LOGINIt was only after Charlie vaulted into the icy pit that he realized in shock that it was a straight hole dug down with perfect precision.Barlin had really worked hard for this.As he started toward terminal velocity, he was forced to use Reiki to slow his descent and cushion his landing.Just as he felt through the Reiki, Barlin had blown the space outside the cave wide open into a circular space. There was ice on the walls and the ceiling, while the ground was all jet-black stone, outside the cave that was so dark it swallowed all light. Charlie was actually nervous just staring at the cave under the faint radiance of the aurora.If even Barlin couldn't get inside, what could he really do?Still, he was here anyway—almost got killed for it too, so he could afford to try a little.Still, he didn't understand something.Why would Barlin call it the Gate of Transcendence? If there really was a Flight of Transcendence, shouldn't they be heading up? And here it was, thousands o
There were now additional deep cracks in the Four-Sided Treasure Tower, hovering above Charlie's Sea of Consciousness.It didn't answer Charlie, instead using the remaining Reiki to manipulate the aurora into another arrow, once again pointed at the icy pit Barlin had dug.Charlie watched the photons of the aurora move as if drawn by a magnet and exclaimed, "You mean to send me to check that out?"The entity couldn't respond, however—after flashing a few times, the arrow faded back into aurora photons, as if having burnt out of energy.Seeing how enfeebled it looked, Charlie mused, "I'm sure stopping that geezer must have taken everything out of you. But don't worry—I always appreciate a favor, and I'd naturally help since you saved me!"Instead of jumping down the icy pit, Charlie sat down and cultivated instead, casting the Vairocana hand seals—specifically, the sequence that drained his Reiki rapidly.Just finishing the sequence sent his Reiki gushing out like a burst water ta
The most decisive difference between Charlie and Barlin was that Charlie had no interest in the Flight of Transcendence at all.It sounded just like skipping preschool to attend a strange academy—one that ignored the education system entirely, treating every class from grade school through college as one and the same. So one could be the kindergarten bully one day, but then end up bullied by the most bullied kid in the academy the next. What was there to obsess over such a life?Charlie also didn't want immortality because it required far too many sacrifices. And would he really feel alive, spending his whole life cultivating repeatedly?Barlin understood Charlie's perspective just then, and sighed dejectedly. "I used to think that the Flight of Transcendence was a selection process, and the Trial of Transcendence was an examination, while the divine lightning of the Trial was the exam question… That it's all part of an opportunity given by superior beings when one hits the pass
Thinking that Charlie was buying into his lie, Barlin promptly shook his head. "No, of course not, my friend! It's all true!"Charlie laughed, shaking his head. "No, no, no. That's not what I mean."Seeing the mischievous grin on his face, Barlin quickly asked, "W-Well, what do you mean?"Charlie kept grinning as he replied, "You spent too much time cultivating that you haven't the faintest idea how society works. Barlin's heart skipped a beat, but he quickly made an innocent face, "What are you talking about, friend? I wasn't lying at all!"Charlie chuckled. "You said you were trying to get in, but when I detected you through Reiki, you were trying to enter a trance instead of attempting to get inside. Like you said, the Gate of Transcendence is a relic left by cultivators who succeeded in the Flight of Transcendence."That means they are endlessly more powerful and we are nothing more than ants under their boots. If they decide to keep us out, it's as simple as putting ants in
Feeling his death approaching, Barlin was now completely at wit's end.He had focused his Reiki into a barrier around him, but it was not completely blocking the damage from Charlie's Thunder Order because he had almost no Reiki left.Thunder Order was nothing like it had been before.Charlie's cultivation had advanced significantly, and the Thunderstrike Wood from the kombuc tree had elevated Thunder Order's power to an entirely new level. Against an ordinary person, or even a lower realm cultivator, a single bolt of lightning would have been enough to reduce them to ashes on the spot.Yet Barlin, relying on his formidable cultivation and the Reiki exchanged from burning his essence, had endured several bolts of lightning and still managed to cling stubbornly to life.However, losing a limb was a huge drop in combat ability and in his ability to defend himself, leaving him completely at Charlie's mercy.His voice cracking even as he lost his sanity from sheer horror, he told Cha
Barlin burst into tears right then, devastated as he cried, "Yes, I lived over a hundred years, but I've only lived like a normal person for about 20 years. The rest of my time has been spent cultivating my spiritual path in seclusion. How could I possibly have time to understand or engage with this world? Especially this modern, technologically advanced society, where everything is so revolutionary and groundbreaking…" Charlie sneered. "Choosing to cultivate and go into seclusion for a hundred years is your choice, not mine. Go take it up with Hades when you see him!" Barlin was horrified and kept crying, "Please, my friend… Oh! You despise Fleur, don't you? Do you want to know the secrets of the Qing Eliminating Society? I swear by the cosmic order that if you spare my life, I will tell you I know about her and the Qing Eliminating Society, including the location of the Qing Eliminating Society's headquarters! Everything, without holding anything back!" Swearing to the cosmos w
Jiro did not give up. Instead, he continued asking, “Then, why don’t you give it some thoughts now? What kind of man would be able to meet your criteria and standards?”Nanako thought carefully before she said, “First of all, the main criterion is that he would have to be better than me!”“Better than
Aurora replied shyly, “I am not a feisty young lady…”Charlie smiled before he asked, “Then, what are you?”Aurora replied, “I… I… I am a beautiful young woman! A little cutie!”After she was done speaking, Aurora hung up the phone shyly before Charlie could even respond.When Charlie heard the sudden b
With a puzzled look on her face, Nanako asked, “Kobayashi-san, do you have any problem with this Dr. Simmons?”“Oh, no, no.” Jiro hurriedly waved his hand and said seriously, “I’ve never met Dr. Simmons before. By the way, frankly speaking, before my brother passed away, he once offended the doctor,
The Webb family was not really willing to believe that The Big Eight had been beaten to death.This was because if this was true, it would only mean that they had a very powerful enemy in the dark.However, they had no idea who this enemy was.Everyone in the Webb family could not believe that Charlie






