Five Way Heaven

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Chapter 2: Reporting In

Ai Hui carried a shabby travel bag as he stood in the crowd with an overcast expression. His mood was extremely terrible because when he had opened his purse, all the money inside had disappeared without a trace, replaced by little pebbles.

Stupid Fatty, he’d actually did this to him!

He swore in his heart that once he returned to Old Earth and meet that guy again, he’d definitely have to beat him a new one.

After a moment of being lost in thought, he breathed a long breath out, praying that Five Way Heaven was like what Fatty had said, to have covered room and board. If not, then he… could only use a bit more force when he beats up Fatty.

Temporarily putting the money problem at the back of his mind, he decided to place his attention to the present.

It was a bit early for checking in, but outside the Induction Ground’s entrance was already packed, surrounded with students. They excitedly greeted each other, and some formed small groups in heated discussions.

Staying in the quiet and harsh Savage Territories where danger lurked in every corner, Ai Hui was extremely unaccustomed to the noisy scene before him. As long as there was something that approached him within a five meter radius, he would be on guard. That had already become his natural instinct.

But now… he was surrounded by fourteen people within a five meter radius.

He uncomfortably adjusted his body, but it did him no good whatsoever. He could only make a supreme effort to restrain himself from running away and having the urge to get rid of the fourteen targets. In the Savage Territories, as long as an unknown organism neared, those two were the only options.

Alright, “in the Savage Territories” again…

Without even entering the Induction Ground, Ai Hui had already sensed that he was incompatible with his surroundings. He sucked in a deep breath of air as he forcibly quieted the pounding of his heart. He knew that this was a psychological barrier that he had to overcome.

A little while later, he braced himself and squeezed towards the entrance of the Induction Ground.

After forcing himself through the tides of the crowd, all the soft hairs on Ai Hui’s body stood erect as his clothing became disheveled. He gasped in coa.r.s.e breaths. The short distance of fifty meters that he covered made him feel more tired than if he had walked for fifty kilometers.

After arriving at the Induction Ground’s door, Ai Hui raised his head at the towering door.

The Induction Ground’s main entrance was tall. It was roughly more than sixty meters tall, put together by blocks and blocks of iron panels. The craftsmanship seemed awfully rough, for it looked as if it were a large rag that had been fully patched. The door were filled with spots of rust, like bruises that could be found everywhere.

On the stone slab in front of the iron door, a half meter wide groove was straight as if drawn on. The corrosion of time rounded its corners, and the groove was half full with water.

Ai Hui silently stared at the little groove.

In Five Way Heaven, everyone knew of this little groove. Ai Hui knew of it, because it had something to do with sword cultivation.

It was called the “ultimate defense”.

In the dark years when the Savage Territories had invaded, this groove, that was no more than half a meter wide and two hundred meters long, was that time’s final defense line of their life or death battle.

The famous, last sword cultivator in history burned his life force to wave out the last brilliant strike and killed the enemy chieftain while carving out this final defense line. Encouraged by this tenacious resistance, mankind persevered and founded the Five Way Heaven.

The iron door riddled with scars was put together with the sc.r.a.ps from that year’s battlefield. The establishment of the Induction Ground here, was because Five Way Heaven’s first founder did not want the younger generation to forget those dark times, nor forget the original purpose as to why Five Way Heaven had been created.

The appearance and troubles of that time had faded through the pa.s.sage of time, but the memories and legends had been pa.s.sed on from generation to generation.

The Induction Ground standing so aloof in Five Way Heaven should ought to also be because of this.

Ai Hui knew what the final defense line was due to his sorting of the sword manuals in the Sword Cultivating Training Hall.

All the sword manuals that mentioned this defense line praised it to the extreme. It was a separation of life and death for mankind, a separation of eras, and so on. In the hearts of those who commemorated sword cultivation, that strike declared complete end of the sword cultivation era, and the start of the Five Way Heaven era.

This didn’t really have anything to do with Ai Hui. Even though he had straightened a bunch of sword manuals, he never had any silly thoughts like reviving sword cultivation.

Mn, Owner was that silly, which was why his business had thoroughly failed, why he had become so filled in debt, causing him to lose his life. But Ai Hui felt pretty good when he was able to see the remains of history. Apart from it making him think of the owner, which made him a little melancholy.

He quickly returned to normal. Sharpened by the three years in the Savage Territories, which made him used to being in life and death situations, he was rarely down because of those past events that had left with the wind. Those who were alive, needed to strive to stay alive, so those who were dead could all rest in peace.

After he finished admiring the historical remains, he quickly retreated out of the ground all the way to the most outer encirclement of the crowd. The pounding of his heart disappeared, and he released a long sigh of relief.

Suddenly, he glimpsed a familiar silhouette from the corner of his eye. Ai Hui’s complexion swiftly sunk.

One who took huge lightning fast strides forward as if the raise of his legs were his chest kicking out.

“Bang!”

The plumpy figure splattered about as he heavily fell to the ground.

Without waiting for Fatty to get up, Ai Hui stepped on Fatty’s face and said with a low tone of voice: “Give me the money.”

Fatty didn’t blink: “Gone!”

“Who’s money is gone?” Ai Hui increased the pressure on his leg as the danger in his voice also rapidly increased.

“All gone.” Fatty flew quickly: “I sent my money home.”

“My money.” Ai Hui’s tone of voice was still tranquil, but even a slow person could hear the fury that was like surging lava beneath the lake of tranquility.

“Bought an spot for this place.” Fatty had a ruffian’s face as he said: “Can’t do anything about it, the application process had pa.s.sed, so I could only buy a spot with money. I actually used a lot of connections, and your money happened to be just enough. You better treat me well, haven’t you heard that people in debt are all great lords? If I die, the money would have been wasted…”

As the fatty under his foot unceasingly talked, Ai Hui’s fury suddenly vanished as he expressionlessly stomped a few times with his leg.

The surrounding people withdrew their gazes in revulsion. Fatty was completely covered with dirt and mud so Ai Hui’s clothes could only be regarded as clean, even if they had been washed pale. The travel bag he held was also the same white, and it appeared to stink of poverty.

Fatty crawled up from the ground with his face full of footprint markings, completely lacking any bit of guilt or embarra.s.sment.

The two of them found a place far from the crowd to take a seat. Fatty then took out a barley sugar from nowhere, threw it into his mouth, and started crunching. He then kept on looking around while scanning the surrounding curiously.

“Why aren’t you excited at all?” Fatty took a puzzled glance at Ai Hui : “It’s the Induction Ground! Once we enter the Induction Ground, we will no longer be coolies anymore! Another ten years and I could bring my whole family over to Five Way Heaven. It will be like a carp jumping through the dragon gate, do you know how many people in Old Earth wants a placing here?”

Ai Hui was too lazy to be bothered with him. Conveniently plucked a strand of wild gra.s.s from a clump that was growing from the stone crack, he chewing it in his mouth: “What is your element?”

“Fire Element!” Fatty replied, his green bean sized eyes narrowed into a line: “I had no idea my physique was actually so good…”

Fatty suddenly realized that he almost let it slip and stop abruptly.

Ai Hui turn his head over and gave a look of suspicion: “Good physique?”

The rules in Five Way Heaven were very strict. In Five Way Heaven, no matter if you were boy or girl, rich or poor, once one was of age, they must enter the Induction Ground to study. As for people from Old Earth, anyone can enter the Induction Ground once they pa.s.s the physique checkup.

Fatty did not fl.u.s.ter and replied: “That’s right, just a bit more and I would have pa.s.sed, ain’t my innate talent much better than yours? Or else I would not even have any way to spend the money even if I want to, the rules of the Induction Ground is so strict, how could it be easy to get in.”

Mn, even if I get beaten to death, I will never let Ai Hui know that I had gotten a placing due to my physique meeting the requirement, or else the money will definitely be taken back. Fatty keep on reminding himself in his heart and so his expression naturally did not reveal any sign of flaws.

Ai Hui gave an “oh” and withdrew his gaze. His physique was very ordinary and far from the minimum requirement.

“What a shame our attributes aren’t the same.” Fatty had a bit of regret. His const.i.tution was of the fire element while Ai Hui’s attribute was the metal element; this meant that the two of them would be separated to different groups.

Ai Hui also felt that it was a bit of a shame. He and Fatty worked well together and had each other’s unconditional trust. If they could be on the same group, he could also look after Fatty more.

Knowing what Ai Hui was thinking, Fatty continued: “Don’t worry, no matter what, I am still an old bird that had mingled in the Savage Territories, how can I be bullied by those bunches of little wimps?”

At this moment, a thoroughly red cloud floated over from the sky faraway and slowly landed on the ground, stirring up a wave of excitement. A well dressed and handsome young man came down from the cloud while many of the young ladies exclaimed words like “How handsome”.

“What a wealthy man!” Fatty’s gaze was immediately attracted over, his voice filled with envy: “The quality of this Flame Floating Cloud is simply speechless! Brightly colored and thoroughly red, without any impurity. Look, doesn’t the shape of the cloud look like fire? Well well, a Flame Floating Cloud of the highest quality. This kid definitely comes from an influential family, I’ll have to go find a chance to get chummy with him!”

Chewing the green gra.s.s in his mouth into dregs, Ai Hui suddenly missed the Savage Territories slightly; at least they had Ironback Cane everywhere. That thing was not only sweet but also very tough and even after half a day of chewing, it would still be chewy. He took a glance at the Flame Floating Cloud and then withdrew his gaze. Eye catching, yet so slow, definitely the best prey in the Savage Territories.

This clump of Flame Floating Cloud was like a signal. Closely following behind it were several different kinds of strange flying objects that continuously flew in from all directions, landing on the plaza in front of the Induction Ground.

Fatty became extremely excited as if he was injected with chicken blood; his mouth started rambling a bunch of names that Ai Hui had never heard before. His eyes were extremely sharp; not only did he know these flying objects, he could even list the price for many of them.

Listening to Fatty’s clamor, Ai Hui’s gaze aimlessly swept across the crowd. It was extremely rare to see such young and tender faces in the Savage Territories, everyone in the Savage Territories all looked like wild beasts; fierce, agile and dangerous.

Whereas the youths over here, their young faces exuded distinct sunshine and vitality; their excited eyes looked forward to their future. The boys solicitously crowded around girls while smiling, showing their elegant and humorous sides, while thinking of ideas to attract the girls’ attention. The girls’ faces flushed red from their shyness and bashfulness, just like red clouds dyed from the rays of the morning sun while the corners of their lips showed slight hints of laughter, looking as beautiful as flowers.

The unripe taste of the wild gra.s.s spread in his mouth, causing Ai Hui to get slightly distracted and slightly envious.

Envy flashed across his eye for an instant before it returned to what it was like before, indifferent and serene. Thinking about Owner, thinking about the three years after going into the thickets of the Savage Territories, the coolies that had turn in piles of white bones, he felt that he had already been quite fortunate.

Living was more important than anything, living was the greatest fortune.

The Fatty’s clamor in the side of his ear also became much more pleasing at this moment.

As the huge towering door slowly opened, Ai Hui patted the mud off his body and stood up with determination on his wild face. He knew that behind the door laid an entirely new road, a road he would have never imagined in the past.

He did not know what laid behind that road.

He only did what he did three years ago as he stepped in the Savage Territories. Striding forward, he said to Fatty without looking back at him: “Let’s go.”