This place was right at the border of the three great Dynasties. The continuous mountain ranges harbored countless dangers. Near the ancient tombs stood a colossal city, towering among them. Fugitives from the three Dynasties could all end up in this city, where laws did not apply and chaos reigned.
"Qianyuan City," Jiang Shu suddenly murmured.
Yet, as he considered where to transfer from next, his normally steady heartbeat suddenly quickened. All his pores tightened, and his hairs stood on end. It felt as if so force had swept across his body. An unprecedented danger descended upon him in that mont. The Yuan Qi figure within him shattered instantly.
This power... Irresistible. Incontestable.
Without hesitation, Jiang Shu grabbed the beast skin.
Two Realms... Shuttle!
A figure landed on the deck.
"Who goes there?" a Martial Artist on the giant ship shouted.
"I am Liang Yuewu of the Liang Family!" the newcor’s voice bood. "You little rat, co out now!"
Primordial Power transford into a giant hand, striking towards a specific cabin on the giant ship.
BANG.
Wood shavings flew everywhere. The entire cabin was empty.
「Jiangnan City. October.」
As ti passed, news of the Heaven and Earth Secret Realms was becoming impossible to hide. So small nations’ regis changed overnight, and many citizens began emigrating to larger countries. Sixth Rank Mutant Beasts, capable of withstanding missiles, erged from the deep sea. Although the military pushed them back, preventing an onshore invasion, the disturbance still made the public realize that unprecedented dangers, of which they were previously unaware, now existed in their world.
Many traditional families started to shift their perspectives, emphasizing Martial Arts. Students from other majors in universities also began to switch to Martial Arts and started practicing. Martial Arts schools sprang up in cities like bamboo shoots after rain. For parents, it was no longer about grades but about the enhancent of vitality.
"Currently, in our Jiangnan City, there are three Heaven and Earth Secret Realms: two ordinary-level and one C-level," the Martial Arts teacher announced.
He was in the Martial Arts freshman class at Jiangnan Academy, sketching the general regions of a Heaven and Earth Secret Realm on the blackboard as he began his lecture.
"Tomorrow, Mr. Zhang and I will take you to a Heaven and Earth Secret Realm for training. You are all fortunate. When these Heaven and Earth Secret Realms first appeared, they were incredibly perilous, filled with countless Mutant Beasts. Even the most ordinary Heaven and Earth Secret Realm housed Third Rank Mutant Beasts. Experienced Dark Force Martial Artists faced the possibility of death."
"But now, these ordinary Heaven and Earth Secret Realms have been mostly cleared. No trace of Third Rank Mutant Beasts remains. Only so slightly weaker Second Rank Mutant Beasts and intentionally preserved First Rank Mutant Beasts are left for you newcors to practice on."
"You only need to be cautious of the severe weather changes inside. For students like Jiang Yanyue, who has already stepped into Dark Force, there will basically be no problems in a Heaven and Earth Secret Realm. However, most of you are still at Manifest Energy, and your vitality isn’t robust enough. If any of you can’t hold on, you must notify or Mr. Zhang."
"I will arrange for your extraction. Don’t stubbornly stay inside. Although Cultivation there is indeed faster than outside, haste makes waste. If the harsh environnt damages your ridians and vital organs, you might never reach the Hua Jing Master level in your lifeti."
"Any questions? Raise your hand."
On the podium, the Martial Arts teacher looked down at the students filling every seat, pausing his speech. Instantly, several hands went up. One by one, questions related to the Heaven and Earth Secret Realms were asked.
"Yanyan..." Sang Zhirou tugged at Jiang Yanyue, who was zoning out.
Sang Zhirou had started Martial Arts later than Jiang Yanyue. However, her parents gave her significant support. They not only hired a Dark Force Martial Artist as a private tutor but also secured resources through special channels. Sang Zhirou didn’t disappoint, quickly advancing through her exchanges with Jiang Yanyue. She soon reached Manifest Energy and passed the exams to enter Jiangnan Academy alongside Jiang Yanyue.
"Are you worried about your brother again?" Sang Zhirou asked, pausing. Even though it had been years since they last t, his silhouette imdiately clarified in her mind. Though she had only seen him once, she had always kept an eye on him—from his victory in the university Martial Arts genius competition to achieving Xia Country’s Special rit. With her family’s status, she naturally knew how prestigious such a distinction, one Xia Country no longer awarded, truly was. Yanyan’s brother... what exactly has he done?
"Hmm," Jiang Yanyue responded softly.
Hearing her best friend’s reply, Sang Zhirou organized her thoughts and whispered comfortingly, "Aren’t Heaven and Earth Secret Realms erupting everywhere these days? Our Xia Country has the best control; small Heaven and Earth Secret Realms are all cleared out. For those above B-grade, troops are forcibly suppressing them. I think your brother is probably fighting in a higher-level Secret Realm. He must have slain quite a few Mutant Beasts; otherwise, how could he have received a Special rit?"
"Don’t worry too much," Sang Zhirou continued. "When they enter a Secret Realm to fight, it’s like being in the military; it’s normal not to contact family for a long ti. Besides, you can’t carry cell phones inside a Secret Realm."
"Hmm..." Jiang Yanyue looked at her best friend, who was still at Manifest Energy, and nodded again, sowhat blankly.
In her mind, Jiang Shu’s figure kept reappearing—from fighting with her over food to teaching her Martial Arts. Initially, she had thought like Sang Zhirou, assuming her brother was surely out on a mission. When she first learned about Heaven and Earth Secret Realms, she believed Jiang Shu was definitely battling within one.
But now, she had already reached Dark Force. She had registered with the Martial Artist Alliance and learned everything her brother had done.
Jiang Shu. Not only was he the number one Hua Jing Master, he was the foremost person below the Pill Energy Stage. Within Fusang, he had fought his way through alone, breaking the iron tower and killing the Sword God with his fists.
Her foolish brother... He wasn’t in any Heaven and Earth Secret Realm. He was clearly in Fusang! Missing!
Brother, where exactly... are you... she silently wondered.
After stepping into Dark Force, her joy had been brief, followed by persistent pain. She didn’t dare share the news with her parents; at just seventeen, she was bearing all this alone. Even as a Martial Artist, she still dreamt about Jiang Shu. The trouble her brother had caused was too imnse. To this day, Fusang had completely sealed its borders, allowing no one in or out. All mobile phone communications within the country were monitored.
In such a situation, what could she do?
She could only check the posts daily in the Martial Artist Alliance, hoping that so Martial Artist with Divine Skills might know sothing about her brother.
Her heart prayed once again.
However, Jiang Yanyue didn’t know that at the very mont of her prayer, thousands of miles away across the ocean...
「Fusang. Near the Tokyo Tower.」
Teams of soldiers, segregated into areas, patrolled as usual. Since Jiang Shu had suddenly disappeared, a ten-mile radius around the Tokyo Tower had been leveled, and the ground searched thoroughly. After finding nothing, the area was finally designated a military zone. Nurous experts had arrived to set up equipnt, discussing the various possibilities of Jiang Shu’s disappearance.
"Dammit, patrolling every day!" one soldier complained. "That Jiang Shu... I think he’s a demon. No Martial Artist at such a young age could be that powerful. He just vanished! I’ve been patrolling for half a year, every single day. I’d rather be sleeping!"
"Exactly!" another chid in. "First, they had us digging holes, then filling them back up. We’re the ones getting worn out."
"Consider yourselves lucky," a third soldier said. "Didn’t you hear that huge explosion the other day? If we were stationed outside, we’d definitely be on coastal duty. Out there, it’s truly life and death. The Fierce Beasts in these seas are getting more formidable. Luckily, our great Fusang has strong military power. No matter how tough those little critters are, they can’t withstand several missiles."
"I’m not so sure about that," a fourth soldier muttered. "It took one missile before, now it takes several... They’ve beco more powerful."
"Shush, keep your voice down," another warned.
"What’s there to fear?" the third soldier retorted. "They may have beco stronger, but they can’t compare to us humans. We have giant ships, missiles, and powerful Martial Artists. I even heard that Freedom Country is officially developing cha, just waiting for the critical mont to deploy them."
"cha? Like in the movies? Wow!" a younger soldier exclaid.
The soldiers continued their discussion.
Countless surveillance caras monitored the area, striving to make every grain of dust visible. Infrared sensors scanned everything; even the slightest underground movent could be detected.
Just when everyone thought today would be like any other...
The alarms suddenly blared.
Five treasure swords abruptly leaped from beneath the ground.
In an instant, the heads of a five-man squad of soldiers were sent flying.
Blood spurted.
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