Bai Nian lay on her bed, staring at the golden lightning-shaped mark on the back of her right hand.
It was called the Divine Mark.
Every time a Calamity Gate was sealed, a new mark would appear.
The reason these marks could sometimes serve as symbols of status was that each Divine Mark enhanced the wielder’s own abilities.
Although everyone had awakened their professions, not all could fully control their powers.
Improvement came only through continuously sealing Calamity Gates.
The more Divine Marks one possessed, the greater their mastery over their abilities, and naturally, the stronger their power.
However, this wasn’t always an absolute rule, as professions varied widely between practitioners.
The number of Divine Marks didn’t necessarily reflect a definitive gap in strength.
This was information Bai Nian had just learned from the forum of the Professional Association.
She had to admit, joining the forum was beneficial; at least now, she wasn’t completely in the dark about certain matters.
“There’s a First-Tier Calamity Gate of the Open level out in the wilderness of Tianmu City, just right for me,”
she said, her eyes fixed on the screen, her decision resolute.
Bai Nian immediately sat up from the bed, grabbed a set of sportswear from the cabinet, and got dressed, preparing to head out.
“The only problem is how to leave the city… They probably won’t let someone with a non-combat profession out…”
she sighed, flagging down a taxi by the roadside and instructing the driver to take her to another gathering place for professionals within the city.
This place was different from the official Professional Association; it was a large civilian organization made up entirely of combat professionals.
The organization issued bounties, and these combat professionals were responsible for handling lower-tier Calamity Gates within the alliance.
They worked with another major official organization to maintain security around each city’s outskirts.
Bai Nian arrived in front of a building and looked up at the large characters above the entrance:
Hunter Guild Tianmu City Branch.
Compared to the Professional Association, there were far fewer people here, and the branch itself was just a modest six-story building.
But that was normal, considering combat professions were a small minority.
She came here hoping to try her luck.
Most Hunter Guild tasks involving Calamity Gate sealing were done in squads.
If she could join one, she’d have a legitimate reason to leave the city.
The Hunter Guild’s hall was spacious, with display screens placed at regular intervals, showing information about Calamity Gates, squad details, and more.
At the very center, above the main area, a massive four-sided screen displayed aggregated information.
All Calamity Gates here were coded with aliases for easier distinction.
Below the screen was the Guidance Desk.
Bai Nian walked up to it, where a young female guide politely greeted her.
“Hello, what mission are you here to accept?”
“Tianmu 0107,”
Bai Nian replied, glancing at the screen above.
‘01’ represented First-Tier, and ‘07’ meant the seventh First-Tier Gate in Tianmu’s jurisdiction.
“Are you joining as a squad or solo?”
the guide asked.
“Solo.”
“All right, I’ll check for you.”
She began typing to search for squad information.
After a moment, she said again, “I found a squad with fewer than three members recruiting. I’ve already notified the leader. You can contact them shortly.”
“Okay, thank you.”
After registering her phone number, Bai Nian turned and headed towards the internal lounge.
Not long after, she received a call from an unknown number.
“Hello, are you here to join the team for First-Tier Gate Seven?”
a steady male voice asked over the phone.
“Yes,”
Bai Nian answered.
“Please wait a moment. We’ll be there soon to discuss the details.”
The caller hung up quickly after saying this.
Bai Nian also saw the squad info on the screen: it had been created that very morning.
The other party couldn’t have been waiting at the Hunter Guild all day.
Soon, the lounge door was pushed open, and three figures entered.
The leader was a rugged man wearing a black vest, his dark skin revealing a set of solid muscles; behind him were a man and a woman — one dressed provocatively with heavy makeup, the other wearing glasses and looking scholarly.
All three appeared to be about the same age, and Bai Nian guessed they were all under thirty.
“Who’s here to join the squad for Gate Seven?”
the leader shouted.
Bai Nian immediately stood up, but the bespectacled man blurted out, “Are you from the Bai family?”
“No,”
she shook her head.
The muscular leader didn’t seem to mind and said, “Follow me.”
They walked into a private room inside the lounge, where he introduced himself first.
“My name’s Zhang Kun, I’m the squad leader. Judging by you, you must be a student, just graduated? Tell me your profession.”
“My profession is Hypnotist,”
Bai Nian replied, deliberately leaving out her profession tier, as Yellow-tier didn’t include combat professions.
Hearing this, all three showed a flicker of surprise.
The woman was the first to speak.
“Little girl, that’s a life profession, right? The gate is very dangerous, it’s not a game.”
After all, Bai Nian looked like a student, and those combat professionals should have been at university.
“This is actually a support profession. And yes, I just graduated. I didn’t attend university because I’m an orphan and can’t afford the tuition,”
Bai Nian began to speak seriously but fabricated a story.
She had talent now and wasn’t afraid of being exposed; after all, only the officials had the authority to check anyone’s records.
Still, the three looked uneasy—not because they doubted her ability, but because they didn’t want to see her die inside the gate.
“Captain, there’s already a support in our squad,”
the woman said again, carefully hinting to Zhang Kun to reject Bai Nian.
Bai Nian could tell what they meant.
Although it was for her own good, she had no choice but to go.
“I have experience,”
Bai Nian said firmly.
Words were easy, but passing a Calamity Gate didn’t leave a mark on the face.
But sealing one did.
She stretched out her arm, turning her hand back toward the three of them.
Instantly, a golden pattern appeared.
“A Divine Mark?!”
they exclaimed in surprise.
The difficulty of sealing was far greater than just passing through.
And sealing a Zero-Tier Gate didn’t grant a Divine Mark.
This meant the girl in front of them had at least sealed a First-Tier Gate!
A smile appeared on Zhang Kun’s face.
“Not bad!”
He reached out to pat her shoulder in encouragement but quickly withdrew his hand, realizing she was a girl and awkwardly scratched his head.
Zhang Kun glanced at his two teammates behind him.
“No problem now, right? I’m too lazy to wait for another person. It’s just a solo First-Tier Gate.”
The two nodded silently.
Given that she had sealed a First-Tier Gate, it wasn’t an exaggeration to say she wasn’t much weaker than them.
Keep in mind, the girl in front of them had just graduated, while they were seasoned hunters with five or six years of experience!