Guo Xiaoxu bluntly said, “There’s not much I can tell you. Battle Hall is the core of the Tang Sect. Until you join us, everything is classified. What I can tell you, however, is that this world is not fair. Evil lurks in the shadows and there are many problems the Federation can’t handle by itself. The Battle Hall is the one that takes care of those matters. We don’t brag about our exploits. We simply defend the weak and destroy evil. One of our biggest enemies are evil soul masters.”


  A shiver ran down Tang Wulin’s spine as his mind flashed back to Mo Lan in a coma. She was fortunate to have recovered, but would never be able to act as a train conductor anymore due to the lingering effects. Now she resigned herself to working in an office. No matter how many rewards the Federation showered her with, the damage done to her was irreversible.

  Tang Wulin had witnessed with his own eyes just how little regard evil soul masters held for life.

  “I’ll join,” Tang Wulin answered, his thoughts only serving to solidify his decision.

  Throughout its long history, the Tang Sect had always stood on the side of justice. The heroic deeds performed by the Tang Sect was the reason why he originally joined them.

  From Guo Xiaoxu’s vague explanation of the Battle Hall, Tang Wulin had an inkling of what he was signing himself up for, and he was certain this was what he wanted.

  Guo Xiaoxu cracked a satisfied smile. “Welcome. Now that you’re a member, I can tell you more about us. The members of the Battle Hall don’t follow the same ranking system as the rest of the sect. The members of the Battle Hall are called agents. There are four classes of agents: white, yellow, purple, and black. We currently have about two hundred agents. As a new recruit, you’ll start out as a white-class agent. All agents receive a monthly salary of contribution points. That’s how important our work is. The only requirement is that you complete at least three missions a year. For members who also happen to be students like you, only one mission a year is required. Of course, you’ll be rewarded for completing those missions as well.

  “Furthermore, Battle Hall agents enjoy certain privileges other sect members don’t. Don’t let any of this get to your head though. I guarantee you will face danger in your missions. When that happens, prioritize your own safety over the mission’s completion. For the remainder of your time in school, I suggest you schedule to complete a mission over any extended breaks you get. Missions take quite a few days.”


  “Got it,” Tang Wulin said.

  “Now let’s get you registered. Follow me.”


  Tang Wulin followed Guo Xiaoxu to the Tang Sect headquarters, where they entered an area he had never been to before. After passing through numerous scans and inspections, they arrived at an underground space.

  “Here. These are your standard issue agent equipment. Keep in mind that agents work in shadows. The public does not know of us, so whenever you’re on a mission, you must mask your identity and avoid drawing the attention of enemies.”


  Guo Xiaoxu handed Tang Wulin a silver tray. A pristine white robe lay on top, its style reminiscent of the ancient Tang Sect yet the unknown material was stunningly modern. There was also a white cloak and white metal mask that covered the entire face except for two holes for the eyes. The last item on the tray was small pure white medal that seemed to vibrate with energy.

  “This is the white-class agent badge. It’s fine to carry it on you at all times. In fact, I encourage you to do so. You can use it to call for backup anywhere you are. Just press this button on it and any agents within a hundred kilometer radius will rush to help you. The higher ranking members of the Tang Sect will be alerted as well. With that badge, other agents can also call you for help. If you receive a call, then drop whatever you’re doing and rush over to help them.”


  “Understood!” Tang Wulin nodded.

  “You’re an agent now, but due to your young age, you don’t have to take on any missions yet. Just focus on cultivating. In order to become a yellow agent, you need to become a one-word battle armor master and complete ten missions. The monthly allotment of points and missions available also differs between classes of agents. The privileges granted are different too.”


  “Um, General Manager Guo, why do you have so much trust in me? Don’t I need to take a test or something to enter the Battle Hall?” Tang Wulin knew it was important for an organization to have a strict recruitment process.

  Guo Xiaoxu chuckled. “While I am the General Manager of this Tang Sect headquarters, I’m also the Master of the Battle Hall. Your test started the day you joined the Tang Sect. We’ve been observing you these past few years, taking note of your character, actions, and achievements. It’s only now that we decided to invite you. Just take your friends for example. They weren’t invited to join the Battle Hall with you because they don’t have the qualifications yet. In a way, you got in with bonus points.Your heroic actions during the two terrorist incidents tipped the scale in your favour. Sacrificing yourself for the sake of others, even when faced with an impossible enemy, is worthy of praise. You’re right; usually there is a test, but you’re just so outstanding that we can skip that part. Now that you know this, don’t let it get in your head that joining the Battle Hall is easy. You’re just too great.”


  Shock gripped Tang Wulin. He had never expected the Tang Sect to know this much about him.

  “Come, let’s give you a taste of just what the Battle Hall has to offer.” Guo Xiaoxu led Tang Wulin into another room.

  The room rumbled and began descending, revealing itself to be a gigantic elevator. When the elevator stopped, a path opened up and they ventured onward.

  They soon stood before a gigantic sliding bronze door with numerous mysterious symbols carved on it.

  “In the field of space research, our Tang Sect, the Federation, and the Spirit Pagoda each have our own strengths. The Tang Sect specializes in pocket spaces. Go in and search for a space suitable for yourself. The system will tell you how long you have in there. It should be about twelve hours.”


  “Twelve hours?” Tang Wulin did a quick calculation in his head. Twelve hours later would be still be early morning of the next day, so he shouldn’t be late for class in that case. “Okay.”


  Tang Wulin pushed against the heavy door, slowly forcing it open to reveal a portal of shimmery light behind it. A sign above it read ‘Battle Hall’. This was the entrance to the pocket space of the Battle Hall.

  Taking a deep breath in and calming his nerves, Tang Wulin cautiously stepped through the portal.

  The scene before him immediately blurred. Light flashed past his vision, making him feel nausea and battering the shield of spiritual power protecting his mind. A moment later, everything righted itself and he could see his surroundings.

  He stood in a long corridor, indistinguishable from the one before. Taking a look behind him, he saw the portal he had just come out of. It was quietly closing, the last of its shimmering glow disappearing a second later.

  Huh…… I haven’t eaten dinner yet. Tang Wulin pouted. Bah! Whatever. Since I’m here already, I’ll just have to press on. I can endure the hunger tonight.

  The corridor was similar to a cellar, only about five meters wide with doors lining the walls. Tang Wulin continued onward, looking at the signs on each door. The first sign read ‘Hall of Heroes’.

  ‘Hall of Heroes’? Isn’t that where I took my entry test to the Tang Sect? I can enter the Hall of Heroes here? Despite his curiosity, Tang Wulin didn’t immediately go in. He wanted to know all his options before making a choice.

  Walking further, he saw some familiar signs. There was a design room, making room, blacksmithing room, mecha piloting room, a battle armor fusion room, and so on. Eventually, he found a plant-type cultivation room as well. There was a room for every purpose imaginable.

  Is this space used for raising Tang Sect members? I wonder how it compares with the ones at Shrek Academy? In the end, Tang Wulin chose the plant-type cultivation room. Since it was his first time here, he decided to play it safe.