Chapter 155: Training Room?
Morning sunlight spilled...
Outside a modest stone house built into the slope, two figures clashed repeatedly, blades humming, each strike echoing with force. Jia Kai and Chi Kai moved like storm and thunder — their energies wild but refined from weeks of sparring.
"You’re too slow again!" Jia Kai shouted, parrying Chi Kai’s downward slash and twisting to counter with a spinning kick.
Chi Kai barely managed to block, panting, sweat glistening on his temple. "I’m not slow — you’re just getting cocky!"
Their laughter followed their clash — rare, carefree moments amidst the tension that had gripped the sect. The upcoming Elder Rank Tournament weighed heavily on everyone, but for now, they trained, chasing perfection through each swing.
From inside the stone house, the door slid open with a creak. Mo Han stepped out, his robe replaced with plain black training clothes bound at the wrists. His aura was calm, yet its depth stirred the air around him subtly. Even without releasing intent, his mere presence drew focus.
He adjusted the strap of his satchel and glanced once at the two sparring disciples. "Enough for today," he said simply.
Both froze mid-motion, straightening instinctively.
"Elder Mei ordered stamina tests this evening," he added, brushing a faint speck of dust from his sleeve. "Don’t burn yourselves out before noon."
Jia Kai smiled sheepishly. "Yes, Senior Brother."
Chi Kai sheathed his sword with a huff. "At least let me land one strike before that happens..."
Before Mo Han could respond, the sound of hurried footsteps echoed up the mountain path.
"Brother Mo! Brother Mo Han!"
The cry came from below, followed by a familiar round figure scrambling up the slope. Fatty Lambu appeared moments later, red-faced, panting, his robe half-tucked, and clutching a tiny, feathered creature in his arms. The fire chicken chick — Dambu — chirped furiously, its little wings flapping as if sharing its master’s panic.
Lambu stopped just short of colliding into Mo Han and bent over, wheezing dramatically. "Hah—hah—Brother! You... you have to hear this!"
Mo Han arched an eyebrow. "If it’s about breakfast, Fatty, you can—"
"No! It’s important!" Lambu wiped his forehead with his sleeve, holding the squirming Dambu close to his chest. "I just came back from the southern bazaar. I heard the Western Fan family — yes, that Fan family — has recently opened their elite training hall for elder rank cultivators! It’s equipped with new formation circles, and elemental adaptation chambers! But—"
"But?" Mo Han asked, voice calm.
"But they’re charging fifty aura stones per hour!" Lambu blurted out, his tone switching from awe to despair. "Fifty! Do you know how many roasted fire duck platters that is?! Brother, that’s robbery!"
Jia Kai whistled low. "The Fan family never misses a chance to drain someone’s wallet."
Chi Kai nodded grimly. "They’ll probably throw in an extra fee for breathing inside their hall."
Mo Han, however, didn’t seem fazed. His mind was already working through numbers, timing, and outcomes. Fifty aura stones an hour was steep, but for a formation capable of adjusting elemental density and spirit pressure — it was worth every fragment.
"Good," he said finally. "We’ll go there."
Fatty froze. "Eh?"
Ignoring his confusion, Mo Han reached for a folded parchment resting near his desk and handed it to Lambu. The thick paper rustled softly as Fatty unfolded it — and then his round eyes widened in disbelief.
"What in the nine heavens...?"
The list shimmered faintly with energy marks. Each name written in Mo Han’s crisp hand glowed faintly with an alchemical trace.
Fanghide Beast Tendon (fresh)
Blood Horned Viper’s scale
Golden Boar tusk dust
Spirit Hawk feather
Bone marrow of a shadow wolf
Earth python gall
Fire Salamander oil
Crescent Lynx claws (two pairs)
Fatty blinked several times, making sure he wasn’t hallucinating. "Brother... all of these—"
"Yes," Mo Han interrupted mildly, "are of animal origin."
"Animal origin?! They’re not just animals — they’re high-rank spiritual beasts! Some of these can kill a man with a glare!" Fatty sputtered, waving the parchment. "Do you expect me to rob the Beast Market?!"
"You have ten days," Mo Han replied, already fastening his spirit ring to his wrist.
"Ten—TEN DAYS?!"
"I know these are rare," Mo Han continued, unbothered by Lambu’s protests. "But they are essential for my training and... something else." His gaze flicked briefly toward the eastern mountains where the sect’s boundary shimmered faintly in the distance. "If we’re to stand any chance in the tournament, I’ll need every one of them."
Lambu puffed up, cheeks red with disbelief. "You really think I can find all this?"
"I don’t think," Mo Han said quietly, meeting his eyes. "I know you can."
For a moment, Fatty Lambu stood frozen, the usual lazy humor gone from his face. He looked at the parchment again — and despite the impossibility of the task, something in Mo Han’s tone made him straighten his back.
"Fine," he said finally, exhaling hard.
"Hear that, little one? We’re going on a shopping spree of death."
Mo Han nodded once. "Within ten days," he reminded him.
Fatty gave a clumsy salute and began waddling back down the path, muttering to himself about impossible lists and bankrupt merchants.
When the sound of his footsteps faded, Mo Han turned toward Jia Kai and Chi Kai, who had been watching quietly.
"Stay in the sect," he said. "Continue the endurance formations. I’ll be gone for a few days."
"You’re going to the Fan family?" Jia Kai asked.
Mo Han nodded. "Their training chamber will be perfect for what I need."
Chi Kai frowned. "They charge more than royal cities, Senior Brother. Is it really worth it?"
"For what’s coming," Mo Han said softly, "everything is worth it."
He stepped outside into the open courtyard, the wind brushing through his hair. A shadow passed overhead — a great mountain eagle descending from the cliffs, feathers glinting bronze under sunlight. It landed gracefully beside the courtyard, lowering its head in silent acknowledgment.
Mo Han leapt onto its back in one smooth motion, the fabric of his robe fluttering like smoke. "Guard the place," he called out, and the eagle beat its wings, ascending swiftly into the morning sky.
Below, the Eternal Night Mansion shrank into a blur of gray and gold as he soared toward the distant western peaks where the Fan family estate rested among marble cliffs.
Unseen by him, in the shaded corner beneath the eastern wall, a man in dark gray robes stirred. His eyes followed the mountain eagle’s path until it vanished into the distance. Then, with deliberate caution, he withdrew a small jade slip from his sleeve and whispered into it.
"Lady Tang Zin," he said softly, his tone respectful. "Mo Han has left the sect — alone. He’s heading west, toward the Fan family’s mountain estate."
A faint hum echoed from the jade, followed by a calm female voice that carried both grace and cold sharpness.
"Keep watching," she said. "Do not interfere yet."
The man bowed toward the empty air as if in reverence, then slipped away into the trees, his presence dissolving into the shadows.