Translator: CinderTL
Inside the mountain cave, the three teams moved with astonishing speed, plunging deep into the darkness within seconds. They now found themselves advancing through a long, dimly lit tunnel.
Jiang Ye replayed Wan Yaoyang's earlier display of power in his mind, his heart stirred by a mix of awe and unease. He's just a Third-Year High School student too! The gap between Wan Yaoyang's strength and that of the Ancheng group was vast and undeniable.
Dao Bone Aptitude, Jiang Ye thought silently. So this is what Dao Bone Aptitude truly means!
In this world, only those with Dao Bone Aptitude could be considered true geniuses. Ordinary people with low-grade aptitude, without extraordinary opportunities, could never hope to reach the same heights in their lifetime. From birth, they were essentially different species.
Jiang Ye had only heard legends of such power before. Now, witnessing a peer with Dao Bone Aptitude in action for the first time, he understood the stark reality of those legends.
Yet, if one looked toward the distant and prosperous Eastern Ten Provinces, even Dao Bone Aptitude might only be considered mid-tier. Transcendent Aptitude was what truly shone there, the pinnacle of innate talent.
"I wonder what kind of scenery that world holds," Jiang Ye mused, his heart filled with longing.
Just then, the path ahead suddenly opened up.
They found themselves at the edge of a cliff, overlooking a massive, man-made pit below.
The pit stretched for thousands of meters, its vast expanse filled with various facilities: training platforms, cultivation pools, warehouses...
In an instant, Jiang Ye had taken in the entire scene.
"It's definitely the Hidden God Organization's hideout!" Jiang Ye's eyes lit up.
Before this, who could have imagined such a sight hidden deep within this mountain cave?
The Hidden God Organization had clearly hollowed out the ground to create this underground Cave Kiln.
At the same time—
"Enemy attack!!"
A sharp shout echoed from within the Cave Kiln.
Immediately, figures surged out of the cave, their murderous intent surging as they charged toward the intruders.
Boom!
Before Jiang Ye and his companions could react, Wan Yaoyang's figure blurred into a phantom, his sword flashing.
In an instant, a corpse fell to the ground.
"Let's go too," Zhao Qingli said. "Anything of value belongs to whoever claims it first."
"We don't have to hand it over?" Jiang Ye asked, surprised.
Wang Zi'ang explained, "Unless the school specifically requires it, anything we acquire during missions is ours to keep."
Jiang Ye's eyebrows shot up.
Whoosh!
Without another word, he charged forward, rushing toward the Cave Kiln.
A quick glance had already revealed numerous medicine caches and cultivation supplies—all worth a fortune!
If he could keep it all, he'd naturally seize the advantage.
Zhao Qingli and Wang Zi'ang exchanged a look before quickly following Jiang Ye.
Their primary mission was to protect him; completing the task was secondary.
Whoosh!
Several figures wielding blades charged toward the trio.
One of the black-clad assassins lunged at Jiang Ye.
"How dare you trespass on Divine Shadow territory! You've got some nerve!"
The assassin's face twisted into a ferocious grimace, his skin covered in pitch-black markings, and his eyes glowed crimson—a truly terrifying sight.
"None of you will leave here alive today!"
He charged at Jiang Ye with frenzied intent.
Seeing this, Jiang Ye dared not underestimate his opponent and swiftly drew his dagger.
"Members of the Hidden God Organization have been corrupted by some dark ritual, altering their very human structure," Jiang Ye thought, his gaze icy. "They can barely be called human anymore, having been assimilated into the Shadow Clan."
He wasn't facing a human, but a half-human, half-Shadow Clan monster.
With this realization, Jiang Ye's mind grew even calmer as he raised his dagger to parry.
Clang!
The black-clad figure wielded a longsword, each strike heavy and powerful.
Jiang Ye's arm trembled slightly as he gauged his opponent's strength: "Cultivation method at Perfection, and at least one cosmic tempering!"
But he was still far from achieving his first breakthrough.
Jiang Ye swayed, continuously parrying with his dagger while searching for an opening for a fatal strike.
Suddenly, his eyes flashed with insight.
"Kill!"
Jiang Ye's gaze hardened as he thrust his dagger forward.
In that instant, his attack speed seemed to visibly increase.
Thwack! Thwack! Thwack!
Three consecutive strikes, lightning-fast, pierced the black-clad figure's chest.
[Beauty's Inquiry: When facing an opponent or teammate of the opposite gender, your attack speed increases by 35%, and your chance to deal 50% increased damage is doubled.]
Three massive blood-soaked holes appeared in the black-clad man's chest.
"You..."
His eyes widened in disbelief as he staggered and collapsed to the ground.
He clearly hadn't anticipated Jiang Ye's sudden surge in power.
"Did I trigger the Beauty's Inquiry effect?" Jiang Ye realized immediately.
Zhao Qingli's presence in the team had activated it.
His attack speed had not only increased by 35%, but his damage output had also doubled!
Three swift strikes had instantly killed his opponent.
Meanwhile, Zhao Qingli and Wang Zi'ang had also dealt with the remaining black-clad figures.
Wang Zi'ang sprinted over, exclaiming in awe, "Impressive! Is this really your first time killing someone?"
He had witnessed Jiang Ye's decisive and ruthless technique firsthand.
Zhao Qingli glanced at Jiang Ye with surprise.
"This guy's ruthless," she thought. "Are all poor people this ruthless?" She had always disliked the poor, but Jiang Ye was proving to be an unexpected exception.
Jiang Ye had no time for further discussion.
After dealing with the black-clad figures, Jiang Ye sprinted toward the warehouse ahead.
The Cave Kiln, stretching for several kilometers, housed numerous warehouses.
A small warehouse stood directly in Jiang Ye's path.
The black-clad figures he had just defeated were the garrison guarding this warehouse.
Upon entering, he found the warehouse mostly filled with empty bottles and jars.
Jiang Ye quickly searched the premises and soon discovered nine bottles of Dragon Ascension Potion.
"Thirty thousand yuan in hand," he marveled. "This trip was worth it for this alone."
He hadn't even considered the possibility of such a windfall.
At that moment, Zhao Qingli and Wang Zi'ang entered the warehouse.
"All set?" Wang Zi'ang asked. "Let's move on to the next location."
"Let's divide the spoils first," Jiang Ye replied.
Zhao Qingli glanced at the potion bottles in his hand and said coldly, "Keep them. I don't need any medicine."
"I can't carry all this," Jiang Ye countered. "Three bottles each. No arguing."
He tossed three bottles to each of them.
Zhao Qingli gave him a surprised look but didn't refuse, stowing the three bottles in her backpack.
Wang Zi'ang chuckled, "Jiang Ye, you're truly generous. I'm glad to have you as a brother."
If Jiang Ye had claimed all the spoils for himself, they wouldn't have said a word. But his current approach only deepened their respect for his character.
A moment later, the three of them emerged from the warehouse.
By then, Lin Yushu's team and Wan Yaoyang had also eliminated a significant number of enemies. Corpses littered the surrounding area.
Jiang Ye's brow furrowed slightly at the sight. "The intelligence is wrong. There are more than thirteen people in this Cave Kiln!"
The bodies on the ground alone already exceeded that number. Yet figures continued to pour out from the depths of the cave.
Zhao Qingli's expression darkened. "The school's intelligence is flawed. We need to get out of here now!"
A flaw in the intelligence was a grave matter. Though the error currently only concerned numbers, who knew what more serious mistakes might lie ahead?
"Move!" Zhao Qingli grabbed Jiang Ye's arm and sprinted toward the exit.
Boom!
The ground suddenly exploded, and several towering figures shot skyward, their overwhelming aura filling the air. These were all experts approaching the first breakthrough!
Simultaneously, from the depths of the cave, two even more formidable auras erupted like volcanic eruptions, instantly engulfing the entire underground space. These auras were no weaker than Wan Yaoyang's—in fact, they far surpassed his!
(End of the Chapter)
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🔓 𝐰𝐰𝐰.𝐜𝐢𝐧𝐝𝐞𝐫𝐭𝐥.𝐜𝐨𝐦 — 13 Series (7 Ongoing) | 14+ New Chapters Daily| 7,200+ FREE