Chapter 1 The Great Hunt of Sangzhou Cave Officially Begins

The four continents advanced from four directions.

The outer ring area of the Awakening Experiment was a vast and boundless primeval forest. As early as the era when the Storm Church plundered believers, this place was in a wild state where beasts roamed.

The source energy tides stirred by the Ice Sea anomaly had a subtle and mysterious transcendent change on this land after years of accumulation.

The creatures living here... showed the characteristics of "transcendence" long ago!

Therefore, the Holy City had been eyeing this place for a long time.

More than one extraordinary creature had appeared here. The Holy City had conducted many experiments in Sangzhou Cave and plundered a lot of resources.

Of course, before the Awakening Experiment began, the number of beast spirits was not as large as it is now.

The annual capture volume may have been less than a dozen.

A medium-sized source energy boat hovered over the outer ring of Sangzhou Cave.

A young man in a deep blue Storm Church robe stood with his hands behind his back. He had golden-yellow, wheat-like skin, and his eyes were also a brilliant gold.

Saint Jiatie, the youngest of the Storm Church's saints.

And the only Tier 4.

"Jiatie, has the hunt begun?"

A majestic voice sounded in Jiatie's spiritual sea.

Jiatie conversed with "that one" through the spiritual sea.

There are six "Saints" in the Holy City.

The Storm Church has a large and deeply rooted belief system. These six saints preside over seven territories and twenty-two states.

The most powerful of these saints is titled "Spring Plow."

Because the Storm Throne encourages internal believers to kill each other for the sake of faith and incense.

So a fierce war broke out within the church.

When the war ended, the seats of the saints were also divided—

The "Spring Plow Saint," who is now in charge of the central district of Storm Holy City, can be said to be the absolute victor in that war.

Six people, seven territories.

He alone controls two of the seven major territories!

"Have you found out why the deep-sea signal was lost?"

Spring Plow continued, "The Holy City has already lost 50% of the image capture of Sangzhou Cave, and this data is still increasing."

"【Tanya】has been very unstable these days, and a large amount of volcanic ash has surged into the sky."

Jiatie raised his head.

He looked at the thick layer of volcanic ash floating in the sky, a solemn look flashing in his golden pupils. "I think... this is likely due to the 【Tanya】volcanic ash..."

"I felt an unknown 'transcendent source energy' in the volcanic ash... the composition of that thing is very strange."

Jiatie frowned and said, "I always feel that this thing makes people feel uncomfortable. If it continues to spread, 【Deep Sea】may lose all signals... We need to prepare for the complete failure of the 'Eye of Heaven'."

"Hmm..."

Spring Plow pondered for a moment and said, "Fortunately, 【Tide】is here. Is the deployment of the authority now complete?"

"Almost complete. Sangzhou Cave, including the fifteen li of the outer ice sea, is within the surveillance range of the 【Tide】authority."

The young saint took out a miniature exquisite conch.

This was the authority 【Tide】left behind by the Storm Throne before its departure.

He held 【Tide】in the palm of his hand, and under the urging of his spiritual power, an invisible ripple spread out extremely quickly, covering the entire island in a few seconds!

In fact, from the moment Jiatie arrived at Sangzhou Cave, 【Tide】had already spread.

At this moment, the authority was retrieving information.

This kind of range-based authority takes a certain amount of time to complete the deployment... after all, the one holding it now is just a Tier 4 transcendent.

If the Storm Throne were to come, it might only take ten seconds to complete all of this.

"Rumble—"

Storms surged, and echoes entered the ear.

The sounds of all living things entered the conch shell. The 【Tide】authority began to retrieve the sounds. The sounds of Sangzhou Cave entered Jiatie's spiritual sea and were transmitted to the Holy City through 【Deep Sea】.

The connection was established.

"Received it?" Jiatie asked.

The Holy City sent back a positive answer.

"Yes, received... but the data captured by 【Tide】is still somewhat incomplete."

"Unfortunately, my spiritual power is not strong enough."

Jiatie said regretfully, "If the Throne was not traveling far away, the divine power that 【Tide】could exert would be even greater."

"By the way, Lord Throne, how long will it take to return?" Jiatie suddenly asked.

"Jiatie..."

Spring Plow said meaningfully, "You should know... you shouldn't ask too much about this kind of thing."

"Yes."

Jiatie lowered his eyebrows and was silent for two seconds, then said quietly, "It's just that watching those idiots from the Four Continents plunder resources everywhere in Sangzhou Cave... my mood is really bad."

"If those guys want to grab things, let them grab them."

Spring Plow said indifferently, "Lord Throne left an edict before leaving, we just need to wait."

……

……

"Roar!"

A roar shattered the dense forest.

A black giant bear, standing upright, was a full three meters tall, and slapped a tree as thick as four or five people could hug, breaking it in half.

In the midst of the loud noise, a petite figure retreated gracefully.

The black-shirted girl dodged the giant bear's attack in the dense jungle... The figures, one large and one small, looked extremely disparate, but the girl's steps were extremely strange, and the route she took was incredibly bizarre.

This was the "combat footwork" taught by Chen Mo.

Gu Xiaoman had three physical training teachers: Bai Xiu, Chen Mo, and Chen Li.

Perhaps because of Gu Shen, or perhaps because this little girl was so pleasing to the eye—

All three of them unreservedly revealed what they were good at... Although the time was short, Gu Xiaoman learned very seriously, and every word and sentence of the three teachers was kept in her heart.

Practicing physical skills is a long process.

No matter how talented you are, you need time to hone your skills.

So... even with three famous teachers teaching her, even if Gu Xiaoman studied very hard, she was still at a disadvantage in this battle.

It's just that her escape route was very agile, and could even be described as "weird."

Whenever she was at the end of her rope, she could always find a bizarre new way out, dodging and twisting away.

In terms of strength, she simply couldn't compare with the black bear. The other party could shatter a giant tree with one paw. This kind of attack power... was simply not something that a beginner transcendent could withstand head-on.

From the moment the battle started, Gu Xiaoman's mind was completely focused.

She forgot about the Tier 5 source armor she was wearing, forgot about those external objects...

The goal she set for herself in this battle was to use the "knowledge" and "skills" she had learned to achieve a bloodless victory!

"Xiaoman has a high talent for physical skills."

Far away in the dense forest, Gu Shen and Bai Xiu stood on a giant tree, both watching the "battlefield" a hundred meters away. They had seen every drop of sweat and every effort Gu Xiaoman had put in these days.

With their realm, of course, they could see Gu Xiaoman's battle strategy.

She was a genius who didn't know it.

Her line of thinking was very clear in the fierce battle with the black bear... to endure, to wear down, to stall!

She had many sealed items, and taking out any one of them would be enough to change the situation. Especially the "Thunderbolt Pearl," a one-time killer weapon. As long as she threw it out, the battle could be declared over.

But she didn't want to rely too much on the power of external objects.

This was very good.

This was the first transcendent battle that Gu Xiaoman had experienced. She wanted to use what she had been best at since she was a child to defeat her first "transcendent opponent"!

Run!

When she chose this strategy, the balance of victory and defeat began to tilt again.

The giant bear had good stamina, but Gu Xiaoman had even better stamina. She kept moving and dodging, relying on the flexibility of her body to dodge and escape in the dense forest. This completely infuriated the giant bear... Under its rage, the intensity of its pursuit greatly increased, but it ultimately gained nothing.

It only paid a large amount of stamina in vain!

"Letting the future 'Lord of Wine' practice physical skills... is a good decision, isn't it?" Gu Shen said with satisfaction.

"One day in the future, she will thank you."

Bai Xiu did not answer directly.

His eyes were very gentle. "I don't know why, but I always feel that this little girl... is very congenial to me."

"Fortunately, I took a step ahead."

Gu Shen joked, "Otherwise, she should be called 'Bai Xiaoman' now?"

"It's better not to, it's better for her to have your surname, Gu."

Bai Xiu smiled and shook his head. His expression became somewhat complicated, and he said softly, "You know, I just look at her and feel very kind... It's a feeling that hasn't appeared for a long time."

"Oh?"

Gu Shen keenly captured a point that Bai Xiu unintentionally revealed in his words.

He smiled and said, "It hasn't appeared for a long time, that means it appeared before... Have you met someone similar to Xiaoman before?"

"..."

Bai Xiu was lost for a second. He shook his head again, but everyone could see that it was a disguise.

"Tsk, what's there to hide from me?"

Gu Shen smiled and said, "Don't forget, Gu Xiaoman is the future 'Lord of Wine.' The early locking of the 'Wine Seed' has made her spiritual sea special... Perhaps it's because of this reason that you feel kind when you look at her."

"Is that so?"

Bai Xiu said no more, he didn't even look at Gu Shen again.

Under the keen capture of the S-class ability 【Burning Flame】, any of his actions, any anomalies, would be seen... and then attract attention, so he decided to respond to Gu Shen's observation with silence.

In fact, the kind person he met... was Gu Shen.

If the "kindness" of the Lord of Wine comes from the seed, then what about Gu Shen?

This was also the reason why Bai Xiu didn't continue the conversation.

He had vaguely guessed some things, but he didn't ask or say anything.

What is the truth.

It wasn't that important to him.

……

……

An hour later.

"Boom!"

The three-meter-tall giant bear crashed to the ground. Gu Xiaoman landed on the ground and wiped the sweat from her face. This battle was especially difficult for her. Even if she chose the right strategy and ultimately achieved victory, it consumed a lot of stamina.

"This guy... is really thick-skinned..."

Gu Xiaoman put her hands on her hips and looked at the big guy lying on the ground, with a smile on her face.

In the first half of the battle, she was dodging, and the giant bear was attacking.

In the second half, it gradually reversed.

The giant bear's stamina gradually ran out, and she began to seize opportunities, wearing the "Hundred-Explosion Finger Tiger" given by Chen Mo, punching the black bear one punch after another... The latter was first angry, then terrified, and finally fell down, being ground to death.

When it realized something was wrong and wanted to escape, it was too late.

Its speed couldn't compare to Gu Xiaoman's.

It couldn't beat her, and it couldn't escape.

The final ending... was only one.

"Congratulations."

Bai Xiu fell gracefully, landing in front of the giant bear. He looked at Gu Xiaoman, his eyes full of gentle smiles. "How do you feel after finishing the first fight?"

"Master Bai Xiu!"

Gu Xiaoman shouted, then clenched her fist secretly. She said sincerely, "I feel very good. The process was a bit thrilling. I didn't do many things well... I want to have another one."

Chen Li muttered, "Little guy, you like fighting so much, you won't be a fighting maniac in the future, will you?"

"Are you embarrassed to talk about others?" Gu Shen scolded with a smile.

"Being able to fight is a blessing..." Chen Li said in a low voice, then asked confused, "But in this battle, why didn't I see Xiaoman use the combat skills I taught?"

Gu Xiaoman used Chen Mo's 【Snake Step】and Bai Xiu's 【Thunder Movement】to deal with the black bear, but she didn't use any of the things he taught.

"Sorry, Brother Chen Li..."

Gu Xiaoman heard Chen Li speak. She scratched her head and said sincerely, "This guy is too big, and the fighting style you taught is too fierce... I always feel that it's stupid to punch him head-on. If I have the opportunity in the future, I will use it."

Of the three masters, Chen Li was the youngest and weakest.

Plus Gu Shen's instruction.

Gu Xiaoman's name for Chen Li was Brother Chen Li, which sounded very kind.

The combat style of 【Iron Eater】was very direct, with basically no detours. They just picked up their weapons and went for it, so the fighting techniques Chen Li taught... were not suitable for Gu Xiaoman at this moment.

But it didn't mean that it was useless. When she reached a higher realm in the future, these different styles of physical skills would gradually merge and integrate in the long battle process.

Finally! She would comprehend her own "Dao"!

"Xiaoman... this battle, was it very hard?" Gu Shen squatted down slightly and asked softly.

"It was a little..."

Gu Xiaoman nodded, then quickly shook her head and said seriously, "But I can change it. I know I have many shortcomings. I can continue, I can do it again."

This silly child was thinking too much.

Was she worried that her combat performance wasn't good and that he wasn't satisfied?

Gu Shen's eyes were gentle, and he said, "In fact, you fought very beautifully in this battle. The battle between transcendents can be very short, happening and ending in an instant; it can also be very long, lasting for hours, even days and nights, or even longer. I won't ask you to be clean and neat, but I hope you can grasp victory as much as possible."

Gu Shen smiled and said, "This is your first transcendent battle... After this, you will become stronger little by little, and you will also encounter more powerful opponents than it. 【Annihilation Dream】is an S-class ability, you should crush many, many opponents."

"But you have to remember—the path to 'victory' is never just one."

"If you can't kill directly, you might as well try other roundabout ways like this time."

Gu Xiaoman, with a face full of sweat, listened in a daze.

She looked at the young man squatting in front of her and silently remembered all the words Gu Shen said in her heart.

"If you are not sure about a battle... then you can try to do some things within your power to gradually make it certain."

"Even if this process is very long, as long as you can see the 'end point', then all the effort is worth it!"