Chapter 3: Observing the World Along the Long Street
Leaving the Military Affairs Bureau, Lin Yan continued to walk slowly down the street.
The afternoon sunlight was sliced into scattered dappled spots by the shock-resistant shading net framework erected above the city, falling onto the pavement. This district belonged to the central residential area of L City Bastion. Unlike the solemn and oppressive atmosphere around the government buildings, or the frontline barracks at the base of the city wall that were perpetually filled with the stench of gunpowder and the wail of sirens, the streets here were lined with continuous multi-story residential buildings. The exterior walls were all coated with thick reinforcing layers, and traces of repairs of various sizes were everywhere. Some areas still bore dark stains, remnants left behind when alien species had attacked the city in the early years.
Every household had metal security bars installed on their windows. Many windowsills were adorned with simple cultivation boxes, growing hardy, edible wild vegetables. In an era of scarce resources, any food that could be self-sufficient was worth careful tending by ordinary people. Occasionally, one could see women standing downstairs chatting. Their voices were kept very low, and their topics mostly revolved around ration quotas, their children's progress in Sea of Consciousness cultivation, and the latest warnings regarding rifts outside the city. No one gossiped about trivial, irrelevant matters; survival was always the top priority in this city.
Lin Yan walked forward at a leisurely pace, his gaze quietly sweeping over his surroundings, taking everything in.
Having experienced life-and-death battles in the Jianghu, he was accustomed to observing his environment and noticing the subtle expressions and movements of others. The people here were completely different from the martial artists he had encountered in the previous plane. In the Jianghu, people fought for power, grudges, and loyalty; but the ordinary people in the bastion only sought to live in peace. They lacked the ferocious bravery of martial artists, yet they carried a weariness and resilience born from living under the shadow of death for so long.
Turning two blocks ahead, a vast open space came into view—the community public training ground.
The ground was paved with thick, shock-absorbing rubber. Four metal pillars stood at the perimeter, equipped with psychic disturbance generators to simulate low-intensity mental attacks from alien species, allowing ordinary people to practice stabilizing their Sea of Consciousness. More than twenty teenagers, mostly around fourteen or fifteen years old and lower-grade students from the combat readiness academies, had gathered on the open ground.
A middle-aged man in a grey-black instructor's uniform stood in the center of the field. His voice was steady, with a slight rasp, as he guided the crowd in regulating their breathing.
"Steady your mind. Do not resist. Try to draw your Sea of Consciousness inward, condensing it into a single mass. The psychic turbulence leaking from the rifts won't directly harm you, but it will constantly tear at your consciousness. Once your Sea of Consciousness scatters, even if no monsters are nearby, you will lose the ability to move."
Lin Yan stood beneath the street trees on the periphery of the training ground, watching from afar.
Following the instructor's guidance, the teenagers sat cross-legged with their eyes gently closed. The generators around the field slowly activated, and a faint, invisible wave of energy spread outward. Lin Yan could clearly sense this mental power; it was weak and chaotic, like countless tiny needles gently pricking the consciousness of everyone present.
A few students with weaker foundations soon furrowed their brows, cold sweat beading on their foreheads as their bodies trembled slightly. Some couldn't hold out, letting out a muffled groan as they opened their eyes. Unable to maintain their Sea of Consciousness any longer, they had to withdraw from the training and rest on the sidelines.
The instructor's expression remained calm, offering no reprimand.
"Sea of Consciousness talent is innate, but stabilizing it relies on day-after-day of tempering. Even with average talent, diligent practice can ensure self-preservation; conversely, even those with outstanding talent will collapse under the mental shock of alien species if they neglect their training. You do not need to pursue a powerful, attack-oriented Sea of Consciousness. For ordinary people, the primary goal is to guard your own mind."
Lin Yan watched quietly, silently making comparisons in his heart.
The Sea of Consciousness in this world was essentially a vessel for spiritual consciousness. It was not the same system as internal energy and mental cultivation methods in the Jianghu, but the underlying logic of "condensing the spirit and guarding the heart" was subtly connected. Having fought countless life-and-death battles in the Boulder Valley, he had long forged a mental fortitude that remained unshaken even if Mount Tai were to collapse before him. If he were to take the field, this level of psychic disturbance would hardly affect him at all.
"Lin Yan?"
A familiar voice came from beside him.
Lin Yan turned his head to see the girl with glasses he had met that morning. She and two other companions from her squad were passing by the training ground, carrying their gear bags. It seemed they had finished submitting their mission reports and were preparing to return to school.
The girl with glasses stopped, a hint of surprise in her eyes. "You've already finished your registration at the Military Affairs Bureau? Did everything go smoothly?"
"Yes, the registration is complete." Lin Yan nodded slightly.
The burly young man also looked at Lin Yan. His gaze swept over Lin Yan's still plain, coarse cloth tunic, and he asked casually, "Are you planning to sign up for the newcomer assessment in three days?"
"I'm still considering it." Lin Yan answered truthfully. "I just entered the city, and there are many things I don't understand yet."
The girl with glasses nodded in understanding and said softly, "It's good to be cautious. The newcomer assessment happens every year, but there are always casualties. Sea of Consciousness overexertion, mental trauma—at the mildest, it requires months of rest; at the worst, it leaves permanent damage."
Another girl beside her added, "Even if you pass the assessment and enter the training camp, it's only the beginning. The training camp will have phased field practical exercises. You'll need to go to the buffer zone on the outskirts of the bastion to investigate small rifts. Low-level scaled beasts occasionally wander there; it's not absolutely safe."
The group chatted briefly. They had to rush back to school for their afternoon Sea of Consciousness classes and couldn't stay long.
"We have to get going now. Stay safe in the city. Try not to walk alone in secluded alleys at night. The psychic shielding facilities in some older areas have aged, and occasionally, turbulent mental currents leaking from rifts can drift through," the girl with glasses reminded him, waving goodbye.
"Thanks for the reminder."
The three turned and left, gradually disappearing into the flow of pedestrians on the street.
Lin Yan returned his gaze to the training ground.
One round of training had ended. Many teenagers sat on the ground, pale-faced and panting heavily, helping each other up. The instructor arranged for them to sit in place and regulate their breathing to recover, then began explaining basic emergency measures—how to quickly draw in the Sea of Consciousness when hit by a scaled beast's mental shock, and how to cover each other's retreat. There were no flashy supernatural abilities, only practical, life-saving techniques.
Lin Yan stood in place, deep in thought.
The logistics position was safe, but the price was being trapped within the bastion for life, unable to access cultivation resources for the Sea of Consciousness or combat, and destined to remain a bottom-tier civilian. The newcomer assessment was fraught with risks, but success would grant him the opportunity to cultivate and gain the power to protect himself.
The scaled beasts outside the wall were always watching like tigers, waiting for their prey. There was no eternal peace in this world. If he remained unarmed, when danger struck, he could only passively wait for others' protection.
Having experienced life and death in the Jianghu, he knew the true meaning of power well. Yet, he still did not want to make a hasty decision.
The angle of the sky slowly tilted, and the setting sun stretched the shadows of the buildings. The flow of pedestrians on the street gradually increased as residents finished work and training. Some carried training protective gear, others carried bags of rationed food; everyone walked briskly, heading back to their homes. A broadcast slowly sounded from the loudspeakers high above the block, announcing the day's rift monitoring data outside the city. The calm, steady voice echoed throughout the entire residential area.
Lin Yan turned around and continued walking down the street. He planned to find an official, affordable shelter to settle in first. Three days would be enough time for him to continue observing, slowly weigh his options, and make a choice that belonged to him.
The road ahead was uncertain. In this broken world, survival itself was a long trial.
End of Chapter
The afternoon sunlight was sliced into scattered dappled spots by the shock-resistant shading net framework erected above the city, falling onto the pavement. This district belonged to the central residential area of L City Bastion. Unlike the solemn and oppressive atmosphere around the government buildings, or the frontline barracks at the base of the city wall that were perpetually filled with the stench of gunpowder and the wail of sirens, the streets here were lined with continuous multi-story residential buildings. The exterior walls were all coated with thick reinforcing layers, and traces of repairs of various sizes were everywhere. Some areas still bore dark stains, remnants left behind when alien species had attacked the city in the early years.
Every household had metal security bars installed on their windows. Many windowsills were adorned with simple cultivation boxes, growing hardy, edible wild vegetables. In an era of scarce resources, any food that could be self-sufficient was worth careful tending by ordinary people. Occasionally, one could see women standing downstairs chatting. Their voices were kept very low, and their topics mostly revolved around ration quotas, their children's progress in Sea of Consciousness cultivation, and the latest warnings regarding rifts outside the city. No one gossiped about trivial, irrelevant matters; survival was always the top priority in this city.
Lin Yan walked forward at a leisurely pace, his gaze quietly sweeping over his surroundings, taking everything in.
Having experienced life-and-death battles in the Jianghu, he was accustomed to observing his environment and noticing the subtle expressions and movements of others. The people here were completely different from the martial artists he had encountered in the previous plane. In the Jianghu, people fought for power, grudges, and loyalty; but the ordinary people in the bastion only sought to live in peace. They lacked the ferocious bravery of martial artists, yet they carried a weariness and resilience born from living under the shadow of death for so long.
Turning two blocks ahead, a vast open space came into view—the community public training ground.
The ground was paved with thick, shock-absorbing rubber. Four metal pillars stood at the perimeter, equipped with psychic disturbance generators to simulate low-intensity mental attacks from alien species, allowing ordinary people to practice stabilizing their Sea of Consciousness. More than twenty teenagers, mostly around fourteen or fifteen years old and lower-grade students from the combat readiness academies, had gathered on the open ground.
A middle-aged man in a grey-black instructor's uniform stood in the center of the field. His voice was steady, with a slight rasp, as he guided the crowd in regulating their breathing.
"Steady your mind. Do not resist. Try to draw your Sea of Consciousness inward, condensing it into a single mass. The psychic turbulence leaking from the rifts won't directly harm you, but it will constantly tear at your consciousness. Once your Sea of Consciousness scatters, even if no monsters are nearby, you will lose the ability to move."
Lin Yan stood beneath the street trees on the periphery of the training ground, watching from afar.
Following the instructor's guidance, the teenagers sat cross-legged with their eyes gently closed. The generators around the field slowly activated, and a faint, invisible wave of energy spread outward. Lin Yan could clearly sense this mental power; it was weak and chaotic, like countless tiny needles gently pricking the consciousness of everyone present.
A few students with weaker foundations soon furrowed their brows, cold sweat beading on their foreheads as their bodies trembled slightly. Some couldn't hold out, letting out a muffled groan as they opened their eyes. Unable to maintain their Sea of Consciousness any longer, they had to withdraw from the training and rest on the sidelines.
The instructor's expression remained calm, offering no reprimand.
"Sea of Consciousness talent is innate, but stabilizing it relies on day-after-day of tempering. Even with average talent, diligent practice can ensure self-preservation; conversely, even those with outstanding talent will collapse under the mental shock of alien species if they neglect their training. You do not need to pursue a powerful, attack-oriented Sea of Consciousness. For ordinary people, the primary goal is to guard your own mind."
Lin Yan watched quietly, silently making comparisons in his heart.
The Sea of Consciousness in this world was essentially a vessel for spiritual consciousness. It was not the same system as internal energy and mental cultivation methods in the Jianghu, but the underlying logic of "condensing the spirit and guarding the heart" was subtly connected. Having fought countless life-and-death battles in the Boulder Valley, he had long forged a mental fortitude that remained unshaken even if Mount Tai were to collapse before him. If he were to take the field, this level of psychic disturbance would hardly affect him at all.
"Lin Yan?"
A familiar voice came from beside him.
Lin Yan turned his head to see the girl with glasses he had met that morning. She and two other companions from her squad were passing by the training ground, carrying their gear bags. It seemed they had finished submitting their mission reports and were preparing to return to school.
The girl with glasses stopped, a hint of surprise in her eyes. "You've already finished your registration at the Military Affairs Bureau? Did everything go smoothly?"
"Yes, the registration is complete." Lin Yan nodded slightly.
The burly young man also looked at Lin Yan. His gaze swept over Lin Yan's still plain, coarse cloth tunic, and he asked casually, "Are you planning to sign up for the newcomer assessment in three days?"
"I'm still considering it." Lin Yan answered truthfully. "I just entered the city, and there are many things I don't understand yet."
The girl with glasses nodded in understanding and said softly, "It's good to be cautious. The newcomer assessment happens every year, but there are always casualties. Sea of Consciousness overexertion, mental trauma—at the mildest, it requires months of rest; at the worst, it leaves permanent damage."
Another girl beside her added, "Even if you pass the assessment and enter the training camp, it's only the beginning. The training camp will have phased field practical exercises. You'll need to go to the buffer zone on the outskirts of the bastion to investigate small rifts. Low-level scaled beasts occasionally wander there; it's not absolutely safe."
The group chatted briefly. They had to rush back to school for their afternoon Sea of Consciousness classes and couldn't stay long.
"We have to get going now. Stay safe in the city. Try not to walk alone in secluded alleys at night. The psychic shielding facilities in some older areas have aged, and occasionally, turbulent mental currents leaking from rifts can drift through," the girl with glasses reminded him, waving goodbye.
"Thanks for the reminder."
The three turned and left, gradually disappearing into the flow of pedestrians on the street.
Lin Yan returned his gaze to the training ground.
One round of training had ended. Many teenagers sat on the ground, pale-faced and panting heavily, helping each other up. The instructor arranged for them to sit in place and regulate their breathing to recover, then began explaining basic emergency measures—how to quickly draw in the Sea of Consciousness when hit by a scaled beast's mental shock, and how to cover each other's retreat. There were no flashy supernatural abilities, only practical, life-saving techniques.
Lin Yan stood in place, deep in thought.
The logistics position was safe, but the price was being trapped within the bastion for life, unable to access cultivation resources for the Sea of Consciousness or combat, and destined to remain a bottom-tier civilian. The newcomer assessment was fraught with risks, but success would grant him the opportunity to cultivate and gain the power to protect himself.
The scaled beasts outside the wall were always watching like tigers, waiting for their prey. There was no eternal peace in this world. If he remained unarmed, when danger struck, he could only passively wait for others' protection.
Having experienced life and death in the Jianghu, he knew the true meaning of power well. Yet, he still did not want to make a hasty decision.
The angle of the sky slowly tilted, and the setting sun stretched the shadows of the buildings. The flow of pedestrians on the street gradually increased as residents finished work and training. Some carried training protective gear, others carried bags of rationed food; everyone walked briskly, heading back to their homes. A broadcast slowly sounded from the loudspeakers high above the block, announcing the day's rift monitoring data outside the city. The calm, steady voice echoed throughout the entire residential area.
Lin Yan turned around and continued walking down the street. He planned to find an official, affordable shelter to settle in first. Three days would be enough time for him to continue observing, slowly weigh his options, and make a choice that belonged to him.
The road ahead was uncertain. In this broken world, survival itself was a long trial.
End of Chapter