Chapter 23: Qualifications for the Battlefield of Two Worlds

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At dawn, the eastern sky brightened with a faint pale light. Shi Yu strode out of the martial arts training room. His cultivation progress in the third tier of the Yuan Origin Realm had reached 8%. At this rate, with normal practice, he would break through to the third tier of the Yuan Origin Realm in about three days. Meanwhile, over ninety percent of his classmates were likely still struggling to sense their spiritual energy.

He entered the main hall of the martial arts pavilion, which was now spacious and quiet, starkly contrasting with the lively bustle of the previous night. It was still early; no students had arrived yet.

A thought stirred within Shi Yu. Since advancing to the second tier of the Yuan Origin Realm, he had yet to test his speed. This was the perfect time—no distractions.

Because the training room had limited space, he could only measure strength attributes like punching power and arm strength there, but not speed. He walked to the 60-meter track beside the hall, took a deep breath, and adjusted his state.

[Beep!] The testing machine’s green light flashed. At that instant, the rubber track trembled slightly, and Shi Yu vanished from the spot!

In just about one and a half seconds, he shot forward like a speeding arrow, reaching the end of the track. The speed display flashed a string of numbers.

[47.3 meters per second]

This equated to 170 kilometers per hour—far exceeding the speed of motor vehicles on a highway. If Shi Yu ran on the highway, the speeding cars would only watch his retreating figure.

He nodded in approval. Not bad at all. Then, he stepped forward and deleted the test data—leaving no trace was a good habit.

...

At ten in the morning, under just the right sunlight, Shi Yu met with Bai Yue at the foot of Mount Yuelu. Accompanying them was Bai Yue’s friend, Lin Yichen. Upon seeing Shi Yu, Lin Yichen’s eyes sparkled like stars, and she excitedly shook Bai Yue’s arm.

“Wow, your brother is so handsome!”

“No wonder you keep talking about him!”

“Why don’t I have a brother like that...”

Shi Yu cleared his throat a few times, pretending not to hear. Kids these days... Keep it low-key, low-key.

The group began ascending the mountain path slowly. The trees were lush and green, sunlight filtering through leaves, casting mottled shadows on the ground—a perfect setting for a spring outing. Yet, despite the idyllic scenery, Shi Yu could still discern battle scars on many trees and rocks, remnants left by the otherworldly invasion.

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“What happened to Aiwan Pavilion? It’s gone?!”

“Probably destroyed.”

“What a pity—I even took photos here before.”

The group chatted in dismay.

Mount Yuelu was not very high; its peak stood just over three hundred meters. With the physical conditioning modern people of Great Xia enjoyed from youth, climbing it was easy.

From the summit, the sky stretched wide and vast, with much of Star City spread out below. Bai Yue and Lin Yichen began scouting for a campsite to prepare lunch, while Shi Yu excused himself and found a flat large stone nearby to sit upon.

He wanted to test if Mount Yuelu was suitable for cultivation.

After a moment, he shook his head in frustration and opened his eyes. Whether due to the overlapping of two realms in this location or some other reason, the spiritual energy was difficult to absorb, and there was a faint, obscure sensation.

Shi Yu pondered quietly: could the otherworldly invasion have such a profound impact on the world’s spiritual energy?

If so, the more invasions, the greater the erosion of this world, making cultivation environments increasingly harsh.

He considered this and sent messages to Song Yunwei and Xia Yu, asking for their insight. Both came from prominent families and were surely knowledgeable on such matters.

Soon, replies arrived confirming Shi Yu’s concerns: Mount Yuelu’s environment was no longer suitable for martial artists to cultivate. For now, they could only wait for the environment to gradually purify itself, which would take time—ideally ten years or more to recover.

However, there was good news. Not all otherworldly realms were harmful; some even brought great benefits to the Blue Star world.

Shi Yu reflected deeply. It seemed the relationship between worlds was one of mutual generation and restriction—each world’s development akin to a martial artist’s cultivation: a constant struggle against the current, advancing or retreating.

...

During lunch, Lin Yichen curiously leaned toward Shi Yu. “Brother Yu, your soul level is so high; are you ranked first among high school students in Star City?”

Shi Yu stuffed bread into his mouth and mumbled, “Not sure. The Education Bureau holds test results for other schools. Honestly, it doesn’t matter much to me how others are.”

“Martial cultivation is ultimately a personal matter.”

After everyone devoured their meal, they packed up and headed to the next spot—the newly opened Two Realms Mountain Memorial Museum, located within the historic Yuelu Academy.

The group entered the academy gates, passed through the second gate, turned left, and soon arrived at the museum’s entrance.

Inspired by the rocks of Mount Yuelu, the museum’s exterior resembled a massive stone, blending perfectly with the surrounding landscape.

Inside, one of the most significant exhibition halls was dedicated to biological specimens.

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The otherworldly realm that invaded Star City years ago was officially named the Darkshade Realm. The dominant creatures of that realm were called the Darkshade Clan.

Their adult bodies measured about two to two and a half meters tall. Their skin bore a deep, dark gray tone that absorbed surrounding light, making them extremely difficult to detect in dim environments.

Shi Yu’s group paused in the specimen hall, carefully examining the Darkshade Clan exhibits, each displayed inside nitrogen-filled glass cases.

“Those guys are so ugly!” Bai Yue and Lin Yichen whispered to each other.

From the aesthetic viewpoint of Great Xia’s Blue Star inhabitants, the Darkshade Clan’s appearance was indeed hard to appreciate.

Their heads were twice the size of a normal human’s, with broad foreheads and uniquely dark red eyes that allowed them to see more clearly in the dark.

Despite their odd looks, their combat strength was formidable.

Bai Yue read aloud the display plaques word by word.

“The Darkshade Clan soldiers who invaded the Blue Star world possess power comparable to the Foundation Establishment Realm even at the lowest ranks.”

“Captain-level members match the Tongqiao Realm martial artists.”

“As for the commanders, their strength rivals that of Outer Realm Grandmasters!”

Bai Yue exclaimed, “These ugly beasts are so strong!”

Indeed, they were.

Shi Yu watched a battle documentary playing in the exhibition hall, showing fierce and brutal clashes. The combat quickly escalated into white-hot fighting upon contact—no prisoners were taken, only fallen warriors and martial artists.

In such battles, the minimum required strength was the Foundation Establishment stage; anything less was a death sentence.

Shi Yu clenched his fist tightly. Recently, many had marveled at his talent and believed he had a bright future.

Yet, in truth, he was still a novice who had just embarked on the martial path.

He didn’t even qualify to set foot on the battlefield of Mount Yuelu’s Two Realms fight.

With his current power, even if time rewound to over a decade ago in Star City, he wouldn’t be able to save the disaster.

The words he had spoken to Xia Yu yesterday were, in fact, words he was saying to himself.

As a martial artist, one must possess the determination to grow stronger, the confidence to defeat enemies, and the perseverance to endure to the end!

Only then can one grasp their own destiny firmly in their hands!