1: Chapter 1: I'm the Heavenly Emperor's Classmate!

"It is indeed bronze script; these two characters are 'Yinghuo'."

A young man's voice reached Chu Qingqiu's ears. He took up the conversation, saying, "Yinghuo, isn't that just Mars?"

Ye Fan turned his head curiously to look at this classmate who usually had little presence in class. He didn't expect the other party to have an understanding of ancient culture, so he nodded: "That's right. Yinghuo implies a glimmering, confusing fire; it is an omen of misfortune. In ancient China, Mars was called Yinghuo."

"How is this possible!?"

Everyone felt unbelievable. They had actually left Earth and arrived at Mars. Could this coffin be some kind of high-tech spaceship?

At this moment, Chu Qingqiu had also completely recovered his consciousness. On this land of Mars, he had undergone an Awakening of his past life's wisdom.

"I didn't expect to have come to the Shrouding the Heavens world and even become a classmate of the Heavenly Emperor Ye."

Chu Qingqiu trembled all over. It was not fear, but excitement. Ye Fan would descend upon the Big Dipper Star Domain, and the era of great contention would begin. Countless Prodigies, goddesses, King Bodies, and Divine Bodies would dominate various regions, all yearning to step onto the legendary ancient starry path to compete with other Prodigies for that sole throne of the Emperor.

The path of the Emperor was extremely dangerous, but Chu Qingqiu was unwilling to just be a Mortal, turning into a handful of soil after a hundred years. If the Golden Crow could become the Emperor, and Ye Fan could, why couldn't he, Chu Qingqiu?

"Mars is covered in iron oxide and is exposed to ultraviolet radiation all year round, which is why the soil on Mars appears reddish-brown. This is undoubtedly Mars."

Chu Qingqiu explained. The land they were standing on was covered everywhere with dry, reddish-brown soil; the environment was exactly the same as the Mars described by scientists.

"Damn! If we've reached Mars, how are we supposed to get back?"

Pang Bo kicked a piece of gravel away in frustration, stirring up clouds of dust.

Having read the original Shrouding the Heavens, Chu Qingqiu was in a dilemma. There was the terrifying Crocodile Ancestor on Mars, but it was also possible that the divine consciousness of an Ancient Sacred Body with Major Achievement had snuck into the bronze coffin, which was equally dangerous.

"I can only stay by Ye Fan's side and see how things go for now. It should be safer... right?"

"Pang Bo, what you just kicked... it seems to be a tile?"

Ye Fan said, sounding a bit uncertain.

This Mars was a place that humanity had not yet explored; how could a man-made object like a tile appear here?

"Ye Fan, you didn't see wrong. What Pang Bo just kicked really was a tile. It seems this Mars is even more mysterious than we imagined; perhaps there are Martians living here."

"That's great! Let's hurry and look for Martians. Maybe they can send us back to Earth."

Hope suddenly rose in many people's hearts. They really didn't want to stay on this crappy Mars anymore.

The group then moved forward. Not long after, they saw a collapsed pavilion. This pavilion exuded an aura of desolation and ruin, clearly having been dilapidated for many years.

The closer they got, the clearer the appearance of the building became. Countless human skulls and bones were buried under the sand and gravel. The continuous complex of magnificent buildings had now become broken walls and ruins, no longer retaining its former glory.

"Everyone, be careful. There might be unknown dangers lurking on Mars."

Ye Fan warned.

Everyone dared not be careless. The situation on this land was so eerie that they couldn't help but be cautious.

Passing through the ruins, an ancient temple came into view. This ancient temple could not be compared to the tall buildings from before; it was small in scale, with only a stone Buddha, and beside it, a lonely bronze lamp emitting specks of cyan light.

"I suppose this must be the legendary Great Leiyin Temple."

Chu Qingqiu looked at the ancient temple in the distance, a sense of peace rising in his heart.

In front of the ancient temple stood a tall Bodhi tree, though it was nearly dead, with only a few leaves on the canopy shimmering with a faint green light, signaling its life and vitality.

After the group approached the ancient temple, Chu Qingqiu looked at the plaque in front of the temple and said, "This is Great Leiyin Temple!"

"Isn't that the residence of the Buddha? Does the Buddha really exist in this world!?"

This shocking information washed over everyone's worldview once again. As myths became reality, the truth hidden in the corners of history might gradually surface.

"This is Great Leiyin Temple, then isn't this tree the Bodhi tree where the Buddha achieved enlightenment?"

Class monitor Zhou Yi pointed at the vigorous tree that still possessed some vitality on Mars and said.

"Legend has it that the Buddha sat quietly under the Bodhi tree for seven days and seven nights, realizing the wisdom and virtues of the Tathagata. That is what the Diamond Sutra says: The Tathagata is one who does not come from anywhere, nor does he go anywhere."

"Just now, when I stood under that tree, I felt my mind clear and my thoughts become much more agile. I suppose it is undoubtedly the Bodhi tree."

Chu Qingqiu knew from the beginning that this was the Bodhi tree where the Buddha achieved enlightenment, but he still had to find a reasonable explanation to convince everyone.

Liu Yunzhi, behind them, seemed to have thought of something. Since this was the Buddha's residence, there might be legendary Buddhist treasures in this temple. He hurriedly stepped forward and ran into the temple.

Everyone followed closely behind. After searching, Chu Qingqiu found a cracked bronze buddha statue. This was the most valuable item in the temple, a Quasi-Emperor forbidden artifact.

Even after countless years, and even though it was already dilapidated, it could still unleash power not inferior to a Saint's Magical Artifact.

The others also had their own gains. Ye Fan obtained an ancient bronze lamp. While the stone Buddha was covered in dust, this ancient lamp remained spotless, clearly an extraordinary object.

Pang Bo, however, didn't get anything and looked frustrated.

Just after everyone had finished searching, ethereal and grand Zen chants echoed in the silent sky, and as time passed, the Zen sounds grew louder.

Afterwards, all the dust on the ancient temple faded away, leaving it clean and bright. "Om, Ma, Ni, Pad, Me, Hum..." The Six-Syllable Mantra was incomparably clear; the mantra was grand, solemn, profound, and mysterious.

While others were still immersed in this mysterious mantra, a mechanical voice rang out in Chu Qingqiu's mind.

[Detected that the host possesses two extraordinary items. Fusion System officially activated.]

[The Fusion System's main function is to allow the host to perform Fusion on all things. The secondary function is the System Store, where the host can decompose extraordinary items to purchase goods. Finally, there is the System Inventory, where the host can store possessed items without limit, with no storage fees charged.]

Chu Qingqiu's eyes brightened, his heart surging. He thought, "With the System's help, I also have the capital to compete with those Prodigies who either have extraordinary family backgrounds or are naturally gifted talents."

Chu Qingqiu briefly checked the situation of this Fusion System. The main function, Fusion, required at least two extraordinary items. As the System said, all things could be fused, and it was only after obtaining the Quasi-Emperor forbidden artifact and the Six-Syllable Mantra—two extraordinary items—that he had activated the System.

The items in the System Store were all-encompassing: Undying Medicine, Ancient Sacred Body, genetic evolution fluid from the Eternal Star Domain, etc., were all available, but the prices were quite high.