Bright Sword: This unit is really ruthless

"Are you awake?" a gentle voice came.

Zhang Ling turned his head and saw a young woman in a pink kimono sitting beside his bed. Her long black hair was draped over her shoulders and her almond-shaped eyes were full of concern. Her skin was as white as snow and her facial features were delicate, like a beauty from a painting.

"Who are you?" Zhang Ling asked cautiously, wondering in his heart. Wasn't he struck by lightning? How did he end up here?

"My name is Chiyo, and I'm the maid of this family." The woman smiled slightly, revealing two shallow dimples. "You were unconscious on the side of the road, and the master was kind enough to bring you back."

"Master?" Zhang Ling was even more confused. "Where is this place?"

"This is Edo," Chiyo explained, "It's the capital of Fuso."

Fuso? Edo? Zhang Ling was shocked. Did he travel through time? And to an island?

He struggled to sit up, but found that his whole body was sore and weak.

"You're seriously injured. You need to rest." Chiyo quickly supported him, "I'll go get the master to come over."

After Chiyo left, Zhang Ling began to look at his body. He was wearing a kimono and his wound had been bandaged, but it still hurt.

"System, are you there?" Zhang Ling tried to call the system, but got no response.

Could it be that the system has also failed? Zhang Ling's heart sank. This was not good news.

Not long after, a short, fat, middle-aged man with a mustache walked in. He was wearing a gorgeous silk kimono and holding a folding fan in his hand.

"Are you awake?" the middle-aged man asked in Japanese with a hint of arrogance in his tone.

Although Zhang Ling didn't understand Japanese, he could guess what the other person meant from his expression and tone. He tried to force a smile and said in Chinese, "Hello."

The middle-aged man obviously didn't understand what Zhang Ling said. He frowned slightly and turned to Chiyo and said, "Chiyo, what did he say?"

Chiyo shook her head, indicating that she didn't understand either.

"It looks like he's a Chinese." The middle-aged man said with some disdain, "Forget it, leave him alone, let him recover first."

Chiyo nodded and turned to prepare tea.

Zhang Ling was lying on the tatami, with a lot of thoughts in his mind. He had traveled to an island, couldn't speak the language, and lost the help of the system. What should he do next?

He tried to recall what had happened before, the explosion, the lightning, and then he lost consciousness... Wait, lightning!

Zhang Ling suddenly remembered that before he was struck by lightning, a white light flashed through his mind, and it seemed that something had merged into his body.

Could it be that the system has been upgraded? A glimmer of hope ignited in Zhang Ling's heart, and he tried to call the system again.

"System, are you here?"

This time, a cold mechanical voice finally sounded in his mind.

【System restarting...】

[Restart completed, bound to host: Zhang Ling. ]

[It is detected that the host is currently in a different world, and the different world adaptation mode is activated. 】

[Loading language pack...]

[The language pack has been loaded, and the host has mastered Japanese. ]

Hearing the system's voice, Zhang Ling was overjoyed. It seemed that the system was not out of service, but upgraded!

He took a deep breath and tried to calm himself down. Now that he had traveled to the island, he could only adapt to life here first, and then find a way to return to his original world.

"Master," Zhang Ling said in fluent Japanese, "thank you for saving me."

The middle-aged man was stunned at first, then showed a surprised expression. "You can speak Japanese?"

"I just learned it." Zhang Ling said with a smile.

"It's amazing." The middle-aged man exclaimed, "What's your name?"

"My name is Zhang Ling."

"Zhang Ling?" the middle-aged man repeated, seeming to be thinking about something, "My name is Tanaka Ichiro, and I'm the owner of this silk shop."

"Mr. Tanaka, nice to meet you." Zhang Ling said politely.

"You too." Tanaka Ichiro nodded, "Why did you faint on the side of the road?"

Zhang Ling pondered for a moment and decided to make up an excuse. "I am a traveling merchant. I met a robber on the road and was knocked unconscious."

"I see." Tanaka Ichiro did not doubt it. "So what are your plans next?"

"I haven't thought about it yet." Zhang Ling shook his head, "I'll talk about it after my injury heals."

"I see..." Tanaka Ichiro pondered for a moment and said, "If you don't mind, you can stay at my place first and make plans after your injury heals."

Zhang Ling was secretly delighted. This was exactly what he wanted. "Then I'll trouble you, Mr. Tanaka."

In the next few days, Zhang Ling recovered from his injuries at Ichiro Tanaka's home. While learning about the island's culture and customs, he secretly studied the new features of the system.

He found that after the system was upgraded, its functions became more powerful. Not only could it provide various information and skills, but it could also help him change his appearance and identity.

"It seems that I can also live a prosperous life in this world." Zhang Ling showed a cold smile, and a flame of revenge flashed in his eyes. Sakata, and those devils who killed his brother, I will make you pay the price!

At this time, Tanaka Ichiro's daughter, a girl named Tanaka Mie, walked in. She was wearing a light yellow kimono, with her long black hair tied into a ponytail, pure and lovely, like a cherry blossom bud about to bloom.

"Zhang Lingjun, my father asked me to call you for dinner." Tanaka Mihui's voice was sweet and pleasant, like the chirping of a lark.

Zhang Ling looked at the girl in front of him, and suddenly a strange feeling surged in his heart. This feeling was familiar and strange, making him feel a little overwhelmed.

He stood up and followed Tanaka Mie to the restaurant. The table was filled with sumptuous island cuisine, sushi, sashimi, tempura, everything.

"Mr. Zhang Ling, please enjoy your meal." Ichiro Tanaka greeted warmly.

Zhang Ling picked up the chopsticks, picked up a piece of sushi and put it in his mouth. The taste was delicious, which made him hungry.

"Is it delicious?" asked Tanaka Mie with a smile.

"Well, it's delicious." Zhang Ling nodded, but his eyes involuntarily fell on Tanaka Mihui.

Tanaka Mie's cheeks flushed slightly and she lowered her head.

At this moment, there was a sudden knock on the door...

When Zhang Ling woke up again, he found himself not in a Japanese-style room, but lying on a hard wooden bed. The room was simple, with only a table, a few chairs, and a faded landscape painting hanging on the wall. It looked like a guest room in a run-down inn.

"Where... am I?" Zhang Ling struggled to sit up, feeling sore all over, as if he had been struck by lightning - in fact, he had indeed been struck by lightning.

A rough voice sounded in his ears: "Are you awake? Boy, you are lucky!"

Zhang Ling turned his head and saw a burly man with a full beard standing beside the bed, holding a bowl of steaming medicine in his hand.

"Where is this? Who are you?" Zhang Ling asked vigilantly.

The big man laughed and put the medicine on the table. "This is Luoxia Town. I'm the owner of this inn. You can call me Lao Hu. You've been unconscious for three days and three nights. If I hadn't picked you up from the foot of the mountain, you would have been fed to wild dogs!"

"Three days and three nights?" Zhang Ling was shocked. He was unconscious for such a long time after being struck by lightning?

"Yes, three days and three nights! You are lucky, you didn't die after being struck by lightning, it's a miracle!" Old Hu said, and picked up the medicine again, "Here, drink this medicine, it's good for your body."

Zhang Ling took the medicine and was almost vomited by the pungent smell of the medicine.

"What kind of medicine is this? Why does it smell so bad?"

"This is my secret recipe passed down from my ancestors, specially used to treat injuries and sprains. Don't worry about drinking it, I guarantee it will cure your illness!" Old Hu assured, patting his chest.

Zhang Ling hesitated for a moment, but finally drank the medicine. Good medicine tastes bitter, and he believed that Lao Hu would not harm him.

After drinking the medicine, Zhang Ling felt a little better and asked Lao Hu about the situation in this world.

It turns out that this world is called Tianyuan Continent, a world where martial arts prevail. People here cultivate their vital energy and can possess powerful strength.

"Energy? Martial arts?" Zhang Ling's heart moved. Could it be that he had traveled to a fantasy world?

He tried to mobilize the vital energy in his body, but found that his dantian was empty and there was no vital energy at all.

"What's going on? Can't I cultivate my vital energy?" Zhang Ling wondered.

Old Hu seemed to see his confusion and explained, "Boy, not everyone can cultivate vital energy. Only those with spiritual roots can cultivate. You don't have spiritual roots, right?"

"Spiritual roots?" It was the first time Zhang Ling heard this word.

"Yes, spiritual roots are the foundation for cultivating vital energy. Without spiritual roots, one cannot absorb the vital energy of heaven and earth, and naturally cannot cultivate martial arts."

Zhang Ling felt disappointed. Could it be that after traveling to this world, he was unable to practice martial arts?

"But don't be discouraged, kid. Even if you don't have spiritual roots, you can still become stronger through other means." Old Hu comforted him, "For example, you can learn to refine weapons, make pills, and form formations, etc. These are all things that can be learned without spiritual roots."

Zhang Ling's eyes lit up. Yes, even if he couldn't practice martial arts, he could still learn other skills!

"Old Hu, do you know where I can learn these skills?" Zhang Ling asked eagerly.

Old Hu smiled mysteriously, "Boy, you are lucky. In a few days, Luoxia Town will hold the once-in-a-century 'Hundred Arts Conference'. At that time, there will be many weapon refiners, alchemists, formation masters, etc. coming to participate. If you want to learn, you can go and have a look."

"Hundred Arts Conference?" Zhang Ling was full of anticipation.

In the next few days, Zhang Ling recuperated in the inn and also thought about his future.

He knew that he couldn't go back and could only start over in this world.

He recalled the scene in which he was being chased by the old devil Sakata, and his heart was filled with hatred.

"You old devil Sakata, I will definitely go back and take revenge on you!" Zhang Ling clenched his fists and swore secretly.

The Hundred Arts Conference arrived as scheduled, and the entire Luoxia Town was bustling with activity.

Zhang Ling followed Lao Hu to the conference site, where they saw huge crowds of people and a dazzling array of stalls.

"Kid, go and see for yourself whatever you like. I'm going to have a couple of drinks first." After saying that, Lao Hu went into a pub.

Zhang Ling wandered around the venue alone, looking at all kinds of rare treasures, his heart full of curiosity.

Suddenly, his eyes were attracted by a small black ball on a stall.

This small ball is only the size of a fist, completely black, with some strange patterns carved on the surface, exuding a mysterious aura.

"What is this?" Zhang Ling asked curiously.

The stall owner was a white-haired old man. He stroked his beard and said, "This is the 'Chaos Pearl', an ancient artifact."

"Ancient artifact?" Zhang Ling was shocked. Could it be that he encountered the legendary artifact?

"Yes, this Chaos Pearl has the ability to devour everything. It can devour any energy and transform it into its own power." The old man explained.