Chapter 28: Arrival
Chapter 28: Arrival
"Can I start shuttling now?" Lin Yuan asked, his heart leaping with joy.
The shuttling ability of the Gate of Myriad Worlds was not without limitations. It needed time to accumulate energy, gradually 'lighting up' as it charged.
The first time Lin Yuan returned from his shuttle, he received this information from the Gate of Myriad Worlds.
The gate's lighting sequence was divided into three stages: the outer edge lighting up, the inner region lighting up, and the core region lighting up.
When the outer edge lights up, it enables consciousness shuttle. As for internal lighting, it allows for physical shuttle.
The core region lighting up hints at some kind of metamorphosis for the Gate of Myriad Worlds, but the information Lin Yuan received only briefly touched on this.
Among the three lighting stages, the time required increases incrementally.
The outer edge lighting takes about eight months to a year.
Internal lighting, on the other hand, requires several years to a decade.
As for the core region, Lin Yuan estimated that it would take decades, if not centuries.
"Let's go with a consciousness shuttle for now," Lin Yuan decided. He wasn't particularly keen on a physical shuttle.
Firstly, accumulating enough energy for a physical shuttle would take too long. Secondly, the margin for error with a physical shuttle was slim—death in the shuttled world would mean permanent death.
In comparison, a consciousness shuttle was a much more attractive option.
"But before I shuttle, I should prepare," Lin Yuan thought, steeling himself.
He needed to inform his parents that he might 'disappear' for a while. Although time flowed at different speeds between higher and lower worlds, Lin Yuan wasn't sure about the world he was about to enter.
What if the time flow wasn't that different? Spending decades there while only a few years passed in the main world would still be problematic.
After making all the necessary preparations, Lin Yuan left the underground training ground and arrived at the door of a room.
"After this shuttle, I should be able to evolve my martial arts evolution path to the second stage," he mused. "Then, when I upload it to the Wisdom Goddess, the merit points I receive should be enough to upgrade my citizen rank to level three."
Half a year ago, Lin Yuan had already uploaded the improved 'Myth' and 'Carefree' chapters of the martial arts manual, earning him three thousand merit points.
Consequently, the ranking of the martial arts evolution path on the Canglan Evolution Chart had risen from ninety-third to seventy-eighth.
The top hundred evolution paths on the Canglan Evolution Chart were ranked by the Wisdom Goddess based on various factors such as potential, prevalence, and cultivation difficulty, utilizing her immense computational powers.
With only the Grand Master and Great Grand Master chapters, the martial arts manual was ranked ninety-third. However, with the addition of the 'Myth' and 'Carefree' chapters, the overall potential increased, leading to a natural rise in ranking.
It could be predicted that once the martial arts evolution path officially broke through to the second stage, its ranking would once again ascend.
After all, the evolution from the first stage to the second stage was a significant qualitative change, recognized as a major leap by the universal human civilization.
In total, uploading the martial arts evolution path had earned Lin Yuan five thousand merit points.
Promoting to a second-level citizen had cost him one thousand merit points, leaving him with a balance of four thousand.
To advance from a second-level citizen to a third-level citizen, he would need five thousand merit points.
"Let's begin," Lin Yuan said, pushing open the door.
He walked up to a two-meter-long nutrition pod.
During his first shuttle, Lin Yuan had no choice but to grit his teeth and dive in headfirst due to the forced conscription weighing on his shoulders. Fortunately, his luck held, and he spent twenty years in the martial world while only a little over ten minutes passed in the main world.
But this time, Lin Yuan wasn't about to leave things to chance.
This nutrition pod was a military-grade product that Lin Yuan had acquired through President Liao's connections. Once activated, it could sustain a person for a minimum of two hundred years.
In other words, as long as Lin Yuan lay down in the pod, the nutrients within would maintain his body for up to two centuries unless he chose to get up.
This gave Lin Yuan a great sense of security, ensuring that he wouldn't return from his shuttle to find his body starving and reduced to skin and bones.
With the knowledge of how to operate the nutrition pod in his mind, Lin Yuan opened the pod's lid and climbed in.
"Shuttle," he commanded, his mind merging with the Gate of Myriad Worlds deep in his psyche.
In the blink of an eye, an invisible force of attraction emerged.
Lin Yuan felt his consciousness begin to plummet.
Zhang Family Fortress.
The place was adorned with colorful lanterns and festive decorations.
It was a joyous occasion.
Everyone in the fortress knew that the Lady of the Zhang Clan, had given birth to a child, a boy.
What they didn't know was that prior to this, Lady Zhang had given birth to eight consecutive daughters, and the gossip surrounding this had been rampant.
"You've done well, my dear."
In the room, Zhang Kun gently placed the swaddled infant aside and turned to his weak wife lying on the bed, his voice filled with concern.
"It was nothing, my love. This is our child."
Lady Zhang's face was pale, but she managed to sit up, holding the swaddled baby in her arms, her eyes soft and loving.
The couple shared a tender moment.
Then, Lady Zhang brought up a serious matter.
"Husband, the Wanmo Sect has been rather restless lately, and they seem to be heading in our direction. Have you informed the Daoists of Longhu Mountain?"
"Rest assured, my dear," Zhang Kun said, patting his chest. "I've already sent a message to Daoist Changqing, and he should be arriving soon."
Zhang Kun paused for a moment before continuing, "And what's there to fear from the Wanmo Sect anyway? I, your husband, am considered a top-notch master in the martial world. How could I be afraid of those young punks?"
His voice echoed with unwavering confidence.
"It seems that this birth is off to a good start."
What the couple didn't know was that as they spoke, the infant in the swaddle opened his eyes, revealing a depth of expression that belied his age.
This infant was, of course, Lin Yuan, and through their brief conversation, he deduced that his father in this life enjoyed a relatively high social status.
After all, no ordinary family could afford to invite at least five midwives and have over a dozen maidservants in attendance during childbirth.
Lost in his thoughts, Lin Yuan began to feel sleepy.
When he opened his eyes again, he was met with a cacophony of chaotic noises.
The room was closed off, but he could hear the sounds of battle outside.
His mother's face was filled with anxiety.
"What's going on?"
Lin Yuan's eyes widened in surprise.
Everything had seemed fine just a moment ago.
How did things turn so chaotic so quickly?
His mother, upon seeing Lin Yuan awake, immediately sat by his side, tears welling up in her eyes. "My child, eight of the helmsmen from the Wanmo Sect have arrived, and your father has gone to fight them alongside the fortress' masters."
She held Lin Yuan tightly, trying to reassure both her child and herself. "They will surely be able to repel the Wanmo Sect."
A moment later, the door was pushed open.
Zhang Kun, Lin Yuan's father, staggered into the room, his body covered in blood.
"Zhang, what's the situation outside?"
Su Yun, Lin Yuan's mother, hurriedly asked.
"We can't hold them off," Zhang Kun replied, his face ashen. "The Wanmo Sect didn't just send eight helmsmen; they also have a protector lurking in the shadows. Our Zhang Family Fortress... it's over."
Zhang Kun's face was devoid of hope. He never expected that the Wanmo Sect would deploy one of their protectors just to deal with his fortress.
To become a protector of the Wanmo Sect meant that one had surpassed the level of a top-notch master.
"What do we do now?"
Su Yun remained silent for a moment before asking the question weighing on her mind.
"You two must leave," Zhang Kun said, walking to the back of the bed and gently patting it. A secret underground passage appeared.
"This passage leads ten miles away. Take our child and go as far as you can. Don't ever come back."
After opening the passage, Zhang Kun seemed to have lost all his strength, and he nearly collapsed on the spot.
"Zhang, let's go together. Let's leave this place together," Su Yun said, glancing at the passage before turning to her husband.
"I can't," Zhang Kun shook his head. "I took a palm strike from the Wanmo Sect's protector, and my heart meridian has been severed. I don't have long to live."
Zhang Kun looked at Lin Yuan, his voice softening. "I had already thought of a name for you—Shan Feng. You would have been the peak of our Zhang Family Fortress."
"But now, there's no future for that," he added sadly.
Zhang Kun took out a jade pendant and placed it inside the swaddle. On the front of the pendant were two characters: Shan Feng.
After doing all he could, Zhang Kun looked up at his wife, Su Yun.
"When our child grows up, don't tell him about his origins. Let him live an ordinary life and never seek revenge for me."
With that, Zhang Kun pushed Su Yun into the underground passage.
(End of Chapter)
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