True Martial World Chapter 1: Grave of Yi Yun
In these modern times, Yi Yun fully grasped that life was no walk in the park, yet it never crossed his mind that he might perish in the flower of his youth.
That morning, Yi Yun headed out for a mountain climb alongside two close buddies. One of them was a stunning girl, turning the outing into an absolute delight.
Thrill-seekers are common among the young, and Yi Yun fit right in. Sticking to safe, beaten paths like a rule-follower offered no excitement, so they picked a remote, desolate peak.
At the mountain's midpoint, a cave came into view.
The girl in their group lit up with enthusiasm and demanded they venture inside. But the instant they stepped in, chaos erupted unexpectedly.
Inside the cave, Yi Yun spotted a rectangular purple crystal resembling a sci-fi movie prop card. Curiosity struck the moment he laid eyes on it and reached out to touch it, triggering the walls to shake violently as the entire cave came crashing down!
Words failed to capture the torrent of feelings surging through Yi Yun as tons of rock hurtled toward him. If forced to sum it up, it would be, “True understanding of death hits only at death's doorstep.”
He remained young, fit, and handsome. And a virgin to boot...
A dazzling future stretched before him, yet now it teetered on the brink of vanishing forever.
The crushing despair and sorrow of this realization choked him.
Thankfully, the massive boulders missed Yi Yun entirely, instead blocking the entrance completely.
Trapped alive in this cramped mountain hollow without supplies, water, or much air left, Yi Yun realized this spot was likely destined to be his tomb.
Yi Yun gazed dazedly at the solid rock barrier. Lit by his phone's flashlight, the unyielding stone wall loomed like demonic visages. Its icy chill penetrated his skin, slowly freezing his heart with dread.
He had no idea where his fellow climbers had gone. They had huddled together entering the cave, but after the collapse, the pair who ought to be stuck with him had vanished without a trace...
As though they had never joined Yi Yun inside at all. He vividly recalled that just thirty seconds prior to the cave-in, the girl behind him had voiced her fear of snakes lurking within.
How could two living, breathing people just vanish into nothingness?
What caused a sturdy cave to crumble without warning?
Conditions inside the cave screamed utter hopelessness. No phone signal reached through, and his friends' fates hung in mystery. Refusing to await death passively, Yi Yun considered clawing his way free—if the seal was thin, tunneling might offer a slim chance.
Facing mortality head-on ignites incredible drive and resolve in a person; even the faintest hope demands pursuit.
Yi Yun sprang into action right away, but bare-handed digging proved futile. No tools like a knife had come along. Then inspiration hit—he recalled the crystal card.
Its shape mimicked a tiny spade, so despite its size and lack of grip, it beat using fingers alone for excavation.
Glancing back at the enigmatic crystal card, a suspicion formed in Yi Yun's mind; reflecting closely, the collapse had struck precisely when his fingers met it.
Could such timing really be pure chance?
Even more baffling, both companions had evaporated into thin air.
These bizarre events piling up flooded Yi Yun's thoughts: might this crystal card lie at the heart of today's calamities?
His eyes fixed on the purple crystal card, which protruded slightly. It rested steadily on firm rock, casting a subtle luminescence.
After a brief pause, Yi Yun killed his phone's light. Even in the cave's total blackness, the card's soft glow provided visibility.
At that instant, he grasped that this wasn't mere amethyst, for crystals don't emit light. Yet nature holds minerals that phosphoresce from radioactive impurities.
Survival trumped radiation worries in his dire straits, so Yi Yun seized the purple crystal card for a closer look. If it triggered the cave-in, could it also hold the key to his escape?
Yi Yun recognized the odds were slim, but with death knocking, every desperate measure was worth attempting.
The crystal card felt icy against his skin, its chill weaving through the veins of his arm straight to his heart. Entirely purple, it was a bit bigger than an adult hand yet no thicker than a palm. One side bore strange etchings that looked anything but man-made.
Who had etched those marks? Were they ancient runes or some forgotten script?
Maybe they came from beyond the stars, alien in origin?
Thoughts swirled chaotically in Yi Yun’s mind amid these bizarre events. He was convinced the cave’s sudden collapse linked directly to this crystal card. No quake had struck—why else would it crumble like that?
Clutching the crystal card, Yi Yun noted its razor-sharp edges, sparking a surge of hope; he could use it to dig and save his strength.
Without further delay, Yi Yun gripped the card and approached the impenetrable rock wall.
Clenching the card’s edge tightly in both hands, he thrust it downward with all his might. Astonishingly, the solid rock parted like soft bean curd under the small card’s slice. Overexerting on the yielding stone, Yi Yun smacked his forehead against the wall.
Stunned, Yi Yun ignored the scrape on his brow, gaping at the purple crystal card. Once shock faded, pure joy rushed through him.
It resembled a sci-fi lightsaber perfectly.
Right now, no time for pondering its sharpness—he concentrated on carving an escape path.
Firmly holding the crystal card, Yi Yun burrowed forward like a determined rodent. The card cut effortlessly, slicing even tough granite with ease.
Excitement bubbled in Yi Yun; he’d stumbled upon a priceless find!
Surviving this ordeal, the card could transform his fate, perhaps harboring advanced extraterrestrial tech!
Time blurred as Yi Yun dug relentlessly, unsure of the hours or days passed. Was it imagination, or did the card release a soothing chill whenever fatigue set in, restoring just enough vigor to press on without pause?
Deep underground, tracking time proved impossible, yet his burning will to live drove him ceaselessly ahead.
His phone’s battery had long died, erasing any sense of time—three days? Five? Seven?
Yi Yun failed to notice how, starved of food and water, he hadn’t perished; the card’s mysterious power seemed to sustain his vital force.
Glancing back at his excavated tunnel would reveal its staggering length, but with vision fading, Yi Yun ignored it entirely.
His eyes could no longer make out the path ahead or the rocks; only the card’s invigorating coolness registered in his grasp.
Senses dulling gradually, sheer grit kept his hands moving. Then, suddenly, a faint glow pierced the darkness ahead, like sunlight filtering through a soil fissure, bathing his face.
As if doused with cold water, Yi Yun snapped fully alert!
Light!
Light ahead!
Never had light seemed so mesmerizing to Yi Yun; tears welled uncontrollably as renewed energy surged back. Teeth clenched, he excavated furiously.
At last!
Dazzling sunlight poured over Yi Yun, forcing his eyes to squint painfully.
He’d emerged at last!
“I’ve succeeded!”
“I survived!”
Yi Yun yearned to roar his triumph—for only after enduring utter blackness could one truly cherish light, grasp death’s shadow, and savor life’s fierce joy.
Sprawled on the earth, Yi Yun gulped air greedily while gazing at the azure sky dotted with fluffy clouds, finding it more stunning than ever before.
Exhaustion, hunger, and thirst wracked his frame, yet he rose swiftly after a brief pause, determined to reach his two companions.
Yi Yun had cheated death, but uncertainty loomed over his friends’ fates.
Yet... his phone lay powerless, battery drained.
Scanning the surroundings for any hint of civilization, Yi Yun froze in shock with one look.
How... how was this possible?
Yi Yun recalled vividly being trapped in a mountainside cave during their climb, tunneling out solo.
Yet now, he stood amid endless plains, distant mountains visible but impossibly far—enough to exhaust a galloping horse; he couldn’t fathom digging such an epic distance.
Around him lay several mounds, each with a wooden stick protruding from it. Charcoal-scrawled words of mysterious origin marked those sticks...
Was this a...graveyard?
Yi Yun stood stunned, wondering how he had ended up amidst so many tombstones! After barely surviving death once before, his mental resilience had strengthened considerably. Despite the utterly illogical scene, he managed to steady himself and scrutinize the tombstones with care.
These tombstones bore no resemblance to those in a modern cemetery. In a city graveyard today, stones would be crafted from marble or granite, arranged in neat rows.
Yet the tombstone before him...even a village grave marker would outshine this one.
Hold on...
Yi Yun noticed something abruptly. Lowering his gaze, he saw the “tunnel” he had just crawled through still open, right in front of a mound. Beside that mound stood a wooden plank serving as a tombstone.
Strange symbols covered the plank, yet inexplicably, a flash of insight allowed Yi Yun to decipher them all.
It read–”Beloved brother, Grave of Yi Yun”.
And beside it were five words–”Elder Sister Jiang Xiaorou”.
Yi...Yi Yun’s...grave!?
Yi Yun was utterly dumbfounded. He had been buried alive in a barren mountain cave, but now he had clawed his way out of a tomb—his own tomb at that!
What kind of absurd joke was this world playing!
Moreover, the words weren't Chinese or English—how could he understand these bizarre characters?
This had to be a dream...
Yes, definitely a dream. But this dream felt incredibly vivid...as if...Yi Yun glanced around, feeling deeply uncertain; it was far too lifelike!
He pinched his skin fiercely, and pain shot through him.
Another hard pinch, and it hurt again!
“Not a dream?” “This crazy thing really isn't a dream?”
Yi Yun felt completely bewildered; could anyone explain what was going on?
Yi Yun cursed inwardly.
Had he actually died while buried alive in that cave, with all his digging just a dying hallucination?
But...those words “beloved brother”—what did they signify? He had no elder sister. If anyone came close, it was a cousin in another city he rarely saw or spoke to—why would she build him a tomb!
If the “Yi Yun” on the tombstone belonged to another person sharing his exact name, that seemed impossible too. What were the odds of emerging from the grave of someone with the identical name “Yi Yun”?
Yi Yun's mind reeled in total confusion. Just then, he stared blankly as a raggedly dressed girl carrying a basket approached along a narrow village path...