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Novel: [The Primordial Law]
Volume 1: [The Nether Realm of the Dead]
Chapter 1: [Long Ji]
(1st of Volume 1)
Translator: Shadow Knight AK
Editor: Shadow Knight AK
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August, the warmest month in the Arctic.
The sun hung low on the horizon, its eternal glow casting long shadows across the endless sea of ice.
The research vessel, Long Ji, slowly plowed through the boundless icepack, its bow emitting a constant, grating sound as it shattered the frozen surface.
At noon, the temperature rose to -7°C, unusually mild for the Arctic.
But without the usual frigid winds, First Mate Zhao Meng announced that all research team members could venture onto the deck for some fresh air and exercise.
Zhao Meng is Li Weiyi's Senior Brother.
After six years of martial arts training in their sect, he joined the navy, rising through the ranks to become a commissioned officer.
His extensive maritime experience made him well-suited to manage personnel and oversee ship maintenance during this expedition.
After having been confined to the ship's interior for several days, the crew emerged onto the deck with palpable excitement.
Some spread their arms wide, taking deep breaths of the crisp air.
Others shouted loudly, their voices echoing across the ice.
A few gathered uncleaned snow from the deck, hurling it into the distance.
A journalist was recording footage for a news broadcast, while meteorological researchers released a weather balloon to collect atmospheric data.
...
"Auspicious snow astonishes a thousand miles, united clouds darkens the heavens."
"The earth gleams like a moonlit night, the mountains rises like the morning clouds."
Among the seven or eight students who emerged from the ship's cabin with Professor Xu, a short figure, moved by the scene, loudly recited poetry, puffs of white mist billowing from his mouth.
No one laughed or felt awkward; instead, they empathized, their spirits stirred by the sentiment.
Being selected for a polar research expedition while still an undergraduate was a life-defining experience, adding a bold stroke to their academic records.
Li Weiyi sat alone on the stern staircase, completely out of tune with the laughter, playfulness, and soaring spirits of the group.
He had a handsome face with a prominent nose, his lips slightly cracked from the cold.
After having just finished his first year of university, he was considerably younger than the group of master's students led by Professor Xu.
From the thick collar of his bright orange winter coat, he pulled out an ancient ornament hanging around his neck.
As he caressed its intricate patterns, a wave of longing washed over him, his face betraying bitterness and sorrow.
This ancient ornament was called the "Dao Ancestor's Tai Chi Fish (Taozu Tai Chi Fish)," a symbol of authority for the Sect Leader of the Chan Sect. It is said to have been passed down from the era of King Wen of Zhou.
Composed of two bronze fish joined tail to tail, it formed a Tai Chi diagram.
The fish scales were clearly etched, but one eye was missing.
The eyes of the two fish represented the Yin and Yang of the Tai Chi.
The remaining eye, about the size of a bean, glimmered with a pale green hue. Its material was peculiar, resembling jade, stone, or bone, exuding an ancient aura.
The old Sect Leader said it was the Dao Ancestor's brow bone.
Two months prior, on his deathbed, the old Sect Leader passed the Dao Ancestor's Tai Chi Fish to Li Weiyi, thereby making him the new Sect Leader of the Chan Sect.
After having lost his parents at a young age, Li Weiyi grew up with the old Sect Leader, their bond was as close as that of grandfather and grandson.
The old Sect Leader's death had been a devastating blow to him.
At that time, Zhao Meng happened to be visiting the mountain to see his Master.
On his deathbed, the old Sect Leader entrusted Li Weiyi to him. Seeing Li Weiyi trapped in grief for days, Zhao Meng suggested taking him out to distract him.
Only when Li Weiyi boarded the research vessel did he learn that his Senior Brother had taken him to the distant Arctic to cheer him up.
"Weiyi, missing the old Sect Leader again?"
Zhao Meng approached from the deck.
His imposing frame stood at 186 centimeters, with a square jaw, large ears, and a thick, full beard.
Clad in bulky winter gear, his muscular arms bulged like pillars, exuding a masculine aura as solid as a mountain.
Li Weiyi quickly composed himself, raising his head to reveal clear, bright eyes.
"Don't worry, Senior Brother. I'm fine. It's been two months already."
"Time heals all wounds and helps us accept even the most painful losses."
He was strong-willed, capable of facing life's storms alone, and not one to burden his loved ones with his negative emotions.
"That's good."
Zhao Meng plopped down beside Li Weiyi, took out his cigarette case, pulled out a cigarette, and lit it.
"Talk to the team more often. Don't just keep to yourself. Want a drag?"
Li Weiyi shook his head slightly and asked, "Senior Brother, what happened on the ship last night?"
Zhao Meng assigned Li Weiyi to the Security Team, responsible for maintaining basic security and order on the fifth deck.
Last night, there seemed to have been a major incident below deck - prolonged sounds of running and shouting, and even the ship shook a few times.
At that time, Li Weiyi wanted to investigate, but he was stopped, leaving his curiosity piqued.
Zhao Meng said, "Nothing serious! Supposedly, Laboratory 705 caught fire, but it was quickly extinguished."
Laboratory 705, located on the lowest deck of the ship, conducted classified experiments and had a high security level, falling outside Zhao Meng's jurisdiction.
Li Weiyi had heard that armed guards patrolled outside the laboratory.
"Those people are so secretive. They won't even let us inspect for hazardous materials. We definitely don't want any trouble," Zhao Meng said, his expression worried, unable to hold back his frustration.
He claimed it was a fire, but the ship clearly shook. They were clearly trying to cover something up.
...
Long Ji was over a hundred meters long and weighed nearly fifteen thousand tons.
How much force would it take to shake something like that?
Zhao Meng's expression turned serious as he remembered why he had come to see Li Weiyi.
"Have Xie Jin and the others been giving you a hard time?"
"No," Li Weiyi replied, shaking his head gently.
Zhao Meng clapped a broad, calloused hand onto his shoulder.
"With your Senior Brother here, you can tell me anything. The more kind and forgiving you are, the more they'll push you around."
Li Weiyi also considered this.
"Everyone on the research vessel's Security Team was selected through rigorous screening. I, on the other hand, got in through connections and was assigned to the best cabin with a private room, even though I'm just starting university. If I were in their place, I'd be resentful too. So I don't blame them."
Zhao Meng took a deep drag, the flame stopping just short of his cigarette.
Thick smoke billowed from his nostrils as he said, "What connections? You think I don't know how strong you are? When we were kids... you were barely this tall, right? When I was practicing martial arts under the Old Locust Tree, you were always swinging your little fists beside me, grunting and hollering. Our Master even said my talent was only at your knees, at best!"
Li Weiyi chuckled.
"You know how exaggerative our old Master's tongue is, right?"
"Enough with the modesty! Two years ago, when I came back to the mountain to spar with you, I was already out of your league. At seventeen and eighteen, you're in the prime of your physical growth and vitality. Do you think I'd dare challenge you to a fight now?" Zhao Meng said.
Li Weiyi was naturally confident in his martial skills, but his confidence was somewhat dampened by his Master's words - "Martial Dao, Martial Arts; only martial arts remains, the Dao is lost. Even the martial arts itself is on the verge of disappearing in this age."
But the pursuit of Martial Arts and his extraordinary dreams, which lingered in his mind, not only remained unchanged but grew even stronger.
He was determined to make a name for himself in this era where Martial Arts was being abandoned.
After a long pause, Li Weiyi said, "My placement in the Security Team was never proper. Senior Brother, please don't trouble them. I can handle this myself."
"You..."
Zhao Meng knew his junior brother, who had grown up on the mountain and been a model student at school, was too kind-hearted to understand the treachery of human nature.
Patiently, he explained, "I personally recruited you. Even if you weren't my junior brother, your strength alone makes you fully qualified. That's the rule!"
"Next time Xie Jin and the others give you trouble, don't hold back. Teach them a lesson directly."
Zhao Meng added, "Speaking of which, I'm partly involved in this. During the competition for first mate position, I had a major conflict with Xie Tianshu, and this is likely his doing behind the scenes."
Xie Tianshu was the Second Mate of the research vessel, responsible for security and medical matters.
....
A research team member hurried over.
"Brother Meng, the Captain needs you urgently. There's an emergency."
"I've already spoken to the Captain about your situation," Zhao Meng assured Li Weiyi.
"You don't even need to think of yourself as part of the Security Team. Just consider this a vacation."
After giving Li Weiyi a few more instructions, Zhao Meng followed the team member to the bridge.
...
"Did you know that the Arctic Ocean is the legendary North Sea from mythology?"
"In ancient times, when the world was a chaotic battleground for gods, demons, and monsters, the defeated Chiyou Tribe retreated to the North Sea after their defeat."
"The North Sea is also known as the North Abyss. It's said to be the entrance to the underworld, while others claim that only through the North Sea can one reach the true mortal realm."
Professor Xu led his group of master's students along the ship's passageway toward the stern, where Li Weiyi was stationed.
The short man who recited poetry earlier, a social butterfly, was now regaling two pretty female students with tales of the North Sea's myths, his words flowing endlessly.
...
Over a month had passed since their departure, and the crew was already bored stiff.
The wild stories, combined with the endless expanse of ice stretching before them, sparked endless laughter and animated discussion.
A female student with fair skin and round eyes said, "Bei Ming! I know it! 'In the North Abyss there lives a fish, its name is Kun. The Kun is so vast, its size is unknown in thousands of miles.' It's from Zhuangzi's Free and Easy Wandering!"
Another female student teased, "If there really were a fish thousands of miles long, even the Arctic Ocean wouldn't be big enough for it to move around in, right?"
Professor Xu and the students were responsible for a scientific research project focused on marine biology, extracting Arctic strains, and collecting marine genetic samples - a complex and demanding task.
"The silver expanse stretching for a thousand miles, the endless daylight of the polar summer. Such grand scenery can only be witnessed in the polar regions. Shall we take a group photo?"
"Sounds great! It would be such a memorable keepsake."
"Brother, could you take the photo for us?"
Li Weiyi glanced at the camera the female student handed him, then met her bright, moon-like eyes.
With a gentle nod, he tucked the Dao Ancestor's Tai Chi Fish into his winter coat, stepped down from the ladder, and began taking the group photo.
"Please take a few extra shots!"
A group of male and female students surrounded Professor Xu at the ship's railing, striking various poses for photos.
"Click!"
The shutter snapped repeatedly.
Suddenly, Li Weiyi sensed something amiss.
He noticed something.
He pulled up the photos taken moments earlier, zoomed in, and scrutinized them closely.
His pupils constricted sharply.
"What's wrong, Brother?" a female student asked curiously..
Li Weiyi handed her the camera, letting them see for themselves.
He, however, turned his gaze toward the distant snow ridge.
The boundless icy wilderness stretched out like a silver-cast plain, devoid of any vegetation, both awe-inspiring and desolate.
Several kilometers away, a massive, dark purple figure moved swiftly along the snow ridge.
"A bear? What a bizarre bear-like creature..." the female student exclaimed, staring at the photo on the camera.
"Let me see! How can a bear be dark purple? Aren't polar bears white? Could a new species have appeared in the Arctic?"
"Don't you find this bear strange? It looks emaciated, yet its size is abnormally massive."
.....
As they huddled together to study the photos, the strange bear-like creature in the distance charged down the snow-covered ridge toward the research vessel at an astonishing speed.
Too fast!
It galloped across the ice like a speeding car, each paw strike sending shards of ice flying and creating a thunderous roar that echoed across the frozen expanse.
"Something's not right," Li Weiyi muttered, narrowing his eyes, "How can it be this fast?"
The bizarre, dark purple creature was shockingly massive, four to five times larger than an adult polar bear.
'This is definitely a new species, one that doesn't exist on Earth.'
In just a minute, it had covered nearly two kilometers.
Its target was clear: the research vessel.
"It's coming for us," Li Weiyi whispered, then turned toward the deck and shouted, "Everyone, get back inside the vessel immediately! Danger!"
"What a terrifying speed! Even a cheetah at full sprint might not be this fast!"
Professor Xu and seven or eight young students stood nearby, some worried, others panicked.
The captain's voice blared through the research vessel's public address system: "All research team members, please return to the vessel immediately. Security Team members, lock all cabin doors."
"All research team members, please return to the vessel immediately..."
A piercing siren wailed, echoing throughout the entire research vessel.
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END OF CHAPTER
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