(4200) Return to Reality

2024-07-19

Chapter 376 (4200) Back to Reality

The eighth day of the tenth month in the [Martial World] world corresponds to the third day of the thirteenth month in the Main World, marking the day the gate will open again.

Given the numerous events that have occurred within [Martial World] during this period, and the fact that the internship has far exceeded expectations, the academy has decided to end the originally planned three-month internship early and organize the students to return to campus ahead of schedule.

Of course, very few people know that the real reason behind this lies with Ling Xin.

Ningdong Academy's annual Otherworld Internship start in November and end in January of the following year, basically lasting half a semester, followed by winter break. The students who participate in these internships have their internship performance recorded in their files, replacing their final exam grades. Compared to the relatively rigid exams, internship experience is far more valuable, and students with internship experience are more likely to obtain good positions in the Yuan Cultivation Society upon graduation.

However, this year, due to the bet with the Ling Family, Old Yuan and the principal decided to start the internship a month earlier, with the aim of purifying Ling Xin's corruption. Just in case, they extended it by another month, returning in early January as in previous years.

However, what was unexpected was that, after the incident at Medicine King Valley, Ling Xin's pollution was not only purified ahead of schedule, but also handled exceptionally well, leaving no trace that could be detected.

Now that the biggest problem has been solved and they've gained unexpected internship experience, there's no point in staying here any longer. During the month they've been back at the sect, their Senior Brother, sisters, Martial Uncle, and Martial Uncle have been training the students whenever they have a spare moment, from theory to practice without any slackening. They're busier than when they were attending classes at the academy in the Main World. The students are getting a bit tired of it and can't wait to return to the embrace of modern civilization.

"The first thing I want to do when I get back is go to the amusement park! Go shopping! Go to the movies! Go to a concert!" a girl shouted. Her friend next to her laughed and said, "How many things have you planned to do already?"

"I don't care, I just want to play! I've been away from reality for too long!"

Seeing the girls' complaints, the boys scoffed, and Chao Tianxiang coldly snorted, "A bunch of little girls, they have no ambition at all!"

"You've got ambition!" the guy next to him taunted. "What are you planning to do when you get back? Isn't it the same old story?"

"I am different!" Chao Tianxiang stood tall and proud, his face resolute. "When I return, I will climb to the summit of Sigraine and overlook the spire of the Dawn City Cathedral; I will walk along the shore of the Silent Sea and gaze at the outline of the Subduing Dragon Islands; I will ascend the steps of Sky City and meet the sages who look down upon all living beings; I will go to the plains of the Lost Land and fight to the death with the wild beasts!"

Several boys around him looked at him with constipated expressions, and finally Zhao Jian spoke up:

"Playing a Game isn't enough for you to brag about!"

"Is that just an ordinary Game?" Chao Tianxiang protested. "That's faith, brotherhood, and trust between guild members!"

"I've been AFK for two months now, and my levels and gear are way behind. Everyone must be worried about me after all this time without any news..."

"Maybe when you log in, you'll find you've been kicked out of the guild because of insufficient activity..."

"Impossible! Absolutely impossible!"

The students were excited about their imminent return, laughing and joking around. Among them, only Luo Jun seemed calm as he dealt with his classmates, but a hint of anxiety was faintly visible between his brows as he glanced out of the sect towards Tongda Town from time to time.

Finally, a voice rang in his mind, and a look of joy appeared between Luo Jun's brows. Then, he suddenly clutched his stomach and said, "Ouch, my stomach hurts a bit. I need to go to the toilet."

"Hurry up!" Xu Yiming reminded him, "We'll be going back soon!"

"Don't worry, the door's been open for days, it won't make a difference if he stays a little longer..." Lu Fei, the most experienced among them, advised.

Luo Jun left the waiting line, went to the outhouse, opened an empty stall and crawled inside. As he looked around, he suddenly felt someone tap him on the shoulder.

Looking back, a figure slowly appeared, looking exactly like him.

The two Luo Jun faced each other in the narrow cubicle. The one who entered last was slightly taken aback, then a smile spread across his face, "Great Master, you are even more powerful than when we last met." He then removed his mask and presented it to the person in front of him with both hands.

"We'll discuss the details later." Luo Jun took out the Ancestral Skeleton Headband, put High Priest Ailongtan into it, and then walked out of the outhouse alone.

At this moment, he had removed the beard he had been using to disguise his appearance, and the clothes he wore were the same style as those he had discussed with Ailongtan beforehand. Moreover, to prevent his body from getting covered in dust and mud, he had specially used his protective aura to shield himself. They had even communicated about their experiences during this time through the Dominator's Necklace, so he shouldn't be able to detect any flaws...

After storing the Eternal Star in Ganzhou, Luo Jun did not return directly to the Hundred Rivers Sect, but instead wandered around the Central Plains region for a while.

Although the Sword Saint promised to keep the Divine Beggar occupied for three days, Luo Jun still didn't dare to return directly to the sect just to be on the safe side. He circled around in the air a few times and rolled the dice several times before finally returning to the Hundred Rivers Sect at the last moment.

After checking himself again and confirming that there were no problems, Luo Jun confidently went to the backyard of the Hundred Rivers Sect and rejoined the line of people waiting to return.

"You poop pretty fast, huh?" Zhao Jian teased. Luo Jun felt a little guilty and could only chuckle, "Isn't diarrhea fast?"

Zhao Jian was slightly taken aback upon hearing this. "This isn't like you. You usually say things like, 'Are you worried about eating it too quickly and not getting it hot yet?'"

Luo Jun's face darkened. He thought to himself, "Ailongtan's old mouth is really sharp." He could only go along with it and said, "What, are you addicted to being scolded?"

Zhao Jian nodded upon hearing this. "That tastes more like it."

Amidst laughter and chatter, the Changing Room door opened, and everyone began to enter. After taking off their clothes, they passed through the door and underwent several rounds of disinfection before finally returning to the campus.

"I'm finally back!"

Breathing in the air of their hometown and looking at the familiar campus, the students stretched and yawned, feeling a sense of security as if they were returning to their roots.

Today is Tuesday. As arranged by the school, the students who are doing internships will have a three-day holiday after returning, which, combined with the weekend, will give them more than five days off. During this time, they can rest on campus or go out. Those from other places can even go back to their hometowns. The students have all started making travel plans.

Luo Jun had nowhere to go, so he went straight back to his dormitory. The clothes he was wearing had been locked in the closet for two months and were starting to smell musty. He washed them, changed into clean clothes, sat on his bed, and opened the dice panel.

These past two days have been quite hectic, and Luo Jun has barely had a chance to rest. Now he can finally organize his thoughts on what he's gained over the past few days.

First of all, there's that Dragon Core. It's a really good thing. It can be said to be a double enhancement of both Root Bone and vital energy. Moreover, it enhances Innate Potential, directly changing Luo Jun's four attributes. Reflected in the data, all attributes increased by about 30 points!

This is even more powerful than the Great Return Pill! Not only that, the vital energy contained within it allowed Luo Jun's cultivation to directly reach the bottleneck of the next level!

In the past few days, he has successfully broken through to the fifth level of the Foundation Establishment Realm, and by the way, he has also leveled up to level 47 and drawn seven attribute points.

With all these bonuses combined, Luo Jun's current stats are as follows.

Level: 47 (126/4800) Strength: 300 points

Sensitivity: 265 points

Perception: 260 points

Spirit: 273 points

Luck: Level 7 + Level 1

Skills: All Things are Dice, Intermediate Point Correction, Regret, More Opportunities (Level 2), [Double Insurance], Refresh.

Item: Wealth Ring, Path to Success Bracelet

Chips: 50

Number of uses: 7/7

Reaching 300 points in Strength, coupled with the ninth level of the Body Refinement Realm and the fifth level of the Foundation Establishment Realm, was an advancement that Luo Jun would never have dared to dream of before entering the [Martial World]. However, even now, despite gaining such immense power, Luo Jun felt no sense of security whatsoever.

During this trip to the Martial World world, he truly witnessed the legendary strength of the Ascension Realm... Luo Jun prided himself on not taking ordinary Peak opponents seriously, but he was captured in a single move in front of the Ascension Realm expert.

Admittedly, he was not in good spirits or condition at the time, but even in his best condition, Luo Jun believed that if the Divine Beggar had the will to kill, he would have had a hard time escaping...

He originally thought that strengthening the foundation, cultivating the essence, Mind Condensation, and Feather Transformation were like primary school, junior high school, high school, and university—four different realms.

But now it seems that Foundation Establishment the Mind Condensation may simply mean different subjects like Chinese and math in elementary school. The so-called Peak is the sixth-grade student who can integrate all the elementary school courses and get the top score in every subject in the whole school.

As for Feather Transformation that level, it's no longer a matter of academic qualifications. Those who reach this level are all accomplished scholars in their respective fields, experts and masters sought after by major universities...

It can be said that every scholar was once a bright child prodigy in his youth, but a child prodigy may not necessarily become a true scholar in the future.

As for Luo Jun himself, due to the extraordinary encounters along the way, the usual limitations of realm did not apply to him. However, he felt that he was at most a middle school student who did well in his studies. He was better than the average elementary school student, but he was still many orders of magnitude behind university professors and industry experts.

Luo Jun then recalled the legendary feat of his Master challenging Feather Transformation at the Peak. He later learned that the challenge was indeed earth-shattering, but in the end, his Master still lost...

He had a vague feeling that perhaps, no matter how strong the foundation, before truly Feather Transformation to immortality, one could only infinitely approach the power of the Ascension Realm, but could never reach it...

No... Luo Jun looked at his hands.

Although Master failed, he is not far off. Although he also cultivates the Body Tempering Art, he does not have dozens of times the Innate Potential, nor has he ever reached the ninth level of Foundation Establishment!

If I continue to cultivate, perhaps I really can gain enough power to defeat immortals before I even ascend to Feather Transformation!

Thinking of this, Luo Jun clenched his fist again, secretly making up his mind!

It's not a matter of maybe, I definitely can do it!

Just as Luo Jun was encouraging himself in his room, Su Manchen was listening to Tie Jingang's report in the dean's office.

On the last Gate Opening Day, news of the trip to Medicine King Valley had already reached the Main World. The appearance of the Eternal Virus and Long Hui's reappearance caused a great uproar in the academy and the Yuan Cultivation Society.

This time, the students mostly stayed within the sect and didn't leave, making things much safer than before. However, there was still a strange thing that the headmaster needed to know.

"The Eternal Virus?" Su Manchen frowned. "Where did it come from?"

"I don't know..." Tie Jingang shook his head. "At the time, an Old Man who drove a carriage came to the sect, saying that someone had paid him five taels of silver to deliver a box to the Hundred Rivers Sect, saying that someone would give him another five taels when he arrived. The disciple on duty discovered that the box was a treasure, and dared not neglect it, so he detained the Old Man and reported to the elder."

"After questioning, the Old Man was confirmed to be a local resident of Tongda Town. His identity was verified, and no signs of Vital Energy Cultivation were found on him. Even a lie detector test was used, and it showed that everything the Old Man said was true. As for the client he described, he said he had never seen him before, and he doesn't seem to be a local."

"Since we couldn't find any clues on the Old Man, we could only investigate this box. Because we didn't know what was inside, several elders from the Hundred Rivers Sect specially took it to the desolate mountains outside the sect and opened it. Inside, they found several vials of Eternal Virus Progenitor Fluid and a note. The note explained that this stock solution was the culprit behind the Shannan Town incident and hoped that the Yuan Cultivation Society could handle it properly."

"The fact that they mentioned the Yuan Cultivation Society means they must be from the Main World... But who could bypass our academy and enter the [Martial World]?" Su Manchen frowned and analyzed, "Treasures that can travel between different worlds are at least legendary level, and there are only a handful of them recorded worldwide. Moreover, they are basically consumables, extremely rare..."

At this point, Principal Su's eyes lit up. "Could it be the work of the Polluter? After all, the spread of this virus poses a significant threat to those living in [Martial World]."

"At first, we thought so too..." Tie Jingang shook his head. "But then, when we connected it with a message reported from the Yunzhou Branch, we felt that it might not be that simple."

Subsequently, Tie Jingang relayed to Su Manchen the information Hou Song had reported about a group of savage bandits who had suddenly attacked the town, only to be killed and their bodies burned by a powerful and mysterious swordsman.

"This news was first provided by Fang Ming, the young master of the Hedong Fang Family. Hou Song was worried that the boy's description was exaggerated, so he specially led people to investigate the scene in the town where the incident occurred. As a result, the townspeople's descriptions were all similar... Coincidentally, when Hou Song returned to Yunzhou City with his men, he chatted with the guards at the gate and heard that not long ago, a Semu person who Language Barrier came to the city. He had a lot of trouble getting into the city and finally managed to sneak in by bribing the guards with some silver."

"Colored-eyed people..." Su Manchen frowned. The so-called colored-eyed people are the Western race in the [Martial World] world. They are named so because their pupils are usually not black, but blue, green or other colors.

" In Yunzhou City, people of different ethnicities should be quite rare..."

Tie Jingang nodded. "At first, the officers guarding the gate were also startled. Fortunately, one of them had served in the Northwest Great Desert and had seen some Semu people before, so he recognized him... Hou Song realized this was a clue, immediately asked where the Semu person was, searched the city, and finally, he actually found him!"

Su Manchen adjusted her glasses. "The result is..."

"That's not a Semu person from the Martial World," Tie Jingang said, emphasizing each word. "He comes from a place called Parami ..."

"This is someone from [Utopia]!"

(End of this chapter)