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The warm rain fell like a fountain, glistening as it showered upon the lush, sprouting vegetation of the earth.
A man clad in a cloak woven from animal fur, the grey feathers of which completely isolated the dampness, allowed not even the cold rain or chill to penetrate his garments.
His long boots stepped into the muddy ground, his pace was slow, yet the surrounding mountains and rivers seemed to blur as they flashed by his sides...
Ahead loomed a city, stretching endlessly, grand and ancient, particularly the enormous god statues standing between the city walls, each exuding an air of solemnity and sacredness that seemed to guard the primordial world.
Passing between the statues of two Martial Gods, the bustling life of Martial Artists City Forest came into view.
Having attained Third Rank Spiritual Vision, Wu Hen instinctively activated his Panoramic Perspective, quickly shrinking the vast city’s layout down into a precise blueprint that imprinted itself into his mind.
There was no need to expand his brain’s capacity to remember every detail of the city; he could just recall this detailed blueprint from his memory whenever needed...
The world seen by Third Rank Spiritual Vision was entirely different, especially with the interaction of the Listening Sense.
The streets were teeming with people, and Wu Hen could clearly capture each person’s face, their expressions, and even some of their forthcoming actions. Among these massive, minutely slow moving images, many were rendered in ultra-color.
Ultra-color was a special identifier of Third Rank vision, highlighting potential threats, anomalies, hostility, or intent gazes upon oneself; these would then stand out to Wu Hen in a more striking manner, stimulating the brain more intensely within this information-rich visual field.
The contours of ultra-color were also unique, making one’s movements stand out more clearly and giving the illusion of slowed vision. Any attempts at assassination, ambush, or even faint emotions of resentment and hostility could not escape Wu Hen’s detection.
The world remained the same.
But to Wu Hen, it had become entirely different.
Despite the heavy rain, no matter how thick the female warriors’ clothes were, Wu Hen could readily discern their physiques. Indeed, the world needed eyes adept at finding beauty, including the dull rain that, in Wu Hen’s eyes, also possessed varying hues, adding color without causing visual chaos.
"Ya Jade, the finest Ya Jade from Ya City, wearing it can enhance your Qi Acupoints, come take a look..."
"Elsewhere, they’d charge you this much, but at our stall, you’ll only need this much. Besides, we’ll give you silver ornaments, not just one piece, but two, and if two aren’t enough, then three! If three pieces still aren’t enough, then all these are yours!"
"We’re not selling jade to make money, mainly we want to open up markets!"
Behind the majestic statues of Martial Gods lay a flourishing avenue, with ancient bustling market streets on either side where calls and haggles rose and fell in waves.
"Oh heavens, you can’t sell Demon Cores so cheaply. Our clan ventured into the forbidden land and only husband and wife survived, while the rest of our tribe perished. You can’t sell the Demon Cores for such a low price, how could we face our deceased tribespeople? Absolutely not!"
"The tribe has perished, what use is all this money to us now? Consider it building virtue for our tribespeople in the netherworld, praying for a better afterlife. Come everyone, see the highest quality Demon Cores, all to be given away; you only need to pay a bit for the stall fee, just to ensure we can continue to accumulate virtue for our tribe!"
With every step Wu Hen took, his stride grew heavier.
His Perception didn’t deceive him; he had truly entered a Martial Artists City steeped in ancient charm, witnessing architectural styles completely different from modern ones, the cities of the True Martial Continent, yet such a high-grade Wudou was suffused with a sense of familiarity that struck Wu Hen with a sense of surrealism, as if he had reached the very edge of the Cultivation universe only to find his kin selling instant noodles – an uncanny sensation indeed.
It had only been a few years!
The True Martial World had become tainted!
At first, Wu Hen thought the yelling vendors he encountered were his compatriots, but upon closer inspection, he realized they were natives of the True Martial World...
They had mastered the basic sales pitches and tactics!
After his tenure at Nuwa Pure Land ended, Wu Hen wished to wander alone, experiencing the style of it this Otherworld as Desert Dust Life, never expecting the Otherworldly Continent to be filled with familiar formulas and cultures.
The magnificent True Martial Super Continent, with its ancient heritage spanning tens of thousands of years, how could it be culturally invaded to this extent? This was the Main Continent’s Wudou!
Sigh,
When Wu Hen thought about it carefully, he found it somewhat reasonable. Existence is reason itself.
The people of the True Martial World were actually simple-hearted, with a long history but simple forms, never having experienced the internet age, e-commerce era, or the age of information finance. As his compatriots gradually claimed their place in the True Martial Continent, the near-dimensional crushing marketing strategies probably gave those merchants of the True Martial World quite the shock...
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Fortunately, such marketing tactics were replicable and easy to learn.
If you can’t beat them, join them!
And so, the True Martial World embraced a marketing craze. Those mature and heart-stirring sales techniques made even millennia-old Great Demons in human form, walking the commerce streets, look like naive schoolchildren who only knew how to spend money. And when a Great Demon thought it stumbled upon treasures in the human realm, bringing back a hoard of junk to its cave, it would immediately reveal its true nature, furiously cursing humans for their deceiving words after calming down!
The entire street had embraced such a trend, and for a few moments, Wu Hen doubted whether saving this homeland world was really worthwhile. He hadn’t had the chance to "socially die" internationally, yet he found himself on the verge in the Otherworldly Dust.
"Brother, is this jade from Ya City?" Wu Hen had naturally noticed this key piece of information and thus approached to inquire.
"Yes, authentic indeed. Little brother, do you know about Ya City? It’s the current treasure land drawing much attention. There by Jade Mountain, you can just take a shovel, dig into the soil, and it’s all jade stones. I’ve been there myself, ordinary jade I’m too lazy to even glance at, I’ve specially selected the best jade from there. Don’t ask me why it’s so cheap; it’s because there’s just too much of it. There used to be a barrier at Heroic Pass preventing transport here, but now that Heroic Pass has been cleared..." The jade vendor rambled on.
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"Are you saying that the path between Ya City and Wudou’s Heroic Pass has been opened?" Wu Hen asked, somewhat surprised.
"You don’t know about this?..."
"I really don’t know, but I’m sure you’ve never been to Ya City," said Wu Hen.
Wu Hen knew this peddler was full of lies and couldn’t be bothered to chat with him anymore.
Having taken only a few steps, a young vendor approached him with a chuckle, "Who buys jade at the roadside these days? You should visit the Lu Yun Commerce, where the jade is truly from Ya City."
"What?" Wu Hen paused for a moment.
"Lu Yun Commerce! That’s the official flagship store for Ya City jade."
Wu Hen watched as this native of the True Martial World uttered this very magical term, and he really started twitching at the corners of his mouth!
Who uses their own name for a commerce guild?
Did they pay for naming rights or something!
"Could it be that a powerful martial artist has breached the Heroic Pass between the Main Continent and the borderland Ya City? Making Ya City closely connected with the True Martial Main Continent?"
The laws of the True Martial Super Continent were simple; even if the journey was far, with higher levels of cultivation, or more powerful mounts and vehicles, it was possible to traverse hundreds of thousands of miles... the key lay with the Demon Spirit Pass, which divided the other continents of the True Martial World into separate, enclosed realms.
Without the Demon Spirit Pass, the connectivity between the Main Continent and the other regions would greatly increase.
But who had such capability to break through multiple Heroic Passes, allowing for a land corridor between the Main Continent and Ya City, resulting in an inconceivable trade route?
"This Lu Yun Commerce must be established by the Lu Yun Gang, right?"
Wu Hen had been to offline meetups and knew those who had participated in the battle at Ya City had prepared this organization...
Though he had only been gone for a few months, they had passed three years.
Yet, their scale was so large, and their reputation so prominent; the Wudou he had arrived at was a famous city on the True Martial Super Continent, governed by the orthodox Wuting!
The centralized organization of the True Martial Super Continent was Wuting.
Wuting was founded jointly by nineteen Martial Gods to govern the entire True Martial Continent, an institution divine in nature. The stars of those nineteen Martial Gods had shone over this land for countless years, and in some drizzly seasons, one could clearly see them twinkling eternally above the continent...
Of course, the Martial Gods of the entire Super Continent numbered more than nineteen, but these nineteen held the ruling positions. The other Martial Gods were equally bright and dazzling, each having their own continent, their own territories for worship, and their own clan’s regions.
Wu Han decided to visit the Lu Yun Commerce to see how they had developed.
As he walked the streets, Wu Hen constantly felt the gaze of someone from high above watching him.
Wu Hen looked back several times but didn’t catch sight of anyone, which puzzled him...
Finally, during one abrupt turn, Wu Hen caught sight of the giant Martial God statues between the walls, and one of the Martial God statues with a hooked nose was actually watching him!
Wu Hen furrowed his brows.
Had he caught the attention of that Martial God??
But these statues erected here were not the actual body of that Martial God, and yet they could scrutinize him across space?
The perception of the Martial Gods was so strong it seemed to be on a different level.
And it was lucky he had attained Third Rank Spiritual Vision, otherwise being watched like this and not even realizing it would be a problem.
"Guest."
Suddenly, a voice came from in front.
The crowd in front of Wu Hen orderly dispersed, and a woman mounted on a majestic Holy Knight spoke.
The onlookers quickly scattered, leaving Wu Hen standing on the broad avenue of Wudou, attracting the gaze of the curious crowd watching both Wu Hen and the Holy Knight woman.
On either side of the Holy Knight woman stood nine strong individuals, all of them Martial Saints, each draped in the silver hanging coats representing Wuting.
"Interesting, it seems the moment I stepped into this city, your Martial Gods noticed me," Wu Hen remarked as he surveyed the setup, knowing he was definitely being watched.
"Distinguished guest from afar, we must host a reception, as it is both our custom in Wudou and the expressed will of our Rotating Martial God. Please be assured, we have no ill intentions," said the Holy Knight woman.
"Being entertained is always good. I appreciate it, beautiful, please lead the way," Wu Hen responded.
Ha!
So impressive, these Martial Gods!
He had wanted to tour the city discreetly, but that seemed impossible now.
It turns out that the Martial Gods here were no mere figureheads.