There were depressions in the ground that looked like remnants of a battle.

Looking closely Feng Wu guessed they were created with some kind strong acid.

She wrinkled her brow as she balanced herself on the uneven ground and pulled out her map.

Little did she know something extraordinary was happening in the outside world.

Zhongyong was a beautiful prosperous city.

The skies were clear with cloudy days a rarity.

However on this day the clouds rolled in black and dense, swirling ominously with lightning flashing through the layers.

It was as though Judgement Day was approaching, leaving people feeling frightened and hopeless.

“What’s going on? Don’t tell me the Demon race is going to appear again!” A resident stood looking at the sky when suddenly the swirling clouds formed into a dark whirlpool, almost like a tornado.

The residents became even more restless as they talked with each other.

“No, that’s unlikely.

The convention between the three kingdoms have restrictions against that.

The Demon race can’t enter without permission from the Demon Lord.

There’s no other way for demons to enter the human world.” “Oh you don’t know.

I heard there are a lot of cracks in the spaces between the kingdoms.

And a lot of lesser demons are sneaking in through there.

This vortex in the sky is so weird.

It’s definitely a precursor to an incursion.” Someone muttered as he patted his chest.

“You think too much.

Even if there are demons trying to sneak in through the cracks, which demon would be stupid enough to do it in Zhongyong? Wouldn’t that just be committing suicide?” This person disagreed with the second man.

Many people nodded their heads listening in on the conversation, after all the most powerful people gathered in Zhongyong.

With the exception of the Demon King, no demon would dare enter, and that included those of the demon nobility.

Their fears calmed down and only curiosity remained.

Such a huge amount of energy coalescing..

.who or what could it be? The residents weren’t the only ones wondering.

Other major forces in the city had already taken appropriate measures out of caution.

“The aura is getting more powerful.

Should we stop it?” asked the dark-haired man, the sky reflecting in his eyes created an unusual luminescence.

A flicker of something flashed in those beautiful crystal-like eyes before disappearing as quickly as it came.

After a moment of thought, the golden-haired man lightly shook his head.

“No.

We do not need to.

It seems to be a heavenly artifact and not a seal.

Since it has already come to this world then it surely has its own desires.

It will find the one most suitable to be its master.” “True.” The dark-haired one nodded his head in agreement.

With the decision made the two sipped their fragrant tea while watching the changes in the sky.

The density of the clouds kept increasing until finally a thick bolt of lightning flashed and cut through the vortex of clouds.

After breaking through the clouds the light seemed to hover with uncertainty in the air.

Finally it seemed to make a decision, choosing a direction and suddenly disappearing.

“That aura, it was definitely an artifact!” one man exclaimed.

“Yes! I saw it too! Based on its aura, it has to be an artifact,” spoke the person next to him.

“I couldn’t tell if it was a staff or a sword.

I’m a swordsman.

If it’s a sword, I hope the sword will recognize me.

I would definitely become a peerless sword master, my future bright!” A young swordsman dreamily looked after the streak of silvery light.

His words broke the spell of awe everyone was under and an immediate uproar swelled up from the crowd outside.

Everyone gave chase with hope in their heart.

Everyone’s thoughts ran along the same lines: First find the artifact, worry about getting its recognition later.

With it, surely even godhood was possible! These thoughts swirling around made everyone restless; the entire city was humming with energy.

Meanwhile… The three teachers watching the entrance to the virtual world were completely unaware of recent events.

They were preoccupied with watching the examinees through the viewing mirror.

This year’s candidates weren’t the best quality, but they weren’t bad either.

There were even a few promising talents in the batch who, given training, would surely become a force to be reckoned with.