Shopkeeper Li didn't say much, holding a jade file in her hand as she polished her nails. From time to time, she blew away the powder that had just been filed off. She led Tang Wen into the tunnel, heading underground. A few minutes later, they arrived at a well-like opening in front of them. The entrance was pitch black. Tang Wen peeked inside and saw that it was bottomless. His body instinctively tensed up. This place was way too suitable for killing and disposing of bodies. He was afraid that the silent Shopkeeper Li might suddenly say, "Such a perfect cave, I really want to throw something in. How about you sacrifice yourself?"
"We're here!"
Is this the place?
Damn!
Are they really going to throw me down there?
It's not that I'm afraid of the dark.
It's just that there's no safety guarantee here!
Clang!
Shopkeeper Li pulled a lever. The sound of chains echoed. She put away the jade file, satisfied with the smooth, crescent-shaped nails she had just trimmed, and casually said, "You can stay here for a day, but you can only experience it three times."
Tang Wen was half-understanding.
Three times a day?
Hmm, I'm sure I can handle that intensity.
He tried to ease the faint unease in his heart.
From the well-like black hole, a crude elevator rose. It was a bare iron plate with a wooden box-like structure on top. On the box, besides two lamps, there were also two levers. Shopkeeper Li lightly jumped onto the iron plate. It swayed slightly, and Tang Wen mentally complained as he stepped onto it as well.
The elevator slowly descended into the deep well. The well was square-shaped, with walls made of uniformly sized stone bricks. The thickness of the bricks was about the length of Tang Wen's palm. He counted them one by one. When he reached the five hundredth brick—
Clunk!
The ground beneath him shook.
They had reached the bottom.
Hmm, probably about a hundred meters underground.
At the end of the well was an iron door, next to which stood something that resembled an iron coffin. The scene was particularly eerie. Shopkeeper Li picked up the lamp on the box, and the light shifted, casting flickering shadows. Looking at the iron coffin, Tang Wen felt a sense of foreboding: Later? Is it going to be me? No way, right?
The iron door was opened without making a sound.
Shopkeeper Li stood at the doorway and said, "This is an absolute silence chamber."
Knowing that Tang Wen didn't understand, she explained, "Once I close the door, you won't hear anything except your own heartbeat."
Turning her head, her eyes gleamed slightly, like the pupils of a beast:
"A day is enough. Any longer, and you'll go mad."
Tang Wen seized the opportunity to ask, "What does experiencing it three times mean?"
Shopkeeper Li curled her lips into a mischievous smile, the kind that was quite lethal to women: "Get into the iron coffin, and in the darkness, experience near-death."
"Near-death?"
"When your vision goes black, your senses go out of control, and you're close to death, that's when you'll understand what true darkness is!"
"Close to death?"
Tang Wen immediately felt that this was very unreliable and couldn't help but ask, "What do people who've tried it say about this?"
Shopkeeper Li laughed. "Those who have tried it say it's great."
Seeing Tang Wen's conflicted expression, she added, "Experiencing this helps in mastering the core strength of the Dark Night Divine Fist, as well as the fourth move—Dark Night Killing Intent. Besides, even if you want to go back now, the five thousand taels won't be refunded, not even half a tael."
"Well, that's troublesome."
Tang Wen sighed, then went out and carried the coffin-like iron box into the room.
Following the instructions of Manager Li, Tang Wen brought in a large bucket of water from outside.
Then, he took off his outer clothes and lay down inside it.
As he lay there, he couldn't help but feel more and more uneasy. Why did this feel like he was being played for a fool?
He had paid money, spent time, and now he was asking someone to kill him—what a fool he was!
The iron box slowly closed.
Everything fell silent.
Even when he opened his eyes, all he could see was darkness.
His night vision had failed him; the lid above him wasn't as simple as it seemed.
He silently counted his heartbeats.
A few seconds later, he felt a chill beneath him—his clothes were wet.
Water seeped in, soundlessly.
Manager Li, with his Transcendent-level control, poured the water in without making a single sound.
The water kept rising.
Tang Wen lay in absolute darkness, and an overwhelming sense of helplessness began to creep into his heart.
Since becoming a guard, he had rarely felt this way.
The water covered eighty percent of his body, leaving only his mouth and nose exposed.
Tang Wen's body was heavy, with high muscle density, so he could barely feel the buoyancy of the water and couldn't float.
After a minute, he had to hold his breath.
With his lung capacity, he could hold his breath for quite a while.
So, what was the point of all this water?
Even a Martial Master who couldn't swim wouldn't feel the sensation of death, right?
Huh?
Was he being moved?
A sense of foreboding rose in his heart.
Outside, he seemed to hear the sound of wind, followed by a feeling of weightlessness.
Then, acceleration!
Was he falling rapidly?
Was he being double-crossed?
Bang!
Instinctively, he threw a punch.
His expression changed immediately.
The force of his punch hit the lid above him, and the recoil made his face pale.
Three-tenths of his strength had no effect.
Just as he hesitated whether to increase his force, suddenly, all the hairs on his body stood on end, as if he had encountered a natural predator.
"Roar!"
An indescribably terrifying roar echoed.
Thump! Thump!
His heart raced wildly.
This sense of danger—it was real!
There was a Mutated Beast below, beyond the King level.
Falling down would mean certain death.
He had been tricked!
Boom! Boom!
Without caring about anything else, he repeatedly punched the lid above him, but it was useless.
Damn it!
Was he really going to be killed like this?
No way!
The Four Seas Commerce Guild's reputation had stood for decades!
To be precise, thirty-five years!
Many people had come to experience this. I had asked around in taverns outside the Four Seas Inn, and many had said that their Martial Arts had been honed thanks to the Four Seas Inn!
A reputation of thirty-five years...
Gurgle!
Tang Wen struggled violently, bubbles escaping from his mouth.
But the "iron coffin" he was in was made of some unknown material.
Even after more than a dozen punches, it remained undamaged.
"Roar!"
The terrifying presence was getting closer.
Tang Wen's heart pounded like a drum, but he dared not move.
Going out meant death; staying in also meant death.
What should he do?
Everything fell silent again.
Tang Wen's face was filled with uncertainty.
Suddenly, a voice whispered in his ear, "Do you think I'm beautiful?"
It was like the eerie wind that blows past you when walking through a graveyard at night.
The fine hairs on Tang Wen's neck clearly felt the cold breeze!
This was the kind of horror that could scare someone to death.
As a peak Martial Master, he wouldn't be scared to death.
But he felt as if he had been plunged into an icy abyss!
His body shivered uncontrollably!
Extreme fear gave rise to extreme anger.
"Damn it!"
As he opened his mouth, a stream of bubbles escaped.
Mountain-Cracking Cannon Fist—Mountain Blasting Cannon!
The double Vibration Force stacked.
Bang!
The coffin lid deformed.
After several punches, the lid above his head shattered into pieces.
Tang Wen leaped up.
Out?
No, this was the ground.
Suddenly, he realized he was still in the underground meditation chamber he had just been in.
The sensation of solid ground beneath his feet couldn't deceive him.
"What?"
"You have Transcendent-level combat power?! Why didn't you say so earlier?" came the dissatisfied voice of Manager Li.
The lights flickered on, and she held a bright oil lamp in her hand.
Beside her, a massive black two-headed dog lay quietly, its presence unnoticed until now.
"What is this? Me? Was it all just an illusion?"
Tang Wen stammered, his mind reeling with shock. At such close proximity, with his heightened spiritual senses, intuition, and night vision, he hadn't detected the presence of another living being before the lights came on.
"Nonsense! Of course, it was an illusion!
Do you think the Four Seas Inn would covet your meager possessions and try to kill you?"
Manager Li retorted with a hint of annoyance.
"Uh…"
Tang Wen scratched his head. He had indeed thought so.
"This is the Nightmare King Beast. Everything you just experienced was its doing!"
As Manager Li finished her explanation, something even more astonishing happened—the two-headed dog spoke!
"An interesting human lad. Let me remind you, your disguise has slipped."
With that, the two-headed dog's four deep blue eyes gleamed with a strikingly human-like amusement.
Tang Wen reached up to touch his face and realized it was true.
He had been too tense to notice.
Under Manager Li's gaze, he decided to tear off the rest of his disguise, revealing his naturally handsome face.
Even the well-traveled Manager Li couldn't help but pause, her eyes narrowing slightly. "You're so young!"
While muttering about his youth, her eyes remained fixed on Tang Wen's handsome face, unblinking. She added under her breath, "If I had a face like yours, the courtesans of the Fragrance Pavilion, Spring Beauty House, and Hundred Flowers Tower would be lining up to throw themselves at me!"
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