The Miracle City Secret Realm Lobby was now as large as a track-and-field stadium.
The number of crystals had increased to one thousand.
It could accommodate at least three thousand Adventurers.
Although the Adventurer population had reached a new high, it still hadn't exceeded two thousand for now.
The Secret Realm crystals suddenly felt extremely abundant.
Adventurers challenging the Raging Tide arena quickly noticed something surprising.
"Wow, the mental energy duration in arena mode increased from thirty minutes to sixty minutes!"
"What?! It doubled? That's insanely generous!"
"Hahaha! We can play two or three extra team battles now!"
"Let's go all out today!"
"…"
The Adventurers soon realized that the arena's "time cost" wasn't fixed — it dynamically adjusted based on territory capacity and crystal congestion.
When crystals were plentiful, the cost dropped. When things got crowded, it increased to ensure everyone could play smoothly.
Of course, there was still a minimum and maximum limit to keep things fair.
Even though Raging Tide had only been open for one day, it had already attracted a large group of hardcore fans — excellent news.
For Miracle City, this was even better.
Longer average adventure sessions meant more mental energy generation, increasing resource output chances.
The new adventure officially began.
After White Crane Hermit activated a Secret Realm crystal, he immediately chose to enter Ashina.
Although he had spent several days in the prologue, he had already reached Tier Two and obtained the rare item Secret Medicine Gourd, giving him thirteen mental energy points per day.
He was already one of Miracle City's top experts.
With the early routes and elite enemies in Ashina fully explored, his progress was smooth and unstoppable.
Yesterday, he cleared the Hirata Estate side quest, fought through the outskirts of Ashina Castle, defeated Oni Shaped Head, entered the Great Hand Gate, completed the Tengu side quest, and mastered Lightning Reversal.
Today, his momentum continued.
In one run, he defeated elite enemies such as the Ashina Seven Spears and Jinsuke Saze, and even repelled the rooftop boss Genichiro Ashina, wielder of Tomoe's Lightning, on his first attempt.
This drew massive crowds.
"So hype!"
"One-life clear!"
"I can only say — the Old Master is still the Old Master!"
"This execution was flawless!"
"I swear we're not even playing the same game!"
"Yeah! The same enemies wreck me nonstop, but in front of him they look like they forgot how to fight!"
"Watch carefully and learn!"
"Every battle of his is a textbook example!"
"…"
White Crane Hermit felt proud — and happy — hearing the praise.
He generously shared his experience, explaining strategies and techniques before and after each elite fight and boss battle.
His crystal session had become a full-on classroom.
Adventurers packed in layers inside and out.
Bihua's technical skill might not be inferior to White Crane Hermit's, but the Old Master had over twenty years of teaching experience.
When it came to instruction, the entire Black Stone Town acknowledged him as number one.
Even elite Adventurers like Nanshan Guest, Time Traveler, and Lonely Swordsman came specifically to observe, learn, and take notes.
Using Tianshou Pavilion as an example:
With optimized routes discovered by top players and White Crane Hermit's systematic breakdowns, Lonely Swordsman felt confident he could defeat Genichiro today and advance to Senpou Temple.
This session lasted about three hours.
Then the Secret Realm time limit triggered.
[Adventure Ended!]
[Session Rating: A-Mid]
[You obtained: Ashina Swordmaster Soul, Skill Stone — Lightning Reversal Secret Technique]
White Crane Hermit smiled slightly.
"This run's drops were excellent."
A Tier Two, three-star Ashina Swordmaster Soul — though unnamed — still held immense value.
Humanoid souls were far more valuable than monster souls, especially for Adventurers focused on self-combat growth.
This soul contained deep mastery of Ashina-style sword techniques. Contracting it would allow one to inherit those techniques without consuming skill stones.
But the real prize was the skill stone.
Lightning Reversal Secret Technique — Ashina's divine counter-lightning art.
[Skill Stone: Lightning Reversal Secret Technique]
Tier Two Skill — Learning Cost: 10 Mental Energy
"Lightning Reversal?!"
"That's Ashina's divine lightning counter!"
"No way this is only Tier Two!"
"If Tomoe's Lightning is Tier Three, that means this Tier Two skill can counter higher-tier abilities?"
"…"
The Adventurers were stunned.
Lightning Reversal had no offensive capability — it was purely defensive — which likely explained its lower tier rating.
But that also made it easier to learn and massively useful.
Flower Fairy Elisia and other non-human Adventurers were ecstatic.
Miracle City producing this skill meant Thunder City's lightning advantage could be neutralized.
White Crane Hermit unlocked another achievement badge and received extra contribution points.
Satisfied, he decided to take a break and went to watch his old friend Three Bamboo.
"Old Crane."
"You're in the queue too?"
The veteran Adventurer Boulder was also present.
White Crane Hermit asked, "How's Zhu doing?"
Boulder replied, "Diamond Mountain, where Senpou Temple is located, isn't easy to enter. The temple closed its gates years ago — and even destroyed the mountain paths nearby."
"What?"
White Crane Hermit was shocked.
"Closing the gates is one thing, but destroying access routes? What are they hiding?"
Wind in Sleep explained, "It doesn't matter. Even though the main roads are gone, Diamond Mountain still has hidden routes that ordinary people can't traverse."
White Crane Hermit listened carefully.
He'd need this information later.
Adventurers had already discovered secret paths through figures like Isshin Ashina.
The fastest route was through the Ashina Underground beneath the castle.
Ashina Castle was built into the mountains, and its underground tunnels connected naturally formed caves.
One passage led toward Diamond Mountain, but it hadn't been used in years — steep, dark, and dangerous.
Of course.
That didn't stop Adventurers.
After nearly two hours of exploration, Three Bamboo finally found a cave exit.
"This is it!"
"Finally!"
He stepped forward — when suddenly a faint girl's voice echoed from the stone wall.
"Brother… please stop."
"Who's there?!"
Three Bamboo instantly drew Kusabimaru.
The voice came from a painting.
A faded old Buddhist mural hung on the cave wall.
What kind of monster was this?
How could a painting speak?
"This Senpou Temple has long abandoned the Buddha's teachings…"
The girl's voice echoed again.
"The monks have gone mad in pursuit of immortality. They're extremely hostile toward outsiders. If you're discovered, the consequences will be dire. Please turn back."
Three Bamboo asked cautiously, "Who are you?"
"We are children kidnapped by the Senpou Temple monks. For reasons unknown, we've remained trapped here. We don't want innocent people to suffer anymore."
We?
More than one soul inside the painting?
He didn't understand how the voice was transmitted, but it didn't feel hostile.
He sheathed his blade.
"Thank you for the warning, but I have a mission I must complete."
The voice sighed.
"Then we can only pray for you. Please be extremely careful."
Silence returned.
Strange.
Three Bamboo stepped out of the cave.
After two hours in darkness, the sudden sunlight dazzled him.
The sun hung high above Diamond Mountain.
Towering peaks, sheer cliffs, dense forests, and blooming wildflowers filled his vision. Autumn foliage layered the mountains in crimson and gold.
Beautiful.
Truly beautiful.
War-torn Ashina lay not far away — yet this place felt like a paradise.
In the distance, he finally saw Senpou Temple.
It stood atop Diamond Mountain's most dangerous peak.
Golden tiles and red walls formed a grand Buddhist complex, solemn yet ancient. Many eaves were broken, walls weathered, giving it a sense of age, decay, and mystery.
"Found it!"
"This is Senpou Temple!"
"Wow, this place looks nothing like an evil cult!"
"…"
The Adventurers murmured in awe.
Three Bamboo activated the nearby Ghost Buddha — a save point and teleport anchor.
He grappled across treetops, crossed cliff paths, and soon reached a suspended wooden corridor spanning two mountain peaks.
Below lay thousand-foot drops.
As he stepped onto the bridge, a massive armored figure emerged.
The Adventurers froze.
The man stood nearly two and a half meters tall.
His armor was impossibly thick, sealing his body like a steel fortress — nothing like Ashina armor or anything from the Eastern Lands.
"Another visitor…"
The armored warrior blocked the bridge.
"You're not from around here," Three Bamboo said.
"I am a knight of the Midland Kingdom," the man replied coldly. "By order of the High Priest, I guard the Heavenly Bridge so no reckless outsiders defile this sacred land."
The Adventurers buzzed.
"Midland Kingdom?"
"Never heard of it."
"That sounds like a foreign nation!"
"This might be major lore info — ask him!"
"…"
Three Bamboo asked, "Your homeland isn't from the Eastern Lands?"
"My country lies thousands of miles away. Its customs differ greatly — you wouldn't understand even if I explained."
In truth, Qi Ji implanted the knight's memory of the Midland Kingdom as a subtle worldbuilding seed for the future Foreign Realms Chronicle, without disrupting Ashina's plot.
The armored knight continued, "Hand over your weapon. Then leave."
Three Bamboo frowned. "You're not from Senpou Temple — you're not even from this land. Why are you guarding monks who stink of corruption?"
The knight replied, "Because the High Priest promised that if I collect one thousand weapons from intruders, he can cure my son's terminal illness — and even turn him into an immortal Child of Rejuvenation."
He clenched his fists.
"That's why I traveled across the world. As long as Robert can live, I will do anything."
The Adventurers fell silent.
"A thousand weapons?!"
"That's insane!"
"Even one a day takes three years!"
"And in a place this remote?"
"Those monks are definitely scamming him!"
"…"
Three Bamboo said, "That promise is impossible to fulfill."
"No," the knight said firmly. "If it saves Robert, I'll do it — no matter how long it takes. This is a promise of a father… a man… and a knight."
He raised his massive two-handed greatsword.
"I don't want to kill you."
"One last warning."
"Hand over your weapon."
After coming this far and defeating countless elites, how could Three Bamboo back down?
"I refuse."
"Then die!"
The knight roared like a beast and charged forward, footsteps shaking the bridge like a rolling war machine.
The armor was heavy — too heavy.
It restricted mobility.
In Three Bamboo's eyes, the knight was full of openings.
Clang!
A precise strike to the neck.
Even Kusabimaru barely scratched the steel collar.
What?!
This armor was insanely durable — definitely not ordinary metal.
"Drop your sword!" the knight roared, swinging again.
Each blow was monstrous, capable of cleaving stone.
Three Bamboo dodged repeatedly, trying to counter, but every strike was blocked by armor.
No effect.
Then he changed tactics.
The knight had Tier Two, Two-Star strength.
With that armor, he could contend with Tier Two Three-Star fighters.
But his movements were rigid — powerful but predictable.
After another dodge, Three Bamboo activated his Shinobi Prosthetic and launched a Shinobi Axe.
The knight instinctively retreated.
Even if the axe couldn't pierce his armor, it could damage it — and this armor was his lifeline.
Boom!
The axe smashed through the wooden bridge.
Beyond the hole lay a thousand-foot abyss.
Three Bamboo shifted to pure defense, parrying calmly.
The knight burned stamina with wild swings.
Soon —
His posture broke.
A red weakness flash appeared.
Three Bamboo struck.
He kicked the knight square in the chest.
The armored body flew backward — straight into the fractured bridge.
Crack!
The planks shattered.
The knight realized too late.
As he fell into the abyss, he roared with rage, grief, and despair:
"Rooo—bert!"
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