Chapter 21: Two Paths

“Everyone, are you ready to open the fifth level?” Wei Cheng spoke calmly, his gaze sweeping over the group, instantly discerning their progress from the past five days.

Cheng An stood out as the best; after being exposed to the divine light for three seconds, his potential had been further expanded. Wei Cheng had left him a generous supply of snow ape meat, yet he had only cultivated forty years of internal energy, still twenty years short of four cycles, with his bottleneck looming once he reached five cycles.

Next was Yu Liang, whose breakthrough had been aided by a stroke of fortune and his own considerable talent. He had surpassed the three-cycle barrier and cultivated an additional thirty years of internal energy, but his bottleneck would occur at four cycles. Once he broke through, there would be no more progress unless he was bathed in divine light.

Wang Wei was the third to break through three cycles. Her talent was respectable, but lacking exposure to the divine light and sufficient resources, she was not an exception and had reached her bottleneck as well.

The remaining members advanced more slowly, mainly due to limited resources. Even if they had enough, three cycles seemed to be the utmost limit for ordinary people.

Wei Cheng finally looked at the unfortunate Zhang Yong and Han Dong. In five days, they had only cultivated five years of internal energy, still immeasurably far from reaching three cycles. Yet, considering the overwhelming momentum they displayed when using the Flowing Dragon Palm with two cycles of internal energy, it was understandable—late bloomers, provided they survived.

“Brother Wei, can we hunt more snow apes? I mean, we need to prepare more for the fifth level. Just a suggestion, nothing more.” Zhang Yong stammered, his demeanor timid. He had come to realize the vast difference between himself and Wei Cheng, and remembered how he had once stolen resources from Wei Cheng and even looked down on him more than once. Now, thinking back, he could not help but feel anxious.

“Can you kill one? All of us here, myself included—think about it! Who can catch those snow apes that sprint across the cliff walls? If you can’t catch them, and have no ranged attacks, what’s the point? You’d only embarrass yourself!”

“And you, Zhang Yong—if you hadn’t given such poor directions back then, would all the cultivators of the Spirit Swallowing Heart Technique in our team have died? When we touch the stone tablet in the fifth level, you’ll be last!”

Wei Cheng spoke coldly, unconcerned about exacting petty revenge when it didn’t affect the bigger picture. His subtle punishments were exquisitely satisfying. Moreover, it helped foster camaraderie, making everyone happier, and offered some consolation to the souls of the departed. How perfect.

The topic ended with a knowing smile among the group.

They began dismantling the mine tunnel leading to the fifth level without need for instruction. Soon, the tunnel was about to open, and everyone stepped back, allowing Wei Cheng to move to the front. In the past, Bald Brother and Hu Hailong followed behind him, but this time Cheng An and Yu Liang took the initiative, followed by Wang Wei and the others.

With a rumbling crash, the final stone was removed and a massive stone slab appeared at the tunnel’s entrance, rising as if triggered by a mechanism. A bright beam of light shone in—not the light of the transmission stone tablet, but natural daylight, sunlight. Had they finally escaped this damned underground mine?

For a moment, even Wei Cheng’s heart surged with excitement—it had been so difficult!

But as the stone slab fully rose, the scene before them left everyone dumbfounded.

They had indeed left the underground mine, but outside was not a vast open world. It was a gigantic canyon—no, a basin, surrounded by sheer cliffs over a thousand feet high, impossible for birds to traverse, with no visible path out.

At the center lay a valley about a hundred miles across, with a small city nestled within, an idyllic paradise. Yet, seeing the surrounding cliffs, one instinctively felt trapped in an iron barrel.

This fifth level would not be easy.

As Wei Cheng pondered this, about to step forward, thunder suddenly rang in his ears, and the aged voice that had appeared before spoke once more.

“My young friends, to have come this far is cause for celebration. Yet, I imagine you harbor many grievances. But would I ever force you against your will?

“The four levels you have passed were all dreams. Even if you died in them, it was as if waking from a dream—you would forget everything here and continue your life in the real world.

“Likewise, if any wish to withdraw now, you may. You will be as those who have perished, waking from a dream—everything will be empty.

“But if you wish to proceed, heed this: from this step on, if you die, it is a true death. Yet, henceforth, the dragon returns to the sea, the tiger to the mountain. You may become master of your own fate, of others’ destinies, even the destiny of your descendants.

“Moreover, you will begin the true trials. Before my death, I used my last great power to open a passage from the Immortal Realm to your mortal world. There are countless levels; each one you clear brings you closer to the Immortal Realm, and the reality increases, as you might say.

“For every level you pass, you gain fifteen days to rest in your world. Your strength will not diminish or disappear, but do not become complacent. It is possible that the scouts of the demonic forces have already infiltrated your world.

“Good luck to you all. I hope you will lead more of your descendants onto this path of no return. Though the chance of success is slim, if we do not resist with all our might, we humans would have no spirit. My soul awaits you ahead. Hahaha!”

With a burst of laughter, Wei Cheng and the others felt their vision blur. Two paths appeared before them.

One led back to their warm beds, familiar surroundings. They could see Hu Hailong, Bald Brother, and Manager Shen—those who had died—walking out into the morning sun, living normal lives and disconnected from the other path.

The second path was pure darkness, endless, with no future.

“But I do not wish to return to the past!” Wei Cheng sighed softly, making his choice without hesitation. Who could understand the helplessness of a man weighing over two hundred pounds?