which was clearly too large and somewhat loose, fearing it might fall off with a gentle flick of her hand

If only it could be a little smaller, Chen Zining thought

Chen Zining opened the hole a bit more and reached his right hand inside. After a moment of groping, he was disappointed to find that there were no little rabbits inside, only some dry grass. Suddenly, his right hand touched a small stone. When he took it out and looked at it, he was delighted. The small stone was round and had fine greenish threads running through its white surface. This type of stone is called a fluorescent stone, which emits a white glow in the dark. Some people also refer to it as a night-bright stone, as it can illuminate a small room. It is particularly interesting, and Chen Zining had seen one before.

Upon waking from a deep sleep, Chen Zining opened his eyes, startled, and sat up. He murmured to himself, "I am Qing Wuzi, and I have actually crossed over to a world without cultivators! No! No! I am Chen Zining, raised in Chenjia Village. Who... who am I really? Ah..."

On a hillside at this moment, there were clusters of grass growing up to waist height. Fourteen-year-old Chen Zining was alone, sometimes running wildly, sometimes throwing himself to the ground, shouting: "Still running? Let's see where you can run to! This is outrageous. After eating my Dream Grass, you can still run so vigorously. Could it be that Uncle Wu has deceived me and given me fake medicine?"

What is this? Chen Zining had not yet reacted when a sudden wave of confusion engulfed his mind, a massive influx of information occupying his thoughts, causing his head to throb with a buzzing sound. In that moment, his eyes rolled back, and he fainted.

After speaking, he took out a rope and tied the long-eared rabbit's four limbs. He examined his injured hands, realizing that the hillside was covered with grass that had extremely sharp serrated edges. In his haste to catch the long-eared rabbit, he paid no attention to this. Along the way, he desperately pushed aside the grass, and now he saw that nine out of ten fingers were cut and bleeding. As a child from the mountains, he did not care much about these minor injuries; he was only worried about being scolded by his parents. He thought to himself, 'If my mother sees this, I will surely get a good scolding. Fortunately, my father is a cultured man; he will only say a few words at most. If it were my brothers, they would definitely treat me to a meal of stir-fried shredded meat with bamboo strips.'

The Yunji Ridge spans across three counties, stretching for several thousand miles. The mountains are densely forested, and there is an abundance of wild animals

The mountains in the darkness are even more perilous. Although this area has been repeatedly swept by Chenjia Village, no one dares to guarantee that there is no danger.

The long-eared rabbit runs at an astonishing speed, making it difficult for even the village hunting dogs to catch up. Moreover, it is particularly clever and rarely falls for traps. How could one possibly capture it alive? Fortunately, influenced by his father from a young age, Chen Zining read many books. From an ancient text, he learned that the Dreaming Grass is colorless and tasteless, yet it can anesthetize the nerves of animals. Thus, he asked Uncle Wu to find some from the mountains and also dug up several pieces of the long-eared rabbit's favorite white jade sweet potato, soaking them in the juice of the Dreaming Grass. He then placed them along the rabbit's regular drinking route and lay in ambush for several days before finally encountering one. This unfortunate rabbit actually ate the sweet potato, but unfortunately, Chen Zining was a bit too anxious, or perhaps he was unclear about the onset time of the Dreaming Grass, which startled the long-eared rabbit too early, almost causing him to lose the chase.

Chen Zining looked up at the window, and at that moment, the sky had brightened significantly. Chen Zining did not have time to think carefully and hurriedly put on his clothes, walked out of the door, and headed to the square in the village to begin his daily morning exercises

A white rabbit with unusually long ears was fleeing ahead, but this rabbit was somewhat peculiar, as if it were deliberately teasing Chen Zining. After hopping a few times, it would stop to rest, its two round, red eyes squinting and appearing drowsy. However, when Chen Zining lunged at it, it would suddenly leap away, infuriating the young man who cried out in frustration

After a long while, Chen Zining's eyes cleared up. He glanced around with determination and softly said: "I am Chen Zining, the son of my parents, and the brother of Shuangshuang"

However, he had not seen anyone in the village using it. Firstly, it was rare, and secondly, it could fetch a good price. Those city folks particularly liked some peculiar and unusual items. Chen Zining thought to himself that he would have someone sell the stone when he returned, allowing his father to go to the city and buy those few books he had long envied. He had been coveting them for quite some time.

He himself became a cultivator known as Qing Wuzi. In his youth, he entered a sect, diligently practiced, and devoted himself to the path in pursuit of immortality. In this wondrous world, he traversed freely, experiencing an incredibly real and lengthy life filled with love and hate, affection and enmity. In the end, he failed to survive the Nine-Nine Heavenly Tribulation, and his remaining primordial spirit narrowly escaped into the Yan Kong Ring. However, due to the Nine Destruction Primordial Thunder breaking through the void, he was forced to drift into an unknown space.

Chen Zining stood up, holding the long-eared rabbit that weighed at least four to five pounds in his hands, and raised it to his eyes, saying to it: "Why are you running? In the end, you still fell into my hands. You made me run so far. If I hadn't promised my sister to give you to her, I would have stewed you in a pot on my way back."

By the time Chen Zining arrived, two groups of people had already gathered in the square, which covered more than ten acres. On one side were adult men, while on the other side were over sixty youths, all aged between ten and sixteen.

On this night, Chen Zining had an extraordinarily long dream. In the dream, Chen Zining arrived in a strange and magical world where the people could turn rivers upside down, fly into the sky, and were almost capable of anything.

Dao and the book made his seven-year-old sister, Chen Muxiang, jump up with joy. She hugged the long-eared rabbit tightly and refused to let go. After hastily eating a couple of bites of food, she ran out to play, presumably to show off to everyone.

Suddenly, I saw several strands of bloodstains on the clean white rabbit fur, and I couldn't help but scream: "Oh my! I forgot that this is all serrated grass. Had I known, I would have worn a pair of gloves."

At this moment, Chen Zining recalled the habits of the long-eared rabbit. This type of rabbit, like some bird species, enjoys collecting shiny objects. He reached in with his right hand again and began to dig vigorously, pulling out everything from the rabbit's nest. He thought how wonderful it would be to find a piece of glowstone, but unfortunately, good fortune did not come in pairs; apart from a pile of dry grass used for bedding, there was nothing else.

Chen Zining hurriedly ran back to Chenjia Village just before nightfall. At this moment, it was the time when every household was having dinner. When he breathlessly stepped through the door, his father, Chen Guangming, and mother, Zhan Ping, were indeed worried and were about to go out to look for him. Upon seeing Chen Zining, he could not escape a scolding.

Fortunately for him, the Yan Kong Ring has been lost in the Shenglan Continent for over a thousand years. The passage of time has eroded most of Qing Wuzi's memories and consciousness, leaving only the cultivation techniques he practiced day and night throughout his long life, along with a few deeply ingrained memories. It is not a complete primordial spirit; otherwise, Chen Zining would merely be an ordinary youth, long since usurped and reborn by Qing Wuzi.

As for the primordial spirit of the entity known as Qing Wuzi in his mind, he also understood that the black ring he had picked up was indeed the Void Ring of this tribulation-stage cultivator. Although Qing Wuzi still retained a trace of his primordial spirit, the body that served as the vessel for the ritual had turned to ashes, rendering it an ownerless object. It was through the blood that Chen Zining shed from a wound caused by a serrated grass that the ritual was performed, recognizing Chen Zining as its master. The primordial spirit of Qing Wuzi hidden within the ring also followed this connection and invaded his sea of consciousness.

Chen Zining applied medicine to his wound and then collapsed onto the bed, falling asleep. Chen Guangming and Zhan Ping did not pay much attention, thinking that their son was simply tired from playing today and wanted to rest early

Oh! What is this

When he slowly awakened, he was startled to see the sky; the sun had already sunk below the western hills, revealing only half of its face. It cast a red glow across the horizon, filling the sky with rosy clouds. The undulating hills, illuminated by the afterglow of the setting sun, were also tinged with a delicate layer of red.

A few days ago, Chen Zikang caught a live rabbit in his trap and gave it to his sister, Qingqing. The little girl proudly showed off her pet everywhere. Now, his precious sister was not satisfied and insisted that her brother also get her a rabbit, one that was even more beautiful than Qingqing's rabbit

Finally, Chen Zining made a decisive move. Taking a deep breath, he aimed at his target and leaped vigorously into the air. His hands, like the sharp claws of an eagle, reached out towards the long-eared rabbit. Before the shock of landing could register in his body, the smooth and full sensation in his hands made him burst into joyful laughter

Clearing away the hay, Chen Zining found a small black circle underneath. Picking it up and examining it closely, it appeared to be made of metal, resembling a ring. Although it bore no patterns or any embellishments, it was indeed a type of ornament worn by city dwellers, typically donned by individuals of certain status and standing.

"By the way, why did I suddenly faint just now?" Chen Zining finally came to his senses, recalling the culprit behind his fainting. He looked at the ring on his left middle finger, which had shrunk, and attempted to remove it. To his surprise, the ring seemed to have taken root, remaining completely still. He felt a bit panicked but decided to set this matter aside for the moment. If he did not hurry back to the village before nightfall, his parents would likely mobilize the community for a large-scale search.