Chapter 92

Creak! Creak!

In the midst of the gray mist, the sound of grating chains echoed, making one's teeth chatter. A vague silhouette could be seen descending, stirring up the increasingly dense fog.

Upon closer inspection, it was a cloud ladder resembling a pavilion, descending continuously under the pull of iron chains. Inside, a small bell jingled.

"May I ask, Senior Brother, why is the mist here so thick?"

Li Chen frowned slightly, feeling that something was off about the mist. Although it was already late autumn, his cultivation should not have made him feel cold. However, in the midst of this mist, he felt a chill that seemed to penetrate his body.

Jiang Mushi stood there like a stone, motionless, showing no intention of answering Li Chen.

Feeling embarrassed, Li Chen rubbed his nose, looking around. All he could see was the gray mist, and with his eyesight, he couldn't even see a dozen feet ahead, let alone anyone else.

He wondered how there could be such thick fog even though it was almost noon. As the chains creaked, about a quarter of an hour passed.

Ding! Ding!

The clear sound of the bell rang out, and the entire cloud ladder trembled, followed by a few dull thuds.

"Go up!"

His voice matched his name, dry and hoarse. Jiang Mushi casually picked up a bamboo basket from the cloud ladder and placed it on a protruding cliff on the other side.

"Senior Brother, I—"

Li Chen did not go up, but just stood there quietly watching.

Jiang Mushi said nothing, just standing there silently.

The two men stared at each other, neither backing down, as if sparks were flying between them, causing the surrounding mist to scatter.

"Nine days, calm your mind!"

Finally, Jiang Mushi averted his gaze, pointed at the bamboo basket, and looked around.

"Thank you, Senior Brother!"

Li Chen narrowed his eyes, bowed, and landed on the cliff. Jiang Mushi's wooden eyes flickered slightly, as if he had glanced at Li Chen, or perhaps not. He extended his withered hand, grabbed the control lever, and pulled it, slowly disappearing into the gray mist as the chains creaked.

"So strong, he feels even stronger than that big man. Why does he let him order him around like that?"

Li Chen did not want to be enslaved again. In the invisible competition just now, he had managed to gain the upper hand by chance, but that was due to his secret use of 'momentum.'

If it were a normal fight, the cold and eerie Jiang Mushi might not have lost to him.

More importantly, Li Chen sensed a faint 'momentum' from him, though very faint, it was something he himself possessed and could not be hidden.

Standing at the edge of the cliff, Li Chen couldn't understand why Jiang Mushi was here. He gazed deeply into the mist, picked up the bamboo basket, and walked inside.

The mist inside the cliff seemed much less dense, allowing him to see several dozen feet ahead. Apart from the smooth stones, there was only a simple cave that could barely accommodate a person.

From the thick layer of dust inside, it was clear that few people came here.

He took a few steps, checked the surroundings, and found that the flat area of the cliff was about a dozen feet wide, with nothing particularly terrifying.

Li Chen didn't mind, used to hardship as he was. He walked straight to the cave, sat down, and lifted the cotton cloth covering the bamboo basket.

Inside were nine steamed buns, cold and hard, so hard that they could probably break a stone. Clearly, these were his rations for the next nine days.

After some thought, Li Chen reached into his robe, took out a storage bag, infused it with a thread of true qi, and began to rummage through it.

Soon, several pots, bowls, and other utensils, as well as a lot of meat and even spirit fruits, appeared on the ground.

Though he had given away six storage bags, he still had three of the largest ones, all filled with various necessities, not just for himself but also for Lei Peng and Jinzi, the two 'gluttons.'

"I wonder how Lei Peng and Jinzi are doing. They should have safely broken through, right?"

Thinking of the two, Li Chen sighed, feeling that they had never had a peaceful day since they joined him. Every day, they either helped him track enemies or guarded him.

This time, he had returned to the sect in a hurry, and they were about to break through, but he wasn't there to help them. He felt guilty.

Being as lonely as he was, he naturally took good care of the two, never stopping the supply of spirit pills and fruits, which had allowed them to show signs of breaking through in less than two months.

But even this made him feel he hadn't taken good enough care of them.

After some contemplation, Li Chen ate a fruit without much taste, lit a windproof lamp, and picked up a book to read.

The place was very dark due to the gray mist, but the lamp made it a bit better.

This book, "Chronicles of the Xuantian Continent," was a gift from Guan Canghai of the Treasure Pavilion in Songyang City. Unfortunately, the two were exposed for colluding with the Thirteen Thieves and were captured by the combined forces of various factions. They were sent to the Xuan Yun Sect yesterday to await their punishment, which would be the removal of their martial arts and expulsion from the sect.

"Who would have thought that the Xuantian Continent is so vast, with no one knowing its boundaries. I must travel the entire continent to see its full extent!"

Seemingly captivated by the book, Li Chen unconsciously clenched his fists, muttering to himself.

Time passed, and without the sun to judge the time, he changed the candle in the windproof lamp twelve times. Each candle burned for about half an hour, meaning Li Chen had been reading for six hours. When he reached the last page, his eyebrows raised: "I have wandered the continent for over a hundred years, but my talent is mediocre, and my time is running out. I lament that the heavens do not fulfill my wishes.

Today, I compile my life's experiences here, hoping to help future generations. I offer a beginner's notes to broaden their horizons.

The path of martial arts is based on the five elements, with wind and thunder as auxiliaries, and yin and yang as the roots. The nine realms of martial arts come from this.

Martial techniques are observed from insects, beasts, and birds, and those that strengthen the body are ordinary.

Those who can split mountains and rocks, walk on walls, and fly through the air are considered extraordinary.

Those who can boil the sea, step through the void, and defy the laws of nature are considered heavenly.

Cultivation of martial arts involves 'momentum' and 'intent,' which are cultivated to harmonize with the universe.

Those who emit martial momentum can suppress others, and those who form martial intent can force weapons.

It is said that above the heavens and within the domains, there are even higher realms, but alas, we cannot see them!

Alas, alas, what can be done!"

The phrase "what can be done" expressed boundless sorrow!

Silence!

At this moment, even the slowly moving mist seemed to stop, leaving only Li Chen's strong and steady, but slow, heartbeat.

After an unknown period of silence, Li Chen took a deep breath, slowly closed the book, stood up, and looked up at the gray mist. "What can be done? I don't know who my parents are, and now, I have no family. Is this the will of heaven?

Today, I, Li Chen, swear here that I will never let myself be in a position of helplessness. If heaven obstructs me, I will break through it. If the earth obstructs me, I will step on it!"