Chapter 490 What Exactly is Going On in This World? (13,000 Words, Seeking Monthly Tickets!)

A meteor streaked across the sky.

The afterglow of the setting sun had just faded on the edge of Hong City, and the gaps in the clouds, dyed gray-blue by the night and sky, revealed a sky full of stars. A faint silver light flashed through the gaps between the clouds and stars, almost imperceptible.

The sultry and hot weather was standard for Hong City in summer, even in the suburbs. Although the streetlights along the small road had been renovated, the light emitted by the special bulbs engraved with runes could drive away the mosquitoes of the old era, the new spiritualized moths and mosquitoes of the new era were still active, repeating the age-old routine of flying towards the light.

It was just after seven o'clock, the time when people off work went out to meet friends. The sidewalks were bustling, and the traffic filled the streets. If it weren't for the fact that only a few people could fly these days, a spectacle of people 'covering the sky' would truly unfold in the sky during this evening peak.

The neon lights flickered. Even on the edge of the city, the signs of various shops still painted the roadside in various colors. Ramen, fast food, fried chicken, barbecue, fried noodles... it had been like this for decades.

Inside a barbecue restaurant.

Two burly men sat casually at a clean square table.

"Boss, two plates of fried river snails, two servings of grilled fish."

"And some chives and skewers, the usual."

"Coming right up!"

"Sizzle—"

The familiar greeting rang out, accompanied by the sound of ingredients entering the oil. The air was filled with the aroma of chili, ginger, garlic, and spices, all sizzled in oil. Although this smell was a bit pungent for superhumans, if they couldn't even adapt to this, they shouldn't call themselves superhumans.

Guan Wanjing and Feng Qiang sat down after ordering.

As a genius cultivator from a well-known family in Hongzhou, Guan Wanjing couldn't be said to be completely detached from the world, but he rarely went to roadside barbecue stalls like this. However, since he was accompanying his friend Feng Qiang from the Ruian Martial Arts School for a chat, he wouldn't act like a young master from the Guan family.

Martial arts practitioners had many rules, but this was clearly not the time to be fussy.

"Brother Feng, your home is nearby, right? Not bad, quite lively."

Soon, two plates of fried river snails arrived.

After the spiritual energy revival, the river snails also became larger. After being specially selected and cultivated by cultivators, a kind of large spiritualized river snail that successfully adapted to the spiritual energy environment gradually spread throughout the market within four years, far surpassing the previous ordinary river snails in terms of cleanliness and taste.

[Two Five-Year Plans, Full Ecological Spiritualization Plan], Guan Wanjing still remembered the name of this plan. He stretched out his hand, turning his spiritual power into a hook, and with a thought, the snail meat was picked out and put into his mouth.

The burly man, who looked like he was cast from bronze and iron, looked earnestly at the middle-aged man in front of him, who also had bulging muscles but a troubled expression, and asked with concern, "If there's anything, just say it. We've been practicing martial arts together for so many years, we're not outsiders."

To be honest, Guan Wanjing didn't have many people he usually interacted with. Apart from Feng Qiang and others from the Ruian Martial Arts School, who were familiar with the Zheng Guo Spiritual Martial Arts lineage, he was only familiar with his teammates from the Qinxing Academy team—and recently they had just graduated, and the team members had dispersed to return home for vacation. Guan Wanjing couldn't find a place to have fun for a while, so he simply ran to Hong City to disturb his fellow apprentice brothers.

Coincidentally, Professor Su Zhou, the leader of the Qinxing Academy elite team, was also from Hong City, but he was currently visiting the Europa Union, so he wasn't here. Otherwise, he could have paid a visit.

But who knew that as soon as Guan Wanjing arrived, he saw Feng Qiang sighing at the blank white wall with a worried look on his face. He couldn't get any information out of him even when he asked, so he had to persuade him to come out before he could ask about the situation.

"Well, it's mainly worrying about the future."

Although Feng Qiang was all muscles and had been practicing martial arts for many years, he wasn't brainless. He naturally understood Guan Wanjing's concern for what he was doing. He reached out and lightly flicked the snail shell, and a clever force popped the snail meat into his mouth, without using any spiritual energy from beginning to end.

Even though he showed such exquisite skill, Feng Qiang still looked troubled.

The burly man ordered a few more bottles of beer from the boss, and then said with a depressed expression, "You know, I used to run a gym—a gym with our Ruian brand, to find good seedlings for the school. Speaking of which, your professor Su Zhou became famous in my gym back then. He was truly gifted."

"But now, the gym can't stay open—everyone is cultivating, who comes to work out? It's not that there's no one, but in the end, it's all about spiritual power cultivation, which is very boring."

Speaking of this, the beer came. Feng Qiang smacked his lips, then casually opened a bottle, raised his head and drank it all in one go, placing the empty bottle aside. The man sighed deeply, "Now, I'm the only one who seriously cultivates in the gym every day, and no one follows me to practice. It's very boring. If it's just like this, I might as well go back to the ancestral land to study."

Although the tone was calm, a sense of 'unwillingness' filled the words.

"Speaking of which, what about you? What are you planning to do after graduation?"

Realizing that his mentality was a bit off, Feng Qiang changed the subject and asked his friend.

"Go to the New World Exploration Department. The professor's side has high salaries, high benefits, high treatment, and high authority. Joining now means I'm a founding member of the department. My family and the martial arts school want me to go, and I have no objections myself."

Guan Wanjing also took a bottle of beer, but he didn't drink it directly. Instead, he asked for some ice cubes and poured himself a large mug of ice beer.

He took a sip and said slowly, "Brother Feng, why don't you come here too? You may not be very professional in technique, but your mentality, strength, and basics are definitely enough."

"A mid-level transcendent spiritual martial artist can go anywhere, and everyone will want you."

"Exploring other worlds is not suitable for me—my family is still in Hong City, unlike you young people who are full of energy and want to rush over to see new places."

A large plate of grilled chives covered in chili powder was also served. Feng Qiang and Guan Wanjing both began to eat.

After taking a big bite, the middle-aged martial artist's tone was filled with deep helplessness, "I also know that this is a great era, and breaking out will definitely lead to a bright future... but how to break out? My parents need someone to take care of them, and my younger brother still has to go to school. My girlfriend just started dating. If I run off to work in the Nanling area, wouldn't that be the end of it immediately?"

"What's more, exploring other worlds is still dangerous in the end. If I die carelessly, wouldn't this whole family collapse?"

Simple words, carrying extremely realistic worries.

Even if spiritual energy has been revived, family matters will not disappear.

Even if you can smash a building with one kick and send a car flying tens of meters with one punch, it's meaningless if you die.

Guan Wanjing ate his chives. The taste was good, but the chili wasn't spicy enough.

He actually knew very well that the Ruian Martial Arts School would never let the family of its true disciples not be taken care of after their death. And if Feng Qiang really joined the New World Exploration Department and sacrificed himself in exploration, then with his Professor Su's temper, he would first overturn the other world, scatter the ashes of the entire family of the murderer, and the family of the victim would definitely be taken care of properly...

But as the only one in the Qinxing Academy elite team with normal emotional intelligence and personality, he knew very well that he couldn't say these words openly.

Why force a middle-aged man who wants to raise a family safely to fight alongside young people?

So he just gave another suggestion: "Then how about opening a martial arts school? Brother Feng, you also have the qualifications to open a branch school, so why bother with a gym? Wouldn't it be better to directly turn it into a martial arts school?"

"Now everyone doesn't work out, that's right, after all, it's not necessary, but the number of people who want to learn martial arts is ten times a hundred times more than before."

This was indeed a good suggestion.

The grilled fish was also served. The aroma of cumin, chili, and pepper filled the air. The scallions and chili flakes on the crispy fish skin were fragrant, and the mixture of fish flavor made people's appetite explode. The entire large fish was placed on the table with boiling red soup, in which luncheon meat, vermicelli, and fish tofu rolled. Although the appearance was ordinary, the taste was really good.

Feng Qiang silently picked up his chopsticks and ate half a fish before pulling out a piece of paper from the side and wiping the red oil from the corner of his mouth.

"I'm still not sure... if I'm worthy of being a master to others."

It was only at this time that the middle-aged martial artist spoke his true worry. He drank another bottle of wine, his tone filled with confusion, "And now there are quite a few martial arts schools. I have no reputation, and if I directly hang up Ruian's sign, wouldn't it be humiliating if no one comes?"

To put it bluntly, he lacked confidence and didn't know how far his strength could actually go.

A common psychological problem for martial artists.

"Hey, I thought it was something big."

Hearing this, Guan Wanjing immediately laughed. He simply slapped his chopsticks on the table, then laughed and teased, "Just this?"

"Just this little thing?"

"What do you mean? How is this a small thing?!"

Feng Qiang's face flushed slightly, and he said with some dissatisfaction: "Do you know how much it costs to make a name for yourself? Advertising, operation, publicity, damn it, I'm not your young master Guan, who can find so many people casually, and have so much money!"

"These past few months, I've been thinking, should I just... uh?"

But while Feng Qiang was complaining, Guan Wanjing didn't say much.

He directly took out his mobile phone and forwarded a WeChat message to the other party.

Feng Qiang felt his phone vibrate in his pocket, and then muttered 'what's this' and took it out, opening it to take a look.

It was a promotional advertisement for the 'Zheng Guo Comprehensive Martial Arts Competition'.

--Immortal God-Level Cultivation Method—Guidance from Martial Arts Grandmasters of the Only Martial Arts Lineage—A series of extremely generous rewards and promotional activities—

Staring blankly at the promotional advertisement, Feng Qiang frowned.

He stared at the phone, speechless for a long time, even forgetting to take a bite of the delicious grilled fish in front of him.

"How is it? Want fame? Isn't it simple?"

At the other end of the table, Guan Wanjing laughed and broke the silence.

He confidently stretched out his hand, pointed his thumb at himself, and then pointed at Feng Qiang: "In this competition, get a top ranking, whether you open a martial arts school or continue with the gym, even if you just sell equipment for cultivation, you can easily support your family."

Speaking of this, Guan Wanjing hummed and smiled, saying with pride: "We martial arts practitioners, if we want fame, we don't take action, we just sit here and worry, what's the point—"

"How about we try it together?"

"...You're right."

Narrowing his eyes, and then opening his mouth, Feng Qiang breathed out.

The middle-aged man closed the phone screen and put it back in his pocket.

He closed his eyes, but it seemed that something was ignited in his heart.

——Lacking confidence, not knowing how far his strength has actually reached——

This is a common psychological illness for martial artists.

The treatment method is very simple.

Find someone, fight them, and win.

Then it will be cured without treatment.

Haha, Guan Wanjing is right—martial artists who want fame and wealth, if they don't take action and just think about it, what's the point?

So when the man opened his eyes again, all the melancholy and confusion in his eyes were burned away.

Feng Qiang's eyes returned to clarity, and then he laughed and picked up his chopsticks, boldly reaching for the grilled fish: "Let's do it this way!"

A meteor streaked across the sky.

The prosperity of Xijing's central urban area is far inferior to that of Modu and Tiandu, and even Linan and Pengcheng cannot compare, but it still has its own unique characteristics.

Huge three-dimensional projection advertisements flashed in the city center, and various neon advertising lights flickered and dotted the pedestrian street and the surrounding areas of major shopping malls. Between the towering skyscrapers, cultivators wearing exoskeleton armor and the new generation of flying cars shuttled back and forth. This was a far more prosperous street scene than Hong City and other places.

The lights of the city that never sleeps could even obscure the stars, and even more, no one could see that there was a faint silver color rising from the light of the human world, almost imperceptible.

Three youthful and beautiful young women walked hand-in-hand on the street, becoming the most eye-catching scenery in the surrounding area.

And the most eye-catching, perhaps, was the blonde beauty in the center of the three, with feathery and gorgeous golden hair.

In the hot summer weather, even transcendents would not necessarily wear long sleeves. The blonde beauty wore an extremely modern short-sleeved denim jacket and a brown vest, cool low-waisted jeans without a belt, and long leather boots, making her look like a female cowboy from a Western movie. In addition to her heroic appearance, she also carried a kind of raptor-like arrogance and ferocity.

However, the blonde cowgirl's expression was not very good at the moment—because the atmosphere between the other two beauties on her left and right was obviously not so harmonious.

Located on the right of the blonde beauty was a black-haired girl wearing a black sleeveless tight shirt and a short-sleeved leather jacket. As a Netherwalker who could walk in the shadows, Li Yeyu, who was positioned for reconnaissance and assassination, would naturally not wear a skirt, but dark sports trousers.

At this moment, she held her blonde best friend's right hand tightly, looking at the brunette foreign girl on the left with suspicious eyes, slowly exerting force in her hand, causing a rather uneasy atmosphere to spread.

And on the left side of the blonde beauty was a European seal envoy with a cheerful face, long brown hair, and a white dress. The friendly temperament of a girl next door was also extremely charming.

Seros did not know whether she had not noticed the subtle atmosphere on the scene, or had deliberately ignored it. She happily held her friend's hand and walked on the streets of a foreign country, obviously extremely happy.

"Jin Qiong, Jin Qiong, the clothes in that shop look good too!" The happy Seros said so.

And sandwiched between the two, the blonde beauty, the incarnation of the divine bird, the contemporary Garuda spokesperson, Jin Qiong, the king of the Feather Clan of the Beast God Realm, had at least a small pond of cold sweat flowing in her heart.

Today, she had originally made an appointment to go shopping with Seros, but was discovered by Li Yeyu, who came to find her to play. She didn't know how, but it turned into a situation where the three were traveling together, and the atmosphere was very subtle...

Why did it become like this... The first time going out to play with a foreign friend, and unexpectedly meeting a familiar roommate...

Two happy things overlapped, and what she got should have been a time as happy as a dream...

But, why, did it become like this?

"This shop? Yes, yes, it's not bad..." Jin Qiong replied in a stutter, and then, the topic was taken over by the best friend next to her.

"Then let's go take a look." Li Yeyu said with a smile in a calm tone.

Immediately afterwards, the blonde beauty was taken by the two on her side to the clothing store.

Then, next, they went to the jewelry store, the spiritual object store, the video game room, the billiard hall... and a series of various places.

As transcendents, if they want to relax and play, they don't need any rest at all.

However, although Jin Qiong, who was sandwiched between the two, was fine on the surface, her whole body was almost exhausted.

——No, it can't, it can't go on like this!

——She finally graduated from Qinxing Academy, she finally gained some freedom, she was finally about to start a beautiful new life as a free person, how could it be ended by something that she couldn't figure out what was going on!

Although there was no related inheritance in her bloodline memory to tell Jin Qiong what to do, her biological instinct made Jin Qiong deeply aware that if she didn't get rid of the current situation today, her future days would definitely be miserable!

"Look, look, what do you think of that?"

Therefore, after hesitating for a long time, she did not know whether it was careful consideration or a desperate attempt. When she was about to be taken to a bar by the two, Jin Qiong suddenly reached out her hand, and she pointed to the 3D projection advertisement floating in the air in a panic.

There was originally a CG playing about a 3D full-immersion game [Mist Continent], and the promotional character was a black-haired, blue-eyed, cute pretty boy with a indifferent expression.

Jin Qiong's intention was to say whether they should play this game together—according to the Golden-Winged Peng, who did not have much human survival experience, as long as everyone played games together, then even if the relationship between people who were not very good before was tense, the emotions would be slightly relieved.