Chapter 1: In a Brutal Fantasy World, My Comprehension Is Maxed Out

Eastern Region.

Sword Demon Sect.

A dense crowd had gathered at the Outer Sect Plaza.

Most of them wore expressions of sheer terror.

"Where is this place? Why was I brought here?"

"How dare you kidnap me — do you know who my father is?"

"Why are there so many people here?"

The scene was chaotic and disorderly, with people shouting all manner of things.

Then, at that moment —

A cold snort rang out.

"All of you, shut up!!"

At the same time, a bone-chilling pressure swept across the entire plaza, nearly suffocating everyone present.

As the voice faded, a middle-aged man in blue robes stepped up onto the high platform and looked down upon the crowd below as though they were nothing but ants.

His gaze was razor-sharp, and not a single person dared to meet his eyes.

"This is Sword Demon Sect. If you want to stay alive, behave yourselves."

He spoke again.

But the moment those words left his mouth —

The nearly ten thousand ordinary people gathered below were left utterly dumbstruck.

"Sword Demon Sect?! Isn't that the Demon Sect that does all sorts of evil?"

"It's over! It's all over — am I really going to die so young?"

"They're not planning to use us for some wicked cultivation technique, are they?!"

"Damn it, my luck is absolutely terrible."

"Run!! Get out of here, now!!"

"Right, I have to escape this place."

Some people collapsed to the ground in despair, while others turned and bolted for the exit.

Yet the middle-aged man on the platform showed not the slightest change in expression.

He merely raised his left hand and gave a casual wave.

Dozens of streaks of Sword Qi burst forth.

Thwip, thwip, thwip…

Every single person who had tried to flee was struck with pinpoint precision.

They didn't even manage to cry out before they crumpled to the ground, dead on the spot.

Hiss—

The rest of the crowd witnessed this.

The plaza fell utterly silent.

No one even dared to breathe too loudly.

"I said — if you want to live, behave. It seems you're all much more obedient now. Heh heh." The middle-aged man let out a cold laugh.

No one dared to respond.

"I know each and every one of you is confused about why you were brought here. But that doesn't matter."

"What matters is that this is a Fortuitous Encounter for all of you."

"Next, no one is to resist. I will conduct an aptitude assessment on all of you."

"Regardless of your aptitude, Sword Demon Sect will treat you well."

With those words said —

The middle-aged man waved his left hand once more.

Nearly ten thousand beams of white light scattered from his hand and surged into the crowd.

This sent the crowd into a panic once again.

They had feared the man was about to unleash a massacre.

But the white lights did not harm them — they simply adhered to each person's body.

Those white lights were… Jade Talismans.

Once a Jade Talisman attached itself to someone, it began to change color.

Some people's Jade Talismans turned a pale red, others a deep red, some a light yellow, or a brownish-yellow, and so on.

What was going on??

The faces of nearly ten thousand people were filled with panic, fear, and confusion.

The name "Sword Demon Sect" had instilled a terror far too powerful in them.

But among all these people, there was one young man whose eyes were different from the rest.

He was a fair-skinned youth with refined, handsome features.

He stared at the Jade Talisman stuck to his body, then at the middle-aged man on the platform, his eyes flickering with a brilliant, burning light.

"So this is cultivation?!"

His name was Lin Xiao.

Just one month ago, he had transmigrated into this world.

Unlike the typical transmigration stories that were popular back home —

He hadn't been reincarnated, nor had he taken over someone else's body.

Instead, his original self had been swallowed by a beam of golden light and deposited directly into this world.

He hadn't awakened any of those flashy, overpowered Systems. He had only gained a single talent.

Max-Level Comprehension.

Because of this, he had spent the past month searching everywhere for a cultivation sect to join, eager to experience the full power of his golden finger.

But with no background and no knowledge of this world, after running into walls several times and nearly being tricked by human traffickers —

Lin Xiao had decided to calm down and take things one step at a time.

This world was no peaceful era. Here, a single disagreement could end in murder and plunder.

It was a world where the strong ruled and fists were the only law.

Yet what Lin Xiao hadn't expected was —

Just as he had resolved to take a steady, methodical approach and begin his inspiring journey from mortal to immortal —

He had inexplicably passed out.

When he came to, he found himself here alongside nearly ten thousand others, inside Sword Demon Sect.

The name "Sword Demon Sect" alone made it clear this was no righteous faction.

And the middle-aged man's earlier killing without a moment's hesitation had made that even clearer.

All of this told Lin Xiao that this was not a place to linger.

But regardless, he had at least managed to enter a cultivation sect.

Could this be a Fortuitous Encounter in disguise?

"Ha ha ha! There are actually two people with sixth-grade aptitude in this batch — not bad at all!!"

The middle-aged man burst out laughing.

He then tossed two Tokens toward the two individuals whose bodies were glowing green.

"From this day forward, you two are official Outer Sect Disciples of Sword Demon Sect."

The two of them caught the Tokens, their faces flushed with disbelief and then overwhelming joy.

"Th-thank you for your recognition, my lord."

"Thank you, my lord."

The middle-aged man waved his hand. "Just call me Elder Chen."

The two bowed again in gratitude.

Not only were they spared from death, they were now official Outer Sect Disciples of Sword Demon Sect — this was luckier than money falling from the sky.

The others who witnessed this were both stunned and deeply envious.

Sword Demon Sect might be a Demon Sect —

But to become one of its disciples was surely a mark of great fortune, and far, far better than the life of an ordinary person.

Elder Chen turned his gaze to the rest and continued, "Those whose Jade Talismans glow yellow — step forward."

Nearly a thousand people stepped out with anxious hearts.

"Your aptitude is acceptable. You may go to the other main peaks as Servant Disciples — are you willing?" Elder Chen asked.

"We are — we're willing!!" everyone answered immediately.

Though it was phrased as a question —

They had all heard the underlying threat in Elder Chen's tone.

Not willing?

Then you die.

The precedent was still lying on the ground right in front of them.

Serving as Servant Disciples at the main peaks — that was a perfectly fine arrangement.

Elder Chen gave a nod and tossed copper badges toward them.

"Those whose Jade Talismans glow red — step forward," he called out next.

This time, nearly four thousand people emerged from the crowd.

"Your aptitude is ordinary and average. You may serve as Servant Disciples in the outer sect — are you willing?" he asked.

"We are willing!!" The four thousand answered in unison without delay.

Elder Chen tossed a pile of iron badges toward them.

At this point —

There were still people remaining on the plaza.

The Jade Talismans on their bodies had not changed to any color at all — they remained white.

Lin Xiao was one of them.

His expression had turned rather grim.

The Jade Talismans were clearly used to test aptitude.

Different colors represented different levels of aptitude.

So if his hadn't changed color at all — didn't that mean he had no cultivation aptitude whatsoever?!

Damn it.

Surely not.

He was someone with Max-Level Comprehension, after all.

More importantly — to a sect, someone with no aptitude was utterly useless.

Any ordinary sect would simply turn such a person away.

But Sword Demon Sect, being a Demon Sect…

Would they actually let people go?

The thought sent a chill through Lin Xiao's heart.

Should he come clean to Elder Chen about his comprehension talent? At least that way he might not be killed.

But if he did confess — he didn't even dare imagine what consequences might follow.

While Lin Xiao was caught in this dilemma —

Elder Chen looked toward the remaining people, and a faint smile crept onto the corner of his lips.

"The rest of you — come with me."