First Steps into the Martial World

On the Gate Opening Day.

Luo Jun and more than fifty other students arrived at the Back Mountain of the college.

This area is normally a restricted zone, guarded by fully armed members of the Yuan Cultivation Society, and students are not allowed to approach it casually. Today, led by their teacher Tie Jingang, the students finally stepped into this forbidden area.

It looked no different from other mountains and forests... Luo Jun observed the surrounding environment as he followed the group to a tall rock wall.

Here... Luo Jun sensed a different kind of Vital Energy Wave. Before he could discern it in detail, Teacher Tie took out a Talisman Paper from his Hundred Treasure Box and stuck it on the rock wall. As the Talisman Paper burned out, the rock wall gradually became transparent, revealing a huge hole.

It was a very advanced barrier technique, but it wasn't anything special to these outstanding students. They followed their teacher into the cave, and after passing through the darkness, they saw a huge metal door with two guards standing watch in front of it.

Teacher Tie handed over his documents, and after verification, the guards opened the iron gate, allowing everyone to officially enter the core area inside the mountain.

"Wow, it's huge..." Many students who were visiting for the first time couldn't help but exclaim in surprise!

After the iron gate opened, a vast space opened up before us, filled with various facilities. The staff of the Yuan Cultivation Society were busy moving about inside, just like an underground city.

"This is the Branding Machine I told you about during training," Tie Jingang said, joining the boys as he introduced it to them. "Stand on it, and the device will brand your minds with the belief in the confidentiality of information from the Main World."

"Alright, any other questions?" Tie Jingang clapped his hands. "If not, let's go first. Who wants to be branded?"

This area is not as spacious as the upper level, but the ceiling is higher. In the middle stands a huge cylindrical building, with two large rooms on either side, marked with symbols for men and women respectively.

"Non-Self give up exploring other worlds altogether."

About ten seconds later, the branding ended, and Tie Jingang turned around and smiled slightly at the students behind him, "This brand will not affect your thoughts under normal circumstances. It will only take effect when you try to reveal information about the Main World to the Otherworlder."

"Is this branding effective?" a student participating in the internship for the first time asked. "If... I mean, if I were to deliberately leak information, could it really control me? And for example, if Otherworlder had the ability to Memory Reading, could this thing withstand that?"

Old Yu shrugged. "Whatever. People say I'm the type who likes to lecture, and I think so too."

As the machine operated, the lifting platform slowly descended, eventually reaching the foot of the mountain.

More than fifty students, roughly half male and half female, entered from both sides. However, upon entering the room, they found not the expected Changing Room, but a room equipped with strange instruments.

"The [Martial World] Gate is directly under the jurisdiction of the Yuan Cultivation Society," Tie Jingang explained. "More than half of the Ningdong Branch's staff are stationed inside this mountain year-round. The branch headquarters in the city is only used for maintaining order; this is the true core of the branch."

Standing in the circular arena, several laser beams struck the top of his head.

"One more thing to tell you: the mental imprint is not permanent. It usually only lasts for a few months. Depending on your cultivation level, Spirit Strength, and other factors, the imprint may be weakened. Therefore, you must undergo the imprinting process again before entering another world each time."

If it were just based on this mark, then information about the Main World should have been leaked long ago.

The students followed Teacher Tie into the branch office, curiously looking at the surrounding facilities, and finally arrived at a huge elevator platform.

As he spoke, he was the first to stand up. The staff started the equipment, and three robotic arms began to operate, shooting lasers from their ends, which hit Tie Jingang on the head. Then, the robotic arms rotated, and the laser dots on his head spun rapidly, as if drawing some kind of complex symbol.

The students lined up and began to be branded one by one. Soon it was Luo Jun's turn.

Good question! Luo Jun was also very interested in this question, and he even had a replica of the Gate of Myriad Realms. What if he could bypass the branding process and enter another world using this item? He believed that there was more than one way to bypass the gate and travel between worlds. Back then, his Master had even used a special method to track him down to the Chaos World.

This instrument resembles a giant operating table, surrounded by three complex robotic arms, but instead of a bed, it sits on a circular open space with a diameter of over one meter.

Having experienced the Savage Wilderness, Luo Jun understood immediately: since one had to be naked to pass through the door, men and women had to enter from different places.

"Hey Old Yu, don't you get tired of explaining this to the newbies every time?" Tie Jingang complained.

"The branding isn't a panacea..." The operator of the machine answered them, adjusting his glasses. "It's just an extra layer of protection. In fact, based on our observations, people from Different World seem to be under some kind of cognitive distortion. Even if they hear information about the Main World, they ignore it... The specific reasons are still unknown, and we don't know if this phenomenon affects all intelligent beings from other worlds. But all we can do is this thought branding..."

Soon, Luo Jun felt streams of information entering his brain. These were hints, not specific words or text, but Luo Jun's brain automatically processed and translated them, embedding them in his consciousness, as if someone were whispering in his ear, "Don't tell the Otherworlder about the Main World, don't tell the Otherworlder about the Main World..."

Is this branding method really that funny?

But when I saw other people being branded, they didn't react at all?

After listening to the incessant chanting a dozen times, the branding ended. Luo Jun stared blankly at the three mechanical arms above his head, his mind still replaying the process. He felt that his consciousness hadn't been affected at all... Could it have been a gradual, imperceptible process? Was it all happening without him even realizing it?

Seeing that the students behind him were urging him on, Luo Jun shook his head and continued forward with the group.

Next comes the familiar process of stripping naked. However, the Changing Room here are not as large as those Wildlands Gate; at a glance, there are probably less than a thousand lockers.

After all, the [Savage Wilderness] is a world open to all Cultivators, with thousands of people entering and exiting each time it opens, and possibly even tens of thousands of people active in this other world. But the [Martial World] is different. It is under official jurisdiction, and the selection of people entering and exiting is strictly vetted. It is estimated that only a few hundred people are active in the [Martial World] at the same time, so these lockers are enough.

He quickly stripped off his clothes, leaving only his underwear... but seeing that most of the others were naked, he put this last Hundred Treasure Box of Bottom Line away to avoid attracting attention, and then followed the group out of the Changing Room and arrived at the "door".

The Martial World Gate looked no different from the Wildlands Gate, resembling a vast starry sky standing on the ground. Seeing his classmates excitedly passing through the gate, he also plunged into that profound depth.

It smells wonderful... somewhat like the aroma of burning wood, but it's not pungent at all; instead, it brings a sense of peace...

Luo Jun's first impression of [Martial World] came from his sense of smell, as his nose passed through the door faster than his eyes.

Then, I saw the huge Changing Room.

All the furnishings were made of unknown wood, with a simple and elegant design. Inside the Changing Room, several incense burners were lit, which was the source of the smell from earlier.

"Internship students, please come here to pick up your uniforms!"

Not far away, a young man dressed in gray ancient costume stood in front of a row of wardrobes, shouting to his classmates.

Everyone crowded around. Behind the young man was a wardrobe divided into several compartments, filled with clothes of different sizes. This guy had a sharp eye; he could accurately pick out clothes that fit him with just a glance.

After changing his clothes, Luo Jun looked at himself in the mirror.

Unlike the loose-fitting, wide-sleeved styles commonly seen in movies and TV dramas, this outfit features narrow cuffs and slim-fitting trousers. It's form-fitting but not tight, loose but not cumbersome, resembling a school tracksuit—easy to move in, clean, and neat.

This must be what they call a short-sleeved outfit... Come to think of it, we're not royalty, and Martial World arts sects are always ready to fight, so clothing should prioritize ease of movement.

After admiring the dashing young man in the mirror, Luo Jun walked out of the Changing Room.

Outside the gate was a huge courtyard. Looking back, there was an inconspicuous little building built against the mountain, surrounded by towering walls. From the outside, one would probably think that this was a place for disciples of the sect to rest. Who would have thought that behind this little building was a gate to Different World?

By the way, before they came, Teacher Tie had explained to them that the base of human activity in the [Martial World] was disguised as a martial arts sect called Hundred Rivers Sect.

The sect was named this because its disciples were masters of Art of Hidden Weapons, always able to produce various wondrous items from seemingly nowhere. Therefore, despite their diverse abilities, the Hundred Rivers Sect was widely known in the martial arts world as a sect primarily focused on cultivating Hidden Weapon...

"One, two, three... forty-three, forty-four..." Teacher Tie counted the number of people on the list and, after confirming that everyone was present, led everyone to the front hall of the "sect".

Luo Jun noticed that, unlike the students who were all dressed in gray, Teacher Tie's clothes were purple.

In the front hall, the rotating leader of the Yuan Cultivation Society's Martial World community... in this case, he should be called the Acting Head, had been waiting for quite some time.

Because of the pollution, the person in charge has to be rotated frequently. However, it would be strange for the Sect Leader to keep changing people. Fearing that it would arouse suspicion from other sects in the martial arts world, Yuan Cultivation Society fabricate a reason, saying that the real Sect Leader of the Hundred Rivers Sect was traveling all over the world and rarely seen. Usually, several elders would take turns acting as the Sect Leader to manage the sect.

The Acting Head this time is a chubby old man who looks to be in his sixties and has a big, cheerful smile.

"Hello everyone," the chubby old man said with a smile. "Let me introduce myself. My name is Tong Wenjie, and I am the Vice President of the Yuan Cultivation Society Ningdong Branch. For the next few months, I will be acting as the Acting Head of the Hundred Rivers Sect and will also be in charge of your internship activities."

"I have reviewed everyone's information, and you are all outstanding Young Talent. However, the Martial World has its Martial World rules. Just now, we addressed each other according to the customs of the Main World. From now on, please remember that you are no longer students of the Ningdong Academy, but Gray-Robed Disciple of the Hundred Rivers Sect. I am no longer a Vice President. When you see me, you must call me Acting Head. Do you all understand?"

"Understood!" the students answered in unison.

Tong Wenjie shook his head. "Here, Acting Head issues an order, you must obey!"

"Yes, ma'am!" The students quickly got into character.

"Very well, I believe that before we came in, Duty Elder Tie had already explained some of the sect's rules to everyone. So I won't waste any more words, let's get straight to the point."

"Regarding your first internship assignment..." Tong Wenjie said, taking out a red invitation card. "The 26th of this month is the 60th birthday of Sun Yichen, the Valley Master of Medicine King Valley. As fellow practitioners in the martial arts world, I have prepared a generous gift and a congratulatory letter for him. Please, all disciples, convey my regards to Medicine King Valley and attend the Valley Master's birthday celebration."

"Medicine King Valley is 800 li away from the Hundred Rivers Sect. The journey is long and there are many bandit strongholds along the way. Please be careful on your journey and make sure to deliver the goods three days before the birthday celebration!"

(End of this chapter)