2: Chapter 2: Mirage

Fang Yuan, wait a moment. Take Zhi Zhi with you to the Inner City.

As they approached the East Gate entrance of the Inner City, a gruff voice called out to the two who were queuing to enter.

A burly middle-aged man, nearly one meter ninety tall, arrived beside Fang Yuan with a petite young girl.

The man leading them was Lin Hai, his mother Lin Xia's younger brother, which made him Fang Yuan's uncle. His Talent was the Bronze Rank [Agile Body], and his Professional Rank had reached Black Iron Rank Ten.

The young girl beside him was his daughter, Lin Zhizhi, Fang Yuan's Younger Female Cousin.

"Your older male cousin failed his Awakening last year, so you two need to be careful and not be reckless. If you meet in the Void Realm, act together."

Lin Hai pushed his daughter between the two cousins. After a series of instructions, he left in a hurry.

His son's failed Awakening brought him only disappointment and more helplessness.

Those who failed their Awakening not only lacked a Talent but also suffered Soul damage, shortening their lifespan. It was uncertain if they would live past forty.

He was merely a small Black Iron True Spirit Professional, and he still had no way to help his younger children with their Awakening.

"Fang Yuan, after entering the Void Realm, we'll meet at the convenience store in the Old City. You must come."

Lin Zhizhi slapped Fang Yuan's shoulder heavily with one hand. Though she seemed only one meter sixty-three tall, her strength was immense, making a loud smacking sound.

Her small frame was exceptionally sturdy, as if weighing a hundred catties.

"Alright, it's a deal then. If my Awakening Talent is useless, you can't abandon me."

Fang Yuan responded, entering the Void Realm. Finding a trustworthy teammate was also a way to increase survival.

Given various restrictions, acting in groups of two to three in the Awakening Void Realm offered the highest survival rate.

Facing the unknown, he naturally wouldn't refuse Fang Zhi Zhi's invitation.

"Haha, the same goes for you! If my Awakening Talent is mediocre, you can't despise me either."

Lin Zhizhi let out a burst of laughter. There wasn't much pattern to Awakening a True Spirit Talent; only about half could Awaken a combat Talent.

Neither Fang Yuan nor Lin Zhizhi knew what Talents they would Awaken.

With the connection between their two families, if either of them Awakened a good Talent, the other would choose to support them.

"Wait over there."

After passing through the Inner City's East Gate, Fang Yuan and the two were ordered by the guards to wait in an open space behind.

In the hundreds of meters wide open space, there were already over a thousand sixteen-year-old boys and girls.

A thousand faces, slightly green, dressed in simple clothes. Nearly a third of them carried black iron long sabers, identical to Fang Yuan's.

Like Fang Yuan, they all lived in the Outer City, outside the East Gate.

"The Inner City looks so beautiful..."

Fang Ling gazed blankly at the bright, clean buildings around her. Compared to the Outer City's dirty environment, this was simply paradise.

This was her first time entering the Inner City. For people from the Outer City like them, they couldn't enter Sea City's Inner City unless absolutely necessary.

"Little ones, follow me properly from now on. Do not stray from the group or offend any noble in the Inner City, or your Awakening qualification will be revoked."

Half an hour later, a young Professional arrived at the front of the crowd. His Black Iron armor immediately drew the attention of the fifteen hundred teenagers.

Listening to the emotionless, cold words, the teenagers in the field silently and orderly formed five lines, following behind the young Professional.

Having arrived in an unfamiliar environment, they, from the chaotic Outer City, knew well that the Inner City was not a place for commoners like them to wander freely.

Those who lived in the Inner City were generally Bronze Rank Professionals. Such individuals could kill a few teenagers without any punishment.

Led by the Black Iron armored youth, fifteen hundred teenagers marched grandly towards their destination.

Wherever they passed, the people of the Inner City all kept their distance.

Indeed, the smell of these people was very unpleasant; their stench could be detected from over ten meters away... Ten minutes later, their group arrived at a plaza, where over five thousand people had already gathered.

Fang Ling, who was not old enough, was restricted to the edge of the plaza and could not enter.

In the plaza, the teenagers from the Inner City stood in one area, far separated from Fang Yuan and those from the Outer City.

The Inner City teenagers were fully armed, clad in Black Iron Rank equipment, holding various weapons. Their excellent gear was a world apart from those dressed in plain clothes.

"Today is your Awakening day. I hope all of you can obtain excellent Talents..."

A middle-aged man appeared above the plaza, his somewhat encouraging voice calming the restless teenagers around him.

Upon hearing this, everyone's mood became complicated. They were about to enter the Awakening Void Realm, which would determine their fate for a lifetime.

Even the Inner City teenagers, full of vitality, were extremely nervous. If they failed their Awakening, they might no longer be able to reside in the Inner City.

Among the six thousand peers in the field, only the dozen or so teenagers in the very front of the Inner City, dressed in more distinctive attire, showed no signs of nervousness.

With just a glance, Fang Yuan could tell their identities were not simple; the parents of these dozen individuals were likely powerful Professionals.

"..., Alright, the Awakening Void Realm is about to descend. From now on, you only need to remember one thing: survive these Nine Heavens."

"You may wait where you are; you must not leave this plaza."

A gruff voice reached everyone's ears. At the same time, all the young Professionals withdrew from the plaza.

Suddenly, the vast plaza became incredibly quiet, with only the slightly nervous breathing of the crowd audible.

Amidst the waiting, a ten-meter-tall mysterious stone tablet in the center of the plaza suddenly emitted a cluster ofquietblue flames.

The next moment, rays of light scattered outwards, enveloping the entire plaza. Everyone covered by the light disappeared.

"I wonder how many will successfully obtain a combat Talent in this Awakening. Fifty years ago, only one in ten of us survived."

Gazing at the dissipating light, Pang Hua, who was the leader this time, fell into contemplation.

He was a Professional who had experienced the calamity's arrival. During their first Awakening, facing unknown horrors, their survival rate was less than one percent.

Coupled with fifty years of drastic changes, perhaps only one in a thousand of those who experienced the calamity still survived... Ugh~

The intense sensation of weightlessness made Fang Yuan want to vomit.

When he opened his eyes, he saw an unknown city, as neat and bright as the Inner City.

Fang Yuan, who had some understanding, knew that the unknown city before him was Sea City shortly before the calamity struck fifty years ago.

Since the calamity's arrival, the entire Tianlan Star had transformed into Void Realms, and Sea City itself became a Void Realm.

After being conquered by many powerful Professionals of Sea City, ten years after the calamity, the Sea City Void Realm Core was taken by the current mayor of sea city, Li Changtian, allowing Sea City to break free from unknown influences and return to Tianlan Star.

Now, the Void Realm Fang Yuan and the others entered was the Sea City Void Realm, replicated and frozen in time fifty years ago by an unknown power.