Chapter 62

Biao was awakened by a bucket of cold water, and then he regretted being awake.

"Speak! Where did you hide my secret treasures?" Tang Tian’s voice pierced Biao’s ears.

Biao was utterly confused: "Your secret treasures?"

"Exactly!" Tang Tian stood up abruptly, spreading his arms with a look of righteousness: "You are all my captives now. Your secret treasures naturally belong to me."

Only then did Biao realize what was happening, and he was at a loss whether to laugh or cry: "They are all there. Your technique... was so clean..."

"Don’t try to fool me!" Tang Tian looked at Biao with disdain: "With so many items, not even a single Bronze Secret Treasure, not even a Silver Card! You’re trying to fool me! How could the members of the Light Martial Association be so poor? Let me tell you, don’t think I’m a layman. The members of the Light Martial Association are incredibly wealthy!"

Thinking of the luxurious carriage of Mr. Kong and the wall full of fourth-stage Silver Soul Cards, Tang Tian felt energized.

Seeing Biao speechless, Tang Tian said smugly: "I even have a Bronze Secret Treasure on me, and you guys don’t have a single one. How is that possible? I’m telling you, you’d better hand over all your secret treasures. If anyone hides anything, well, don’t blame me if something is missing from their body."

Tang Tian repeated Biao’s own words.

Tears streamed down Biao’s face. Who said the members of the Light Martial Association were all fat lambs?

"We really don’t have any..." Biao said shakily.

Tang Tian’s face darkened, and he clenched his fists: "It seems I need to help you remember!"

Biao immediately panicked. Suddenly, he thought of something and quickly said: "I remember! I remember! There’s a place with secret treasures!"

Tang Tian immediately perked up.

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Tang Tian looked at the corridor in front of him, surprised: "This place seems to have been here for a long time."

"An elder was once exiled here for a mistake and spent his last days here. This corridor leads to his seclusion place," Biao explained: "He left a message that whoever can reach the deepest part of the corridor and his seclusion place can obtain his legacy."

"Sounds impressive!" Tang Tian’s spirits soared. Suddenly, he thought of a question: "Why don’t you go in?"

"There’s a powerful Soul Warrior inside. We’ve all tried, but we can’t defeat it," Biao explained.

"I see..." Tang Tian narrowed his eyes and nodded: "Alright, I’ll give it a try."

The bald guy didn’t lie to him. He could sense a faint, yet dangerous aura from the depths of the corridor.

A hint of joy appeared on Biao’s face. Let this bastard go in. If he gets killed by the Soul Warrior inside, well, well...

Suddenly, his smile froze. He looked at Tang Tian and stammered: "Y-You... What are you going to do?"

Tang Tian took out a rope and tied up each of them. Looking at the guys bound like dumplings, he clapped his hands and said with satisfaction: "This way, you can’t cause any trouble! I’ll release you when I come out."

"Hey, what if you don’t come out..." Biao stammered.

Tang Tian grinned: "Don’t worry, I’ll definitely come out!"

With that, he ignored them and walked into the corridor.

The corridor was not dark at all; on the contrary, it was very bright. The air from the depths of the corridor carried a faint fishy smell. Tang Tian’s expression was serious as he carefully walked deeper into the corridor. The corridor was entirely made of rock, stretching endlessly. The energy here was exceptionally dense, only slightly less than behind the Light Gate.

The corridor hadn’t been visited for a long time, covered in thick dust and spider webs. The deep, echoing footsteps in the corridor would scare a timid person into running away. However, Tang Tian, apart from a serious expression, showed no fear.

As he went deeper, sporadic marks began to appear on the stone walls. These marks were neither quite like words nor quite unlike them, very messy, but they made Tang Tian marvel. The stone walls were incredibly hard, and while he could shatter a piece with a punch, writing on them at will was something he couldn’t do.

What formidable finger strength!

A sense of respect arose in Tang Tian’s heart, especially when he realized that these messy marks seemed to be thoughts on martial techniques.

The image of a predecessor obsessed with martial techniques immediately formed in Tang Tian’s mind.

He held great respect for such a person.

As he walked, he clasped his hands together and muttered: "Honorable predecessor, please give me all your legacy, secret treasures, and martial techniques! I will not let your name down. I, the god-like youth, am the best successor and will strive to carry on your legacy..."

Perhaps hearing Tang Tian’s words, a faint figure slowly formed in front of him.

A Soul Warrior!

Tang Tian shivered and immediately stopped, on guard.

The Soul Warrior was a withered old man, his body slightly hunched, and his arms long.

Tang Tian’s gaze fell on the Soul Warrior’s hands. The palms were as withered as twigs, the fingers hooked, and the black nails were sharp and terrifying. Tang Tian’s expression grew serious as the old man’s body emitted a cold, eerie aura that made his hair stand on end.

He finally understood why the bald guy and the others didn’t dare to come in.

Seeing the Soul Warrior’s fingertips and recalling the messy marks on the walls, Tang Tian knew that the Soul Warrior in front of him was likely the predecessor’s soul before death.

Tang Tian bowed respectfully and said: "Honorable predecessor, I have come to claim your treasures. Although you are still guarding them, you must be unhappy to see them buried in dust, unable to shine in battle as they once did. It’s such a waste for secret treasures to not be used in battle!"

The Soul Warrior looked at Tang Tian indifferently, as if he hadn’t heard.

Tang Tian looked at the Soul Warrior and said solemnly: "If you need to test me, then come! I will prove that I am capable and will not disgrace them!"

Tang Tian’s expression turned serious, and he shouted: "Heavenly Furnace!"

Whoosh!

Flames enveloped his palms. The flames from the Black Iron Gauntlets now had a hint of green.

After countless temperings, the martial soul of the Black Iron Gauntlets had subtly changed. Tang Tian always felt that the transformation of the Black Iron Gauntlets was imminent.

But at this moment, his eyes were fixed on the Soul Warrior in front of him, and his body crouched slightly.

The Soul Warrior’s gray eyes suddenly flashed with a cold light. Tang Tian felt a blur in front of him, and the Soul Warrior’s figure vanished!

So fast!

However, in the new recruit training camp, Tang Tian was beaten by countless light balls every day, gradually honing his keen intuition. Often, the eyes were not reliable; sometimes it was hard to catch, and sometimes it was a deliberate deception.

In the "endurance training," the light balls came like a storm. Relying on his eyes to catch them was impossible.

Tang Tian’s method was to train his intuition.

This method was not taught by the soldiers but was something he discovered on his own. He found that as long as he maintained deep calm, his intuition became extremely sharp. Realizing the benefits of intuition, Tang Tian consciously began to hone it. The "endurance training" not only tempered his internal true energy but also honed his intuition.

Intuition was like a rough copper ingot, becoming smoother with constant polishing, reflecting more and more things.

This was why Tang Tian could endure longer in the "endurance training."

Without hesitation, Tang Tian sidestepped, his fingers curved, and he lunged to the left.

Clang!

A sharp, ear-piercing collision sound rang out. Tang Tian felt a needle-like true energy pierce through his fingertips.

So powerful!

If not for his Crane Body, which could neutralize the invading true energy, a regular martial artist would have been at a great disadvantage facing such a bizarre true energy. Although the Soul Warrior was only a fourth-stage, its attack method was so bizarre that it was much stronger than a regular fourth-stage Soul Warrior.

Recognizing the danger, Tang Tian did not dare to be complacent. His Eagle Claw Technique rained down on the Soul Warrior like a storm.

A wave of sharp whistles surged like a tide.

Tang Tian’s Eagle Claw Technique was one word: fast! Unbelievably fast! In the "endurance training," even the slightest delay would result in a light ball hitting him, leaving a bruise. He had to withstand over six hours of storm-like light ball attacks every day. This extreme training method honed his Eagle Claw Technique to an extraordinary level.

Tang Tian’s Eagle Claw Technique might not be the most powerful among all versions, but it was definitely the fastest, reaching the theoretical maximum speed of the technique.

However, what Tang Tian did not expect was that the Soul Warrior’s attacks were no less fast.

The curved fingers were like ten iron sickles, slicing through the air with a sharp whistle.

Both sides attacked with incredible speed, and countless sparks flew between them.

True energy continuously drilled into Tang Tian’s body through his fingertips but was all absorbed by his Crane Body.

The attack frequency was astonishing. In a short time, over three hundred true energy strikes, like mud sinking into the sea, disappeared into Tang Tian’s Crane Body.

The Soul Warrior probably never expected that someone could absorb true energy.

The effect of true energy depletion was evident. The Soul Warrior’s attack frequency began to decrease, albeit imperceptibly. Tang Tian’s intuition was so sharp that he immediately noticed the change.

With a long whistle, Tang Tian’s attacks became even more fierce and ruthless. He ignored the depletion of his true energy and attacked with all his might.

The sharp whistles were denser than ever, and the bursting energy struck the stone walls, leaving countless scratches, finger holes, and craters. The stone walls around them were riddled with damage.

Clang!

A light sound rang out, and the red flames enveloping Tang Tian’s palms suddenly turned green.

The pure green flames were less fierce but more graceful!

Tang Tian felt a powerful force surge from the gauntlets!

Tang Tian’s heart was suddenly filled with joy!

The gauntlets had advanced!

The Heavenly Furnace Bronze Gauntlets!