Chapter 332 - 256: Missing

Chapter 332: Chapter 256: Missing

Blood Crow returned to the city to pass on a message, telling the Bai Family to wait a few days for his return so they could discuss their plans at length.

He continued to train, temporarily putting the Bai Family’s matters to the back of his mind.

「Deep in the southern Ten Thousand Mountains. An azure Cold Pool.」

SPLASH!

Tang Wen leaped into the water, sending a massive spray into the air, as if a dynamite fishing team had set off all their charges at once.

The water of the Cold Pool was as piercingly cold as steel needles, stinging his skin, muscles, and bones.

After holding his breath for a while, he finally touched the bottom. He took a step, and the surface of the water exploded with a deafening roar, as if a high-explosive torpedo had detonated underwater!

The meter-thick layer of ice above the Cold Pool shattered, sending a cloud of translucent, crystalline shards flying into the air.

Tang Wen appeared at the edge of the Cold Pool, the water droplets flung behind by his near-instantaneous speed, his entire body dry.

[Visualization Martial Arts, Instant Step, Master Level (2069→2101/3000)]

"Phew!"

He bent over, panting heavily.

The stamina cost of using Instant Step underwater was more than ten times greater than on land.

But considering the experience gain, it was well worth it.

One practice session in the water yielded a full thirty-two Experience Points.

Ten practice sessions on land wouldn’t even yield this much experience.

BANG!

He leaped into the water.

BOOM!

Water sprayed everywhere!

Again and again, he disturbed the peace of all the animals, large and small, nearby.

"ROAR!"

After more than a dozen times, a tremendous roar suddenly echoed from the mountains.

A giant black bear, standing over twenty feet tall, had been awakened from hibernation and now charged toward Tang Wen’s location, roaring in fury.

The ground shook.

Trees in its path were knocked down one by one.

RUMBLE, RUMBLE, RUMBLE. It pushed forward like a steamroller.

ROAR!

’A human brat? Die!’

Ah Qi, who had been in the air, flashed and appeared on the ground.

It didn’t grow to a massive size, remaining as large as a normal tiger, and blocked the bear’s path.

SCREECH!

’Something’s wrong!’

’This tiger... it’s dangerous!’

Alarm bells screamed in the black giant bear’s mind. Its anger vanished instantly, and the bear slammed on the brakes with all four paws. It even used its head and face in the end, burying them in the ground to try and stop.

Its immense inertia carried it forward, carving deep furrows in the ground. It swept up dirt, rocks, dead branches, and fallen leaves, all of it hurtling toward the White Tiger.

A hint of despair appeared in the giant bear’s big, dark eyes.

’It’s over. I’m so dead.’

The White Tiger gently lifted a paw, and the giant bear, along with all the debris, froze in mid-air.

Tang Wen asked curiously, "A Sixth-Grade Bear?"

Hu Qi said, "Peak of Seventh Grade. An Extraordinary Giant Bear. Do you want to keep it?"

’Keep it?’

The Extraordinary black bear understood, and it flashed Tang Wen a fawning smile.

It all but opened its mouth to sell itself: ’This little bear is very easy to raise!’

"Forget it." Tang Wen shook his head as he sized up the black bear’s massive body.

The little bear’s heart sank.

Tang Wen turned around and, with a splash, jumped back into the water.

Hu Qi looked at the filthy black bear, had no appetite to eat it raw, and released its control.

The black bear, as if granted a great pardon, carefully backed away a few hundred meters, then fled for its life.

「A day and a night passed.」

The water in the Cold Pool had been blasted out so frequently that less than half of it remained.

The splashed water had frozen into a thick layer of hard ice on the surrounding ground.

After a day, the Experience Points gained from training in the water began to dwindle.

However, his experience had reached the threshold, and he was just one step away from a breakthrough.

But making that final step and achieving a breakthrough was not easy.

[Visualization Martial Arts, Instant Step, Master Level (3000/3000)]

On a sheer cliff, Tang Wen clung to the wall like a gecko.

Pushing off with his hands, he shot upward with a SWOOSH!

His figure vanished, and his hands firmly gripped the edge of the precipice.

Master Level Instant Step could be unleashed using his arms.

He practiced Wall-Climbing and Roof-Running for half a day, but his Experience Points didn’t budge.

He had run out of tricks. ’Is this as far as I can go?’

After resting for a while, Tang Wen looked at Hu Qi. "Sister Qi, have you ever seen someone use Instant Step while carrying another person?"

"Hm?" The White Tiger, which was eating a grilled fish, slowly raised its head.

Tang Wen muttered to himself, "Instant Step isn’t true Instant Teleportation... ’Hmm, theoretically, it should be possible.’"

He reached out, grabbed a live rabbit that was waiting to be butchered, and used Instant Step while carrying it. As expected, it posed no difficulty.

After a few trips, the effect was not significant.

Tang Wen’s gaze fell upon the fish-eating Hu Qi.

"What are you implying? You want to use Instant Teleportation while carrying me?"

Hu Qi refused.

He immediately looked at Hu Jiu.

The latter immediately shot off, and in less than ten minutes, it returned with an unconscious Low-level Magical Beast—a Wild Rock Sheep.

The Wild Rock Sheep was male. Excluding its tail, it was a full two meters long and weighed several hundred pounds.

After a moment’s thought, Tang Wen poured cold water over its head.

"BAA!"

The ram bleated in terror.

Dark Power wrapped around the sheep’s hooves. Ignoring its struggles, Tang Wen heaved it onto his shoulders.

Instant Step, Instant Step, Instant Step...

Tang Wen ascended a steep mountain peak, the Wild Rock Sheep on his back scared half to death.

Returning to the campfire, he summed up the experience. "It definitely increased the difficulty a bit, but it’s not enough. Let’s roast it!"

Hu Jiu immediately said, "Okay, I’ll go catch a big one for you!"

With that, without giving Tang Wen a chance to object, it vanished from the spot in a flash.

Hu Qi manipulated an invisible Wind Blade to gut the Wild Rock Sheep, drain its blood, and clean it. After a flurry of activity, it said, "It’s a pity your Black Water Gang’s Gravity Chamber is too small. Otherwise, training Instant Step under ten times gravity would be much more effective."

At this point, its tone became complicated. "Actually, your Instant Step has already reached a level of Refined Skill. You’re not the least bit inferior to a Fifth Grade who’s been in real combat for many years."

"Not the least bit inferior... so that means I’m still far from surpassing them, right?"

Hu Qi was speechless for a moment, then paused before saying, "They’ve been Fifth Grade for over ten years. You’re comparing yourself to them? How long have you been in Cultivation?"

Tang Wen nodded repeatedly. "Yep, yep, yep, you’re right, you’re right!"

Hu Qi: "..."

The bonfire burned, the firewood crackling.

A massive dark shadow fell over the bonfire.

"Hm?"