Free Web NovelChapter 3: First Jianghu
"Today, humanity had another successful Awakening Day. A total of 42,781 individuals across Earth successfully awakened a Class, with 9,214 Rare Classes and 38 Legendary Classes confirmed by the global registry."
"Based on the rules of the Hunters Protocol, the use of cameras and live streaming is prohibited, thus those who awakened Rare and Legendary Classes will remain undisclosed worldwide."
"This is seen as one of the highest— grrr skrrr... djfsjsj..."
The television in Rohan’s room started glitching, blurring the face of the journalist on CGN News.
Rohan sighed and walked toward the curtained window as it blew open. Outside, it was already getting dark and chilly, signaling that heavy rain was approaching.
Rohan’s room was small and simple, built inside one of the older residential blocks of the city that had been partially upgraded after the first wave of the Awakening Era. A single bed sat against the left wall with a thin gray blanket folded neatly over it, while a narrow desk occupied the corner beneath a dim ceiling light.
A few basic items were scattered across the desk, including his academy ID card, a cheap wrist device, a half-empty water bottle, and his phone. The walls were plain and slightly worn, with faint cracks near the window frame that let in a thin draft whenever the wind outside picked up, and the only decoration in the room was a small notice board with old school schedules pinned unevenly across it. There were two doors in the room, one leading outside and the other leading to the bathroom and toilet.
Rohan moved here two years ago after gaining freedom from the orphanage that raised him. He had no idea who his parents were, only that he had grown up under the system until he was old enough to live on his own. He never really spent time thinking about it deeply, because there was always something more immediate to focus on in his daily life.
Staring at the television one more time, Rohan turned away and made his way into the bathroom.
After a bath, he ate a simple meal and waited until 12 a.m. for the System to send him to the Frontier Realm.
After awakening, Hunters are allowed to choose the Region they want to anchor to at Level One and will be sent there immediately. Once they level up, they are given another chance to change their Region.
Choosing a Region does not mean they cannot visit other Regions. It only means that will be their default return point whenever they enter the Frontier Realm. It was simply an anchor gateway to the Frontier Realm.
But still, one had to be careful when choosing a Region. Each Region was either still unclaimed by Hunter civilization or already controlled by powerful Guilds, and that difference alone could shape a Hunter’s entire future.
Soon, the power went out across the whole city.
"Shit." Rohan clicked his tongue and turned on the flashlight of his phone.
When it was finally midnight, the translucent image appeared before him again.
[Preparing Hunter’s Frontier Realm Title]
[Title Ready]
[You’ve earned a title: Scion Of Infinity]
[Checking Eligibility for Frontier Realm Entry]
[Eligible]
[Scanning Available Regions]
[Regions in Frontier Realm]
[Note: You won’t be able to change Regions until you level up. You can always leave the Realm through another Region if the Gatekeeper of your Region has an Anchor in that specific Region.]
[Regions Fully Generated]
[Available Regions Detected]
[Claimed] Eclipsed Dominion
[Claimed] First Jianghu
[Claimed] Azure Bastion
[Claimed] Silver Citadel
[Claimed] Verdant Crown
[Claimed] Red Mountain
[Claimed] Obsidian Throne
[Claimed] Astral Haven
[Claimed] Hollow Dominion
[Claimed] White Heavens
[Unclaimed] Black Sun Expanse
[Unclaimed] Wailing Depths
[Unclaimed] Broken Zenith
[Unclaimed] Drowned City
[Unclaimed] Forsaken Reach
"So out of fifteen, humanity had claimed ten? Cool."
Of course, Rohan had nothing to think about. He and Mia had planned this two weeks ago. After much consideration, they decided to go for First Jianghu.
Since that was where most newly awakened Hunters went, it had all the fundamentals and rudimentary teachings about martial arts and fighting. And if there was anything newly awakened Hunters needed to work on, it was their fighting skills.
It also wasn’t crowded with influential people since it belonged to a guild owned by the government, meaning it was structured more for training and stabilization than politics or corporate control.
That was exactly why they chose it.
Private guild-controlled regions usually came with hidden conditions, contracts, and silent ownership chains that turned new Hunters into long-term assets before they even understood their value.
Claimed elite regions like Silver Citadel or Azure Bastion were worse in a different way, because there, reputation mattered more than strength at the start, and without backing, a newly awakened Hunter could easily get filtered out before they even had time to grow.
First Jianghu didn’t carry that sort of mentality. It was still claimed but not corrupted by heavy influence layers.
For someone like Rohan, who didn’t even fully understand the structure of his own Class yet, that kind of environment mattered more than prestige.
He stared at the floating System panel for a moment longer, the names of the Regions still glowing faintly in front of him, as if waiting for him to hesitate and change his mind. But there was no hesitation. The decision had already been made long before the System even asked.
Rohan exhaled once, then focused on the selection.
[First Jianghu]
As thunder rumbled in the sky, Rohan slowly turned into tiny golden specks and disappeared.
The room was left empty with the television still turned on, still glitching, showing the same channel from five hours ago.
"Breaking news! Govrrrjsshdsent rrss ssss ass. For now, ssss entry."
As the news continued, Rohan’s phone turned on, showing a notification message from Mia.
"Hey, Rohan. Change of plans."
Then it started ringing, showing "Mia Grumpy" on the caller ID.
---
Majestic and ethereal, a grand, ancient palace complex perched precariously atop a soaring mountain plateau, isolated high above a swirling, endless sea of white mists and clouds.
Where jagged, lonesome peaks pierced the heavens—dwarfing the lesser mountains beneath them—a brilliant, warm sunlight bathed the sweeping, red-roofed structures in a divine, golden radiance.
Clinging stubbornly to the edge of the precipices, a network of grand stone bridges and winding pathways spanned immense chasms, crossing over rushing waterfalls that cascaded down into the boundless, fog-filled abyss below.
On one side, opulent pavilions and sprawling training courtyards stood as proud testaments to centuries of martial arts mastery and the ones who had lived here thousands of years ago. On the other, the silent black sea of clouds served as a reminder of the sheer drop awaiting anyone careless enough to misstep.
Here, the crisp mountain winds swept through verdant pine forests and ancient stone arches.
When the First Pavilion Guild first anchored humanity here, it had been a wild, untamed wilderness of jagged peaks and perilous cliffs that had been abandoned for centuries. Over years of recivilization, human architecture, and the steady influx of thousands of newly awakened Hunters, it had evolved into a breathtaking fusion of ancient tradition and monumental scale.
The Region spanned more than a thousand kilometers across the mountain ranges, with countless peaks, valleys, rivers, and hidden settlements spread throughout its vast territory.
At its center stood the First Pavilion, the headquarters of the guild that governed the Region and the very place from which First Jianghu earned its name. The colossal structure sat upon the highest mountain in the entire Region, overlooking every major settlement below like an ancient emperor watching over his domain.
Surrounding the First Pavilion were dozens of lesser mountain sects, martial academies, training compounds, marketplaces, and Hunter settlements established over the years. Some focused on swordsmanship. Others specialized in spears, archery, movement techniques, survival training, or monster hunting.
For newly awakened Hunters, First Jianghu was less a city and more an enormous training ground.
It was humanity’s largest martial education hub inside the Frontier Realm.
At that moment, countless pillars of light descended throughout the Region.
New Hunters were arriving.
One of those pillars appeared inside a massive stone plaza near the foot of one of the larger mountains.
The plaza alone could accommodate tens of thousands of people and was surrounded by towering stone pillars engraved with ancient scriptures.
As the golden light faded, Rohan slowly opened his eyes.
The first thing he felt was the air.
Every breath felt strangely invigorating, as though the air itself carried some unknown energy.
The second thing he noticed was the noise.
Thousands of voices. People were everywhere.
Hunters from different countries, backgrounds, and ages stood across the enormous plaza, many still staring around in disbelief after their first transportation into the Frontier Realm.
"So this is First Jianghu..."
Rohan looked around quietly.
The scenery was far beyond what any documentary or academy lesson could accurately describe.
The mountains alone seemed unreal.
Each one rose high above the clouds, their peaks disappearing into the heavens.
Massive waterfalls flowed between distant cliffs, while enormous stone bridges connected mountains that should have been impossible to reach.
For a brief moment, even he found himself staring.
Then his attention shifted.
Above every person’s head floated a translucent panel visible only through the System.
[Hunter Lv.1]
[Hunter Lv.1]
[Hunter Lv.1]
Everywhere he looked, the same thing appeared.
Level One. They were fresh awakeners just like him. A few moments later, another notification appeared before everyone simultaneously.
[Ding!]
[Welcome to First Jianghu.]
[Humanity’s Primary Martial Foundation Region.]
[Current Population: 17,482,114]
[New Hunter Registration Area Detected.]
[Proceed toward Registration Hall.]
[Failure to register within twenty-four hours will result in temporary access restrictions.]
Immediately, movement began throughout the plaza.
Thousands started heading toward the enormous staircase leading deeper into the settlement.
Rohan followed, prepared to register, deciding he would look for Mia after registration.
The registration was a simple process. The newly awakened were escorted by older Hunters to a large hall in the palace. They were each given new clothes to change into. It was blue leather armor with a black sash at the waist and black leather boots.
Then they were escorted to a large hall where they took their seats on mats facing a large podium.
Soon a man stood on the stage and started addressing the audience.
"Greetings, newly awakened." The man’s voice effortlessly spread through the enormous hall.
The conversations gradually died down.
Rohan lifted his head toward the podium with a calm expression.
The speaker appeared to be in his late thirties. He wore white leather armor reinforced with dark metal plates around the shoulders and forearms. A black headband kept his long hair tied behind his back. freeweɓnøvel.com
Above his head floated a translucent System panel.
[Level 5 Hunter]
A ripple spread throughout the hall. Many of the newly awakened stared in shock.
’Level Five,’ Rohan muttered inwardly.
For most people present, it was the highest-ranked Hunter they had ever seen in person.
The man waited until the room settled before continuing.
"My name is Han Jisung. I am an instructor of the First Pavilion Guild and one of the officials responsible for receiving new Hunters entering First Jianghu."
His gaze swept across the thousands seated before him.
"I can already tell what most of you are thinking."
A few people exchanged nervous looks.
"Some of you are excited. Some of you are scared. Some of you think awakening has guaranteed your future."
A faint smile appeared on his face.
"It hasn’t," he said bluntly.
"Awakening only grants opportunity. What you become from this point onward depends entirely on your own choices."
Han Jisung folded his arms behind his back.
"Many of you are already wondering how strong a Level Five Hunter is." The instructor chuckled.
"Good. Curiosity is healthy. Then let me answer your question."
He raised a hand, and a sword suddenly coalesced from golden specks within his grasp.
It was a normal boon assigned to all Hunters, but it still felt cool seeing it for the first time and not on television or phones.
"This." He casually pointed the blade toward one of the enormous stone pillars supporting the hall.
A faint silver light gathered around the weapon, then he swung, and a blade of compressed force shot across the hall.
The pillar trembled violently.
A deep slash several meters long appeared across its surface. Dust and fragments of stone rained onto the floor.
The entire hall froze.
Han Jisung lowered his sword.
"This is the difference between a newly awakened Hunter and a Level Five Hunter." The instructor’s calm voice echoed through the hall.
"In First Jianghu, Levels are not numbers. They are walls. Every Level is a barrier that countless Hunters fail to cross."
His eyes hardened slightly.
"You are all Level One Hunters. To ordinary humans, that already makes you extraordinary. But within the Frontier Realm?"
He shook his head. "You are beginners."
"Over the next few months, you will learn combat, survival, monster hunting, fighting methods, weapon mastery, and the basic laws that govern this Region."
"Some of you will become strong. Some of you will quit. Some of you will die."
The last sentence caused the hall to become deathly quiet.
Han Jisung showed no sign of joking.
"That is why First Jianghu exists."
"To make sure as many of you survive long enough to reach Level Two as possible."
