Chapter Forty-Two: The Target This Time

The wind of fists echoed behind the gate of light. In this space where time did not flow, Tang Tian’s solitary figure remained unchanged. The deep, trembling sound of his Small Collapse Fist never ceased; his true force was like a string, plucked again and again with tireless repetition. This simple, monotonous training flowed quietly in the river of time. Sweat had long since drenched his clothes, and in the rising mist, Tang Tian moved like a machine, endlessly repeating the same motion.

Every punch was sweat. Every punch was battle.

No one spoke to him. The only sounds he could hear were the gusts of fist wind, the violent thumping of his heart, and the drip of sweat hitting the stone floor.

It was an extreme monotony, devoid of any pleasure, as he practiced a martial skill he believed he had already mastered to perfection, again and again. Train, meditate, train again, meditate again…

Except for the time he nearly fell into a coma from exhaustion, Tang Tian had not wasted even a moment.

When exhaustion became overwhelming, all it took was the closing of his eyes for him to fall asleep.

What a grueling battle this was…

The numbers on the gate of light jumped from one hundred thousand to two hundred thousand, and now to nine hundred ninety-nine thousand.

Only the gate of light knew the effort and sweat Tang Tian had poured in.

There was no trace of his usual playful or defiant expression on Tang Tian’s face, only focus. The face, usually so unserious, now showed sharp, sculpted lines, as keen as his gaze.

His eyes followed the trail of his fists.

Suddenly, his body shuddered; it felt as though something within him had burst open and cleared the way.

A strange, indescribable tremor started from the third-level dantian pool, spreading rapidly to every corner of his body. Light flared in Tang Tian’s eyes as he drew a deep breath, his entire true force surging. The fist he had just drawn back swung forward with explosive power!

"Collapse!"

His roar was like thunder. In a flash, Tang Tian stepped forward, his fist striking out!

The true force in his body was like countless strings plucked at once, countless ripples converging, all flowing into the fist he unleashed.

His fist landed on the wall of mist in utter silence.

Puff!

The sound was barely audible, as if no strength had been used at all.

This punch nearly exhausted all the true force in Tang Tian’s body; his mind went blank from the depletion. He held his punch stance, utterly still.

Huff, huff, huff!

His heavy breathing sounded like bellows being pumped. Sweat slid down Tang Tian’s face, his sharply chiseled features frozen like a sculpture.

Huff… huff… Did I succeed… huff…

Boom!

The wall of mist before him suddenly collapsed like an avalanche, dissolving into countless fine grains of fog, vanishing into the air.

Huff… I did it…

The world spun around him.

Was time up?

Back in his room, Tang Tian collapsed onto the floor and fell into a deep sleep.

Who knows how long he slept? When Tang Tian woke up groggy, it was already late at night. A pang of hunger overwhelmed him; his limbs felt weak, and he thought he could devour an entire ox.

“Food, food, come to me, come to me…”

Muttering nonsense and swallowing his saliva, Tang Tian frantically searched for something to eat. Fortunately, everyone at the Great Sachima Academy, from the oldest to the youngest, was a foodie, and since the place was far from Xingfeng City, they always kept plenty of food in store. Soon, Tang Tian found a few big flatbreads and started wolfing them down.

Suddenly, his gaze fell upon the training ground.

Amory was leaning against the railing, lost in thought.

The Fly Bull…

Tang Tian paused. If the Fly Bull were there roaring and training, Tang Tian would have ignored him completely—after all, that guy was a training maniac. But to see him like this, preoccupied and pensive, was rare indeed.

Bread in his mouth, Tang Tian bounded over and landed beside Amory.

“Hey, Fly Bull, got something on your mind?” Tang Tian mumbled through mouthfuls of food.

Amory looked up, murmuring, “We’re going to the Star Gate tomorrow. I… I’m a little nervous.”

Tang Tian blinked, then reassured him, “Don’t worry! This godlike youth will help you out!”

Having spent so much time with Amory, Tang Tian knew him well. Despite Amory’s burly exterior, he was astonishingly kind-hearted and timid inside.

“They say such expeditions are always dangerous…” Amory muttered.

“What is there to fear!” Tang Tian slapped Amory’s shoulder with force. “You’re a man who wants to forge your own martial path! Think of battle as another form of training—nothing to worry about! If there’s danger, we’ll take it down together!”

Amory’s tense expression eased a little. He suddenly asked, “Tang the Basic, aren’t you afraid?”

“Not at all.” Tang Tian leaned against the railing, gnawing on his bread. “I’ve already decided—I want to take first place and give it to Old Wei. He gave me the Crane Qi Art; he’s a good man. I don’t know why someone as formidable as Old Wei still watches over Sachima Academy, but I’m sure he has his reasons. Everyone has something worth fighting for. If this is what Old Wei wants, then I’ll help him. I’ll defeat everyone else, take first place, and give it to Old Wei. With a pass, Sachima Academy will definitely become stronger. Then, I’ll ask Old Wei to bring Teacher Cen to Sachima Academy too—she’s a great teacher. Only after all this is done can I go looking for Qianhui and walk the Sky Road without regrets. Hmm, that’s my goal this time, and I’m going to achieve it.”

“F-First place…” Amory stared in astonishment.

Tang Tian, still chewing on his bread, spoke to himself, “Once this is over, I’m going to find Qianhui. Even if I leave, I want to leave with victory, so I won’t have any regrets.”

Amory was dazed.

Tang Tian suddenly turned to him. “Fly Bull, why do you want to forge your own martial path?”

Amory came back to himself, scratching his head. “When I was a kid, I thought it looked cool. When I grew up, I’m not sure why, but just thinking about it fills me with energy and excitement. Maybe I think it’s something amazing.”

“Are you afraid?” Tang Tian resumed chewing. “Afraid that after all your hard work, you’ll get nothing. Afraid that the more you strive, the further away you get.”

Amory shook his head. “What’s there to be afraid of? It’s training anyway, and having a cool, awesome goal keeps you motivated. Life that never changes is just too boring! If we’re so young and don’t want to do anything, I bet even the heavens would feel sorry for us.”

“Then why be afraid of battle?” Tang Tian finished the last bite of bread and turned to look at Amory seriously. “You work so hard to train, to forge your own martial path. All martial paths are for victory—what’s the point of a martial path that can’t bring victory? Only by fighting can you win. Each victory is a step forward; every win brings you closer to your goal. The stronger your opponents, the stronger your martial path becomes when you defeat them, the more perfect it grows.”

“Start with tomorrow’s battle—defeat one enemy after another, never fear failure, never shrink from death!” Tang Tian said gravely. “We’ll fight side by side and take them down!”

Tang Tian raised his right hand.

The first light of dawn pierced the forest, falling upon the youth’s palm.

In Amory’s stunned eyes, something seemed to break free within him. He said earnestly, “You’re right, Tang the Basic! A martial path that can’t bring victory is utterly meaningless!”

Smack!

Their palms clapped together in the air.

“Take them down!”

They shouted in unison, then looked at each other and laughed.

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The Star Gate was heavily guarded.

It was located deep within a remote mountain valley, at the end of a cavern whose roof had recently been widened—fresh axe marks were still visible. In front of the Star Gate, many schools were gathered, waiting to enter. Unexpectedly, the city lord had rejected the proposal for a second round of registrations. However, those non-student contestants who had already registered were allowed to form teams and compete against the academies.

Tang Tian looked curiously at the Star Gate. Suddenly, he realized that it resembled the gate of light within his own body. Except for the absence of the cross-shaped mark, there seemed to be no difference.

Could the gate of light also be a Star Gate?

But why could the gate of light be within his body?

Well… that question was a bit too complicated…

The first to enter the Star Gate was Crystal Academy. At the front was Principal Tianjing; Sima Xiangshan was second, but everyone wore solemn expressions. The second group was Northern Yan Academy, also led by the principal, but all the students were female, sword-wielding, valiant and striking.

Tang Tian instantly recognized Han Bingning, leaping up and waving vigorously, yelling, “Aha! Girl! Go get ‘em!”

Han Bingning hesitated for a moment, and the girls behind her all lowered their heads and chuckled.

“Oh, so that’s Tang Tian, is it?” the principal in front suddenly turned and asked.

Han Bingning snapped back to attention and answered quickly, “Yes, Principal.”

“A true prodigy!” praised the Northern Yan principal.

Prodigy…

Han Bingning’s eye twitched.

“Yuan Yuan! Go!” Tang Tian’s enthusiastic shout rang out again. Han Bingning could almost imagine that, at this moment, Shen Yuan must be wishing the earth would swallow her up. Suddenly, she felt much better.

Happiness is always relative…

When it was Ander Academy’s turn, the crowd gasped for the first time.

“What an incredible Soul General! What an imposing aura!”

“That must be a famous general card!”

“Chain-Soul Spear! My god—it’s the Chain-Soul Spear!”

…

Shouts of awe rang out, but Zhou Peng felt no pride. He glared at Tang Tian with venom, his eyes brimming with murderous intent.

Tang Tian returned his gaze. Seeing Zhou Peng staring at him, he suddenly had an idea. He whispered a few words into Amory’s ear; Amory nodded repeatedly, then shot Zhou Peng a couple of mischievous glances.

The two of them abruptly separated, facing each other.

Their odd actions immediately drew the attention of those around them.

Amory suddenly imitated Zhou Peng, pinching his voice into a shrill, hair-raising tone: “Yo yo yo, isn’t this our school tyrant Tang? How did you end up in such a sorry state?”

Tang Tian put on a fake grin: “Great! I never thought you’d come right to me!”

Tang Tian slowly thrust out a fist; Amory’s eyes bulged, cheeks puffing as if he were summoning all his strength, then slowly extended his palm.

Fist and palm touched lightly.

Amory suddenly clutched his hand, shrieking in an even more terrifying voice, “I’m going to kill you! I’m going to kill you!”

At the same time, his huge body twisted like a wounded beast—hideous and grotesque.

Unable to hold back any longer, both burst into uncontrollable laughter. Only then did the crowd realize: the street confrontation between Zhou Peng and Tang Tian had long since become public knowledge. To see them reenact the scene was unexpected—Amory’s performance was so hilarious that many couldn’t help laughing.

Zhou Peng’s face turned as red as fire, his fists clenched white, and the mocking stares around him made him feel humiliated as never before.

Tang Tian! Amory!

I’ll grind you to dust!

Clap!

Tang Tian and Amory high-fived, elated.

“You played the scoundrel perfectly!” Tang Tian gave a thumbs-up.

“Thanks for the compliment.” Amory bowed with mock formality.

As the two laughed uproariously, Zhou Peng looked even more wretched, his Soul General seemingly dimmed as well. Even his family members unconsciously distanced themselves from him—their act was truly ruthless.

After a long wait, it was finally Sachima Academy’s turn.

“Let’s go in!” Old Wei led the way, his face grave, carrying a battered, rusted iron sword that looked like it had been salvaged from a junk heap.

Tang Tian and Amory hurried to follow, stepping together through the gate of light.