Different Worlds

(PS: Slow down the pace, 6 words today.)

Hearing Ji Ming's sudden words, everyone realized that the academy was not as easy as they had imagined.

After leaving the training building, Ji Ming led them through a quiet area.

"The library area contains a vast amount of knowledge, covering all disciplines. There are even some fragments of ancient books. However, knowledge is priceless. Your temporary cards have very limited access; you can only browse books and materials on the first floor. If you want to access more advanced material, you either need to pay or become a full-fledged student."

After navigating half of the campus, the group finally arrived at the dormitory area.

This is a cluster of apartments at varying heights, in an extremely tranquil environment.

"You have been assigned to Sector F. Everyone has a single room with a private bathroom and a meditation room. Your facial information has been registered in the access control system, so you can enter by scanning your face."

Ji Ming glanced at the time.

"Dismissed now. Put your luggage back in your rooms. Meet downstairs in Block F in ten minutes, and I'll take you to the cafeteria."

Everyone acted quickly. Zhao Dele found his room and opened the door using facial recognition. The room wasn't large, but it was extremely clean, and the air circulation system was operating quietly. He tossed his simple belongings onto the bed, didn't linger, and turned to go downstairs.

Ten minutes later, the team regrouped.

The canteen is not far from the dormitory area; it's a standalone three-story building. It's lunchtime, and the canteen is bustling with activity.

Ji Ming led them up to an empty area on the second floor.

"The cafeteria is divided into three levels. The first floor serves regular nutritious meals, the second floor offers medicinal cuisine made with the flesh and blood of low-level exotic beasts and medicinal herbs, and the third floor is the high-end customized area. You can only consume on the first and second floors at present."

He pointed to the metal cards in everyone's hands.

"Swipe your cards to order. The official has already pre-deposited an initial amount of funds into your cards. As long as you don't eat the top-tier medicinal cuisine on the second floor for every meal, this money will be enough to cover all your food expenses for the next three months."

After giving his last sentence, Ji Ming nodded.

"Alright, you guys eat by yourselves. I have other work to do. You can go back to your dorm to rest this afternoon, or wander around on your own within your permitted area."

He looked at Zhao Dele and the others, his tone becoming serious.

"At 6:00 PM sharp, everyone should arrive at classroom 502 on the 5th floor of Building A to begin your first class."

Remember, don't be late. After all, you should know that your training qualifications are hard-earned, so cherish them.

After saying that, Ji Ming turned around and strode away, his figure quickly disappearing at the top of the stairs.

Only after Ji Ming had gone far away did these dozens of martial artists from Yangon City truly breathe a sigh of relief, their tense nerves relaxing slightly.

"Let's go, let's fill our stomachs first," Zhao Dele said.

The five people walked to the order counter on the second floor. Various dishes were scrolling on the holographic projection screen.

"Ironclad Beef Shank Steak, priced at 460 yuan."

"Clear stewed silverfish soup, priced at 318 yuan."

"Qi and Blood Medicinal Cuisine, priced at 250 yuan."

"..."

Looking at these recipes, everyone swallowed hard.

"They all look pretty delicious!"

"...Yes, as long as you have money."

"This is fucking too expensive. When we were temporary workers on the construction site, we only made 500 a day. This thing, some kind of medicinal diet, costs 250."

Someone swiped a card on the sensor area, and a number appeared in the lower right corner of the screen: 6000

"Three months, six thousand yuan. If you eat the food on the second floor every day, even if you only eat one meal a day, you probably won't last a month."

"Never mind, let's go to the first floor."

Everyone headed to the first floor.

The nutritious meals on the first floor are much cheaper and come in large portions, including some exotic animal meat.

After ordering their food, Zhao Dele and the others found a secluded corner to sit down.

The exotic beast meat on the plate emitted a rich aroma. He picked up a piece of meat from the bone and stuffed it into his mouth, chewing it a couple of times before his eyes lit up.

"I have to say, the food here is really delicious. It's much better than what you get in Yangon. And the dishes seem to be more nutritious too, making them more satisfying to eat."

Cheng Mingyuan exclaimed, "This is truly a testament to the strength of Yuncheng Martial Arts Academy. Just the food alone gives us a glimpse into their capabilities."

Zhao Dele, however, thought of something else: "I wonder what those rich kids in Yuncheng eat every day? If they ate that kind of food from the second floor since they were little, they'd probably become martial artists without even needing to cultivate, right?"

"This military academy is a gathering place for talented people. I really don't know how outstanding the students here will be."

The glass doors on the first floor of the cafeteria kept opening and closing.

It was lunchtime, and the formal students of the Military Academy gradually poured into the dining area. The once somewhat empty hall was quickly filled with noise.

Most of the martial artists in Yangon sat in the most secluded corners, heads down, picking at the food on their plates, while their eyes were fixed on the formal students in the academy.

A glance around revealed that these formal trainees didn't possess the unapproachable arrogance I'd imagined. They were in small groups, dressed in well-tailored training uniforms, their energy vibrant, their steps steady. Each face radiated youthful vigor, they chatted and laughed, full of spirit and high aspirations.

They didn't all go up to the second floor to eat; in fact, the vast majority stayed on the first floor.

After ordering their food, they also found some tables to sit down and chatted together.

"Today's practical class was really tough, but I learned a lot." A short-haired boy rubbed his shoulder and grimaced. "My instructor was really tough on me this morning; he almost broke my bones."

"Be content." The tall, thin boy opposite him rolled his eyes. "I feel like I'm about to break through to the Muscle Refining Realm. I need to go home this weekend and try to get some high-purity body tempering potions out of my dad's wallet."

"Since entering the academy, I feel like I'm getting poorer and poorer." Another boy with dyed hair sighed, poking hard at the rice in his plate. "If I see a plastic bottle on the street, I wish I could pick it up and recycle it to sell for money."

"I wonder when I'll be able to break through the two great barriers and become an evolved being," the boy with dyed hair said with longing.

The tall, thin boy gave a wry smile and shook his head: "You're quite ambitious. Coming from an ordinary family, I wouldn't dare to think that far ahead. The resources consumed by the two Heavenly Barriers are countless. I don't even know if I could survive until I break through the first stage of the Heart Barrier even if I emptied my family's coffers."

"Moreover, if we really have a chance to break through the barrier, we'll still need to spend money on subsequent breeding."

"Then why not just buy the cheapest breeding stock?" the short-haired boy interjected.

The tall, thin boy glared at him: "That's inhuman. We barely survived to reach the fusion stage, and you choose to breed a piece of trash? All the development potential is ruined. Do you think you've done all that suffering?"

The short-haired boy shrank his neck: "You can't say that. Maybe ordinary breeding species are easier to cultivate? They also consume fewer resources in the process."

"So, you'll be the candidate then?"

"I won't choose!"

As the many martial artists in Yangon ate their meals, they also listened to the conversation of these formal trainees. Listening to their discussion about the Heavenly Gate, these people gained a deeper understanding of the Heavenly Official.

These students, native to Yuncheng, have the best mentors and environment, yet they still struggle with resources. Clearly, breaking through the Heavenly Barrier is far more difficult than they imagined.

The conversation at the next table was still going on.

The boy with dyed hair shoveled a couple of mouthfuls of rice into his mouth and mumbled, "I have no other desires right now. I just hope that after graduation, I can get into a core department of the government or a branch of one of those big corporations. If I can get in, I'll never have to worry about anything again."

"Pfft!" The short-haired boy almost spat out his food.

You're dreaming.

He looked at the boy with dyed hair and laughed, "Are those places even open to ordinary people? Didn't you see last year's campus recruitment? The minimum requirement for fresh graduates was breaking through the first stage of the Heart Refinement Realm! Those seniors at the peak of the Bone Refinement Realm didn't even have the qualifications to submit their resumes; they were rejected on the spot."

The tall, thin boy sighed, "There's nothing we can do. Top-tier forces have no use for ordinary martial artists. What they want are the worst of the worst, who can become evolved beings."

"However, joining a giant corporation certainly guarantees a bright future. I've heard that the resources available there are even greater than those in academia."

Ultimately, the academy is just an academy, and the resources it provides are merely those distributed by the government, essentially secondary allocations. The real core resources are held by the leading, cutting-edge powers within the elite organizations.

Furthermore, once you become an employee of a giant corporation, who would dare to mess with you when you're out in the world?

Do you remember the attack on senior executives of Yuan Energy Company a few years ago?

That time, it almost turned the entire Yuncheng upside down, right?

Any organization even remotely connected to the mastermind behind the scenes was thoroughly investigated and eliminated; even official intervention couldn't change anything.

The many warriors in Yangon City were confused by what they heard, but they could understand the general meaning: for some forces, having the qualifications to become an evolved being was just a threshold for those forces to select and employ people.

"Alright, alright, let's stop talking about these heavy topics. The more we talk about them, the more confused we'll become." The short-haired boy waved his hand. "Let's talk about some gossip to clear our heads."

"Have you heard about that big event a while ago? The Explorers' Association, in conjunction with the Li family, stormed into a city on the other side of the wilderness."

"The Li family? Which Li family?" the boy with dyed hair asked in confusion.

"Nonsense, which Li family could it be? That behemoth whose influence spans an entire region!" The short-haired boy's tone was slightly excited.

The tall, thin boy nodded: "I've heard about this too. And I've inquired about it carefully; the whole incident is nothing short of legendary!"

That city was occupied by the forces of another country, who enslaved all the city's commoners, called themselves nobles, and even used martial artists as petri dishes for cultivating "human fruits"!

"Human-Devil Fruit?" The dyed-haired boy's eyes widened. "Are there still any forces that dare to play this game?"

"Yes! But the key point comes later." The short-haired boy slammed his hand on the table. "In that situation, two martial artists, supposedly from the original resistance force of that city, crossed the vast wilderness where even evolved humans could perish, and arrived at the border of our Huayan Republic. And they were incredibly lucky, running into a team from the Explorers' Association carrying out a mission in that area!"

"and then?"

"After the Explorers Association learned of the situation and reported it to the authorities and received approval, they directly joined forces with the Li family, launched a massive attack, stormed the city, and slaughtered all those slave owners!" The short-haired boy's eyes gleamed with fanaticism. "I also heard that one of the two warriors who escaped was actually a God-given individual, and then he directly joined the Explorers Association's branch in a high-level city!"

Holy crap, this whole thing sounds like something out of a storybook! That chosen one, calling him the chosen one of destiny wouldn't be an exaggeration!

The dyed-hair boy listened intently: "How powerful are the slave owners in that city?"

"I've heard there are a lot of evolved beings!" the short-haired boy said mysteriously in a low voice, "but the Explorers' Association and the Li family are even more ruthless. It's said that in that operation, the Li family directly deployed a peak-stage evolved being!"

"Hiss—" A collective gasp came from the next table.

"Peak of evolution..." the tall, thin boy muttered to himself, "and he's from the Li family. I can't even imagine how powerful he will be when he makes a move."

"That's not all! The Explorers' Association also sent several first-class evolved beings from high-level cities, whose strength was terrifying. They completely annihilated that city!"

The short-haired boy picked up his water glass and took a big gulp, his face full of longing: "When I become an evolved being in the future, I will definitely go and see this vast world."

Tsk tsk tsk... Joining a top-tier faction and undertaking missions that traverse wilderness and cross borders. Storming into a city, fighting against the nobles who enslave the lower classes, battling on a battlefield ravaged by gunfire until the sky darkens and rivers of blood flow, finally personally slaying the powerful enemy and liberating everyone... Just thinking about it is thrilling!