Chapter 1: A Confusing World
"Hey, handsome, are you interested in signing up for the martial arts school"s training cla.s.s?"
On the way home, a beautiful girl in a tight fitness suit stopped Lin Shen and enthusiastically handed him a flier.
Lin Shen stopped to look at the flier.
The words "Calm Sun Martial Arts School" immediately came into view.
"Our martial arts school is a formal inst.i.tution officially authorized by the Three Sect Prefecture. In terms of its scale and the quality of teaching, it"s second to none in the entire Dragonside City!"
Seeing Lin Shen stop, the girl immediately seized the opportunity to persuade him.
"No matter which of the three fundamental cultivation techniques you follow and what stage you"ve reached, our school can tailor the most suitable course for you. Moreover, there will be instructors at the Long Breath Stage teaching you personally!"
Lin Shen smiled and took the flier. "Thank you. I"ll think about it."
The girl had heard similar words thousands of times. Of course, she could tell Lin Shen"s perfunctory tone. She continued to persuade him, unwilling to give up.
"We happen to have a discount recently. The registration fee is 20% off now. The basic course will only cost you 7,999 spirit coins!"
Lin Shen was still unmoved. He smiled faintly and turned to leave while the girl watched him in disappointment. He soon disappeared into the crowd.
About five minutes later, Lin Shen arrived at the bus stop. A No. 32 bus happened to pull over at the bus stop. The front and back doors opened with a creak.
Lin Shen followed the crowd and boarded the bus. He took out a one-dollar spirit coin and threw it into the coin box. Then, he found a seat by the window in a corner and sat down.
Not long after, the bus drove out of the station.
Looking at the scenery outside the window quickly thrown behind him, Lin Shen heaved a sigh of relief with an indescribable expression.
It had been almost a week since he arrived in this world. He was familiar with most of the people and environment around him.
Who would have thought he would wake up in another world after going to sleep as usual?
This world was, in a sense, similar to his previous world. At first glance, there were many similarities. For example, the high-rise buildings along the street, the endless stream of cars, and even the clothes of pa.s.sers-by were similar.
However, after looking closer, Lin Shen realized that wasn"t the case.
As far as he knew, there was no such thing as a country in this world. All cities were ruled by organizations called sects.
For example, Dragonside City, the city he was currently in, was located on the East Sea Path, one of the Five Great Paths of the East Divine Continent. It was a prosperous city under the joint rule of the Raging Waves Sect, Azure Frost Sect, and Nine Suns Sect. Its area was 7,500 square kilometers, and its population exceeded 3.5 million. There were also more than ten va.s.sal cities. It was one of the few behemoths in the East Sea Path.
What maintained the ruling position of these sects was powerful martial strength that transcended the mortal world!
"Extraordinary powers…"
Lin Shen muttered to himself.
The level of military technology in this world was so low that it made one"s hair stand on end. It was almost still stuck in the era of cold weapons.
Firearms like guns, cannonb.a.l.l.s, and tanks were familiar to him in his previous life, but there was no sign of them here.
In contrast, the martial arts and immortal techniques that only existed in fantasy in his previous life were widely known here.
In Dragonside City, all teenagers who had reached the age of 15 could start the path of cultivation and choose one of the fundamental cultivation techniques of the three great sects.
Those who succeeded in their studies could partic.i.p.ate in the annual examination and fight for the opportunity to enter the academies affiliated with the three major sects.
This world valued martial arts and strength over anything else. Therefore, joining the three great sects was almost everyone"s dream.
Once one was lucky enough to become a cultivator, one could rise to the upper cla.s.s and enjoy privileges and status that ordinary people couldn"t imagine.
Because of this, countless students would cultivate day and night every year to reach that goal.
The previous owner of Lin Shen"s body was no exception.
His current body was only 18 years old, and he was a student from Dragonside City"s Willow Academy who was about to partic.i.p.ate in the final examination. The cultivation technique he practiced was the Origin Breathing Technique and the Blazing Sun Palm.
The Original Breathing Technique was the orthodox entry-level cultivation technique for cultivators in Dragonside City or even most of the East Divine Continent.
As a cultivator achieved higher cultivation levels, their cultivation methods would gradually show discrepancies. However, the introductory cultivation methods were almost the same.
Therefore, all the teenagers in Dragonside City, regardless of whether they were born n.o.ble or poor, would start off by practicing the Origin Breathing Technique.
As for the Blazing Sun Palm, it was the fundamental martial arts technique of the Nine Suns Sect.
Lin Shen had been practicing these two cultivation techniques for more than two years but had only become proficient in the Origin Breathing Technique. His cultivation level had only reached the third level of the Qi Transformation Stage, and he could barely be ranked in the middle or lower echelons of the entire Willow Academy. His cultivation talent was ordinary at best.
With such poor talent and strength, he wouldn"t even be able to obtain the qualifications to partic.i.p.ate in the exam, let alone join the academies that were affiliated with the three great sects.
That was if nothing unexpected happened!
As his mind wandered off, the bus had already arrived at the destination.
Lin Shen"s eyes refocused, and he got out of the back door.
Since he had already come to his world, it would be useless to blame fate.
The only thing he could do was to accept the truth and think of a way to survive better in this world.
Fortunately, Lin Shen was alone before and after his transmigration.
He didn"t need to worry about breaking anyone"s heart because of his disappearance, nor did he need to face unfamiliar and complicated interpersonal relationships after transmigration.
The only ones he needed to be familiar with were the teachers and students of the academy.
After careful probing for a few days, Lin Shen had grown familiar with the people around him without arousing any suspicion.
After pa.s.sing through a remote alley, he saw a dilapidated apartment building.
It was more than 30 years old.
Many tiles had fallen off the outer walls, and the mottled walls still had traces of withered vines. The stairs were covered in rust, and when one stepped on them, they would make an ear-piercing creaking sound as if they would collapse at any moment. It was terrifying.
As soon as he stepped onto the corridor on the third floor, he ran into a bald, middle-aged man.
It was Liu De, who lived next door to Lin Shen. He was currently divorced and worked in a real estate agency.
Holding a briefcase and wearing a suit, he seemed on his way to work overtime in the office. When he saw Lin Shen, he smiled and greeted him.
"You"re back. Cla.s.s ended so early today."
Lin Shen nodded politely and smiled.
He didn"t interact much with this neighbor and usually only greeted him when pa.s.sing.
After exchanging a few pleasantries, Lin Shen bade farewell to Liu De and walked towards his room at the end of the corridor.
Liu De shook his head slightly as he watched Lin Shen leave.
He remembered Lin Shen as the most hardworking student he had ever seen. Other than attending cla.s.ses, Lin Shen spent all his time cultivating.
Unfortunately, the boy didn"t have the talent and never achieved anything.
"So many people apply to the three major academies every year, but fewer than one in a hundred of them will succeed in the end. Those academies are so hard to get in. Most of them are like me, working in an office for the rest of their lives!"
Liu De sighed and walked down the stairs.
Lin Shen didn"t know what Liu De was thinking, nor would he care.
The previous owner of this body would have no hope of entering the three major academies in this life.
However, from the moment he came into this world, that changed!
Click!
Lin Shen pushed open the door of the apartment and walked in.
The lights in the living room were off, and the curtains on the balcony were closed. The room was rather dim.
Lin Shen came to the center of the living room. He didn"t make any movements, but two shadows suddenly separated from his body and landed four or five steps away. They solidified at an astonishing speed.
If other people were in the room, they would definitely be shocked.
The two solidified figures looked exactly like Lin Shen, be it their size, facial features, or temperament. They seemed to be carved from the same mold!