The Sword Pierces the Cloud Palace

The last thing Lin Yanzhi saw was the current reading on the laboratory instrument panel suddenly flashing red.

As 220 volts surged through the exposed wire and into his fingertip, he was staring at the data on an ancient sword he had just finished analyzing. It was a ring-pommel saber excavated from a Southern Song tomb, its blade inscribed with the faint characters “Yunque.” The X-ray scan showed layers of hidden patterns, much like the secret manuals of martial arts described in wuxia novels. Before the numbness from the current could reach his heart, white light swallowed the world before his eyes. A strange sound of clashing metal drifted into his ears, mixed with the rustle of wind-blown leaves.

“Cough, cough…”

The choking smell of dust filled his nose. Lin Yanzhi suddenly opened his eyes, coughing. There was no familiar lab coat or cold workbench. Instead, branches crisscrossed overhead, and sunlight filtered through the leaves, casting tiny spots of light on the back of his hand. He pushed himself up and realized he was lying in a patch of yellowed grass. His clothes had turned into a rough hemp tunic, and he was still clutching something hard: the very “Yunque Saber” he had just finished analyzing. The copper ring on its scabbard was still warm, as though someone had just held it.