Chapter Twenty-Five: The Emerald Marsh and Bamboo Sea

Tang Tian’s expression was solemn as he struck the stone before him with a single punch.

Bang!

The stone shuddered, breaking apart into countless tiny pebbles—each one the size of a chestnut, uniform in shape. Unlike the irregular rubble produced by the others’ shattering punches, the surface of these pebbles was smooth, as if sliced by a blade.

“Incredible! Who would have guessed? This kid’s a genius!”

“To endure such hardship, he must be a genius!”

“Old Wei really lucked out this time!”

…

The quarry workers around them exclaimed in amazement. Though Tang Tian’s punch could only shatter a stone slightly larger than his fist, that was merely due to his weak true force. His mastery of the Small Shattering Punch had reached an impressively refined level.

“Excellent!” Stone Face smiled at Tang Tian. “Small Shattering Punch only has three stages, but its power is quite impressive. You’ll soon discover that many martial arts depend on shattering force. If you fully grasp its essence, learning higher-level techniques in the future will be much easier. Watch closely!”

He walked to a massive granite slab, taller than two men. Setting his stance, lowering his waist and drawing his fist to his side, Stone Face’s expression grew solemn.

With a sharp exhale and a shout, he punched with his right fist!

Thud!

Contrary to Tang Tian’s expectations, the seemingly fierce punch landed on the hard granite with only a faint, almost imperceptible sound.

The boulder didn’t budge.

What was this…?

Tang Tian was puzzled. Just then, an astonishing sight unfolded—the two-men-tall granite suddenly collapsed like an avalanche, shattering into countless tiny fragments, tumbling down with a cloud of dust.

A burly man nearby raised his palm, sweeping the dust aside with a gust of wind.

A small mountain of rubble appeared before Tang Tian.

He stared at the pile, stunned and deeply shaken. If that punch landed on a person, how terrifying would it be?

Stone Face, fearing Tang Tian would be discouraged, comforted him, “I’ve trained shattering force for over ten years. If you keep working at it, you’ll surely surpass me one day.”

Tang Tian leaped to Stone Face’s side, his young face full of reverence and eyes shining like stars. “Big Brother Stone, teach me! Teach me!”

Stone Face chuckled helplessly, “I’m not good with words. You just need to stay here for ten years, breaking stones every day, and you’ll definitely be better than me.”

Tang Tian scratched his head, “That won’t work. I have to find Qianhui.”

But then he raised his fist, earnest and determined. “Don’t worry, Big Brother Stone! I’ll surpass you someday!”

The crowd burst into hearty laughter at Tang Tian’s antics.

Stone Face, however, did not laugh. He placed his large, fan-like hand gently on Tang Tian’s head and said sincerely, “I believe in you.”

All laughter ceased abruptly. The others looked at Stone Face in surprise.

He offered no explanation, only smiled warmly, encouraging, “Go for it, boy—like a god among youths!”

Tang Tian raised his arms high, shouting in delight, “Wow! Like a god among youths—charge, charge, charge!”

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Amory wielded a heavy iron blade, its surface shimmering with a faint blade aura. Muscles bulged across his body, his eyes wide with intensity.

He lifted and struck—the earth-colored blade aura flashed and vanished.

The blade sank into the stone.

Again he lifted, again he struck, the earth-colored aura flickering once more.

Amory’s expression was focused; the iron blade in his hand moved with resolute precision. After several strokes, a perfectly square stone brick lay before the crowd.

“Hmm, that’s acceptable.” Stone Face inspected the brick, his face showing satisfaction.

“Hooray!” Tang Tian jumped, cheering with raised arms.

Amory grinned foolishly. These days, he had suffered plenty—the iron blade cutting stone bricks seemed simple, but was anything but. The quarry demanded high precision for its bricks, and thus great skill with the blade.

At first, Amory struggled. Training with the blade never required such exactness, and granite’s hardness meant he had to infuse his true force to cut it, demanding impressive control.

Through this training, he could feel his blade skills improving noticeably.

The burly men at the quarry had grown fond of the two young lads, applauding and even whistling.

Old Wei appeared from nowhere.

“Well, boys, looks like you’ve done a fine job.”

Old Wei was all smiles, the others greeting him warmly.

Stone Face turned to Old Wei, “Still lacking refinement, but they pass. These lads are tough—Old Wei, you’ve found yourself some treasures!”

Old Wei’s wrinkled face stretched into a proud grin. “Jealous, aren’t you? Come on, boys, your special training is complete.”

Special training…?

Tang Tian and Amory exchanged glances. Was there more special training ahead?

“If they could train for another half a year, their progress would be even greater,” Stone Face lamented.

“Time’s short,” Old Wei replied, helpless. “The martial tournament is about to start, and these two still have more special training to go. They’ll have to work on their own after this. They’ve got the basics down.”

Stone Face nodded. “You’re right.”

He turned to Tang Tian. “Little Tian, remember—the ultimate move of the Small Shattering Punch is called ‘Avalanche’.”

Tang Tian nodded earnestly. “Big Brother Stone, I’ll master it!”

Stone Face smiled, then signaled behind him. A sturdy man brought two battered wooden chests, grinning as he set them before the pair.

Inside one chest was a pair of black metal gauntlets; in the other, a black long blade.

“These are gifts for you two. I hope you like them,” Stone Face said, handing the gauntlets and blade over.

As soon as Tang Tian took the gauntlets, his hands dropped involuntarily—they were heavy! Though plain in appearance, the black gauntlets weighed more than thirty pounds, astonishing Tang Tian. He tried them on, surprised at how perfectly they fit his hands despite their weight.

Every finger joint was flexible, not impeding movement in the slightest.

Amory caressed the black blade, unable to part with it. Having studied blade techniques for years, he could tell at a glance that this blade was crafted superbly.

Old Wei muttered, “You’ve struck it rich! These are both black iron weapons from the Star Forge constellation!”

“Star Forge?” Tang Tian asked curiously.

“A distant constellation, renowned for its fine weapons. Don’t lose them—you can’t buy these here,” Old Wei warned, eyes wide.

“Are they very valuable?” Amory asked timidly, clutching the black iron blade tightly.

“Haha!” Stone Face laughed heartily. “Leaving them here is a waste. Don’t worry, brothers—they’d only gather dust. I doubt they’d be content lying dormant.”

Tang Tian and Amory half-understood, sensing a deep, wistful note in Stone Face’s words.

Old Wei was silent.

Stone Face waved, “Go on, don’t waste time. Come visit when you can.”

Though only a few weeks had passed, everyone had grown close.

Under Old Wei’s urging, they reluctantly left the quarry.

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“Hey, old man—what’s Big Brother Stone’s background anyway? He always seems so impressive.”

On the road, Tang Tian couldn’t help but ask Old Wei.

Old Wei glared at him. “Why do kids always ask so many questions?”

Tang Tian glared back. “Old man, who are you calling a kid?”

Amory raised his hand from the side, “Old man, I can attest—Tang’s backside isn’t small at all.”

Backside… Something didn’t sound quite right…

Tang Tian scratched his head.

Old Wei suddenly sighed, “Remember, they are people worthy of respect. This world is full of treacherous, wicked individuals, but some always hold fast to their beliefs and vows. Such people deserve respect.”

Tang Tian half-understood, but unconsciously stroked the cold, hard gauntlets—they felt reliable.

“Hey, old man, what’s our next special training?” Tang Tian asked.

“You’ll find out soon enough,” Old Wei replied without turning.

Soon, they arrived at a mine, and Amory was dropped off.

“Amory, your blade skills are already impressive for your age. What you lack isn’t technique, but deeper understanding. Your style is earth-based, and the true mark of mastering earth blade techniques is comprehending the Heart of the Earth. Only then can you truly begin learning the Earth Fury Blade!”

Heart of the Earth—such an esoteric-sounding concept…

But it was really just mining, wasn’t it…?

Tang Tian grumbled inwardly.

Naturally, when Old Wei led him to his destination, Tang Tian no longer felt like grumbling.

A vast sea of bamboo, shadows swaying, and occasionally figures in straw hats weaving through the groves.

“Young Tang, your lightfoot skills are terrible—your biggest weakness right now. You’ve heard of the Emerald Marsh Bamboo Sea, I assume. There are plenty of Leaf Bees here—excellent creatures! Their stingers and leaf-shaped wings are valuable, highly sought after.”

Old Wei’s eyes sparkled with gold at the mention of money.

“This place is perfect for your training. Not only can you hone your lightfoot skills, but also your Shadow Shatter Palm. Remember, boy, martial arts training should never be a losing proposition! Oh, you don’t have a second-stage palm technique yet, so here’s a Floating Palm soul card—bronze grade, don’t be picky.”

Old Wei encouraged him, “Like a god among youths—go for it!”

With that, Old Wei’s figure flickered and vanished.

He really was a kidnapper in a previous life!

Tang Tian stared blankly after Old Wei, taking a long time to recover.

But as Tang Tian grew familiar with his surroundings, he had to admit—the Emerald Marsh Bamboo Sea was indeed an ideal place for training lightfoot skills and Shadow Shatter Palm.

The bamboo sea was peculiar, growing atop a swamp. To enter, one had to step along the bamboo branches. Without decent lightfoot skills, progress was impossible.

Leaf Bees were native to the bamboo sea, slightly larger than ordinary bees, their bodies emerald green, their wings identical in shape to the bamboo leaves.

Their stingers and wings had many uses, and merchants bought them outside the bamboo sea.

A community of bee hunters lived here, earning their livelihood.

Tang Tian gazed at the endless bamboo sea, a surge of heroism rising in his chest—

Well, better start training with the Hollow Stump first.