Chapter 101 — Departure

Not far off came a long, drawn-out cry, its breath stretching endless and unhurried. The orbs of light that had been seeping from the energy rift seemed startled by it, scattering every which way like a school of frightened fish, and in an instant the rift was thrown into chaos.

Jing Hao sprang to his feet, his eyes fixed on the direction the cry had come from, his gaze filled with boundless shock and feeling.

Boy… sweat truly never lies…

His heart churned with a thousand thoughts. He had watched with his own eyes how Tang Tang had grown stronger, step by step. No one knew better than he the sweat and bitter toil Tang Tang had poured into it. Jing Hao himself was a man of hard cultivation—otherwise he would never have gone alone into the rough conditions of the Daling Outer Camp, and all along this ascetic rigor had been his greatest pride. That is, until he met Tang Tang.

The boy seemed never to know weariness, never to know exhaustion, never to tire of monotony, forever drenched in sweat, forever gritting his teeth…

Before Tang Tang, Jing Hao felt ashamed for the first time.

The words the black-clad woman Tang Min had spoken—those were his own heart speaking, his own creed, and for so long this was exactly what he had done.

Fifth rank!

Tang Tang had broken through to the fifth rank.

From the fluctuations in the cry, Jing Hao had no trouble at all picking out the kind that belonged to the fifth rank.

Fifth-rank martial artists were still the grassroots in the Radiant Inkstone, and at Tang Tang's age, reaching the fifth rank was nothing worth mentioning beside the prodigies within the Society. Yet Jing Hao had a powerful feeling that Tang Tang's future achievements would surely surpass those of the extraordinary geniuses.

Reason told Jing Hao how absurd this notion was. The prodigies within the Society possessed resources no outsider could imagine—staggering numbers of star stones, soul cores, secret treasures, and on top of that the guidance of renowned masters. Every one of them stood on a formidable foundation. By comparison, Tang Tang was destitute to the point of toothache.

And yet this notion burned in Jing Hao's heart with unmatched intensity.

"Haha! Fifth rank! I've finally broken through to the fifth rank!"

"Wah wah wah, truly a godlike youth!"

…

Tang Duo's cheering came drifting from afar, and a knowing smile crept unbidden to Jing Hao's lips. If this fellow Tang Duo weren't quite so harebrained, he'd probably be a genius.

This was a youth who, even if you merely stood beside him, would scorch your eyes with the light and heat he gave off as he burned!

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The third day after breaking through to the fifth rank.

At last the time had come to leave the dark underground, to leave this energy rift that felt like a dream, and Tang Ke felt a touch of reluctance—but soon enough he cast these faint sorrows to the back of his mind.

Qian Hui!

I'm going to White Rainbow Star to see Qian Hui!

And the Sky Road too…

Tang Yan clenched his fists in the forbidden zone, his eyes full of excitement. Two years without seeing Qian Hui—he truly missed her…

When Jing Hao told him they could leave, Tang Tang began his preparations. He went to Bald Qiang's grave and burned incense, telling Bald Qiang that he was leaving, that he feared he would have no chance to visit him again, and hoping he would rest in peace.

Tang Tang also made a trip to Xuanshu City—mainly to visit the base and look in on Sai Lei. Sai Lei was utterly lost in her ocean of mechanisms and contraptions, and had not the slightest interest in exchanging a single word with Tang Tang. Tang Tang spoke three sentences to her and was driven off. He left her with ample dry rations, so that Sai Lei would not starve.

"Let's go," Jing Hao said.

"All right." Tang Tang nodded firmly.

When the two returned to the Daling Outer Camp, several martial artists came forward to meet them, the leader a bronze-rank martial artist. Tang Tang was astonished—by his count there were actually five bronze-rank martial artists and nine black-iron-rank martial artists!

"Lord Jing Hao!" Though the leading bronze-rank martial artist was of the same rank as Jing Hao, he still addressed him as "Lord" and bowed of his own accord. "The bronze carriage is ready. You may set out at any time."

Jing Hao nodded. "My thanks for your trouble."

Tang Tang and Jing Hao climbed into a bronze carriage. Though not so lavish as Kong Youlin's carriage, its interior was decorated quite handsomely.

Once aboard, Tang Tang asked Jing Hao in a low voice, "Why have so many people come? Every one of them is strong."

Jing Hao explained, "I reported the matter from last time. The higher-ups had never been able to determine what secret treasure it was, but now that they know it's the Heavenly Lyre Treasure Vault, they've found some clues. This is still only the preliminary exploration, so they've sent only these men. If it really is the Heavenly Lyre Treasure Vault, I fear even silver-rank martial artists will come in person. Rest easy—I've already spoken with my master. If we find the Heavenly Lyre Treasure Vault, the two of us will have the chief merit, and the rewards will be considerable."

Tang Yi was stunned. "There really is a Heavenly Lyre Treasure Vault?"

"Indeed." Jing Hao nodded. "The Heavenly Lyre Treasure Vault is famous in history; it's just that no one ever found the clues. That woman last time, I'd wager she truly found something. But now that we know, the Black Soul has no chance. These are only the first batch—stronger fighters will keep arriving, the guard here will grow ever stricter, and the Black Soul will have no way to interfere."

Tang Tang let out a wail of "Ahh," clutching his head in bottomless chagrin. "That woman was actually telling the truth! Missed it! Missed it! A treasure vault! So many secret treasures…"

Jing Hao said with a perfectly straight face, "Boy! Don't pursue secret treasures so single-mindedly—that's just you wanting to slack off, wanting to take the easy road. However mighty a secret treasure may be, how could it ever replace your sweat? You must believe that the strength forged by burning your sweat is the only true strength. Do you know why?"

Tang Tang's expression froze, and he stared at Jing Hao in a daze.

Jing Hao felt as though he had swallowed a ginseng fruit—an indescribable comfort permeating his whole body—and he went on, still straight-faced and brimming with righteous fervor, "Because sweat never lies!"

Tang Tang: "…"

A guard accompanying them nearby praised him heartily: "Truly worthy of Lord Jing Hao! Those words are nothing less than the ultimate principle of cultivation for our kind!"

Jing Hao could hold back no longer and burst into laughter.

Tang Tang's eye twitched, countless black lines streaking across his forehead, and at last, unable to endure it any longer, he leapt up with a smack and pointed at Jing Hao, issuing a challenge through gritted teeth. "Come on! How can we waste such fine time in idleness? Come on! Boy! Let's have a proper fight!"

Jing Hao's laughter cut off abruptly.

At the mere mention of the Tang-style cyclic combat method, Jing Hao's heart quailed.

The other martial artists in the carriage were all struck with inexplicable shock—Lord Jing Hao had actually… actually declined the challenge!

At once the way everyone looked at Tang Duo changed. None of them knew Tang Tang, so none of them had taken him seriously; some had even assumed he was Lord Jing Hao's disciple or attendant. Only now did they all realize that Tang Duo was no ordinary fellow.

A fellow who could make Lord Jing Hao so wary…

"And this lord is…?" one martial artist asked cautiously.

At these words Jing Hao immediately clutched at the straw. He cleared his throat lightly. "Tang Yiren is a bronze-rank martial artist of the Martial Society who has rendered great service to our Society. He is also the successor of Senior Ghost Claw."