Millennial Time

Lin Zhen and Meng Dong got into Zhao Liang's car. It was the latest model of the Great Wall Phantom Armored Car.

These days, the auto industries of every country basically relied on domestically produced cars. All seas, rivers, and lakes had essentially become the domain of monsters, leaving the shipping industry paralyzed. Aviation was much the same—the skies belonged to Mutated Birds, and countries had largely stopped air travel between one another. People could only use cars made in their own countries now; buying foreign goods was no longer an option.

Great Wall was one of the high-end domestic car brands. The bulletproof Phantom cost over seven million on the market. To Lin Zhen, who had been reborn, it was nothing much, but to Meng Dong, a rookie who had just started out, it was utterly shocking.

"Damn! Look at this car—the shine, the design! If I could own a car like this, I'd be satisfied for the rest of my life."

Zhao Liang laughed. "You kid really have no ambition. Once you train a little longer and reach the Advanced Warrior stage, you can form a team and go out to hunt monsters. Kill a few high-level monsters, and this car will be yours easily."

Then he glanced at Lin Zhen. "Look at Lin Zhen. He's much calmer than you. As a Martial Artist, a composed mind is essential. You need to learn from him in that regard."

Meng Dong shot Lin Zhen a look. "I'm not comparing myself to this guy. What he's best at is playing the pig to eat the tiger. He's clearly so strong, yet he never shows it, and I was even worried about him. He's been like this since we were kids. From now on, no matter what he does, I won't be surprised in the slightest."

"Heh heh! Knowing how to hide your abilities is a skill too. Come on, get in. Let's go have a drink."

Lin Zhen and Meng Dong got into the car and found the doors extremely heavy.

"When Martial Artists choose a car, bulletproof performance comes first. The longer you train, the faster your Neural Reaction becomes, and the fewer firearms there are that can threaten you. But it's different when you're inside a car. If someone sprays you with a machine gun, where are you supposed to dodge? So the higher the car's bulletproof rating, the better."

Zhao Liang did most of the talking along the way, while Lin Zhen and Meng Dong listened. Although Lin Zhen knew far more than Zhao Liang did, he had no intention of revealing anything. He could tell that Zhao Liang treated the two of them well, and he did not want to act any differently from others.

The car sped down the road and soon entered a wide, bustling avenue.

"Wow! This is Divine Martial Avenue! I heard it's ridiculously expensive here!" Meng Dong cried out as he stared at the vibrant night scene outside.

"Heh heh! For ordinary people, spending on this street is indeed very high. One meal might cost an ordinary person a year's income. One night could burn through ten years' income, or even money they could never earn in a lifetime. But Meng Dong, remember this: you're a member of the Raging Wind Martial Hall now. You need to adjust your mindset as soon as possible. Martial Artists are Martial Artists. Though they live alongside ordinary people, they do not belong to the same world."

Meng Dong's face reddened slightly. His mindset truly had not adjusted yet. Though he had just joined Raging Wind, he still saw himself as an ordinary person.

On the other hand, Lin Zhen's unruffled demeanor greatly impressed Zhao Liang. Only with such a mindset could one face everything calmly, and it was a prerequisite for becoming an outstanding Martial Artist.

The car stopped outside a bar, and a waiter immediately came forward. "Brother Zhao! You haven't been here in days."

"Mm. Any seats available?"

"Yes. There'll definitely be a seat if you're here. Brother Zhao from Raging Wind's seat—no one else would dare sit there even if you told them to."

Zhao Liang smiled, casually tossed two bills to the waiter, and told him to wipe down and park the car.

The waiter immediately beamed and hurried off. The largest denomination of currency now was one thousand, so two bills meant two thousand—a small fortune.

Martial Artists had plenty of money and were always generous with their spending. They were the waiters' favorite customers.

When they reached the entrance, Lin Zhen and Meng Dong looked up and saw the bar's name: "Millennial Time."

This bar was quite famous among Martial Artists. Its interior decor imitated the style of the Anno Domini Era from a thousand years ago, giving it a distinctly retro feel.

Everyone nowadays had studied the history of the Anno Domini Era and knew a little about it. Though people's potential had not yet been developed at that time, their technology, culture, art, and other fields were no worse than today's—perhaps even much stronger. When it came to enjoyment, the God Transformation Calendar could not compare to the Anno Domini Era.

Zhao Liang walked ahead, while Lin Zhen followed beside him with a calm expression. Yet what filled his mind were memories of the days when he had visited this bar in his previous life.

Though Millennial Time was a bar, fights often broke out here. In his previous life, after joining the Azure Sky Martial Hall, he had come out to celebrate for the first time on this very day, at this very bar. A fierce conflict had broken out here that day as well.

Dragon Slayer and Raging Wind students had fought here that day. Meng Dong and Ouyang Yu had both taken part, and each had defeated his own opponent, earning a little fame in Martial Artist circles.

Reputation was also extremely important to Martial Artists. Making a name for oneself within the circle was no easy task.

But the star of that day had not been Meng Dong. It had been a First Class Student from the Raging Wind Martial Hall named Fu Chengya. By himself, he had held off the combined attacks of a First Class Student and a Second Class Student from Dragon Slayer for five minutes without losing.

Dragon Slayer had eight people fighting that day, while Raging Wind had only four. The main reason Raging Wind had not been completely routed was Fu Chengya's presence. A First Class Student truly lived up to his name.

That battle had become very famous among the students. Although Raging Wind had still lost in the end, Fu Chengya had made a name for himself in that one fight. At the time, Lin Zhen had merely been a spectator in a corner.

It was said that Fu Chengya had even received a reward from the Raging Wind Martial Hall because of it, though Lin Zhen did not know what the reward had been.

"Fu Chengya, Raging Wind's First Class Student. In my previous life, he was the one who stole my Mutated Wild Bull King and made me lose several hundred million for nothing. Looks like I'll be seeing you again very soon." Thinking this, Lin Zhen followed Zhao Liang into the bar's main hall.

Inside the bar, there was a dance floor in the center, surrounded by dozens of round tables for guests to drink at. On the stage in the middle of the dance floor, a sweet-looking young woman was singing an old song called "Dream Chaser" while playing the guitar. It was said to have been hugely popular during the Anno Domini Era. A band beside her provided accompaniment and harmonies.

It was said that all the decor had been modeled after the year 2000 of the Anno Domini Era. It indeed looked vastly different from modern styles.

Many tables in the hall were already occupied, apparently by Martial Artists or Martial Hall students.

Today was the day the graduation exams ended. Most students recruited by the various Martial Halls would choose to go out and celebrate, so nearly every bar on this street was packed.

Led by the waiter, Zhao Liang brought Lin Zhen and Meng Dong to his usual table, a spot neither too close nor too far from the stage, with an excellent view.

"What do you two want to eat?" Zhao Liang asked first.

Lin Zhen and Meng Dong both shook their heads, indicating that they did not know what to order.

In truth, rookie students really did not know what they should order when they came here. Zhao Liang was not surprised and decided for them. "Bring us a Magic Wolf Leg, two jin of Mutated Beef, a plate of fruit, a plate of nuts, and a case of Ice City Beer."

The food arrived quickly. In less than five minutes, the dishes were on the table.

The waiter opened three bottles of beer. Zhao Liang handed one each to Lin Zhen and Meng Dong. "Come on. As Martial Artists, you have to know how to drink. This atmosphere is perfect for beer. We're not going home until we're drunk tonight."

The three clinked bottles and drained them in one gulp.

They had barely sat down and eaten a few bites when more people entered from outside.

"Our people—the ones who went to No. 1 Middle School to recruit students. Lao Hu, over here!" Zhao Liang called out as soon as he saw them.

Four people came in. Leading them was a tall Martial Artist, followed by three students.

"Liangzi, you're here too?" Lao Hu strode over with a hearty laugh, then sat down without ceremony.

"Yeah. Brother Hu, you did well today. You recruited three students, and there's even a First Class Student among them." Zhao Liang looked at the three students behind Lao Hu, his eyes carrying a trace of envy. Students from No. 1 Middle School had always been outstanding, but First Class Students were not easy to recruit. Lao Hu had actually found one, so he had made a tidy profit this time.

"Hahaha! Just luck. Fu Chengya really is a good kid. You did well too, didn't you? One Second Class Student and one Third Class Student. It's not easy to recruit students like that from a place like Sixth High School. Come on, let your students get acquainted with one another. That way, when they get to the Martial Hall later, they won't fail to recognize their own people."

Fu Chengya was handsome, though his demeanor was somewhat aloof. The other two were Zhu Haoran, a Second Class Student, and Zhang Yi, a Third Class Student. They all came over, greeted Zhao Liang first, then introduced themselves to Lin Zhen and Meng Dong.

Seeing that the table was a little cramped, Lao Hu called to Zhao Liang, "Old Zhao, let's go into a private room. Let these youngsters play together. There are quite a few old friends in the private room today, and it sounds like they're going to play cards. Let's go have some fun."

Many Martial Artists enjoyed gambling, and Zhao Liang was no exception. His eyes immediately lit up when he heard that. "All right, let's go take a look."

The two stood up. Zhao Liang said to Lin Zhen and the others, "Feel free to have fun. Order whatever you want to eat or drink. Don't worry about anything under three hundred thousand—just put it on my tab. If students from other Martial Halls come looking for trouble, don't be polite. Beat the hell out of them. Don't tarnish Raging Wind's name, understand?"

The students all agreed, and the two Martial Artists headed off arm in arm to play cards.

Only five students remained at the table. Lin Zhen knew the show was about to begin.