The Sunset Mountain Range, located in the southern part of the Black Water Kingdom, stretched for millions of miles across more than a hundred nations, its beginning and end a mystery.
Viewed from high above, it resembled a colossal dragon lying prostrate upon the earth, its head and horns magnificent and imposing.
The Sunset Mountain Range was divided into three sections: the outer region, the middle zone, and the inner Forbidden Land.
The outer region was a land of countless high mountains, steep ridges, rivers, and valleys, where precious medicinal herbs and Fierce Beasts were found in abundance.
It was a paradise for many Adventurers and a trial ground for countless Martial Artists.
If one were lucky enough to find a rare herb or hunt a valuable Fierce Beast, they could sell it for a handsome price and acquire a substantial amount of Cultivation Resources.
Venturing into the middle zone, one would not only encounter Demon Beasts that surpassed the Level of Fierce Beasts but also face treacherous lands where even a Master of the Cave Profound Realm would face certain death.
A few years ago, a True Master who had reached the Late-stage Cave Profound Peak was killed with a single strike from a powerful Demon Beast in one such perilous area!
Of course, with great danger came great opportunity.
The middle zone not only held higher-grade medicinal herbs but also the Cave Mansions of Ancient Cultivators.
Furthermore, it was said that the Taihang Sect—the Upper Sect to the three great academies—and several other sects that had Entered the Grade were established in an area rich with Primordial Qi within the middle zone of the Sunset Mountain Range.
With the mountain range at their back, they possessed vast resources, and their Sects flourished.
Even so, their dominion was limited to the lands occupied by their Sects, which constituted only a tiny fraction of the middle zone.
The remaining areas were largely untouched by humans.
As for the inner Forbidden Land, it held great horrors.
Not even members of the Taihang Sect dared to enter it rashly.
With his Cultivation at only the Third Rank of Meridian Opening, Shen Fan’s destination for this journey was the outer region of the Sunset Mountain Range.
Bathed in the afterglow of dusk, Shen Fan headed toward the Sunset Mountain Range.
He found a worn Ancient Path and plunged into the mountains.
For him, even the outer region of the Sunset Mountain Range was incredibly dangerous.
However, the more perilous the place, the more it could unlock his potential.
The greater the danger, the greater the rewards, and the faster his strength would grow.
After traveling for several dozen miles, he reached a stream that ran alongside a bamboo forest.
In a large clearing, tables and chairs were set up for those on their Trial to rest.
At that moment, three Disciples in Bai Shan Academy uniforms were there, drinking water and taking a break.
From their travel-worn appearance, it seemed they had been on their Trial for quite some time.
Among the three great academies, Bai Shan Academy was the strongest, followed by Changling Academy, with Black Water Academy at the bottom.
As a result, Bai Shan Academy Disciples had always looked down on those from Changling and Black Water.
It was not uncommon for them to bully Disciples from the other two academies when they met outside.
All three of them had a Cultivation at the Peak of Third Stage of Meridian Opening, but their auras felt much weaker than Liu Jie’s.
Only one of them, a taciturn Disciple dressed in white, seemed slightly stronger than the others.
‘As things stand now, I’m not confident I can beat the three of them,’ Shen Fan estimated.
“Hey, are you a Disciple from Black Water Academy?” the tall Bai Shan Disciple said, appearing before Shen Fan.
He looked down his nose at him, speaking with an arrogant air.
“Second Rank of Meridian Opening. Yes, you’ll be the one. Come with us in a bit.”
“Heh heh, that guy Gu Gang is up to his usual mischief,” the other, scrawnier Disciple whispered to the quiet one.
“Senior Brother Fang Jian, can using a person as bait really lure that thing out? Three people have already died. What if it doesn’t take the bait?”
“Then we keep using people as bait until it does,” Fang Jian said, slowly opening his eyes.
He glanced over at Shen Fan and chuckled softly.
“Looks like we’re about to get our fourth piece of bait.”
“And why should I?” Shen Fan said coldly.
Their imperious attitude infuriated him.
Given the long-standing rivalry between Black Water Academy and Bai Shan Academy, it was clear their intentions were anything but good.
“What did you say, you little brat!” It took Gu Gang a moment to process.
He couldn’t believe a mere Second Rank of Meridian Opening pipsqueak dared to speak to him that way.
His beard bristled with fury as he raised his massive, fan-sized palm to slap Shen Fan.
‘I’ll teach him a good lesson,’ he thought, ‘like taming a disobedient dog.
You have to beat it into submission before it’ll obey.
Disciples from Black Water Academy are just that pathetic.
You want to act all high and mighty?
First, see if you have the strength to back it up!’
Unwilling to show weakness, Shen Fan snorted, forming a Palm Blade with his hand and striking at his opponent’s wrist with all his might.
His Fast Blade technique was just a hair’s breadth away from reaching the Great Success Realm.
His strikes were as swift as the wind, and with his strength of over three thousand jin, he was not far behind a Disciple at the Peak of Third Stage of Meridian Opening.
While he might not be able to win, he had no problem blocking a couple of blows.
As expected of a Martial Disciple at the Peak of Third Stage of Meridian Opening, Gu Gang reacted with lightning speed.
He hastily changed his angle of attack, blocking Shen Fan’s Palm Blade.
Both men took a step back.
“Not bad.” Gu Gang’s expression darkened.
‘To think I, with my Peak of Third Stage of Meridian Opening Cultivation, almost suffered a loss to a Second Rank of Meridian Opening Martial Disciple.’ He felt indignant.
Gathering his full strength, he resolved to give Shen Fan a proper beating.
“Gu Gang, stop.”
Fang Jian and Wang Qian rushed over at the sound of the commotion, stepping in front of Gu Gang.
“Friend from the Black Water Institute, what impressive skill. I am Fang Jian, and this is Wang Qian. The three of us just happened to discover an injured Mid-Tier Ferocious Beast. I wonder if our friend would be interested in hunting it with us?”
Fang Jian seemed to have a better temperament than Gu Gang and spoke very politely, yet Shen Fan could still see the disdain in his eyes.
Shen Fan had no connection to these people, yet they were inviting him to hunt a Demon Beast.
The more he thought about it, the less sense it made.
Recalling Gu Gang’s earlier words, he had a nagging feeling that something was amiss.
A Martial Disciple was no match for one.
Hunting it would be a suicide mission.
“Not interested,” Shen Fan said coldly.
“Why not reconsider, my friend?” Fang Jian pressed.
“That Mid-Tier Ferocious Beast has formed an Inner Core! It’s also heavily injured—the perfect time to strike. An opportunity like this won’t come again.”
Fierce Beasts were divided into Low, Middle, and High Tiers, which corresponded to the strength of Martial Disciples, Martial Artists, and Martial Artists, respectively.
Mid-Tier Ferocious Beasts possessed immense strength and a savage aura; even an average Martial Artist of the same Realm wouldn’t dare to face one directly.
The fur, bones, and other parts of a Fierce Beast were all excellent materials that could be sold for a high price.
An ordinary Mid-Tier Ferocious Beast was worth tens of thousands of taels of Silver.
A rare specimen could be worth ten times that amount.
And if a Mid-Tier Ferocious Beast had formed an Inner Core, its value could multiply by twenty!
The Inner Core was the very essence of a Fierce Beast and an extremely precious Alchemy Material.
Typically, only a High-Tier Ferocious Beast could form one; it was incredibly rare for a Mid-Tier Ferocious Beast to do so.
If he could get his hands on the Inner Core of a Mid-Tier Ferocious Beast, he would earn at least thirty thousand taels of gold—enough to purchase a massive amount of Cultivation Resources.
‘Isn’t this why I came to the Sunset Mountain Range?
To train, earn money, and buy Elixirs?’
‘But there’s no such thing as a free lunch.
Why would Disciples from Bai Shan Academy share such a golden opportunity with a Disciple from Black Water Academy?’
“Not interested,” Shen Fan refused once more.
He used his Body Technique and dashed deeper into the Sunset Mountain Range.
‘I shouldn’t linger here,’ he thought.
‘If the three of them attack, I’ll be injured even if I manage to escape.
That would be a huge disadvantage for this Trial.’
Fang Jian and his companions watched Shen Fan leave, their expressions grim.
“Senior Brother Fang, are we just going to let him go?” Gu Gang asked, resentful.
He believed he had only been careless, allowing Shen Fan to get the better of him.
Otherwise, Shen Fan would never have gotten off so lightly.
“For that kid to come here alone, he must have something up his sleeve,” Fang Jian said coldly.
“No way. He’s only at the Second Rank of Meridian Opening. How could he possibly…” Wang Qian said in disbelief.
“Hmph! Better to be safe than sorry.” Fang Jian’s eyes glinted.
“Let’s go. Second Brother Fang Yu will be here soon, so we need to find some bait. As long as we get our hands on that creature’s Inner Core, we can be confident in cultivating Yuan Jin. Advancing to the Fourth Rank of Meridian Opening won’t be far behind!”
…