Chapter Fifty-Six: The White Mist Owl

The Elite Training Camp of the Extreme Martial Arts Academy upheld a tradition: every year, on the first of August, they ventured into the wilderness for a life-and-death adventure. This was distinct from their monthly excursions to designated locations to hunt ferocious beasts; instead, they journeyed into uninhabited zones.

Such regions meant danger.

Yet the trainees relished the challenge, and attendance was mandatory. The beasts slain during regular hunts were converted into points, but only those hunted during this month belonged to the trainees themselves—this was their sole chance to earn money during their time at the camp.

On the morning of August 1st, over a hundred trainees boarded the passenger plane, Qin Ming among them. The previous afternoon, he had listened to Thunder God’s explanation of the final layer of the Ninefold Thunder Blade, gaining much and standing at the threshold of enlightenment. Yet, to fully grasp it, he needed a catalyst.

Aboard the aircraft—

“Brother Qin, do you plan to go alone or join a team?” Zhao Ruo, seated beside him, asked. Her gaze shifted constantly as she looked at Qin Ming.

“Brother Qin should go solo,” Shi Jiang interjected. “Battling in uninhabited zones is dangerous, but for some trainees, unless fate turns cruel, there’s little to worry about. With Brother Qin’s strength and mastery of the Void Step, he can escape even a beast tide. In a team, he’d only be held back.”

“That’s true,” Zhao Ruo pouted lightly.

“If no one wants you, join my team. I’ll take you in!” Shi Jiang said again.

“Hmph!” Zhao Ruo rolled her eyes.

Qin Ming merely smiled.

This time, their destination was Australia. He would certainly go alone.

Australia, this continent, had fallen utterly during the Great Cataclysm, overtaken by ferocious beasts and rendered a wasteland.

It had since become a proving ground for the Elite Training Camp.

The passenger plane hovered a hundred meters above the ground as trainees leapt down one after another.

All precautions had been thoroughly explained before their arrival. For the month, they could hunt beasts freely, but were forbidden from fighting over prey or killing one another; violations would be met with the harshest discipline.

If danger arose, they could signal for rescue.

Standing at the hatch, Qin Ming felt the wild wind upon his face, gazed out at the vast landscape of rivers and mountains, and felt his spirit soar.

“See you in a month!”

He waved toward those below, stepped onto thin air, and sped away.

Those already landed watched his departing figure with envy.

Even the formidable Chu Qiang harbored longing.

To walk upon the void—this was every martial artist’s dream.

Though it was now possible, the path of cultivation was still short, and none among the trainees had yet mastered it.

“When will I be like Qin Ming, hands clasped behind my back, striding across the void? Ah, that scene is so elegant, so free!”

“With our talent, it’s only a matter of time; no need to envy.”

“How could I not envy? Look at the female trainees—each gazes at Qin Ming as if she would throw herself at him, or even offer herself willingly!”

“Hey, that’s the kind of envy beyond reach. The Void Step—though only a hundred million per person, how many worldwide have bought it? If not a million, then at least a hundred thousand! That’s a hundred thousand times a hundred million—a trillion!”

“A trillion... Ah, my heart trembles!”

“Who wouldn’t? A trillion is just the beginning; it may soon be ten trillion, or even more! If only I’d been born a woman!”

“The world’s undisputed richest man, and with the prestige gained from the Void Step, even parliamentarians would not dare oppose him. Otherwise, martial artists everywhere might rebel!”

“Alas! Is he the Son of the Sun?”

“The son of Heaven would be more fitting!”

These discussions were unknown to Qin Ming.

He sped through the air, covering a hundred miles in the blink of an eye, and landed atop a peak.

Surveying the landscape, he felt helpless.

Australia was vast; finding a single place was no ordinary task.

“Mist Island, Mist Island!”

That was his goal.

In truth, Mist Island was Qin Ming’s greatest objective. It harbored countless spirits of grass and wood; if he obtained them, not only could he easily ascend to the transcendent rank, but his cultivation in the other world would also progress much more smoothly.

He remembered only the island’s features: shrouded in white mist, a lake within, teeming with aquatic beasts beneath the water, all powerful beyond measure. In the lake’s center, a small island housed the spirits of grass and wood.

“First, I must find the place with mist,” Qin Ming thought.

He activated his wristwatch, displaying the outline and general map of Australia. After marking the places he’d visited, he stepped onto the void once more.

Though the Void Step consumed much energy, it offered a broader view and greater efficiency.

Otherwise, he would have to run across the ground.

A sharp cry echoed from afar—a bird, wings spanning fifty or sixty meters, sped toward him, crossing over three kilometers in an instant.

“A Silver-Crowned Eagle?”

Qin Ming recognized the bird by the crown-like silver feathers atop its head.

With a swift motion, he drew the handle and unsheathed his SS-class Bloodshadow Blade.

This weapon, purchased before setting out, could pierce the body of even a commander-level beast.

The blade flashed; the sky split.

Without a backward glance, Qin Ming stepped two hundred meters away. The Silver-Crowned Eagle slid forward for a moment, then its body split in two, blood spraying as it fell to the ground.

He journeyed a thousand miles, paused to rest, then changed direction to continue his search.

By noon, Qin Ming was exhausted, preparing to land on a nearby peak when his eyes widened suddenly.

On the other side of the mountain, several kilometers away, a hazy mist blanketed a vast area.

“Could that be Mist Island?”

Excited yet composed, Qin Ming descended, retrieved food from his backpack, filled his stomach, then sat to cultivate until fully recovered before stepping onto the void once more.

Soon, he approached the misty region.

Without pause, he advanced further.

The mist thickened ahead, and Qin Ming’s smile grew.

“This must be it!”

He even heard the sound of flowing water.

“Water and mist—they match!”

Stepping onto the void, Qin Ming remained vigilant, wary of ambush, for the mist limited his vision.

“Something’s wrong!”

“I’ve traveled at least fifty miles into the mist—why haven’t I seen a lake yet?”

“This place gives me an uneasy feeling.”

“That’s as it should be; Mist Island is dangerous, its lake teeming with aquatic beasts, some at commander level.”

Qin Ming frowned.

Suddenly, the way ahead opened up, and he was stunned.

It was a canyon!

Rivers surged through the gorge.

Mist rose on both sides.

“If this isn’t Mist Island, there should be beasts ambushing me.”

“But I’ve encountered none on the way!”

“Yet I sense danger.”

Qin Ming’s unease deepened; as he prepared to ascend, the sound of flapping wings erupted around him. Instantly, he was surrounded by white wings, even overhead.

“White Mist Owls!”

He immediately recognized these birds, and even spotted a White Mist Owl King.

“Go!”

Despair flashed across Qin Ming’s face as he hurled himself upward in a frantic rush.