Chapter 46 - 43: Martial Arts Hall, Level 2 Safe Zone

Chapter 46: Chapter 43: Martial Arts Hall, Level 2 Safe Zone

"ACHOO~!"

Shi An rubbed the tip of his nose. "The body of an ordinary office worker is just too fragile."

He had tried to exercise, but...

It was best not to talk about it.

’I should just choose a faster method, a bit of a shortcut.’

Like consuming a Treasure Medicine such as the Blood Ganoderma.

Shi An had eaten a little before, and waves of warmth had spread through his body. He figured that if he ate the entire Blood Ganoderma, his physical fitness would improve significantly.

...

During the day, Shi An spent the morning pursuing his studies at Baijiang University. In the afternoon, Old Song took him on a trip to the Extreme Intent Martial Arts Hall.

Shi An was a bit surprised. Compared to the ’Countermeasures Bureau’ and the ’Wizard’s House’, which were hidden beneath the surface, the Extreme Intent Martial Arts Hall existed openly in the world of ordinary people.

But he understood why after stepping inside.

On the surface, the Extreme Intent Martial Arts Hall was just an ordinary martial arts hall—well, not entirely ordinary. The hall’s founder, ’Zhu Chenying’, was a nationally renowned Martial Arts Grandmaster.

After becoming famous, Hall Master Zhu had resolutely returned to his hometown, founded the Extreme Intent Martial Arts Hall to teach martial arts, and taken on several True Disciples.

Of course, this was the version of the story known to ordinary people.

Shi An didn’t know what the real truth was within the circle of Dream Descenders.

He only knew one thing—the Extreme Intent Martial Arts Hall was a top-tier major power in Baijiang City, a major power of Dream Descenders.

Its Hall Master, Zhu Chenying, was one of the strongest Dream Descenders in all of Baijiang.

How strong, exactly?

Shi An didn’t know.

Never mind him; even Profound Sword or a Captain Level expert from the Countermeasures Bureau probably wouldn’t know for sure.

After all, big shots of that level almost never made a move in the real world. And in the Nightmare World? It was impossible for an Ordinary Dream Descender to be matched into the same world as such a top-tier expert.

’Could Hall Master Zhu Chenying be the man with eyes like an eagle that I saw in the memory fragment?’

Thanks to Hall Master Zhu’s fame, business at the Extreme Intent Martial Arts Hall in Baijiang was quite booming.

Old Song explained, "The Countermeasures Bureau has a deep partnership with the Extreme Intent Martial Arts Hall. Ordinary agents like us, both before and after joining, all come here to learn a few real skills."

"Of course, it’s mainly for learning how to run away, you know?"

Shi An understood, of course. "Running away" didn’t literally mean just fleeing. But if you had agile footwork, a stable stance, quick reflexes, and long-lasting stamina and endurance, then...

...in the event of a Nightmare-invasion incident, or if you fell into a Nightmare, your survival ability would be leagues ahead of any ordinary person’s.

Old Song lowered his voice. "You know, even the Dream Descenders from the Bureau, a lot of them come here for advanced training. I’ve even heard that sometimes Captain Level big shots come here too."

’That means the teachings at the Extreme Intent Martial Arts Hall are the real deal, perhaps even better than what the Countermeasures Bureau itself has to offer.’

Old Song couldn’t figure it out, but Shi An had a theory.

’Perhaps here, at the Extreme Intent Martial Arts Hall, one can learn Universal Curse Arts!’

The Countermeasures Bureau definitely had its own Curse Art True Inheritance, but maybe it wasn’t as strong as the Extreme Intent Martial Arts Hall’s? Or perhaps the types were different.

He said, "Don’t worry, Brother Song. I’ll study and train hard."

Old Song replied, "Brother An, I can tell just by looking at you that you’re steady and reliable. I’m not worried."

"Not like some newcomers who complain the moment they start training and end up being inconsistent."

"You can slack off at a regular job, but this training... it’s about your own life."

"I probably don’t have the ’aptitude’ to be entangled by Nightmares myself. I can’t say if that’s lucky or unlucky. But you, Brother An, you’ve already encountered a Nightmare invasion. Your affinity with Nightmares might not be low. You have to be careful about the Fallen Dream..."

Old Song’s expression was complicated.

He both regretted not having the aptitude for the Fallen Dream and felt fortunate that he didn’t have to live in constant fear.

Shi An was indeed steady, brave, and decisive. During the Nightmare invasion, he had accomplished things many Dream Descenders could not.

However, Song Qiming knew that for a Dream Descender, the most important thing wasn’t wisdom, courage, or strength.

It was...

Luck!

’Does Shi An have the luck to survive?’

...

Shi An’s training was in the same area as Old Song’s.

They had been sent over by the Countermeasures Bureau, so they could use the training equipment here freely and receive free instruction from the masters.

But to be blunt, they were not much different from the ordinary students who paid tuition to study at the Martial Arts Hall.

This training hall wasn’t some kind of restricted inner area.

But,

’If a Dream Descender came here to cultivate, they would go to the inner area—the inner hall, right?’

Shi An looked into the distance.

He knew that further back from this hall was the area where Dream Descenders cultivated. It wasn’t just for personnel from the Countermeasures Bureau; he had heard that civilian Dream Descenders could also come to the Martial Arts Hall for advanced training if they wished, and the fees were by no means expensive.

Shi An was a little curious.

’What do Dream Descenders learn?’

’Ordinary Dream Descenders can’t learn Curse Power and Curse Arts, but what they learn must be different from what we normal people do, right?’

Just then, at another entrance to the Martial Arts Hall, Lu Fan and Old Cai arrived by car.

Old Cai said, "The Extreme Intent Martial Arts Hall has a high-level Curse Object called the Emperor Engine. It has wonderful effects, such as resonating with the heart, strengthening hematopoiesis, and more."

"Relying on this Curse Object, Hall Master Zhu built the Emperor’s Cultivation Field, which is exactly where we’re headed."

"The effects of tempering your physical body there are extraordinary. It’s just... a little bit tough."

Old Cai made a small gesture with his fingers.

Lu Fan was full of confidence. "It’s just a little tough? No problem!"

Due to confidentiality clauses and other factors, he couldn’t tell his good friend about the Dream Curse Object, but...

’...once I master these ’Martial Arts’, I can still show off to my buddy and act cool, right?’

The moment he thought of this, Lu Fan was filled with motivation.

...

It was already seven o’clock when Shi An got home.

He was filled with anticipation.

The upgrade and renovation of his Safe Zone were nearing completion.

Finally,

DING~!

[Notice: Safe Zone upgrade complete. Current Level: Level 2.]

[Notice: Employee recruitment and contract slots +1. Buildable area expansion +1.]

[Notice: The Safe Zone’s main area has expanded.]

[Notice: New Curse Object containment area added.]

[Notice: The number of Nightmare Worlds the Safe Zone can connect to simultaneously has increased to 3.]

A series of dings echoed in his ears.

It was just like a game that had just been updated, with red notification dots popping up nonstop.

But...

...every single notification from the Safe Zone represented a substantial improvement, a tangible benefit!

"There are so many!"

Shi An couldn’t help but feel excited.

He lay down, and with a thought, his consciousness plunged into the deep Sea of Nightmares.

But this time was different. He no longer just passed through the vast gray fog and endless tides. Instead...

WHOOSH!

Shi An’s consciousness seemed to exist on a higher dimension, looking down upon the vast expanse below.

There, one Nightmare World after another, like pieces of a jigsaw puzzle, were irregularly but tightly fitted together, forming an even larger regional map.

A dormitory, a hospital, a dense forest, a tunnel, a bus shelter, an Ancient Village...

Many of the scenes were vastly different, yet they were pressed tightly against one another.

You could crawl into a sewer entrance in an alley behind the bus shelter and, in the next moment, find yourself in a gloomy Ancient Village.

These Nightmare scenes seemed to be constantly changing, yet their foundations appeared to be immutable.

Shi An quickly scanned the area, memorizing the places that looked particularly strange.

The next moment,

His consciousness began to sink.

It sank into the shallow layer of the Nightmares, into the middle of these dozens of Nightmare Areas... into the Safe Zone that seemed to be both everywhere and nowhere at once.