Chapter 42 — This Time's Goal

The wind of his fists echoed behind the gate of light.

In this space where time did not flow, Tang Tang's solitary figure remained ever the same.

The low, trembling sound of the Little Collapse Fist never ceased; true force was like a bowstring, plucked again and again without complaint, and the simplest, most tedious training of all drifted quietly through time. Sweat had long since soaked through his clothes, and amid the rising steam, Tang Tang repeated the same motion like a machine.

Every punch was sweat; every punch was battle.

No one spoke to him. The only sounds he could hear were the wind of his own fists, the violent pounding of his heart, and the tink-tink of sweat drops striking the stone slabs.

The monotony was extreme, utterly devoid of pleasure—again and again he swung out a martial technique he felt he had already perfected to the utmost. Train, meditate; train again, meditate again...

Apart from that one time he had sunk into a near-comatose sleep, Tang Tang had not wasted a single moment.

Such utter exhaustion that he need only close his eyes for a moment and he would drop off.

A truly grueling battle...

The number on the gate of light jumped from a hundred thousand to two hundred thousand, and now to nine hundred ninety thousand.

Only the gate of light knew the effort and sweat Tang Tang had poured out.

Gone from Tang Duo's face were his usual flippancy and arrogance; only focus remained. That face, normally so careless, now showed sharp, knife-cut edges—just like his gaze.

His eyes chased the shadows of his fists.

Suddenly his body shook; something within him seemed to open all at once.

An indescribable tremor began at his third-tier dantian pool and spread swiftly to every corner of his body. Light blazed in Tang Tang's eyes. He drew a deep breath, his true force surging through him, and the fist he had just drawn back he suddenly swung out!

"Beng!"

With a thunderous shout, Tang Tang stepped forward like lightning and drove out a single punch!

The true force of his whole body was like countless strings plucked at once, countless ripples converging like ten thousand streams returning to their source, gathering into the fist Tang Tang had thrown.

Tang Duo's fist pressed silently against the wall of mist.

Pfft!

The sound was faint, seemingly without force behind it.

This punch had nearly drained all the true force in Tang Tang's body; the exhaustion left his mind blank, and he held his punching stance without moving at all.

Whoosh, whoosh, whoosh!

His heavy breathing was like a bellows being worked; sweat slid down Tang Duo's cheeks, and his knife-sharp face seemed frozen into a sculpture.

Hah... hah... did it work... hah...

Boom!

The wall of mist before him abruptly collapsed like an avalanche, turning into countless grains of mist fine as sand and dissolving into the air.

Hah... it worked...

The world spun around him.

Is the time up?

Back in his room, Tang Tang collapsed onto the floor and slept soundly.

How long he slept, he did not know. When Tang Tang groggily awoke, it was already deep in the night. Fierce hunger filled his whole body; his hands and feet were weak, and Tang Cheng felt he could eat an entire cow.

"Food, food, fly out to me, fly out to me..."

Tang Yi swallowed his saliva, muttering under his breath while frantically searching for food. Fortunately, everyone in the Great Sachima Academy, from the oldest to the youngest, was a glutton, and since this place was far from Yaochuan City, the standing provisions were still quite plentiful. Tang Jin quickly dug out a few large flatbreads and began wolfing them down.

Suddenly, his gaze fell upon the training grounds.

Amori was leaning against the railing, seemingly lost in thought.

Fly-Cow...

Tang Tang was taken aback. If Fly-Cow were there roaring and training, Tang Tang would have pretended not to notice—that fellow was a training maniac. But to see him looking so preoccupied was truly rare.

With a flatbread still in his mouth, Tang Tang bounded over a few times and appeared at Amori's side.

"Fly-Cow, something on your mind?" Tang Yi asked, mouth full, his words indistinct.

Amori looked up and mumbled, "We're going to the star gate tomorrow. I... I'm a little nervous."

Tang Yi blinked, then comforted him: "Don't worry, the godlike youth will help you!"

Having spent so long with Amori, Tang Min understood him very well. For all Amori's rough, burly exterior, inside he was exceptionally kind and timid.

"I hear these pioneering expeditions are always very dangerous..." Amori murmured.

"What's there to be afraid of!" Tang Tang clapped Amori hard on the shoulder. "You're a man who's going to forge his own martial path! Just think of battle as a kind of training—there's nothing to worry about! Whatever danger comes, we'll take it down together!"

Amori's expression eased a little, and he suddenly asked, "Basic Tang, aren't you afraid?"

"Not afraid." Tang Tang leaned on the railing, gnawing his flatbread as he spoke. "I've thought it through. I'm going to take first place and give it to Wei Zheng. Wei Zheng gave me the Crane Qi Formula—he's a good man. I don't know why someone as formidable as Wei Zheng still guards the Sachima Academy, but I figure he must have his reasons. Everyone has something they fight for, I suppose. Since this is what Old Wei wants to do, I'll help him. I'm going to beat everyone else, take first place, and give it to Wei Zheng. With a pass, the Sachima Academy will surely become formidable. When that happens, I'll ask Wei Zheng to recruit Teacher Cen to the Sachima Academy too—Teacher Cen is a very good teacher. Only after all that can I go look for Qianhui and head to the Sky Road without any worries. Hmm, that's my goal this time, and I mean to see it through."

"First... first place..." Amori was dumbstruck.

"Mm." Tang Yi bit into his flatbread and went on as if to himself. "Once this is done, I'm going to look for Qianhui. Even if I leave, I'll leave with a victory—that way I won't have any regrets."

Amori was stunned.

Tang Tang suddenly turned his face. "Fly-Cow, why do you want to forge your own martial path?"

Amori came back to himself and scratched his head. "When I was little, I thought it was really cool. After I grew up, I don't know why, but whenever I think about it, I get full of drive, my blood boils—maybe I just think it's something remarkable."

"Then are you afraid?" Tang Tang went back to gnawing his flatbread. "Afraid that after all that effort, you'll get nothing at all. Afraid that after all that effort, you'll only drift further away."

Amori shook his head. "What's there to be afraid of? It's training anyway, and having a cool, awesome goal gives you so much drive. Days that never change are just too boring! To be this young and want to do nothing at all—even Heaven would probably think it a pity."

"Then why are you afraid of battle?" Tang Tang finished the last small piece of flatbread, turned his face, and looked at Amori earnestly. "You train so diligently and hard to forge your own martial path. But every martial path is for victory—what meaning does a martial path that can't bring victory have? Only by fighting is there any chance of victory. Every victory is like a step; with each one, you're a little closer to your goal. The stronger your enemy, the more defeating him will strengthen and perfect your martial path."

"Start with tomorrow's battle. Defeat one enemy after another—don't fear even defeat, don't retreat even before death!" Tang Yi's voice rang clear. "We fight side by side and take them down!"

Tang Tang raised his right palm.

The first ray of morning sunlight pierced the woods and fell upon the youth's palm.

In Amori's dazed eyes, something seemed to be breaking out of its cocoon. He said earnestly, "Basic Tang, you're right! A martial path that can't bring victory has no meaning at all!"

Smack!

The two palms met in the air.

"Take them down!"