The darkness stretched deep and vast, like the gaping maw of an abyss.


    One by one, living beings leapt willingly into this "giant mouth," vanishing into the shadows as they entered various tunnels, their forms swallowed by the gloom.


    Han and his companion picked a direction at random, moving forward without Yuan Fang. That was because Yuan Fang hadn’t even bothered descending into the cavern.


    As the saying goes, "A gentleman doesn’t stand beneath a crumbling wall." The Yuan family had no shortage of people to explore these depths, and Yuan Fang had no intention of risking his own neck. The last time creatures had flooded into Black Mountain en masse, neither he nor the key disciples of other prominent families had ventured in. This time, though a few core figures from other factions had come down into the cavern, Yuan Fang remained an exception.


    Having visited the county capital multiple times, Han had gained some insight into Yuan Fang’s standing within the Yuan family. He was being groomed as the next head of the household—a far cry from the likes of Jin Shui from the Golden Dragon Dojo or Huang Mingri. His path was different, his future secured.


    As Han and Bai Ruoyue pressed onward, they soon found themselves facing a wall of mist. The fog had thinned considerably, faint enough that they could glimpse the scenery beyond.


    Thud, thud, thud!


    The sound of heavy footsteps echoed as Han spotted a beast charging out from a tunnel on the far side of the mist. It barreled through the last wisps of fog, unaffected by its presence.


    "So these beasts come from deeper within the cavern," Han mused.


    The creature, a visceral-realm beast, was swiftly dispatched by the pair. Curious, Han extended his arm into the thinning mist—and something unexpected happened. The faint haze parted, clearing a path as if inviting them forward. He glanced at his hand—the same one that had once held the moon’s power.


    "Does this thing have that kind of effect?" he wondered aloud. It seemed the artifact truly was tied to the cavern.


    Crossing the misty threshold, Han noticed a shift in the surroundings. The ground and walls of the tunnels bore chaotic, indecipherable patterns. The passages twisted and branched like a labyrinth, and once again, their mental energy was suppressed, unable to probe far ahead.


    After some time, they stumbled upon a nest carved into the cave wall. A beast lunged out, attacking them without hesitation. Its appearance was bizarre: a tiger with a tortoise shell on its back, no ears, but two long horns sprouting from its head.


    "Visceral realm, peak stage!" Han noted.


    The monster was formidable, but no match for the two of them. Once it was dealt with, Han inspected the nest. The chaotic patterns were far more prominent here, and a stone platform sat within. The beast’s lingering aura clung heavily to the platform, suggesting it had been coiled there before their arrival disturbed it.


    "What’s this?" Bai Ruoyue asked, spotting a protruding stone near the nest. She pressed it down.


    A faint glow flickered along the patterns on the tunnel walls, and a shimmering curtain of light appeared, separating the nest from the passage. Moments later, however, the barrier shattered, and the patterns dimmed once more.


    The scene felt oddly familiar, stirring Han’s thoughts. "These beasts… they were probably domesticated originally," he said. "This cavern—it might’ve been a breeding ground."


    He could picture it: in some distant era, these nests housed countless beasts, confined by the press of a stone. When the Tianming Sect needed them, they’d be released to serve whatever purpose the sect required.


    The nest held no treasures, so Han and Bai Ruoyue continued onward. Along the way, they encountered more nests—some occupied by beasts, others long abandoned. Each had a stone platform, the same strange patterns, and a control stone to "open and close the door."


    They also found spiritual plants growing beside the decayed remains of beasts. "It’s so vast… and so complicated," Bai Ruoyue remarked after a while, her voice tinged with awe.


    The cavern was indeed unreasonably immense, its tangled network of tunnels a death trap for any ordinary mortal.


    Roar!


    A lion-like bellow reverberated through the air, jolting their senses and drawing their attention. Following the sound, they came upon a five-colored serpent with a lion’s tail and teeth more human than reptilian. Every beast they’d encountered beyond the mist had been a grotesque patchwork of features, as if stitched together from mismatched parts.


    The serpent was devouring two corpses—judging by their attire, they were Yuan family members. This was the brutal cost of exploring such a place; bloodshed was inescapable.


    "Bone-forging realm," Bai Ruoyue said, her eyes narrowing with killing intent. Ever since the Black Mountain chase, she’d harbored a deep loathing for snake-like beasts.


    Boom!


    The lion-tail slammed the ground, and the serpent slithered toward them, its blood-drenched maw gaping wide.


    Stolen from its rightful author, this tale is not meant to be on Amazon; report any sightings.


    "Looking to die!" Bai Ruoyue didn’t hesitate, charging forward with Han close behind.


    Boom!


    A shockwave erupted, kicking up dust as true qi clashed. The deeper they ventured, the sturdier the cavern became—capable of withstanding bone-forging-level combat with minimal damage.


    After one exchange, they gauged the serpent’s strength: barely at the bone-forging threshold. For it to attack them head-on was sheer recklessness. But then, in a flash of cunning, the serpent’s eyes gleamed, and it turned to flee without a second thought.


    "What’s with this stinking snake?" Bai Ruoyue exclaimed, startled but quick to pursue.


    Han formed the Yang Earth Fire Seal, unleashing a torrent of blazing flames that engulfed the serpent’s body. Its lion-like roars filled the air as it writhed in agony, unable to escape.


    "I was hoping to use you as a whetstone for my skills—why’d you have to run?" Han muttered, half-amused. "Why force my hand?"


    Bai Ruoyue shot him a mock-reproachful glance before adding uncertainly, "This snake… it seems smarter than the others, doesn’t it?"


    "Yeah," Han agreed. Typically, even bone-forging beasts were stubborn and mindless. For this serpent to flee after a single clash was unnatural—it hadn’t even faced overwhelming power to justify such a retreat.


    Han recalled the flames, leaving the serpent a charred husk, though a faint spark of life lingered. Bai Ruoyue finished it with a clean sword strike to the head. Sensing something, Han split the skull open, revealing a moon-white, irregularly shaped crystal the size of a silkworm bean.


    "What’s this?" Bai Ruoyue asked.


    "None of the other cavern beasts we’ve killed had this," Han replied, lifting the stone with his sword for a closer look. "Is it unique to bone-forging cavern beasts, or just this snake’s species?"


    The crystal held a subtle power—not strong, but holding it brought a strange clarity, sharpening the mind.


    "Let me see," Bai Ruoyue said. Han handed it over, then tossed a wisp of flame to incinerate the serpent’s body, keeping only its bones. He’d been handling every cavern beast corpse this way—too bizarre to eat, likely the product of some experiment. Better to take only the valuable parts for crafting.


    Suddenly, footsteps echoed from their right. Four figures emerged from another tunnel.


    "Han? Haha!" one of them laughed heartily upon spotting him, his gaze then fixing on the moon-white stone in Bai Ruoyue’s hand, a glint of greed in his eyes.


    "Jin Shui," Han said, his eyes narrowing slightly. This was the same Golden Dragon Dojo member who’d mocked him during his last trip to the county capital, sneering at his origins in Black Cloud Town. As a core member of the dojo, Jin Shui’s presence here wasn’t surprising—exploring the cavern offered both risks and rewards. Unlike Yuan Fang, who played it safe as the Yuan family heir, others were willing to gamble for the potential gains.


    "So this is the so-called genius of Black Cloud Town?" a woman beside Jin Shui remarked, her voice sultry as she sized Han up. "He’s easy on the eyes, at least. Wonder if his skills match the hype."


    Han ignored them, turning to Bai Ruoyue. "Let’s keep moving."


    "Hold it!" Jin Shui barked. "There was a beast here just now, wasn’t there? Tell me what you got. Hand over that stone for inspection."


    Han sighed inwardly. Jin Shui was exactly as Yuan Fang had described—always eager to bully those from smaller places. Han had intended to let them off easy, but they were practically begging for trouble.


    "Senior Brother Jin, they might not be pushovers," a tall youth cautioned. "That woman’s likely the daughter of Tai Bai’s master—rumor has it she’s at the bone-forging realm."


    "Ridiculous," Jin Shui scoffed. "Some backwater dojo producing a genius like that? Senior Brother Zhang’s a prodigy at the visceral realm’s peak and knows the gap between visceral and bone-forging better than anyone."


    The one called Senior Brother Zhang glanced at Bai Ruoyue. "I may be at the visceral realm’s limit, but I wouldn’t claim bone-forging strength. Small-town folks lack vision—it’s not surprising they’d exaggerate."


    "Do as Junior Brother Jin says, and I’ll promise not to hurt you," he added.


    Han shook his head, exasperated. If Bai Ruoyue weren’t here, he’d have let loose a few choice curses. "If your brain’s not working, try reading more—knowledge is power," he said coolly. "And if it’s waterlogged, spend some time in Tianyang County. The heat there might dry it out. Good dogs don’t block the road—ever heard that one?"


    "How dare you!" Jin Shui’s face darkened. "I just wanted a look at your haul, but now it seems you need a lesson."


    "Senior Brother Zhang, grab that stone from the woman!"


    Jin Shui lunged at Han, his visceral-realm minor-stage strength surging. "Courting death," Han muttered. With a single step, he threw a punch, the air exploding with force. Their fists met, and Jin Shui’s eyes bulged as blood rushed to his face. Before he could be flung back, Han grabbed him and landed another blow square to his chest.


    Bang!


    Jin Shui flew back a dozen meters, crashing hard and coughing up blood.


    On the other side, Senior Brother Zhang hadn’t even made a move toward Bai Ruoyue before it was over. The three remaining dojo members stared in shock and fury—Jin Shui’s defeat had been swift and brutal.


    Han glanced at the writhing, groaning Jin Shui. "I ran into you outside the county capital today, and sure enough, I’ve seen what the ‘geniuses’ of the city amount to. Weak as a chick—disappointing. Nothing special."


    He threw Jin Shui’s own words back at him.


    "You dare act so arrogantly before me!" Senior Brother Zhang roared, charging forward. "All of you, take them down!"


    "Been waiting for this!" Bai Ruoyue shot back, darting forth like an arrow, her sword aimed at Zhang.


    The other two rushed Han, their momentum fierce. The tall youth had hesitated earlier, but with the fight underway, his allegiance to the dojo left him no choice.


    Blades flashed with impressive power—both were visceral-realm peak-stage fighters. Among the four, Jin Shui, despite his bluster, was the weakest.


    Han drew [Tai Bai], his top-tier weapon, which held its own against any blade. A fine weapon was nothing without a stronger wielder—and Han was that.


    Clang!


    The clash rang out, reverberating through the tunnels. Despite facing two peak visceral-realm opponents, Han held the upper hand. Their arms went numb, forcing them back several steps, blood churning uncomfortably in their chests.


    "How can someone fresh into the visceral realm be this strong?!" the woman, Senior Sister Li, gasped in disbelief.


    Han didn’t respond, stepping forward with a sword strike that radiated lethal intent. Today, he’d test the mettle of these county capital "geniuses."


    A scream pierced the air from the other side. Senior Brother Zhang, moments ago so confident, had lost an arm to Bai Ruoyue’s blade, his body riddled with bloody wounds. Han almost pitied him—the man had been honest about lacking bone-forging strength. An admirable confession of his own weakness, though reality offered no mercy for it.


    The gap between visceral and bone-forging was a chasm; the former could be slaughtered with ease. Terrified, Zhang turned to flee. Han notched an arrow, loosing it with a thunderous twang. It pierced Zhang’s chest faster than he could run, dropping him dead.


    Even at the visceral realm’s peak, he’d have fallen to Han in a straight fight—let alone after Bai Ruoyue’s mauling. Escape was a fantasy against Han’s Sky Vault Bow.


    Meanwhile, Bai Ruoyue pivoted, cutting down the tall youth with a single, precise strike as he recoiled in panic. Senior Sister Li had already been subdued.


    In mere moments, the skirmish was over.


    Han surveyed the scene calmly. "Geniuses?" he said. "That’s just the baseline for facing me."