Chapter Fifty-Nine: The Well of the Outlying Camp

When Tang Tian opened his eyes, he felt more relaxed and invigorated than ever before. It was the first real rest he’d had since entering the new recruits’ training camp. He had slept for eighteen hours straight; all his fatigue had vanished, and every injury had healed.

With a loud smack, he leapt off the bed, raised his arms high, and shouted with enthusiasm, “Tang Tian, let’s go!”

Bang, bang, bang!

A sudden knocking rattled the door, and an impatient voice came through the wood. “Get out! We’ve arrived! Hurry up!”

Tang Tian froze for a moment, then quickly got up and opened the door.

Arrived?

He was curious—what would the outer camp of the Radiant Martial Society be like? Old Man Wei and the others had spoken of it in glowing terms, and Tang Tian held quite a few expectations for this place. He had parted from Amory and the others in haste, and during that time, he had been so relentlessly tormented by Uncle Bing that any moment away from training left him in a dazed, deathly exhaustion.

Stepping out of the room, he passed several other youths and couldn’t help but frown. He hadn’t noticed it before, but now he realized that fear colored their faces. Tang Tian was astonished. In his mind, anyone selected for the Radiant Martial Society ought to be spirited and energetic, just like Amory and his friends.

But he saw none of that here. Though these youths were still young, a heavy, lifeless air hung about them.

How strange!

Tang Tian was puzzled, but he kept his thoughts to himself. He had no intention of staying long in the Radiant Martial Society; he planned to master all his third-level martial techniques and then seek out Qianhui.

His goal was the Heavenly Road. The Radiant Martial Society was merely a temporary stop.

The carriage door opened, and an Iron Martialist called out, “Get off.”

The youths glanced at each other, none daring to move. Seeing this, Tang Tian strode forward and was the first to step out.

As he did, he was stunned by what lay before him.

A towering mountain soared into the clouds, majestic and winding. But what sent chills down Tang Tian’s spine was the mountain’s surface, riddled with countless holes—a massive honeycomb. A biting wind swept through the hollow summit, howling eerily, as though countless monsters lurked within, their presence felt but unseen.

The youths trembled, faces pale as death, while the two Iron Martialists looked on with a mix of sympathy and mockery.

“Wow! This place is fantastic!” Tang Tian’s exclamation rang out inopportunely. He gazed up at the beehive-like mountain, his face alight with excitement. “If you climbed to the peak, the view must be incredible!”

“No one can reach the summit.” A cold voice sounded behind him.

Tang Tian turned to see a middle-aged man in gray martial attire. The insignia on his breast marked him as a Bronze Martialist.

The crew-cut man and the bearded giant quickly erased their smiles. “Master Jing Hao! All eight new recruits are here.”

Jing Hao’s expression was indifferent. “And the supplies?”

“All accounted for,” the bearded man replied hastily. “Since it’ll be three months before we return, we brought an extra month’s worth of provisions.”

Jing Hao’s demeanor softened slightly, and he nodded. “You’ve done well.”

He walked to the open cargo compartment, and with a single gesture, the mountain of supplies vanished instantly.

“Hey, do you use a Waterspirit Martial Cabinet too?” Tang Tian’s eyes shone.

Jing Hao gave him a bland glance and ignored him, then said to the two Iron Martialists, “You may go.”

“Yes, sir!” The two Iron Martialists beat a hasty retreat.

Before long, the carriage lifted into the air and disappeared without a trace.

In the cockpit, the crew-cut man wiped sweat from his brow, relief evident on his face. “Master Jing Hao’s aura is overwhelming! I have no idea what the higher-ups are thinking, sending a man like him here.”

“He must have offended someone.” The bearded man sighed, regret in his voice. “With his strength, how could he have ended up in a place like this otherwise?”

The two shared a moment of lament.

Jing Hao gave the newcomers a cool glance and tossed out a single command. “Follow me.”

He strode ahead, and the group hurried after him. The ground was honeycombed with holes of all sizes; in some places, stepping down produced a hollow echo, and many faces turned even paler.

“If you fall, no one will save you,” Jing Hao’s cold voice echoed from ahead.

The recruits’ faces grew even more ashen. Tang Tian asked curiously, “What’s down there?”

“The Nest of Death,” Jing Hao replied curtly, then picked up his pace.

The group hastened after him, using their lightness skills to keep up. Tang Tian’s Eight Steps of the Cicada drew attention, even Jing Hao glanced over in surprise. “Third-level lightness technique?”

“Yes, Eight Steps of the Cicada!” Tang Tian replied with a grin.

A soft snicker sounded from among the group, and others wore expressions of disdain. Jing Hao shook his head inwardly, regarding Tang Tian as a dead man. Without at least fourth-level skill, survival here was impossible, but he had no intention of intervening.

A few leaps brought them to a cave entrance, and now they noticed a difference—this hole had a rope tied to a rock at its mouth, the other end vanishing into the depths.

Without a word, Jing Hao bent down like an agile bat, his toes barely touching the rope before he disappeared into the darkness. The other newcomers hurried to follow, some with a look of schadenfreude. The third-level Eight Steps of the Cicada was renowned for its explosive power, but balance on a rope like this required nimbleness it lacked.

He’ll have to cling to the rope and crawl down, they thought.

But Tang Tian leapt without hesitation, landing firmly atop the rope, perfectly at ease.

Only then did the others notice his inconspicuous bronze boots.

Someone with sharp eyes gasped, “Little Pony Flying Boots!”

“No wonder…”

Suddenly, everyone’s gaze burned with greed. The Little Pony Flying Boots were a highly practical treasure, greatly enhancing one’s lightness skills—a treasure coveted by all. No one ever felt their agility was too great; mastery of movement could mean life or death in battle.

Tang Tian disliked these people instantly; their hostility was plain as day. He couldn’t be bothered to interact and simply floated lightly atop the rope.

From the darkness ahead came Jing Hao’s displeased voice. “What are you standing around for?”

The others snapped out of their daze and hurried after him, Tang Tian trailing at leisure.

The cave wasn’t completely dark; luminous moss grew on the walls, emitting a faint glow. Their vision was far keener than ordinary people’s; even this dim light sufficed.

The rope was only about ten meters long, after which they stepped onto a stone path the width of an arm.

Tang Tian glanced down—below was nothing but empty air, crisscrossed by a web of stone paths, as intricate as the veins inside a honeycomb. He couldn’t see the bottom.

What a strange place!

Tang Tian muttered inwardly. The whole place radiated a stifling, chilling atmosphere that instinctively put him ill at ease.

Jing Hao moved swiftly, darting across the network of stone paths. The others were soon dizzy from the complex maze. Before long, the sound of water reached their ears, growing louder as they advanced, until at last a surging underground river appeared before them.

The river was eight or nine zhang wide, its waters raging and voluminous, the roar drowning out all other sounds.

Following the riverbank, they soon came to a massive underground waterfall. Across the river, high up, could be seen many houses, clustered like a small town.

The roaring river cascaded down, white spray piling up like snow, endless and ever-shifting.

Jing Hao led them to the falls, the spray drenching them and the noise deafening. Suddenly, a faint halo lit up around Jing Hao, and he charged straight along the waterfall to the other side.

The water, sharp as blades, was cleaved apart by Jing Hao’s advance.

It was as if a razor’s edge sliced the falls in two!

Everyone stared, dumbfounded—what terrifying strength!

How powerful…

Tang Tian stood gaping at Jing Hao on the far bank, utterly awed. Compared to Mr. Wu from the Soul Maze, Jing Hao’s strength was on a whole other level.

This discovery set Tang Tian’s blood boiling!

Truly worthy of the Radiant Martial Society—even a random outer camp had experts of this caliber.

Excitement made his fists clench, his whole body trembling with anticipation. Here, he would face opponents he could never find in Starwind City.

These were the ones he longed to surpass, to defeat!

So strong…

Suddenly, Jing Hao seemed to sense something, raising his head to look straight at Tang Tian across the river.

Those eyes were as bright and dazzling as stars.

A challenge, is it?

Expressionless, a faint, amused smile flickered at the corner of Jing Hao’s mouth.

The others quickly regained their senses as well. Unlike Jing Hao, they couldn’t slice the falls in two. Someone sharp-eyed soon spotted jutting rocks amid the waterfall—stepping stones to cross the river.

The youths leaped across in turn.

Jing Hao said nothing, soaring up toward the high ground.

Soon, a small town appeared before them. A group of burly men blocked the entrance, each one looking menacing and mocking as they eyed the newcomers. Jing Hao didn’t pause, striding straight in.

As soon as he passed, the men lined up, the bald leader wearing a savage grin.

“Haha! You brats, hand over everything valuable you’ve got! Don’t make us search you! If you’re missing anything after, don’t blame us!”