Volcanic Age

Around thirty wooden puppets stood motionless against the walls on either side.

"Why would there be wooden puppets here?" one of the cultivators questioned confusedly.

All cultivators were familiar with wooden puppets; they practiced their martial arts against them when they were young. Normally, they punched and swung their swords at wooden puppets to learn about the positions of the major organs and acupoints in the human body.

Occasionally, they would take out the dusty wooden puppets from their warehouse if they needed a sparring partner.

"That's also a mechanism."

Zhuge Shengji surveyed the ceiling, floor, walls, and the wooden puppets.

"What kind of mechanism is it?" Zhou Xuchuan asked.

"I've never seen it, so I don't know either." Zhuge Shengji shrugged.

"That's true. Sorry, little brother. I relied on you too much. I'll reflect on that."

"For now, it seems there are no mechanisms other than those wooden puppets, but remain cautious," Zhuge Shengji warned as Zhou Xuchuan approached the wooden puppets.

"Yeah, thanks."

"Will you be alright on your own, Captain Zhou?" Wang Yi asked.

"I'll manage, so protect Sheng in case something unexpected happens."

Zhou Xuchuan had brought Wang Yi and the others not only to transport items but also to protect Zhuge Shengji.

Zhou Xuchuan slowly took a step forward warily. Suddenly, when he reached a certain point, the wooden puppet at the very front swiftly threw a punch at him.

"Hm."

Zhou Xuchuan took a step back and avoided the attack.

"Hm?"

He waited for the next attack, but there wasn't any. Confused, he proceeded forward again, only to be attacked again.

This time, he raised his sword to block the punch.

Slash-

The wooden arm was severed by the sword.

Zhou Xuchuan retreated again. When he did, the wooden puppet's severed arm returned to its original position.

"I see. That's how it is."

He understood how this mechanism worked. It seemed that this place was designed so that the mechanisms would move the puppets in a certain way if someone reached a certain point.

"Do you think you can dismantle it?" Zhou Xuchuan asked, turning around.

"No, I don't see anything around here." Zhuge Shengji replied, shaking his head.

"Then I'll break everything!" Zhou Xuchuan shouted and launched himself forward.

"Haah!"

The wooden puppets were powerful, but that was their only advantage. Zhou Xuchuan avoided the attacks of the wooden puppets despite being restricted in movements. He did not allow a single attack to land on him.

He not only evaded but also countered, destroying the wooden puppets. Using both his sword and the Plum Blossom Fist Technique, he smashed the puppets one by one.

Hm. I'm glad I broke through before I came here.

His dynamic perception and reflexes had improved significantly. This was as a result of reaching full mastery of the Plum Blossom Six Cardinal Cultivation Art and breaking through to the next realm.

During the battle with the river bandits roughly a month before, he had displayed all of his skills. It meant that he was not going to hide anymore.

That was why he continued cultivating the Plum Blossom Six Cardinal Cultivation Art that he had intentionally set aside. The moment he reached full mastery, he reached the realm of Peak Realm.

His sword arts were already on the level of a Harmony Realm expert, so there were no changes there. Instead, his physical capabilities and the overall amount of his qi had increased.

Now, his qi amounted to sixty years, a full sexagenary quantity.

Though Zhou Xuchuan didn't breeze through the puppets, he had no problems attacking them.

"Whoa…" the cultivators watching him exclaimed in surprise.

"It's just as Brother Wang said."

"He's truly an expert."

Humans were inherently doubtful beings. They would doubt something until the very end unless they were to see it with their own eyes. Despite Wang Yi's testimony, everyone was rather skeptical.

"Didn't I tell you all?"

Despite saying that, Wang Yi was still impressed as he watched Zhou Xuchuan's every move, eager to learn.

"Geniuses, huh…" Chu Lian glanced between Zhou Xuchuan and Zhuge Shengji.

"My life feels miserable."

"Same."

Zhuge Shengji, they could accept, but looking at Zhou Xuchuan didn't make them feel jealous. It gave them a sense of deprivation instead.

Some people never reached the Peak Realm in their entire lives, but here was someone who had reached that level despite just reaching adulthood.

Although they knew that the world was unfair, witnessing firsthand was painful in its own right.

"Do you think he knows how people like us feel?"

"There's no way, is there?"

The cultivators conversed gloomily among themselves.

"I do know how you feel," Zhou Xuchuan replied to their murmurs.

He had just dealt with the last wooden puppet. The puppets that were standing firmly, facing each other had all been destroyed.

"Are you done dealing with them?" Zhuge Shengji asked, seemingly withholding something.

"Yes. Why?"

"Then can I examine those things?" Zhuge Shengji's eyes gleamed with curiosity.

"Do it moderately." Zhou Xuchuan nodded.

Zhuge Shengji inspected the smashed wooden puppets as soon as he got permission. His demeanor brightened when it came to matters related to mechanisms.

"They seem to be made of wood, so how did they not rot after all these years? Oho, so they were being moved by this…" he mumbled, engrossed in analyzing the wooden puppets.

Zhou Xuchuan waited for around fifteen minutes. Presently, there weren't that many places where mechanisms could be seen in the Martial World. This was a rare opportunity for Zhuge Shengji. He knew that, so he let Zhuge Shengji do what he wanted.

Also, it wouldn't be a bad thing if Zhuge Shengji managed to learn something after having a look at those wooden puppets. That knowledge would be beneficial to him eventually.

"Let's get going."

"Tsk." Zhuge Shengji clicked his tongue in disappointment.

*

After dealing with the wooden puppets, they pressed onward. Nearly thirty minutes later, they reached the end of the passage. They no longer needed torches either, as light streamed from the end of the corridor.

However, they couldn't rest at all. Along that short distance, they encountered many traps. The number of these mechanisms seemed uncountable. If anything looked even slightly amiss, they couldn't help but suspect something was there.

"Whoa."

When they left the passage, they saw something completely unexpected.

"Wh-what is…"

"Wow!"

Everyone was shocked. Before them lay a mountain of silver coins they had never seen before. It was a literal mountain. There was no other way of describing it.

Piles of silver coins formed hills. They couldn't begin to imagine how much all of that would be.

"Are silver coins the only things here?"

Only Zhou Xuchuan remained unfazed. He indifferently looked around to see if there were any other treasures.

"Over there! Don't touch it!" Zhuge Shengji suddenly shouted while Zhou Xuchuan was searching.

Turning, Zhou Xuchuan saw Chu Lian reaching for the silver coins. Meeting Zhou Xuchuan's gaze, she scratched her head awkwardly and apologized.

"Ahem! I'm sorry for touching it without permission. But this will belong to the head merchant anyway. Can't you turn a blind eye to it?"

"I don't mind, but you better not touch it. Remember who warned you."

"Ah!" Only then did Chu Lian realize what Zhuge Shengji had been doing until now.

"Don't tell me…" Wang Yi frowned as he looked closely at the silver coins.

"Yes. As you suspect, there are mechanisms installed here. There are some that don't have any. Do you want me to tell you?"

Zhuge Shengji's last question made the cultivators greedy. However, they all looked toward Zhou Xuchuan.

"There are items we need to prioritize, and until then, you'll not be able to take more than a handful of coins. Also, if you happen to drop some while moving, you might end up triggering a trap, so if you truly wish to take some, do so when we return," Zhou Xuchuan said, expecting their reactions.

"You mean items like that, Captain?" Wang Yi pointed at a wooden chest buried underneath the silver coins.

Zhou Xuchuan looked toward Zhuge Shengji. Zhuge Shengji nodded to indicate that it was okay.

He dug through the mountain of silver coins and opened the wooden chest to see what was inside.

"Oho."

As soon as he opened the chest, a minty smell pierced his nose. There was a pill inside. It was clearly spiritual medicine.

"Well done."

Zhou Xuchuan complimented Wang Yi and handed over the chest. Wang Yi looked at the chest with envy, before clenching his eyes shut and putting it in their luggage.

"You better not be greedy. If we return safely, I'll make sure you're compensated. I'll say this beforehand, but do not think that you'll be able to escape my eyes."

Zhou Xuchuan deliberately deepened his voice and warned them. He did so in order to avoid any unforeseen accidents.

This is just the beginning.

The silver coins were just an appetizer. They just passed the first stage. He couldn't help but feel excited at the rewards that he would come across from now on.

The group headed to the next stage.

*

Mount Hua.

"Haah!" Luo Xiaoyue shouted as she struck out with her sword.

"Child."

Shen Yulian glared at her.

"Yes, Grandmaster," Luo Xiaoyue responded, loosening her grip on her sword.

"What do you think I'm about to say?" Shen Yulian scolded, giving her a disapproving glance.

"...I'm sorry," Luo Xiaoyue confessed.

"...Haa." Shen Yulian sighed, clutching her forehead. "Your skills haven't regressed, but they aren't improving either. Is it because of that half-assed brat?"

Shen Yulian was referring to Zhou Xuchuan. It was Shen Yulian's own take on "All Bite No Bark."

"He's no longer half-assed, you know…" Luo Xiaoyue mumbled gloomily.

Her response was something unimaginable, talking back at her grandmaster, the Iron-Blooded Plum Blossom? She had never done such a thing before.

Even she herself seemed startled after speaking and covered her mouth immediately.

"I-I'm sorry…"

"No, forget it. You're right."

Shen Yulian reacted differently from her expectations.

Luo Xiaoyue thought that her grandmaster would be furious at her.

"He was hiding his skills, which means he's one amazing child."

Shen Yulian didn't like Zhou Xuchuan because she thought that he was only lucky and had pathetic skills. But that wasn't the case anymore. Her perception had changed after finding out that he had been hiding his skills and that in fact, his sword arts were excellent.

"But that's about it. He's dead now," she said mercilessly. It truly showed why she was dubbed the "Iron-Blooded Plum Blossom."

"Listen, child. In the future, when you go out into the world, you'll experience the deaths of those around you countless times. You have just experienced it a little earlier than the others. So stop crying and focus on training."

Death.

It was the death of a junior brother she had personal feelings towards. That weighed heavily on Luo Xiaoyue's heart. Before she realized it, she found herself crying.

"I'm not so cruel that I won't give you any time to grieve, but I cannot leave you crying forever. You should forget him now. Zhou Xuchuan is dead.

…Well, he was totally fine.