With the new semester fast approaching, he would soon be evicted from the dorm. If he couldn't find a job soon, he’d be sleeping rough on the streets.

In a city like Beijing, where simply throwing a brick could hit a Master's degree holder, it was incredibly difficult for a college graduate with only a degree in Chinese to land a job.

He hummed a little tune, and everything around him seemed suddenly wonderful.

As he passed an alleyway, he noticed a few children scrawling graffiti on a wall. Having always considered himself to possess a strong sense of justice, coupled with his excellent mood that day, he naturally couldn't ignore it. Chen Mohan spoke up, "Little ones, how can you just deface walls? Do you know this is damaging the city environment?"

Seeing the group of brats staring at him as if he were an idiot, Mohan wondered if his explanation had been too profound.

One of the little rascals piped up, "Big brother, what are you talking about? Do you want to draw too? We even have chalk."

Hearing this, Chen Mohan felt an immediate urge to faint; he was truly a failure, unable to handle a few small kids.

An older child then added, "This guy is weird. Maybe he's a con artist? We should leave quickly."

As soon as the words were spoken, the children scattered in a rush.

Mohan sighed inwardly at the remark, thinking, Have they ever seen such a handsome liar? What uncultured brats.

"Forget it," he consoled himself, "I'm in a good mood today; I won't bother with these little pests."

But as he turned to leave, he suddenly noticed a burst of white light emanating from the spot where the children had been drawing on the wall.

Chen Mohan rubbed his eyes. Was he hallucinating? He looked again—sure enough, there was a brilliant white light. Driven by curiosity, he reached out and touched it, only to feel an immense suction pull him in. His vision went dark, and he was entirely engulfed by the light.

The white light vanished after absorbing him, and even the graffiti on the wall was gone, as if nothing had ever happened... Where in the world am I? Mohan wondered.

He only recalled the flash of light, and then he found himself in this strange place with uneven, cratered ground. Suddenly, Chen Mohan felt something beneath him. Out of curiosity, he reached down and picked it up.

A scream immediately erupted from his throat. He realized he was holding a human skull, his fingers lodged right between the empty eye sockets. No wonder he was shocked. Upon closer inspection of his surroundings, he saw that everything around him was made of human bones. Seeing this, Mohan felt like he was about to pass out.

Is this hell? he thought. He might not be a model citizen, but he was at least four-fifths good. Why had he ended up in this wretched place?

He began to doubt if he was dreaming. He pinched himself hard, felt a sharp pain, and nearly wept. Only then did he truly understand: this wasn't a dream; he had genuinely arrived in this horrible place.

As he regained some composure, Chen Mohan suddenly noticed another person sitting beside him. This sight nearly robbed him of his remaining wits. Surrounded by bones, this person was whole, even their clothes intact. Can you blame him for being terrified? Yet, after a long while, the figure remained motionless.

It seemed as dead as everything else.

The situation was utterly bizarre.

Seeing no reaction from the figure, Mohan tried speaking toward the shadow: "Hello?" Still no response. Do they not understand Mandarin? Mohan mused. Let's try something else. "Annyeonghaseyo."

Korean, still no luck. Mohan muttered to himself, "Could they be Japanese?" Thinking this, Mohan spoke aloud, "Konnichiwa."

Still, the person didn't react. After another moment, seeing no response, Mohan cautiously approached, placed a hand under the figure's nose, and discovered the person wasn't breathing... Damn it, they scared me half to death! Turns out they were already gone.

Thinking this, Mohan grumbled to himself, "Brother, don't you know that startling people can kill them? Luckily, I have strong composure."

Mohan indulged in a bit of narcissistic thought.

After saying this, Mohan inadvertently noticed that the person's embrace looked bulky, as if holding something. Curious, he pulled it out. It was a crystal ball, clearly ancient and covered in a thick layer of dust. Instinctively, Mohan gave it a quick wipe.

The moment he did, the crystal ball suddenly burst into radiant light, startling him so much he immediately threw it away. It landed far off on the ground.

Above the crystal ball, a figure slowly began to materialize. Once fully formed, the figure first looked around the environment with curiosity, then spotted Mohan standing opposite.

The figure smiled at Mohan and spoke, "Greetings, young man."

Saint Magister Mo Xiuyi observed the young man before him, finding the situation profoundly strange. Why do people dress so oddly these days? In his time, this person's attire would probably classify him as a monster rarer than a Level 10 Magic Beast.

Furthermore, he couldn't sense the slightest magical fluctuation from this individual. So how did he pass through the barrier to get here? This was turning out to be quite interesting, Mo Xiuyi thought to himself.

Chen Mohan stared at the figure, feeling a strange sense of familiarity, as if he had seen this person somewhere before. Thinking hard, a realization struck him. He quickly glanced at the silent person sitting beside him. Seeing that person’s face, a chill shot down Mohan's spine—they looked exactly the same.

At this realization, Chen Mohan's brain temporarily froze.

After a long pause, Chen Mohan trembled and asked cautiously, "Are you a person or a ghost? How are you here?"

Hearing Mohan's question, Mo Xiuyi chuckled proudly, "Neither. I am Saint Magister Mo Xiuyi. Rest assured, I mean no harm."

He waited for the expected look of astonishment, but the person before him showed no reaction. Did they not hear clearly? Mo Xiuyi spoke again, "I am Saint Magister Mo Xiuyi, do you understand?" Seeing that there was no malice, Mohan relaxed. He replied, "I understand. Your name is Mo Xiuyi, no need to repeat it so many times."

Mo Xiuyi asked quizzically, "You haven't heard of me?" Mohan responded with utter bewilderment, "You aren't a celebrity. Why would I have heard of you? You don't know me either."

Mo Xiuyi looked puzzled. "Celebrity? What is that? I've never heard of it. Is it something new?" Mohan asked in surprise, "No way, big brother, you don't even know that?" At first, Mohan thought the figure was mocking him, but his expression seemed genuine.

He had no choice but to explain, "A celebrity is basically a very famous person. I can't explain it precisely, though, as I don't follow them, hehe."

Mo Xiuyi replied, "If that's the definition of a celebrity, then I suppose I should be one too. Why don't you recognize me?" Mohan sighed, "Forget it; we won't sort this out in a moment. I'll tell you slowly when we have time. Where is this place, Mo Xiuyi?" Mohan asked.

Mo Xiuyi answered, "This is an island in the western sea of the Dragon Ascent Continent, called Blazing Flame Island. Don't you know it? How did you get here?" Mohan casually recited, "Oh, Dragon Ascent Continent, Blazing Flame Island... wait, Dragon Ascent Continent? Where is that? Is it the Americas, Latin America, or Europe?" Mohan asked nervously.

Mo Xiuyi shook his head. "I've never heard of any of those places you mentioned. It seems those place names don't exist on the Dragon Ascent Continent, do they?" Upon hearing this, Mohan thought with disappointment, It's over. I thought I was just somewhere on Earth, but it looks like I'm no longer on Earth.

Realizing this, Mohan asked again, unwilling to give up, "Is this really not Earth?" Mo Xiuyi shook his head. "Earth? What is that place? I haven't heard of it."

Hearing this, Mohan felt a pang of sorrow. It seemed he truly was no longer on Earth. Did that mean he couldn't go back? Seeing Mohan's crestfallen expression, Mo Xiuyi asked curiously, "Why have you suddenly become so sad? Young man, by the way, how did you get here? You still haven't told me." Mohan replied mournfully at Mo Xiuyi's question, "I don't know either. I saw a strange light on the wall, touched it out of curiosity, and then a damned flash of white light swept by, and I appeared here. I swear I'll never touch strange things again, but will there even be a 'next time'?" Mohan felt an urge to weep, thinking he might never see his parents or brothers again.

After hearing Mohan's words, Mo Xiuyi turned and looked at the seven-pointed star formation he had used to cast the divine spell; it was completely displaced due to the island's movement. He seemed to understand something.

With this thought, Mo Xiuyi spoke to Mohan, "It seems the Seven-Pointed Star Array shifted position during the island's tremor and transformed into a Summoning Array. This must be fate. Don't be too sad, young man."

Mohan, who had been submerged in sorrow, was overjoyed to hear Mo Xiuyi's words. He rushed to Mo Xiuyi and pleaded, "Do you know what happened? Can you send me back? Please, Mo Xiuyi."

Mo Xiuyi gave a wry smile and replied, "It's difficult. Unless you have a Saint Magister where you are, who can set up a summoning array in your plane, and you know the precise location and coordinates of your place. Otherwise, it’s all in vain."

Mohan felt disheartened, thinking, Magic? Who knows magic on Earth? Illusions, maybe, but coordinates and positions? It’s confusing.

But hearing this, Mohan knew there was no hope of returning, at least not for now.

Seeing Mohan’s dejected look, Mo Xiuyi offered comfort, "Young man, don't despair. If heaven sent you here, there must be a reason. Perhaps you will have a chance to go back later. Don't dwell on it too much until then; worrying about it is useless."

After listening to Mo Xiuyi, Mohan came to terms with the situation. What Mo Xiuyi said was true. Since he couldn't go back now, he might as well familiarize himself with this world first and figure out a way back later.

He was naturally quite an optimistic person, and once he accepted things, the sadness eased.