Chapter 151: The Hammer Is in Hand
Boom!
Black energy erupted from beneath his feet.
The entire underground smelting plant instantly darkened.
The ground, walls, smelting furnaces, and the shadows behind the stone pillars all merged into one.
Figure after figure of Heruo began stepping out from the darkness.
Ten figures!
Fifty figures!
A hundred figures!
Every single figure possessed the exact same aura.
The entire underground forging area had completely transformed into his Shadow Domain!
"Inside my Domain, every shadow is an entrance."
"You can't even find my real body. How do you plan to fight me?"
Over a hundred Heruos raised their arms simultaneously.
A vast barrage of shadow blades flew out from the ground and walls, all converging on Lin Chuan.
Lin Chuan took a single step forward.
Divine Mobility Technique!
All the shadow blades passed right through an afterimage.
When he reappeared, he was already dozens of meters away.
Heruo's real body shifted positions at the exact same moment.
His aura blended into the Domain.
Ordinary Mental Strength couldn't distinguish it at all.
Yet on the System map, that red dot moved along with his real body without fail!
Clack!
Lin Chuan opened the silver weapon casket.
One thousand two hundred Willow Leaf Telekinetic Blades flew out simultaneously.
A vast swathe of silver radiance rapidly dispersed, blanketing the entire underground smelting plant!
The moment Heruo emerged from behind a stone pillar,
dozens of telekinetic blades were already flying head-on toward him.
He immediately melted back into the shadows.
His body emerged again from Lin Chuan's left flank.
Yet this time, the telekinetic blades were still one step ahead.
Clang! Clang! Clang!
Heruo raised his hand to deflect a dozen telekinetic blades, but his shoulder was slashed open by a streak of silver light.
He shifted positions once more.
Heruo changed positions over a dozen times in succession.
Yet each time he emerged, Lin Chuan's telekinetic blades followed right behind.
Hundreds of silver light streaks relentlessly hunted down and attacked his real body.
Lin Chuan didn't spare so much as a glance at the surrounding decoys.
The calm expression on Heruo's face finally vanished.
"Impossible! How do you know where my real body is?"
Lin Chuan glanced at the System map.
"Heh, I just have a bit of Talent for finding people. What are you going to do about it?"
Heruo raised both hands, and all the phantoms vanished at once.
The entire Shadow Domain rapidly shrank, ultimately condensing completely around his body.
A heavy suit of Shadow King Armor covered his entire body.
If he couldn't dodge, then he would kill Lin Chuan head-on!
"Shadow King Slaying!"
Heruo took a step forward.
The power of a Rank-6 Martial King erupted completely!
All the shadows in the underground smelting plant transformed simultaneously into black spikes, bearing down upon Lin Chuan's position.
Behind Lin Chuan, the Dutian Thunder Ring slowly rose.
The first rune lit up.
Then came the second, and the third.
The fourth!
The fifth!
The sixth!
Six ancient runes simultaneously blazed with blinding lightning!
A sixtyfold amplification!
Boom!
The Qi and Blood, astral qi, and Mental Strength within Lin Chuan's body skyrocketed simultaneously at this very moment.
The entire underground smelting plant was illuminated by purple lightning!
The black spikes condensed from the Shadow King Armorwere blasted into pieces by the Dutian Divine Thunder the moment they drew near Lin Chuan.
Heruo's pupils constricted violently.
How could this kind of power belong to a Great Grandmaster who had just achieved a breakthrough?
Lin Chuan had already clenched his right fist.
"Cangtian Divine Fist!"
The first fist slammed down!
Boom!
A purple-gold fist imprint crashed head-on into the Shadow Domain.
All the black spikes along its path shattered simultaneously.
The fist force surged forward, blasting directly into Heruo's chest!
The Shadow King Armor on his body caved inward.
Immediately after, fissures rapidly spread outward.
Bang!
The entire suit of Shadow King Armor shattered on the spot!
The Shadow Domain was also punched clean through by the fist force.
Over a hundred interconnected shadows snapped apart.
The entire underground forging area regained its light!
Heruo coughed up a mouthful of black blood, his body smashing through three furnaces along the way.
Just as he stood up from the rubble, Lin Chuan had already appeared right before him.
Over his right fist, besides the Dutian Divine Thunder, was an additional layer of cyan-black poisonous fire.
The second fist!
Cangtian Poison Thunder!
Boom!
The shadow astral qi Heruo had just condensed was shattered once more by a single strike.
Purple lightning wrapped in cyan-black venomous power drove right into his body through his chest.
Heruo flew backward over a hundred meters, slamming heavily into the rock wall.
The astral qi inside his body began corroding rapidly.
With every cycle of shadow power, the poison spread further.
Even his Spirit space felt as though it had been ignited by the cyan-black poisonous fire, sending waves of excruciating pain!
"What kind of poison is this?!"
Heruo struggled out from the rock wall.
He could no longer care about the ash furnace divine hammer.
If this fight continued, he truly might die here!
Heruo formed hand seals with both hands.
The few remaining shadows beneath his feet twisted simultaneously as he prepared to activate Shadow Escape.
Yet before he could slip inside, the one thousand two hundred telekinetic blades converged upward.
Buzz!
A silver battle sabre nearly a hundred meters long materialized above the underground smelting plant!
Lin Chuan pressed his hand downward.
The hundred-meter telekinetic sabre cleaved downward!
The ground, the rock wall, and the shadow passage in front of Heruo were all sliced open simultaneously by the single slash!
Boom!
The entire escape route collapsed right down the middle.
All the shadows connecting to the outside world were severed in one go by the high-grade Mental Strength!
Heruo's Shadow Escape had barely activated before his body was forcibly expelled.
He spun around, trying to switch directions.
Lin Chuan had already gripped the thunder blade behind him.
The black-gold blade unsheathed.
Every single Rank-5 Peak spirit rune blazed to life!
For the first time, the blade forged from Rank-6 Heavenly Demon Mystic Gold fully bore Lin Chuan's current power.
The One Thousand Slashes Sabre Sutra circulated!
Over a thousand purple blade beams materialized behind Lin Chuan simultaneously.
Immediately after,
all the blade beams overlapped toward the center, ultimately compressing into a single blade edge!
Heruo channeled the remaining power in his body.
Shadow King Armor covered his chest once more.
Yet the Myriad Poisons Calamity left behind by the second fist had already corroded most of his astral qi and Mental Strength.
The armor plates had barely formed before numerous cyan-black spots erupted across their surface.
"Third strike."
Lin Chuan tightened his grip on the thunder blade.
"One Thousand Slashes!"
Slash!
The black-gold blade edge sliced straight through the center of Heruo's body.
There was no massive explosion.
Only a razor-thin purple thread of lightning extended from the crown of his head all the way to his feet.
Heruo stood frozen in place.
His body remained frozen in the posture of fleeing.
A few seconds later,
that purple thread of lightning suddenly burst!
Boom!
Heruo's body, along with the shadow beneath his feet, cleaved apart down the middle!
Dutian Divine Thunder and Myriad Poisons Calamityerupted at the same time.
The remaining physical body, astral qi, and Mental Strength were completely swallowed by lightning and flame!
A Rank-6 Early Stage shadow Martial King,
slain on the spot!
The one thousand two hundred telekinetic blades dispersed once more, hovering behind Lin Chuan.
Pei Wubing had already unfastened all the chains binding the twelve Gray Furnace Craftsmen.
Standing to the side, he stared at Heruo sliced in two, unable to speak for a long time.
He really killed him?
And from the moment Lin Chuan unleashed the Dutian Thunder Ring—
One punch shattered the Domain.
One punch heavily wounded him.
And the final slash slew him!
Heruo hadn't even lasted three moves!
Pei Wubing couldn't help but ask, "Did you really only make your breakthrough to Great Grandmasteryesterday?"
"Yeah."
Lin Chuan sheathed his thunder blade.
"Just made the breakthrough, so I'm not that Proficientyet."
Pei Wubing glanced at the vanished Shadow Domain, then at the two halves of Heruo's corpse.
This was considered not being that Proficient?
If this kid spent a few more days getting Proficient, would ordinary Martial Kings even have a way to survive?
Pei Wubing felt like what he had taken in was no longer a disciple.
He had brought back a monster draped in human skin!
Lin Chuan, however, didn't think much of it.
He walked over to the black sealing box and patted it with his hand.
"Shifu. The hammer is ours!"
Chapter 152: Your Great Xia Really Produced a Monster!
After Heruo died, the Shadow Domain completely dissipated.
Lin Chuan rummaged through his storage equipment for a while and soon found a black sealing box.
The surface of the box was covered with runes that sealed off aura.
Even if one sensed it up close, it was impossible to detect what was inside.
Lin Chuan gripped the lid and pulled it up forcefully.
Click!
Several internal locks snapped open simultaneously.
A grayish-black heavy hammer appeared inside the box.
The heavy hammer was over a meter long, and its head did not look particularly large, but its surface was densely covered with silver spirit runes.
Several of the spirit runes were still glowing.
Seeing the divine hammer, the twelve rescued Gray Furnace craftsmen all grew excited.
"It really is the ash furnace divine hammer!"
"The Clan mark is still there!"
"They didn't succeed in cracking it!"
An elderly dwarf craftsman hurried over.
He reached out to press his hand against the hammer shaft, confirming that the internal imprint was undamaged, and finally let out a sigh of relief.
Luomu was also helped over by someone.
After being captured, this apprentice had been forced almost every day to repair sealing runes.
The Shadow Bandit Group had also wanted him to help crack the divine hammer.
He had steadfastly refused to agree, which was how he got the injuries on his body.
"Thank you both for saving our lives."
The elderly craftsman bowed respectfully.
Pei Wubing took out several poison needles.
"You still have Meridian-Locking Poison in your bodies. Sit down and don't move; I'll draw the toxins out first."
He walked into the midst of the craftsmen.
Poison-type astral qi entered their bodies along the silver needles, quickly drawing out the Meridian-Locking Poisonthread by thread.
This poison was extremely troublesome for other Martial Artists.
In Pei Wubing's hands, however, it was merely a matter of sticking a few more needles.
Lin Chuan, accompanied by his Telekinetic Blades, continued to inspect the underground stronghold.
Heruo's preparation to evacuate had been extremely rushed.
The items in several storehouses hadn't even had time to be moved away.
The high-tier forging materials stolen from the Ash Furnace Family filled two entire warehouses.
A portion of them was already loaded onto carts.
The rest still maintained their packaging from before the theft.
The storehouses further inside belonged to the Shadow Bandit Group.
Weapons, potions, ore, energy crystals, as well as various goods looted from other merchant caravans over the years, were piled to the brim.
Lin Chuan opened a chest, which was completely filled with Tier 5 shadow materials.
He picked up a piece and examined it.
"Shifu, how should these things be accounted for?"
Pei Wubing had just finished clearing the poison for the last craftsman.
"Return the Ash Furnace Family's things."
"The Shadow Bandit Group's own stockpile counts as spoils of war from eradicating the bandits."
"Whoever conquered it keeps it."
Hearing this, Lin Chuan immediately shut the chest.
"Then we must register everything clearly."
Pei Wubing glanced at Heruo's corpse outside.
The entire bandit headquarters had basically been conquered by Lin Chuan alone.
Who would dare undercount his things?
The two inspected the underground stronghold once over.
The kidnapped craftsmen were all alive.
The ash furnace divine hammer was completely intact.
The stolen materials, not a single piece missing.
Even all the wealth accumulated by the Shadow Bandit Group over the years had been recovered.
From the moment Lin Chuan and Pei Wubing entered the stronghold to the time Heruo was killed,
less than twenty minutes had passed from start to finish.
Luomu sat beside a transport vehicle, gazing at the unconscious Shadow Race members scattered across the ground, momentarily unable to process it all.
"How many people did you bring?"
"Two."
Pei Wubing pointed at Lin Chuan.
"And he was the one who fought most of them."
Luomu looked up at Lin Chuan.
He simply couldn't imagine how someone could slay a Shadow Martial King and blast through the entire underground stronghold in under twenty minutes.
Lin Chuan didn't care what he was thinking.
He closed the sealing box again and hoisted it directly onto his shoulder.
"Shifu, let's head back and upgrade the thunder blade!"
Pei Wubing had the rescued craftsmen board the transport vehicles prepared by the bandits and loaded up all the stolen materials.
As for Heruo's corpse, it was separately sealed inside a metal box.
This had to be brought back.
The corpse of a Tier 6 Shadow Martial King was itself the most direct proof of completing the mission.
The convoy departed from Fire Vein Canyon.
Lin Chuan and Pei Wubing were still riding on the back of that Great Poison Frog.
Before night fell,
they once again caught sight of Iron Furnace City's black city walls.
...
Ash Furnace Family council hall.
The teams from White Eagle Country, the Northland Federation, and the Ash Furnace Family were all gathered here.
News from the Old Smelting Plant had already arrived.
Six Shadow Race members had been captured.
Horn and the foreign affairs manager had also been confirmed as moles.
Most importantly, they had finally obtained the full member roster of the Shadow Bandit Group.
The Wind Martial King stood before a map, studying the routes around Fire Vein Canyon.
"Heruo is at the Tier 6 Early Stage."
"Our three teams cannot split up."
"First seal the canyon's perimeter, then let the Ash Furnace Family enter through the underground passage."
The Northland Federation's Ice Martial King shook his head.
"Fire Vein Canyon covers too vast an area."
"If Heruo really intends to evacuate, by the time we assemble our forces, he will have long fled with the divine hammer."
The Ash Furnace Family leader's expression was rather grim as well.
He also knew there wasn't enough time.
Yet the enemy was a Tier 6 Shadow Martial King.
Without concentrating their teams, charging rashly into Fire Vein Canyon could very well result in casualties again.
While everyone was conferring, footsteps suddenly echoed from outside the council hall.
Bang!
The heavy doors were pushed open from the outside.
Lin Chuan carried the black sealing box on his shoulder and walked straight in.
Pei Wubing followed beside him, completely unable to hide the smile on his face.
The Ash Furnace Family leader froze for a moment.
"Didn't you head to Fire Vein Canyon?"
"We did."
Lin Chuan walked over to the long table and placed the sealing box down on it.
Thud!
The entire metal long table jolted along with it.
"So we brought the stuff back."
The hall instantly fell silent.
The Wind Martial King glanced at the sealing box, then looked toward Pei Wubing.
"Inside this is..."
Pei Wubing grinned.
"Won't you know if you open it and see?"
The Ash Furnace Family leader hurried over.
He placed both hands on the lid and pulled it up forcefully.
Click!
The sealing box opened.
The ash furnace divine hammer, missing for over ten days, reappeared before everyone's eyes!
The leader stared at the divine hammer for several seconds.
Then he reached out and pressed his hand onto the hammer shaft.
Hum!
The silver Clan mark immediately lit up.
Completely intact!
"It's found!"
The Ash Furnace Family leader snapped his head up.
"You really brought back the divine hammer!"
At this moment, the twelve rescued craftsmen also walked into the hall from outside.
Luomu was among them as well.
The moment he appeared, an old dwarf at the side rushed over and pulled him into a tight hug.
"You little rascal, you're still alive!"
"Teacher, I almost really didn't make it back."
Luomu's eyes rolled back from being squeezed so hard.
Behind them was a large transport vehicle.
Once the cargo hold opened, the Ash Furnace Family's stolen forging materials were piled neatly inside.
Everything was back!
The Wind Martial King from White Eagle Country was utterly numb with shock!
Their teams had investigated in Iron Furnace City for over ten days.
Spending money to buy transport records, capturing supply middlemen.
After toiling for so long, they had never managed to locate the Shadow Bandit Group's true hideout.
Yet after Lin Chuan arrived in Iron Furnace City,
in less than a day, he had already brought the hammer back.
"Your Great Xia has truly produced a monster this time."
Chapter 153: Recasting the thunder blade
The Wind Martial King looked at Lin Chuan.
"This efficiency is almost absurdly fast."
The Northland Federation's Ice Martial King focused his attention on the metal chest behind them.
Pei Wubing had someone carry the chest inside.
When the lid opened, Heruo's bisected corpse was revealed before everyone.
The lightning and poison lingering on the wound had still not fully dissipated.
The Ice Martial King walked over.
He crouched down to examine it for a moment, his expression turning solemn.
"Tier 6 Early Stage."
"His Spirit Space and Shadow Core were completely shattered."
"Heruo is indeed dead."
He stood up and looked at Lin Chuan.
"Don't tell me he killed this one too?"
Pei Wubing had been waiting for those very words.
He tucked his hands behind his back.
"Who else?"
"My disciple is just that incredible!"
"Heruo even unleashed his Shadow Domain, only for him to take him down with two punches and a slash, hacking him straight to death."
As Pei Wubing spoke, his grin practically stretched from ear to ear.
In the past, others were always flaunting their Geniusdisciples in front of him.
Now it was finally his turn!
"Didn't you all have Genius students?"
"A Tier 6 Martial King is lying right on the ground."
"If you have the guts, let your students try cutting down one and see!"
The Ice Martial King looked back at Lin Chuan.
"First Layer Great Grandmaster, killing a Tier 6 Martial King?"
"Yeah."
Lin Chuan nodded.
"That Heruo was mediocre in strength."
The Ice Martial King fell silent.
No matter how mediocre a Tier 6 Martial King was, he was still a Martial King!
Not to mention Heruo cultivated the Shadow Domain and was notoriously hard to catch.
Against someone of the same Realm, he might not necessarily win.
But if he really wanted to run, several Martial Kings working together might not be able to stop him.
Yet he had been cut in two by an eighteen-year-old Great Grandmaster!
The head of the Ash Furnace Family had already resealed the divine hammer.
He opened the official mission log and announced the results on the spot.
"The ash furnace divine hammer has been confirmed undamaged."
"All twelve Clan craftsmen have been rescued."
"A preliminary count of the stolen materials has also been completed."
"This mission is officially complete!"
The primary reward belonged to the Great Xia Martial Arts Association team.
Lin Chuan would receive an opportunity to either forge or recast a Tier 6 weapon for free.
Rescuing the twelve craftsmen.
Recovering all the materials.
Slaying Heruo, leader of the Shadow Bandit Group.
Capturing the remaining members.
All of these carried separate compensation!
Fang Shen, Tang Li, and Du Qingming also received substantial mission rewards for participating in the investigation and capturing the traitor and the Shadow Race squad.
As for Lin Chuan.
In addition to recasting his Tier 6 weapon, he also received mission bounty, high-tier forging materials, and most of the spoils from the Shadow Bandit Group.
Adding all the rewards together, the task list stretched out immensely long.
Lin Chuan merely glanced at it a few times before handing the record to Pei Wubing.
"Shifu, please help me go through them slowly."
"I'll go upgrade my thunder blade first."
"Now you brat know to call me Shifu?"
"When didn't I know?"
"Usually you never stop calling me Old Pei."
"Doesn't that just show how close we are?"
"Cut the crap."
Pei Wubing cursed under his breath, but still took the mission record and began checking the rewards for him.
The head of the Ash Furnace Family personally led Lin Chuan to the deepest part of the Clan's forging area.
...
Earthfire Forging Room.
Two metal doors, tens of meters high, slowly opened to both sides.
A scorching wave of heat surged forth.
Beneath the forging chamber was a flowing stream of earthfire magma.
The ash furnace divine hammer that had just been recovered was already placed beside the forging anvil.
A Furnace Dwarf with entirely gray-white hair and beard stood in front of the furnace.
He was the Ash Furnace Family's Tier 6 Artifact Refiner.
Lin Chuan took out the thunder blade and placed it on the forging anvil.
The old dwarf unsheathed the blade, first checking the body, then sending a wisp of Fire Element power inside.
On the black-gold blade, purple lightning runes lit up one after another.
"Tier 6 Heavenly Demon Mystic Gold."
"The materials were melted and refined fairly thoroughly."
"The blade's strength has already reached Tier 6. What restricts the weapon's grade is merely this internal Tier 5 Thunder Element Spirit rune set."
The old dwarf looked up.
"Once the original Spirit runes are completely purged and re-inscribed with Tier 6 thunder runes,"
"I can upgrade it to Tier 6 Peak."
Lin Chuan's eyes lit up upon hearing that.
"Then let's do it!"
"Leave the thunder blade."
The old dwarf gripped the ash furnace divine hammer.
"Once the recasting process begins, it cannot be interrupted."
"A few types of Tier 6 Thunder Element materials will also need to be supplemented along the way. As part of this mission's primary reward, they will all be provided by the Ash Furnace Family."
This was even better.
He didn't have to spend a cent!
Lin Chuan stepped back outside the forging chamber.
The heavy metal doors shut once more.
That night.
The Earthfire Forging Room, dark for over ten days, lit up once again.
Boom!
An underground fire vein was channeled into the furnace.
The black-gold thunder blade slowly rose into the center of the flames.
The Tier 6 Artifact Refiner raised the ash furnace divine hammer, aimed at the blade, and smashed it down heavily!
Clang!
The first hammer strike echoed across the entire Ash Furnace Family.
Purple lightning burst out of the forging chamber, directly illuminating the sky above Iron Furnace City!
Lin Chuan's thunder blade.
Officially began its Tier 6 recasting!
Chapter 154: Tier 6 thunder blade Completed!
Over at Iron Furnace City, work continued for three days straight.
Clang! Clang! Clang!
The final hammer fell.
The flames throughout the entire forging area simultaneously converged toward the center of the forging room.
A long blade, pitch-black and glinting with gold all over, rose from the terrestrial fire furnace.
Inside the blade body, the original Tier 5 spirit patterns had all been washed away, and Tier 6 Peak Thunder Elementspirit patterns were re-engraved.
Dense purple patterns extended all the way from the hilt to the tip of the blade.
It did not look fancy.
Yet within every single spirit pattern, extremely powerful Thunder Element power was compressed.
The Tier 6 Artifact Refiner responsible for the recasting reached out and beckoned.
The thunder blade flew out from the terrestrial fire furnace and steadily landed in front of Lin Chuan.
"The blade body was originally mixed with Tier 6 Heavenly Demon Mystic Gold."
"This recasting is mainly to reorganize the internal structure and then elevate the spirit patterns to Tier 6."
The old dwarf stroked his beard, which was tied with metal rings.
"Now, this blade has reached the Tier 6 Peak."
"If used normally, even if it collides head-on with a Tier 6 Peak demonic monster, it won't be easily damaged."
Lin Chuan gripped the hilt.
Once the thunder blade was in his hand, it was slightly heavier than before.
However, this kind of weight was just right for him now.
As his astral qi was just injected into the blade body, the Tier 6 Thunder Element spirit patterns rapidly lit up.
Crackle!
A large amount of purple electric arcs burst forth from the blade edge.
Streaks of lightning wound upward along Lin Chuan's arm, rapidly fusing with the Dutian Divine Thunder inside his body.
There was no rejection whatsoever.
Just as this blade should have inherently carried the Dutian Divine Thunder.
The more Lin Chuan looked at it, the more satisfied he became.
"The gap between Tier 5 and Tier 6 is this huge?"
"Of course it's huge."
The old dwarf pointed at the spirit patterns on the blade body and said, "Tier 5 weapons can only carry and amplify the user's power. The internal spirit patterns of a Tier 6 weapon, however, can autonomously extract surrounding energy to replenish the weapon's consumption."
"In the future when you execute your Blade Technique, this blade will not only endure more power, but it will also actively help you condense lightning."
"However, you'd better adapt to it first."
"Don't pour all your power into it right after getting your hands on it."
Lin Chuan nodded.
"I know."
"The testing ground is already prepared."
"Go over and try it out."
The Ash Furnace Family's weapon testing ground was right behind the forging area.
There were no other buildings around the site, and the ground was entirely made of black mineral rock capable of withstanding the scorching of terrestrial fire.
Right in the center stood a Tier 6 testing mineral pillar.
This kind of mineral pillar was specifically used to test Tier 6 weapons.
When an ordinary Tier 5 weapon chopped onto it, it would leave at most a slight white mark.
Several Artifact Refiners of the Ash Furnace Family also followed over.
They had participated in the thunder blade's recasting and naturally wanted to see the power of the finished product.
Lin Chuan walked in front of the mineral pillar and slowly drew his blade.
The exact moment the blade edge left the scabbard.
Hum!
Over a hundred Tier 6 Thunder Element spirit patterns lit up simultaneously.
The ground of the entire testing ground shook accordingly.
"Just use a portion of the power."
Lin Chuan still remembered the old dwarf's reminder.
The Dutian Divine Thunder surged along his arm into the thunder blade.
The purple electric arcs were continuously compressed.
In just a few seconds, the entire blade seemed to have turned into a solidified purple lightning bolt.
Lin Chuan raised his hand and slashed with the blade.
Swish!
The blade edge swept across the middle of the Tier 6 testing mineral pillar.
On the black mineral pillar, only a thin, almost invisible purple line was added.
A few seconds later.
The upper half of the mineral pillar slowly slid down along the cut.
Boom!
The mineral pillar, more than ten meters high, crashed heavily onto the ground.
The cut was flat and smooth, with large areas of leaping purple electric arcs still lingering on it.
After passing through the mineral pillar, the thunder bladelight did not disappear immediately, but instead rushed diagonally toward the sky.
Above Iron Furnace City.
A purple blade light several hundred meters long flashed past, cutting the black smoke clouds above the volcano right down the middle.
On the street, many mercenaries and Alien Race Martial Artists raised their heads at the same time.
"What is that?"
"It came from the direction of the Ash Furnace Family!"
"It should be a new Tier 6 weapon being completed."
Inside the testing ground.
Several Artifact Refiners looked at the fallen mineral pillar and then at the thunder blade in Lin Chuan's hand.
The old dwarf was silent for a moment.
"How much power did you use just now?"
"I really didn't use much."
Lin Chuan lowered his head to inspect the blade edge.
There wasn't a single nick.
The internal spirit patterns also showed no signs of instability.
In the past when using the Tier 5 thunder blade, he still had to control his power to prevent the blade body from being unable to bear it.
Now it was different.
A Tier 6 Peak weapon.
He could finally use it to his heart's content!
"Not bad."
Lin Chuan inserted the thunder blade back into its scabbard.
"From now on, I won't have to worry about the blade shattering first when hacking someone."
Hearing this, the old dwarf's eyebrows twitched violently.
A Tier 6 Peak weapon.
Coming out of Lin Chuan's mouth, its biggest advantage turned out to be that it wouldn't easily shatter when hacking people.
"The thunder blade has already been recast and completed."
"According to the agreement of the commission, the Ash Furnace Family will not charge any fees."
The old dwarf looked at Lin Chuan.
"If you find suitable materials in the future, you can also send them over. As long as it's not above Tier 7, the Ash Furnace Family can help you process them."
"Alright then."
Lin Chuan agreed quite readily.
"Next time I have good things, I'll come find you guys again."
He shouldered the thunder blade and left the Ash Furnace Family.
Just as he walked out of the front gates, quite a few people nearby looked over.
Retrieving the ash furnace divine hammer.
Rescuing the twelve craftsmen.
In a single day, he rooted out a Clan traitor, found the headquarters of the Shadow Bandit Group, and even killed a Tier 6 Early Stage Shadow Martial King.
These matters had already spread throughout Iron Furnace City.
Now, the mercenaries and caravan groups in the city all knew that an eighteen-year-old ruthless figure had arrived from Great Xia.
Lin Chuan walked outward along Forging Street.
Several mercenaries ahead who were transporting ore took the initiative to clear the path.
The person in charge of an Artifact Refining shop even chased out from the store.
"Mr. Lin, our Clan Master is hosting a banquet at the Lava Restaurant tonight and would like to invite you over for a sit-down."
"No time."
Lin Chuan didn't even look back.
"I just got my blade, I need to find something to test it on."
That person in charge stopped in place.
The Ash Furnace Family's testing mineral pillar had been sliced in half with a single slash.
You still haven't figured out testing it?
However, Lin Chuan had already walked far away.
Iron Furnace City Mission Hall.
The interior of the hall was crowded with mercenaries from various races.
One after another, mission light screens hung suspended in mid-air.
Escorting, mining, searching for medicine, hunting demonic monsters.
From Tier 3 to Tier 6, all kinds of missions were available.
After Lin Chuan entered the hall, the surrounding voices noticeably quieted down.
Quite a few people recognized the black-gold thunder blade on his back.
Someone even deliberately moved a bit to the side.
Lin Chuan paid no attention to these gazes and went straight to the high-tier mission area.
He had little interest in missions below Tier 5 anymore.
Ordinary Tier 6 Early Stage wasn't quite enough for him to test his blade on.
He flipped through them for a while.
A red mission hanging at the very top caught his attention.
[King-Tier Hunting Mission!]
[Mission Location: Chiyuan Demon Cave!]
[Target: Tier 6 Middle Stage Flame-Swallowing Demon Marquis — — Moluo!]
[Mission Requirements: Kill Moluo and bring back the complete Chiyu Demon Heart!]
[Mission Rewards: High monetary reward, seven Body Tempering slots using terrestrial fire, a batch of Tier 6 weapon materials!]
Chapter 155: A New Mission in the Demon Den!
Lin Chuan opened the detailed information.
The Chiyuan Demon Cave had a total of seven layers.
The further down one went, the fiercer the subterranean fire grew, and the nearby temperature and Demonic Qiwould rise accordingly.
Ordinary Grandmasters could rely on their protective astral qi to resist in the first three layers. But after reaching the fifth layer, a large amount of fire poison would appear in the air, affecting even one's Mental Strength.
Moluo remained entrenched in the Seventh Layer all year round.
Not only had that guy's Realm reached the Middle Stage of the sixth rank, but he also mastered a large number of fire-attribute Mystical Artss.
Fire walls, fire cages, flame spears, and demonic fires detonated directly from underground—he could unleash them all at will.
The most troublesome thing was that his flames were extremely viscous.
As long as even a drop touched anything, it would immediately cling to weapons, armor, and protective astral qi.
If one tried to forcefully shake it off, the flames would instead follow the astral qi and burrow into the body.
Many Martial Artists were clearly not hit head-on, yet their defenses were burned through bit by bit by those demonic fires, until even the astral qi and Mental Strength inside their bodies ignited.
Furthermore, Moluo could absorb subterranean fire to heal his injuries.
The Seventh Layer was filled with magma and subterranean fire fissures everywhere.
As long as he fell into the fire, his mangled flesh, consumed Demonic Qi, and injuries would all recover rapidly.
To kill Moluo, one had to withstand those demonic fires that were extremely difficult to purge, and thoroughly kill him within a short period.
Without giving him a second chance to enter the subterranean fire!
Five teams had already entered the Chiyuan Demon Cavepreviously.
Two of those teams successfully reached the Seventh Layer.
When the first team had just made contact with Moluo, their defensive Formation was entangled by a massive amount of demonic fire.
Those flames kept burning along the lines of the Formation.
In less than ten minutes, the entire defensive Formationwas burned through. The team had no choice but to force a retreat, and several Spirit Readers responsible for maintaining the Formation had still not fully recovered to this day.
The second team actually managed to heavily injure Moluo.
However, Moluo jumped directly into the subterranean fire river.
By the time they gave chase, most of that guy's injuries had already recovered.
The two sides fought another two rounds, but two Martial Kings got demonic fire attached to their bodies, leaving them with no choice but to abandon the mission and lead the team out first.
The remaining three teams didn't even manage to enter the Seventh Layer.
Besides a large number of fire-element demon monsters inside the Chiyuan Demon Cave, there were also many continuously erupting subterranean fire passages.
If one took even slightly the wrong path, they could be trapped in a sea of fire.
This mission had been listed for over forty days.
The reward had been increased several times, yet still no one was willing to accept it.
The dwarf responsible for registering high-tier missions saw Lin Chuan staring at the mission details and spoke up to remind him, "Moluo is no ordinary Middle Stage sixth-rank."
"In other places, he might not be much stronger than other Middle Stage sixth-rank demon monsters. But in the Chiyuan Demon Cave, his demonic fires never run out, and his injuries can continuously recover."
"It's not that the previous two teams couldn't beat him."
"It's that dragged out to the end, the team's armor, potions, and astral qi were all exhausted, while Moluo could still keep absorbing subterranean fire."
The dwarf pointed at the mission record.
"If you just want to find an opponent to test your blade on, you'd better pick another target. If you really get touched by his demonic fire, even if you manage to escape, you'll have to spend a lot of time purging the fire poison."
Lin Chuan looked at the mission reward.
Seven slots for subterranean fire Body Tempering.
Just right for Zhao Qishan and the members of Xinghuo to use.
There was also that batch of sixth-rank materials.
The thunder blade had already finished upgrading, but his one thousand two hundred spirit blades were still only Top-Grade fifth-rank.
To continue strengthening his spiritual weapons in the future, he was precisely lacking this kind of high-tier materials.
As for Moluo being able to absorb subterranean fire to recover...
Lin Chuan didn't think much of it.
If he recovers fast, then kill him in one shot.
If that really didn't work, just stuff a few more Cangtian Poison Thunders inside him.
He wanted to see whether Moluo's speed of absorbing subterranean fire was faster, or if the Myriad Poisons Calamity's corrosion was faster.
"I'll take this one."
Lin Chuan reached out and clicked on the mission.
The dwarf was stunned.
"Did you understand everything I just said?"
"I understood."
Lin Chuan pointed at the mission reward.
"Precisely because it's hard to beat, the reward is valuable."
"Are you planning to enter together with King Pei?"
"Old Pei is still handing over the divine hammer mission with the Martial Arts Association."
Lin Chuan confirmed accepting the mission.
"I'll assemble my own team."
On the mission screen, a new line of notification quickly appeared.
[Mission accepted!]
[Leader: Lin Chuan!]
Many mercenaries in the hall also noticed the mission status change.
Some felt that Lin Chuan had just killed an Early Stagesixth-rank Shadow Martial King, so he was getting a bit ahead of himself now.
Heruo and Moluo were completely different cases.
Heruo excelled in stealth, assassination, and fleeing.
Moluo, on the other hand, could clash head-on with several Martial Kings inside the Chiyuan Demon Cave.
Moreover, that place was full of subterranean fire everywhere.
The longer it dragged on, the more advantageous it was for Moluo!
However, no one went over to advise him against it.
The ash furnace divine hammer, which several teams hadn't found after searching for over ten days, was brought back by Lin Chuan in a single day after arriving at Iron Furnace City.
Heruo, an Early Stage sixth-rank, had likewise died under his blade.
Ordinary people's experiences might not apply to him.
Lin Chuan left the mission hall and opened the Xinghuo internal group chat.
[Come to Iron Furnace City, I'll take you guys to clear a sixth-rank dungeon.]
As soon as the message was sent...
Zhao Qishan was the first to pop up.
[Brother Chuan, wait for me!]
[I'm packing my things right now!]
Zhou Mingchuan followed up with a question immediately after.
[Are travel expenses reimbursed?]
Lin Chuan replied.
[Pay for your own travel. If you come back alive, there are slots for subterranean fire Body Tempering.]
[Arriving right away!]
Other members in the group also started signing up.
Lin Chuan picked a few members with good strength, then contacted Ning Zhaoyue privately.
After the call connected, someone on Ning Zhaoyue's end was still organizing files.
"Is something up?"
"Come to Iron Furnace City and help me clear a mission."
"What rank?"
"King-rank."
Ning Zhaoyue stopped what she was doing.
"The target?"
"Chiyuan Demon Cave, the Middle Stage sixth-rank Flame-Swallowing Demon Marquis."
The other side went silent for a few seconds.
Ning Zhaoyue quickly pulled up the mission details for Moluo.
"You just killed an Early Stage sixth-rank, and now you're aiming for a Middle Stage sixth-rank?"
"My blade has been upgraded to sixth-rank, so the enemies obviously have to upgrade as well."
Lin Chuan said, "Moluo knows a lot of fire-attribute Mystical Artss, and the routes inside the Demon Den are quite complex. You are familiar with Demon Raceinformation, so come over to help me scout."
"I'll be in charge of slashing people."
"You'll be in charge of making sure a whole group of them doesn't walk mindlessly into the subterranean fire river."
Ning Zhaoyue flipped through the action logs of the previous teams.
"Moluo's demonic fire can attach to astral qi. As long as one person in the team gets touched, others going over to rescue them might also get entangled by the demonic fire."
"We need to prepare potions in advance that block fire poison, and also bring Formation Plates that can temporarily seal off subterranean fire."
"I'll go apply for a permit to enter the subterranean den, and then request a copy of Moluo's previous battle records from the Zhenyuan Division."
"I'll arrive tomorrow."
"Alright, I'll wait for you."
Lin Chuan put away his wristband.
The personnel were roughly enough.
Once Zhao Qishan and the others arrived, they could directly enter the Chiyuan Demon Cave.
Meanwhile.
Qianjin City of the Human Race.
Ye Qinghe stood at the merchant caravan registry leading to Iron Furnace City, checking her College Entrance Examination score on her wristband repeatedly.
[Jiuli Academy School of Pharmacy, admission qualification confirmed!]
She saved the page, unable to hold back the smile on her face.
The caravan manager nearby urged her.
"Anyone going to Iron Furnace City, hurry up and get on, we're leaving shortly!"
"Coming!"
Ye Qinghe put away her wristband, picked up her medicine chest, and boarded the armored vehicle.
She hadn't contacted Lin Chuan in advance.
It had been so long since they last met.
It would be just right to give him a surprise.
Chapter 156: Three People, Better Together
The next morning.
Ning Zhaoyue was the first to arrive at Iron Furnace City.
When she stepped off the Zhenyuan Division armored vehicle, Lin Chuan was waiting for her at the entrance of the Great Xia Contact Station.
Ning Zhaoyue looked at the thunder blade on Lin Chuan's back.
The remade thunder blade was black-gold all over, with purple thunder patterns traced across the surface of the sheath. Even unsheathed, one could still feel the extremely powerful Thunder Element power compressed inside.
"The upgrade is complete?"
"Rank Six Peak."
Lin Chuan took down the thunder blade and handed it over for Ning Zhaoyue to take a look.
Ning Zhaoyue did not reach out.
Rank Six weapons had a complete energy cycle inside. If one rashly injected astral qi without the owner's permission, it was easy to suffer a backlash from the spirit runes.
She only sensed it carefully for a moment before looking back at Lin Chuan.
"So, right after killing a Rank Six Shadow Martial King, you took on another King-tier mission?"
"Since my blade got upgraded, I couldn't resist testing it out."
Lin Chuan replied very naturally.
Ning Zhaoyue was at a loss for words.
When a normal Martial Artist got a Rank Six weapon, their first thought would be to familiarize themselves with the spirit runes, practice matching Blade Techniques, and then find someone of similar strength to spar with.
Lin Chuan, on the other hand, was something else.
As soon as he got the weapon, he went straight to the mission hall to test his blade on a Rank Six Middle StageDemon Marquis.
"I've brought the information on the Flame-Swallowing Demon Marquis."
Ning Zhaoyue took out a data chip.
"The Zhenyuan Division has fought it before. Moluo has mastered at least thirty types of Fire Mystical Artss, and its demonic fire can cling to astral qi and Mental Strength."
"The previous teams failed not just because they couldn't kill Moluo. As long as someone in the team caught the demonic fire, the overall formation would quickly collapse."
"Leave it with me for now."
Lin Chuan took the chip.
"We'll review it together once everyone arrives."
Ning Zhaoyue followed Lin Chuan into the contact station.
Around noon, the people from Xinghuo also arrived.
As soon as Zhao Qishan stepped off the transport vehicle, he saw Lin Chuan.
"Brother Chuan!"
Carrying his newly exchanged Rank Four war blade, he ran all the way from the parking area.
Zhou Mingchuan followed behind, his storage equipment packed with a large amount of potions, food, and field gear.
Besides the two of them, there were two core members of Xinghuo's main combat team.
Everyone had upgraded to new gear.
The Rank Four Xuan Turtle Battle Armor Zhao Qishanwore was bought using the Contribution Points allocated from this mission.
The entire set of armor had a uniform color.
At last, it wasn't a cobbled-together set patched up with random pieces like before.
"Brother Chuan, you only said in the group chat that we were raiding a Rank Six dungeon, you didn't mention the target was a Rank Six Middle Stage Demon Marquis!"
Zhao Qishan had already read the mission information on his way over.
"Isn't Rank Six Middle Stage still within Rank Six?"
"That's true, technically..."
Zhao Qishan touched his battle armor.
"But the leap is a bit too big. This new armor of mine can't even withstand a Rank Five attack. If Moluo slaps me casually, wouldn't I go straight to needing a new set?"
"You actually want it to give you a slap?"
Lin Chuan gave him a look.
"Once we enter the Seventh Layer, you guys clear the nearby demons and guard the retreat path. Leave Moluo to me."
"If you encounter something you can't handle, run immediately."
Hearing that they didn't have to face a Rank Six Middle Stage Demon Marquis head-on, the group visibly relaxed quite a bit.
Their main goal this time was to follow Lin Chuan into a high-tier demon cave to gain practical combat experience.
And incidentally secure a spot for Earthfire Body Tempering.
If they were actually sent to gang up on Moluo, that wouldn't be training.
That would be delivering meals!
Zhou Mingchuan opened the supply list.
"We won't be able to resupply inside Chiyuan Demon Cave. The recovery potions we brought are enough for five days, but we don't have many potions to isolate fire poison."
"We can buy them in Iron Furnace City, but high-tier potions are very expensive."
"Let's register at the mission hall first."
Lin Chuan said, "Whatever we're short of, we'll buy after registering."
Just as they were preparing to head out...
Outside the Great Xia Contact Station, another convoy drove in.
The Jiuli Academy Medical College logo was printed on the vehicles.
Over a dozen mentors and students from the Medical College got off the vehicles and began unloading potion crates.
Their main purpose in entering Iron Furnace City this time was to accompany several mercenary teams for field medical internships.
At the very rear of the group...
A girl wearing a light green combat suit jumped off an armored vehicle holding a silver-white potion case.
As soon as her feet touched the ground, she saw Lin Chuan standing at the entrance of the contact station.
Ye Qinghe's eyes instantly lit up.
"Lin Chuan!"
She handed the potion case to a classmate beside her and ran straight over.
Lin Chuan turned around upon hearing her voice, only to find Ye Qinghe already right in front of him.
She grabbed Lin Chuan's arm and opened her mission wristband with her other hand, displaying the recently saved admission notice right before his eyes.
"Look!"
"I got into Jiuli!"
[Jiuli Academy College of Apothecary!]
[Admission Eligibility Confirmed!]
Below the admission notice were Ye Qinghe's College Entrance Examination scores and Apothecary assessment records.
Her academic scores were good to begin with.
Possessing the Grade-A Hundred Herbs Spiritual Heartand being the granddaughter of Medicine King Ye Tianxing, she far surpassed ordinary candidates in apothecaries and medicine.
Entering Jiuli College of Apothecary held practically no suspense.
But when the official admission notice arrived, she was still thrilled for several days.
"Not bad."
After reading it, Lin Chuan patted her head.
"In the future, if I get hurt at Jiuli, I won't even have to pay medical bills."
"In your dreams."
Ye Qinghe said so verbally, but showed no intention of letting go of his arm.
"I just got accepted and school haven't even officially started yet. You're already plotting to get free potions from me?"
"Just fostering our bond as schoolmates ahead of time."
"We've known each other before, why would we need to foster anything ahead of time?"
Standing nearby, Ning Zhaoyue's gaze fell on Ye Qinghe's hand holding Lin Chuan's arm.
She stared for two seconds before finally speaking up.
"Who is this?"
Only then did Ye Qinghe notice that a quite beautiful woman was standing beside Lin Chuan.
Moreover, she was wearing a Zhenyuan Division combat suit.
A short blade hung at her waist.
Clearly, she was also carrying out a mission with Lin Chuan.
Lin Chuan introduced them to each other, "Ye Qinghe, granddaughter of Medicine King Ye Tianxing. The girl I backed during the provincial exam."
"Her Hundred Herbs Spiritual Heart has great healing capabilities and helped me out a lot before."
Saying that, Lin Chuan pointed to Ning Zhaoyue.
"Ning Zhaoyue, Grade-3 Blade Officer of the Zhenyuan Division."
"She's also at Jiuli Academy and currently lives next door to me."
The smile on Ye Qinghe's face didn't fade.
But her grip on Lin Chuan's arm tightened slightly.
"Lives next door?"
Ning Zhaoyue nodded.
"The Spirit Vein Villas arranged by the academy—our two houses happen to be right next to each other."
"That's quite a coincidence then."
Ye Qinghe said with a smile, "Lin Chuan sometimes acts impulsively. Once we're at school, I'll have to trouble Big Sister Ning to look after him more."
Ning Zhaoyue glanced at Lin Chuan.
"Within a few days of enrolling, he has already swept through the Tianheng Club, killed four lords, and breached an ancient Secret Realm."
"At this point, it's hard to say who's taking care of whom."
Ye Qinghe naturally knew about these things.
Lin Chuan's battle video in the Ninth Mining Area had long spread across the internet.
But knowing was one thing.
She could still read quite a bit between the lines of Ning Zhaoyue's words.
Enrolled for just a few days.
Spirit Vein Villa.
The two entered the Grey Zone together and participated in several missions in a row.
Clearly, they were very familiar with each other!
Ning Zhaoyue likewise noticed that the relationship between Ye Qinghe and Lin Chuan was more than ordinary friendship.
Normal classmates meeting each other wouldn't keep holding onto someone's arm without letting go.
The two women looked at each other again.
Polite smiles sat on both of their faces.
Lin Chuan was completely oblivious to any tension in the air.
"Let's go, register at the mission hall first."
Ye Qinghe immediately asked, "What mission are you guys taking?"
"Chiyuan Demon Cave, kill the Rank Six Middle StageFlame-Swallowing Demon Marquis."
"Then I'm coming too."
Ye Qinghe agreed without hesitation.
Ning Zhaoyue frowned.
"You came here for an internship with the Medical College. Chiyuan Demon Cave is a King-tier mission, which is outside your internship scope."
"Besides, you've just entered the subterranean cave and aren't familiar with the environment here yet."
Her saying this wasn't entirely aimed at targeting Ye Qinghe.
Chiyuan Demon Cave was indeed dangerous.
Zhao Qishan and the others were at least core combat members of Xinghuo who had executed many Grey Zonemissions.
Ye Qinghe had just been accepted to Jiuli; following a group of new students on a King-tier mission was risky no matter how one looked at it.
"It's not my first time entering a Grey Zone."
Ye Qinghe let go of Lin Chuan and opened her medical log.
[Participated in Grey Zone Medical Support: 11 times!]
[Participated in Rank Five Demon Area Rescues: 3 times!]
[Independently treated patients with fire poison, demon poison, and astral qi erosion: 47 people!]
[Patient Survival Rate: 100%!]
Having studied under the Medicine King for so many years, Ye Qinghe wasn't someone who only knew how to stay in a medical room compounding potions.
After the provincial exam ended, she had accompanied the Medicine King Medical Team into the Grey Zone several times.
Treating wounded personnel in a battlefield environment was far from her first time.
"The most troublesome things in Chiyuan Demon Cave are the demonic fire and fire poison."
Ye Qinghe looked at Ning Zhaoyue.
"With my Hundred Herbs Spiritual Heart, I can assess the extent of fire poison entering a body in advance, and I can also formulate potions to suppress demonic fire."
"I won't run to the front lines to fight a Rank Six Demon Marquis."
"But when someone gets injured, the team always needs a medic."
Ning Zhaoyue flipped through her mission records.
The records on it were all genuine.
She didn't continue to oppose, merely saying, "Even if you can treat injuries, you still need self-defense capabilities. Once we enter the Seventh Layer, Lin Chuan might not be able to keep watching the rear at all times."
"I know."
Ye Qinghe turned her head to look at Lin Chuan.
"I will follow the captain's arrangements."
That last sentence was spoken quite obediently.
Lin Chuan thought for a moment.
The team indeed lacked accompanying medical personnel.
Moreover, Chiyuan Demon Cave was filled with fire poison and demonic fire everywhere.
Ye Qinghe's abilities happened to fit perfectly.
"One scout, one medic—perfect."
Lin Chuan made the final call.
"However, once we go in, you must stay by Zhou Mingchuan and the others. Leave Moluo to me, you don't need to get close to the center of the Seventh Layer."
"No problem."
Ye Qinghe agreed right away.
When the leading instructor from the Medical College learned about this, he originally didn't want to let her go.
However, Ye Qinghe already had independent Grey Zonemedical records.
Medicine King Ye Tianxing had also signed an authorization for her independent actions.
Coupled with the captain being Lin Chuan who had just slain a Shadow Martial King, the instructor checked the team information and ultimately agreed.
"If you encounter danger, guarantee your own safety first."
The instructor specifically warned, "You are a medic, not a main combat Martial Artist. Don't just rush forward recklessly the moment you see someone injured."
"Teacher, I know."
The team personnel were finalized.
Lin Chuan.
Ning Zhaoyue.
Ye Qinghe.
Zhao Qishan, Zhou Mingchuan, and two other core members of the Xinghuo main combat team.
Exactly seven people!
After the mission registration was complete, everyone boarded an armored vehicle heading for Chiyuan Demon Cave.
As soon as Lin Chuan sat in the second row, Ning Zhaoyueboarded from the left side and sat next to him.
Ye Qinghe entered from the door on the other side and also sat beside Lin Chuan.
One on the left, one on the right.
Sandwiched him right in the middle.
Zhao Qishan originally wanted to sit in the second row too.
He pulled open the door, and seeing the situation inside, his movements paused.
Then, he silently shut the door and went to the back row.
Zhou Mingchuan was checking the supplies.
Seeing Zhao Qishan come over, he found it a bit strange.
"Aren't there seats in front?"
"Nope."
Zhao Qishan stowed his war blade and found the rearmost seat to sit down.
The armored vehicle drove out of Iron Furnace City.
Looking at the three people sitting side-by-side in front, he couldn't help sighing emotionally.
"Isn't it cramped with three people?"
Chapter 157: Brother Chuan Took a Few Students on a Mission!
After the armored vehicle left the Great Xia liaison point, it first stopped at the mission sub-hall on the west side of Iron Furnace City.
Lin Chuan had only accepted the mission earlier to lock in their slot.
Before officially departing for a King-tier mission, a full team roster still needed to be submitted for a final combat capability review.
The dwarf responsible for the review took the documents, and after reading just a few lines, his brows furrowed.
Lin Chuan, eighteen years old, freshman at Jiuli Academy.
Ning Zhaoyue, student at Jiuli Academy, Tier-3 Blade Official of the Zhenyuan Division.
Ye Qinghe, newly admitted to the Jiuli Pharmacy College.
Zhao Qishan, Zhou Mingchuan, and two core members of Spark were also all students.
The entire team consisted of seven people.
Not a single one of them had even properly graduated!
The reviewer looked up, wondering if he had taken the wrong documents.
"You're planning to go to Chiyuan Demon Cave?"
"Yes."
"To carry out the hunt for the Flame-Swallowing Demon Marquis?"
"That's right."
The reviewer pushed the documents back.
"Chiyuan Demon Cave is no ordinary training area."
"According to Iron Furnace City regulations, any team executing a King-tier mission must possess Martial King-level combat capability. Your team does not meet the requirements and cannot pass."
Zhao Qishan stood behind them without saying a word.
At a time like this, he certainly couldn't be sent up to prove their combat strength.
Wearing his Tier-4 Black Tortoise Armor, he indeed looked the part.
But if the reviewer actually slapped him, both he and the armor would likely need to be sent for repairs.
Lin Chuan did not take back the documents.
He opened his mission record, pulled up the ash furnace divine hammer mission he had completed just yesterday, and placed it in front of the reviewer.
[Target Slain: Tier-6 Early Stage Shadow Martial KingHeruo!]
[Slayer: Lin Chuan!]
[Combat record verified jointly by the Ash Furnace Familyand Great Xia Martial Arts Association!]
The reviewer stared at those lines of text for a long time.
Then, he looked at Lin Chuan's Realm information again.
"First Layer Great Grandmaster?"
"Yes."
"But the mission requires Martial King-level combat capability."
"Martial King capability? I have that."
Lin Chuan pointed to Heruo's kill record.
"Killed just yesterday. The corpse was even verified right here in your mission hall."
For a moment, the reviewer couldn't find a single counterargument.
The rule stated that the team must possess Martial King-level combat capability.
It didn't state that they had to have a real Martial King.
Since Lin Chuan could kill Tier-6 Early Stage Heruo head-on, he naturally counted as Martial King-level combat capability.
The reviewer rechecked the mission record and stamped the team roster.
"Verification passed."
"However, I must still warn you. The Flame-Swallowing Demon Marquis has reached Tier-6 Middle Stage and has lived in Chiyuan Demon Cave year-round. The environment there grants it a massive boost."
"Understood."
Lin Chuan retrieved the mission documents.
"If we really can't win, we'll run."
The reviewer glanced at him.
He felt like Lin Chuan wasn't telling the truth.
Yesterday, when facing Heruo, this kid had seemingly said the exact same thing.
In the end, Heruo was the one who failed to escape.
...
After leaving Iron Furnace City, the armored vehicle drove along a dark red trade route continuously for over three hours.
The vegetation on both sides of the road grew sparser and sparser.
Yet the ambient temperature in the air kept rising.
In the distance, a reddish-crimson mountain range gradually came into view. Dense black smoke spewed from cracks in the mountains, dyeing the Sky above a murky gray-black.
The entrance to Chiyuan Demon Cave lay right in the center of the mountain range.
As their armored vehicle reached the outer outpost, they saw a mercenary team retreating from the direction of the cave.
Out of a dozen or so people, more than half were injured.
Several severely injured members lay on metal stretchers, their armor warped from intense heat.
The leading Martial King was in slightly better condition.
However, a large hole had been burned through the Tier-5 armor on his chest as well, with a layer of dark red fire poison lingering near the wound.
The mercenary team's medic was frantically spraying potions over it.
Yet the fire poison seemed alive, clinging tightly to his flesh and astral qi, impossible to completely clear.
Ye Qinghe only took a few glances before her expression turned solemn.
"This is the Flame-Swallowing Demon Marquis's demon fire."
"Demonic Qi is mixed into the flames, allowing it to burn by attaching to astral qi. The more you use astral qi to suppress it, the faster it spreads."
Hearing her words, the injured Martial King looked up at her.
"Are you guys planning to enter Chiyuan Demon Cave as well?"
"Yes."
Lin Chuan led the group out of the vehicle.
The mercenary Martial King looked over his team, his expression a bit strange.
"Where's your Martial King?"
"I'm the captain."
"I asked who the Martial King is."
"Also me."
The mercenary Martial King frowned.
Lin Chuan looked far too young.
Behind him, Zhao Qishan and the others also looked entirely like students.
Just as he was about to advise these young people to turn back, a mercenary beside him suddenly recognized Lin Chuan.
"Captain, he's the guy who killed Heruo yesterday!"
"Lin Chuan?"
The mercenary Martial King looked at Lin Chuan again, instantly swallowing back the words of advice.
The corpse of the Shadow Martial King, Heruo, had been transported back to Iron Furnace City yesterday.
Rumor had it that from discovering the bandit syndicate's headquarters to Lin Chuan killing Heruo, it took less than a day in total.
Someone like this truly couldn't be viewed as an ordinary student.
"So it's you."
The mercenary Martial King removed his burnt-through armor, revealing the wound on his chest.
"We reached the Sixth Layer and ran into Moluo in the subterranean fire passage leading to the Seventh Layer."
"That guy knows a lot of fire-attribute Mystical Arts, but the most troublesome thing is this demon fire. Once it touches you, whatever you do, don't try to suppress it directly with astral qi."
"Once Heruo left the shadows, his direct combat capability wasn't particularly strong. But Moluo is different."
He pointed toward Chiyuan Demon Cave in the distance.
"In there, he's much harder to deal with than an ordinary Tier-6 Middle Stage."
Lin Chuan took note of the warning seriously.
"Thanks."
The mercenary Martial King nodded.
"Good luck to you all."
The two teams parted ways.
Lin Chuan led his team and officially entered Chiyuan Demon Cave.
As soon as they crossed the entrance, the outside light faded rapidly.
The rock walls on both sides were a dark crimson.
Fissures of subterranean fire cracked beneath their feet, continuously spewing hot air currents outward.
Demonic Qi and fire poison in the air, mixed with the Blood Qi formed from numerous rotting demon corpses, coalesced into a viscous gray-red mist.
Not long after they entered, their communication devices began flashing continuously.
Zhou Mingchuan checked the signal.
"External communication has been cut off."
"The internal team channel is still functional, but beyond five hundred meters, the signal will suffer interference."
Lin Chuan nodded.
"Everyone, don't split up."
"Old Zhou will map the route, Zhao Qishan will lead the main combat squad up front. Ning Zhaoyue will scout, and Ye Qinghe will monitor everyone's physical condition."
"If anyone feels they can't handle it, speak up immediately."
The group continued forward.