Reality.
Black Prison.
Inside the cave.
Chen Jichuan lay flat on the ground, his feet spaced shoulder-width apart, knees bent and close together, hands raised above his head and flat, palms facing upward, arms stretched straight.
This was a stretching and alignment technique taught by Lul Peng in the Great Yann World.
Chen Jichuan originally had a hunchback and stooped posture that looked extremely unappealing.
After more than a month.
By adhering to the 'True Stretch' technique, the hunchback was fully corrected. His back became upright and straight, and his shoulder and neck posture now rivaled that of ballet dancers from his previous life.
On his abdomen.
Lay a 120-pound slab of iron-repellent ore.
The heavy stone pressed against his stomach, yet he could sleep soundly without discomfort, a testament to the mastery of his 'Iron Bull Skill.'
"Huff!"
Returning from the Great Yann World, Chen Jichuan exhaled a chestful of turbid air.
He opened his eyes.
First, he moved the heavy stone off his abdomen, then felt his Qi-Blood, channeling Source Power to nourish himself. His proficiency in 'Iron Bull Skill' had subtly improved once more.
The forty-first year of Great Yann.
The world was in flux, waves of people surged, and with each generation arose new talents to claim the stage.
Chen Jichuan was situated in Lingnan, residing at Langning Mansion, calmly watching the passage of time and indifferently facing the tides of worldly affairs.
By now, his name echoed throughout the Great Yann Martial World.
He was, indeed, a figure of great accomplishment and renown.
But back in reality.
Only thirty-seven days had passed.
Black Prison remained unchanged.
The cave was oppressive and bitterly cold.
It felt suffocating.
Chen Jichuan had long grown accustomed to the extreme contrasts brought by the intertwining of these two time-spaces and remained unmoved.
Focusing his thoughts, he activated the 'Immortal Record'—
Name: Chen Jichuan
Age: 18
Immortal-order: None
Official position: None
Level: 4
Talent: Creation·Insight
Skills: Iron Bull Skill (Fourth Layer), Jade Belt Skill (Fourth Layer), Land Flying Skill (Fourth Layer), Water Dividing Skill (Fourth Layer), Golden Shovel Finger (Fourth Layer), Iron Broom Technique (Fourth Layer), Lying Tiger Skill (Third Layer), Golden Blade Changing Palm Technique (Fourth Layer), Eagle Claw Skill (Third Layer), Wave Wrapping Skill
Immortal Salary: 1
Source Power: 14253
This past month, Chen Jichuan's daily schedule had been extraordinarily fulfilling—
Spending six hours in the Great Yann World each day.
And then six hours training in reality.
Even while unconscious—
His consciousness worked in the Great Yann World while his physical body outside bore immense weights to practice 'Iron Bull Skill,' sometimes mimicking a tiger carrying a heavy stone to practice 'Lying Tiger Skill.'
With no regard for conserving Source Power.
Rushing forward at every moment.
Still, compared to his accomplishments in forty-one years (equivalent to twenty-one years) in the Great Yann World, he lagged behind significantly. Skills like 'Iron Bull Skill' and 'Jade Belt Skill' were one layer lower, achieving only the Fourth Layer.
And this single-layer gap, in the Great Yann World, delineated a stark difference between first-rate experts like Lul Xiong and Yangg Xu, and top-tier masters like 'Southern Dynasty Chen' Chen Jichuan and 'Scattering Flower Leg' Tan Jinxuan.
It was a world of contrast.
But there was no choice.
The time had been too short, after all.
Chen Jichuan trained diligently, circling among nine forms of martial arts for six hours daily without pause. With his increased strength, mining Spirit Stones required barely any time—just two quarters per day to collect around ten pieces.
Over thirty-seven days.
He amassed 20,849 points of Source Power and expended around 6,000, reaching his current level.
If time permitted—
Chen Jichuan wished he could deplete every last bit of Source Power.
But it wasn't possible.
First—
There was a limit on daily practice intensity, and his body could only absorb a finite amount of Source Power. Excess Source Power accumulated without absorption would be wasted.
Second—
"Fifty-six days."
"Out of 500 miners, many have died or fled. As of yesterday, only 200 remain."
As time marches on—
Nausea.
Vomiting.
Nosebleeds.
Rectal bleeding.
Skin peeling off.
Hair falling out.
Sores erupting on their scalps.
Pus seeping from their feet.
Severe exhaustion.
Mouth ulcers.
Blood-filled coughs.
Numerous symptoms defy adequate description.
Simply put, the miners were undergoing mutations due to Spirit Stone radiation.
The manner of their deaths grew ever stranger—
Self-immolation.
Liquefaction.
Freezing.
Petrification.
...
Unbelievable and terrifying.
Each day, Chen Jichuan used his 'Insight Skill' to observe the remaining miners, yet he had not detected a second individual besides Chen Shaohu to have awakened their talents.
But given current trends—
It wouldn't be surprising if someone awakened any day now.
If anyone did.
Achieving transcendence, the Awakener would undoubtedly wreak havoc.
And yet, the Wusheng Sect, which had organized them into mining groups, would never let their guard down.
In the periphery surrounding this mining site, who knew how many soldiers in Black Armor lay hidden.
The moment chaos erupted.
Escape might seem the logical choice amid the turmoil.
But one mustn't forget—
The Black Prison was sealed.
With Wusheng Sect guarding the exits, any escape attempt during chaotic times would only prompt Black Prison lockdown.
When faced with such scenarios—
Regardless of whether Chen Jichuan or Chen Shaohu chose to slip away amidst the chaos or linger in the cave, neither outcome would bode well.
"It's like boiling frogs in warm water."
"If we wait any longer."
"I might gain more Source Power, and my abilities could strengthen day by day. But once chaos breaks out, escaping Black Prison would become riddled with countless unforeseen variables."
Variables could be advantageous or detrimental.
But Chen Jichuan couldn't bet on them.
Nor did he have the capital to wager.
"Two hundred people."
"Today is the day—we can't delay any longer!"
Chen Jichuan turned his head.
Chen Shaohu sat beside him, eyes shut and resting.
Since about a month ago, when they loosely set a potential date based on the remaining number of miners, to two days ago, when they finalized the exact day for the operation, Chen Shaohu had been conserving his energy since morning to prevent fatigue from causing any mishaps during the critical moment.
During these times.
Chen Shaohu hadn't wasted his efforts.
He practiced 'Fire Control Technique' daily, mastering the ability to manipulate the shape, size, and temperature of flames. With just a rub of his hands, he could launch fireballs several dozen steps away, incinerating anything they touched instantly.
The destructive power was undeniable.
...
"Black Prison."
"Wusheng Sect."
Chen Jichuan calculated silently, his thoughts unusually calm.
Six years in Black Prison—it had indeed been torment.
Had it been in the past.
Just thinking about the upcoming operation, which would determine whether they could escape Black Prison, would have sent Chen Jichuan's heart racing.
But after forty-one years spent in the Great Yann World, experiencing the turn of the seasons, martial arts training every day, challenging Lingnan's masters and participating in hundreds of battles great and small, he had forged a steady and composed temperament.
Unflinching when faced with adversity.
Chen Shaohu, on the other hand—
His ears twitched at a faint sound from his elder brother, and his eyes shot open.
His gaze was bright, though he tried his best to contain himself. Nevertheless, beneath the layer of iron-repellent grease on his face, traces of excitement could still be faintly discerned.
Looking closely again, his heartbeat differed distinctly from its usual rhythm.
"Fourth Brother."
Chen Shaohu looked towards Chen Jichuan, his lips dry.
"Don't be nervous."
"We've still got two hours."
Chen Jichuan understood Chen Shaohu's anxiety and spoke to ease it.
"Fourth Brother."
"I—"
Chen Shaohu, only sixteen years old, couldn't help but feel nervous.
Chen Jichuan smiled as usual, chatting casually with Chen Shaohu to help alleviate his unease.
In truth—
In the Great Yann World, leveraging the time disparity, Chen Jichuan had already prepared numerous contingency plans, deliberating all possibilities hundreds or even thousands of times in advance for maximum clarity.
No matter what arose, he had outlined specific responses.
Meticulously refining his plans.
Iterating repeatedly.
Later reviewing these strategies with Chen Shaohu to ensure thorough detailing, continuing revisions and updates until plans had reached their near-final form just days ago. Despite remaining uncertainties and possible oversights, these pre-arrangements were as comprehensive as the current situation allowed.
Other variables.
Could only be left to adaptability.
The act of escaping Black Prison.
It sounded straightforward; but after drafting plans and contemplating every circumstance, one finds how truly arduous it would be.
Even though Chen Jichuan possessed Level 4 combat power, even though Chen Shaohu was armed with Level 4 superpower—
Success was by no means guaranteed.
Chen Jichuan simultaneously prepared food.
While giving Chen Shaohu a final briefing—
"The operation."
"Can be broadly divided into three stages."
...
After eating.
"Ah~"
Chen Jichuan opened his mouth wide.
"Fourth Brother."
"Bear with it."
Chen Shaohu held Chen Jichuan's cheeks with both hands, palms igniting flames. The fire flickered deftly, flaring inside Chen Jichuan's mouth once, twice, thrice... up to seven or eight times.
Only then did Chen Shaohu pull back.
Using a glowing stone to check inside, they saw high-temperature burns and a collection of small water blisters forming throughout Chen Jichuan's mouth and tongue.
Over the past month, Chen Shaohu's proficiency in Fire Control Technique had reached remarkable precision. After roughly ten days and dozens of trial attempts, these controlled burns could now create blisters that, when popped, after two hours, would resemble ordinary mouth ulcers.
"..."
"..."
Flames were terrifying.
The burns excruciating.
Blisters erupted one by one, making Chen Jichuan's entire face tremble uncontrollably. Yet, he stubbornly kept his mouth open. Only when Chen Shaohu extinguished the flames did he close it.
Silently enduring the agony.
A moment later, using wooden splinters shaved from his iron shovel's handle, he pricked open the blisters.
The ensuing pain.
Was indescribable.
"My turn!"
Though Chen Shaohu had witnessed it multiple times, the sight was always harrowing. Yet thinking of freedom, he steeled himself with resolve and emulated the process.
...
The appointed time drew near.
Chen Jichuan's mouth was by now mutilated and ghastly.
He managed, barely, to adapt.
Rising to journey deeper into the cave.
Boom boom boom!
Clang clang clang!
Bang bang bang!
He swung his iron shovel forcefully. In a frenzy, he smashed all the training tools he had crafted—stone posts, grindstones, sandbags, stone blades—reducing them to scattered debris.
Removing all traces of his presence.
Holding the glowing stone, he even chiseled away the scorched marks left behind on the rock walls from Chen Shaohu's Fire Control practice sessions.
With his heightened strength.
Breaking stone felt effortless.
When all was said and done, he still had half an hour left to recuperate.
Sitting side by side with Chen Shaohu.
"Fourth Brother."
"Fifth Brother."
The pair of brothers looked into each other's eyes, silently seated together, each able to hear the other's heartbeat—
"Thump!"
"Thump!"
"Thump!"
Unknowingly.
The fog around them thickened.
...