His experiences were different from others. He had witnessed too many things that ordinary people would find unbelievable. For one, he could see what happened to his father back then; just that fact alone, if revealed, could cause a global sensation.
Not to mention his own incredible encounters, such as the heavenly eye's透视 (tòushì - clairvoyance) ability. These were phenomena that modern science could not explain. Therefore, Li Chonglou understood the saying "There is always someone better" very well.
This understanding led him to set exceedingly high standards for himself, striving for perfection. Only by doing so could he be confident enough to face whatever the future might hold.
Thus, Li Chonglou stopped immediately.
He couldn't rush. He had to raise the success rate to one hundred percent before continuing his training!
So, he immediately changed his objective, beginning to circulate and adjust the internal energy within his body. He intended to return his control over his internal energy to its peak level before attempting again.
It was only then that he shifted his attention slightly to the outside world. Li Chonglou finally noticed that the path beneath their feet was different from before.
The most apparent changes were in color and texture.
If walking on the special soil of the Iron Forest previously had a slightly soft feel, the current path was akin to the asphalt roads in the outside world. Furthermore, the color of this path was slightly darker than its surroundings.
Li Chonglou asked curiously, "Is there anything special about the road we're walking on now?"
The man walking ahead turned back and explained, "Uh, you're only noticing it now? We're currently on the official road of the Iron Forest. Here, you don't have to worry about being attacked by the enforcement officers."
"You should have also noticed the different colors, right? This is actually an anti-reconnaissance material. Those enforcement officers will automatically ignore this area."
"However, there aren't many official roads in the Iron Forest, and they only connect key locations. Don't even think about leaving the Iron Forest by following these roads."
The man finished speaking and glanced at Li Chonglou, as if issuing a warning.
Li Chonglou shrugged. He was just asking out of curiosity; naturally, he had no such intentions.
Seeing that Li Chonglou had finally settled down, the other two breathed a slight sigh of relief. In their hearts, they had genuinely feared that Li Chonglou would continue to expend his energy like that and then enter a state of exhaustion.
They knew that inside, there was almost no time for rest.
A day was neither long nor short, but sometimes, a small amount of stamina could determine life or death.
Although the two had not been to the second floor of the Beast Den, the first floor alone had given them that feeling. Therefore, they had inwardly strongly disapproved of Li Chonglou's previous actions.
Now that Li Chonglou had finally become compliant, the two men became more talkative.
"Kid, when we get to our destination later, you don't need to ask anything or worry about anything. Just follow us. After we get you into the Beast Den, we'll escort you for only a short distance. After that, it won't be us taking over."
The man gave Li Chonglou a heads-up, his words clearly holding hidden meanings. However, since he didn't elaborate, Li Chonglou didn't ask further. Regardless of who escorted him, his goal remained the same: to enter the second floor and retrieve the item the elder needed.
Afterward, the two men shared other information about the Beast Den with Li Chonglou.
For instance, other troops from the Iron Forest were stationed on the first floor, and Li Chonglou wouldn't be able to see his Sacred Beast immediately.
According to their explanation, the Sacred Beast was currently in a completely sealed space. Not only the Sacred Beast, but no one could observe the situation inside for the time being.
"What if my Little White dies inside?" Li Chonglou asked with some concern.
"You can rest assured about that. The Sacred Beasts will not be in mortal danger inside. However, their evolutionary progress is uncontrollable. Some Sacred Beasts with good potential might reach the third or even fourth tier immediately upon emergence, while others, relatively weaker ones, might only reach the second tier after coming out."
The man's tone clearly carried a hint of helplessness as he said this.
Everyone in the Dark Department knew that Li Chonglou's Little White had some kind of defect, and this method of cultivation might very well result in it only reaching the second tier of strength upon its emergence.
Li Chonglou, however, didn't seem to mind this. He just hoped that Little White wouldn't become too strange or too large after coming out, as that would make it difficult for him to bring it back to China.
Ideally, it would retain its original size and appearance, allowing him to bring it back openly as a pet.
As for its strength, Li Chonglou truly didn't care.
The three continued their journey, chatting along the way. After another hour, a patch of darkness suddenly appeared in Li Chonglou's field of vision.
He saw a black line stretching from the left edge of his sight to the right, disappearing into the distance.
As the three drew closer, he realized that this black line was actually a high defensive wall. Its construction was similar to that of the outer defenses of a stronghold, but both its weaponry and the number of personnel far surpassed those of a stronghold.
Moreover, its height was a full three meters greater.
Even from a distance, Li Chonglou could feel the aura emanating from it, like a millennia-old behemoth coiled there. Even while motionless, it inspired a sense of awe and deterrence.
"We're finally here. Kid, don't talk nonsense later."
The man gave a reminder, then quickened his pace. After a few minutes, a patrol team approached them.
"Halt! Submit to inspection!"
The leader, a fully armed soldier, ordered the three without any pleasantries.
The man hurriedly took out his Dark Department identification, stepped forward to hand it over, and explained politely.
However, the soldier's expression did not soften at all. He coldly uttered, "Search."
A flicker of displeasure flashed in the man's eyes, but he quickly concealed it, raising his hands obediently and allowing himself to be searched.
Li Chonglou and the other man behind him did the same. They were roughly and somewhat forcefully searched by the patrol, after which the three were allowed to proceed.
After they had moved a good distance away, the man walking in front grumbled, "I hate these guys the most. Every time, I feel like a criminal."
Li Chonglou glanced at him. He was certainly bold now, but why hadn't he said anything earlier?
It was clear that the status of people from the Dark Department was inferior to that of the local patrol. Otherwise, given their previous arrogant demeanor, they wouldn't have been so docile now.
The three continued on and passed two more patrol checks before finally reaching what was referred to as the entrance.
It was essentially a small door beneath the high wall. Strictly speaking, it wasn't exactly small, as it had the size of a normal doorway, two meters high and one meter wide.
However, in comparison to the towering wall, the presence of such a doorway seemed somewhat incongruous.