…

Imperial Capital, Black Mountain

Within the sea of buildings that were part of the imperial capital, a huge plot of land was left undeveloped due to the mountain of black iron at its center, standing out like a sore thumb. A three-hundred-foot-high wall of stone and wood also surrounded the region, barring entry to all without special passes and authority.

Although the wall did not seem all that durable, it was enchanted with countless magical spells and arrays. Whether it was defensive, detection, or offensive spells and arrays, the wall possessed a variety of each category.

Clearly, the Great Ratholos Empire placed the highest importance on the Black Mountain, and its security couldn't be any higher than this.

The number of people who could enter the vicinity of the Black Mountain was few, and those who could stay on it were even fewer. Moreover, depending on their wealth and privilege, they could only stay for a fixed amount of time.

Nevertheless, there were still a few individuals who were permitted to take up permanent residence within the area of the Black Mountain.

The pill creator of the Rank 4 Body Reformation Pill was one such individual.

Previously, Duke Zaahir had told Vaan that the ingredients used to create the Rank 4 Reformation Pill were cultivated in a very special and limited environment. Vaan could see from a distance that Duke Zaahir's words could not have been more precise.

The Black Mountain's special magnetic field created a unique domain that separated itself from the rest of the world. As such, herbs grown within this special environment would undoubtedly turn out differently compared to other places.

As Vaan observed on the back of the flying wyvern, he could see that most of the land surrounding the Black Mountain had been used to cultivate herbs.

However, what surprised yet confirmed his suspicion was the faint energy present within the Black Mountain's domain.

'This should be… spirit energy!' Vaan's eyes flickered.

Once Vaan confirmed the lingering spirit energy within the Black Mountain's domain, he found answers to several of his doubts.

He understood why the Rank 4 Body Reformation Pill could have such a miraculous effect on the human body and unconditionally raise a warrior's strength by such a substantial amount.

The herbs were nurtured in an environment with spirit energy, so how could they not?

Nevertheless, spirit energy was a byproduct of life. Whether it would be humans or plants, they all produced spirit energy as long as they existed. Alas, the unknown force in Pangea had stripped all traces of it from the world.

On that point, while it was true that the herbs in the Black Mountain's domain were nurtured by spirit energy, it was more accurate to say they had unrestricted growth.

With such a miraculous Black Mountain that could retain the spirit energy of people and plants, it was understandable why the Great Ratholos Empire could succeed in nurturing so many powerful body-refining warriors.

The Black Mountain was undeniably the most precious treasure in the possession of the Great Ratholos Empire.

Vaan had no doubt the Black Mountain was a foreign object that wasn't naturally formed on Pangea but crashlanded from the sea of stars. And like many people suspected, the Black Mountain was most likely a small fragment of a dead star's core.

…

After Vaan disembarked at the designated wyvern landing square a short five hundred meters away from the wall, he showed his identification to the gate guards at the front.

The gate guards quickly identified Vaan's status as an honorary core member of Martial Hall and granted him entry to the Black Mountain. They did not make trouble for him despite finding him unfamiliar.

Originally, Vaan had a strong interest in meeting the Pill King due to the miraculous effect of the Rank 4 Body Reformation Pill, which could only be refined by the Pill King. However, he had already figured out the secrets behind it.

Thus, Vaan no longer had a reason to meet the Pill King for now.

Vaan made a beeline for the foot of the Black Mountain, where most of the warriors from the Martial Hall had gathered. Although there was a queue to enter the mountain, the queue was not the reason for the large gathering of warriors at the foot of the mountain.

Many warriors simply lingered around the foot of the Black Mountain to spectate other warriors' training and compare their performances.

Due to the warriors' natural competitive spirits, the atmosphere was very lively.

"Senior Martial Brother Esai has been stuck on the 429th step for three months. I wonder if he will be able to beat his record this time?" a bald, middle-aged warrior uttered shortly after a famed warrior ascended the mountain.

"Probably," another warrior of similar age replied, adding, "Senior Martial Brother Esai looked pretty confident just now. Perhaps he made some advancement in his strength recently."

"I wouldn't get my hopes up," a gloomy warrior said pessimistically.

"From the 400th step onward, the gravitational pressure greatly increases with each step. A minor advancement in strength won't help one ascend these steps, and forcing yourself to surpass your limit will only result in serious internal injuries."

Since it was too costly to compete in how long a warrior could endure the Black Mountain's gravitational pressure on the lower steps, most warriors tended to compete in how high they could climb.

The higher they climbed the Black Mountain, the stronger the gravitational pressure—or, more precisely, the closer to the center, the stronger the gravitational pressure.

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After Vaan made his way through the crowd, he entered the only building at the foot of the Black Mountain – the Service Hall.

The Service Hall provided a range of services, which could be divided into three sections – trade, labor, and time.

In the trade section, warriors could sell or purchase body-refining pills and healing pills from the Service Hall or other warriors. There was also a bulletin board for warriors to post pill requests of specific effects if the Service Hall didn't have them.

In short, it was a small pill market.

In the labor section, the Service Hall offered miscellaneous jobs around the Black Mountain and gave warriors opportunities to earn contribution points, though such jobs were usually just for herbal assistants and physicians.

They also had their own bulletin board where all the available jobs were posted for warriors to see and grab.

Finally, the time section managed warriors' training duration on the Black Mountain. Warriors had to purchase their training time and collect their time trackers at the Service Hall's time section before they could ascend the Black Mountain to train.lightsnovel

Their failure to do so would result in fines and punishment.

Vaan did not say much after arriving at the Service Hall's time section. He handed over his three-day training pass and received a time-tracking magic tool set for three days from the female Dunean working there.

"Oh? We have a new face here. Hey, this little brother. Are you interested in a little competition with bets?"

Shortly after Vaan left the Service Hall and approached the Black Mountain, his unfamiliar face quickly caught the eyes of several observant warriors.

The one who spoke to him was a sixty-year-old male Dunean filled with long scars. He was only a Low Rank 4 Body Refiner.

Being a Low Rank 4 Body Refiner at sixty years of age was considered ordinary or even mediocre; it wasn't worth mentioning in front of a genius. Even so, a Low Rank 4 Body Refiner was, by no means, weak compared to most people.

And yet, it was also this kind of person who openly challenged newcomers.

In a single glance, Vaan quickly understood what kind of person this sixty-year-old Dunean warrior was – he was just an untalented senior prick who preyed on newcomers for small benefits; he didn't care about his face, only money.

There was no merit in winning against such a person, nor were the small gains worth the time.

"Not interested," Vaan replied indifferently, shoving the person aside to climb the Black Mountain Steps.

"You—!"

Naturally, the sixty-year-old Dunean warrior was not used to taking no for an answer. Even if a junior wanted to refuse him, they would not dismiss him so nonchalantly for fear of offending him.

However, when the sixty-year-old Dunean warrior wanted to resist Vaan's forceful passage, he quickly choked on the words he wanted to spill. He realized he didn't have the strength to resist the force shoving him aside at all.

It was as if the hand on his shoulders wasn't a hand but the Black Mountain itself – immovable and insurmountable.

Meanwhile, the other warriors were surprised to see this senior bully step aside so meekly without throwing his weight around.

"Hahaha, what's wrong, Martial Brother Melzahr? You're going to let the newcomer walk off just like that? This isn't like you."

"Shut up!"

The sixty-year-old Dunean warrior called Melzahr quickly had a darkened expression once he heard the mocking words of a forty-year-old male Dunean. But despite being told to shut up, the forty-year-old male Dunean showed no fear.

After all, he was also a Low Rank 4 Body Refiner, but with superior body-refining talent.

"Hahaha! Why don't you make me?" Obryn taunted.

"Hmph!" Melzhar snorted before ignoring the younger warrior's provocation, unwilling to bicker with the person. He had to admit he was inferior to Obryn in talent and strength. He wouldn't gain anything by wasting energy on such a strong opponent.

Seeing Melzhar's cold, silent treatment, Obryn and the others soon shifted their attention to Vaan. They were curious how he made Melzhar give up so quickly.

None of them seemed to have realized it was through sheer force.

However, this couldn't be blamed on them. These warriors had stayed around the Black Mountain for far too long; they had not seen the deepest depths of the earth or the height of the heavens. Their level of common sense was only at the same level as everyone else who had not been outside their empire.

To them, even the most peerless genius would have to be at least thirty to reach the level of a Low Rank 4 Body Refiner. As such, the possibility of a twenty-odd-year-old warrior being stronger than Melzhar didn't cross their mind.

Even Melzhar, who had personally yet briefly experienced Vaan's strength, still found it hard to believe.

'Did I not eat enough today? How can such a young brat be stronger than me?' Melzhar doubted.

Moreover, the difference in strength wasn't small but very large.

Amidst the doubts and confusion, no one else bothered Vaan despite their curiosity. They watched him freely ascend the Black Mountain, which hadn't been done by a newcomer in a long while.

Everyone had grown accustomed to the newcomer bullying and treated the loss of wealth as a way of respecting the seniors. After all, they had all been newcomers to the Black Mountain and also went through such an experience.

…

The entire Black Mountain had countless uneven flat surfaces from top to bottom and came in different sizes. But regardless of their varying sizes and elevated shapes, they were all called the Black Mountain Steps.

Some steps could only fit a single person, while others could even fit up to a hundred warriors seated in the lotus positions. Furthermore, the single-person steps were generally used for meditation, and the larger steps were used for practical training.

However, there were no existing rules that allowed warriors to reserve the larger steps for their sole occupation. As such, warriors commonly engaged in physical conflicts over them.

Even if someone arrived at the large step first but kicked off later, they would have no one to blame but themselves for their inadequate strength.

On the Black Mountain, if one wanted more rights, having a bigger fist was the only way.

"Hm?"

A senior warrior quickly frowned after Vaan climbed onto the same large step he was using to practice a new martial skill.

"Oi, brat. Can't you see I'm already using this spot?"

"Oh, don't mind me. I'm just passing through."