Yu Xiaogang felt as if his body were endlessly falling. After who knows how long, he finally landed in a massive, steamy changing room.
Inside the room, all the muscular men turned to look at him.
Yu Xiaogang stood up, amazed that he had fallen from such a height without feeling any pain. He didn't even notice the tense atmosphere around him—until a heavy, calloused hand landed on his shoulder.
Startled, Yu Xiaogang turned his head and saw a burly man whose face was split by a long, centipede-like scar. The man was shirtless, his pecs trembling with each breath. He gave Yu Xiaogang a searing gaze, licked his lips, and said, "Hey there, smooth skin. You're quite the looker. Looks like I, Scarface, got lucky today." With that, he squeezed Yu Xiaogang's shoulder hard.
Behind Scarface stood a dozen other beefy men, all staring at Yu Xiaogang like he was prey. Yu Xiaogang couldn't help but shudder.
"Scarface."
A voice came from one of the benches. Another muscle-bound man sat there, dozens more strongmen standing behind him. The moment he laid eyes on Yu Xiaogang, a greedy, possessive glint flashed through his eyes. Originally, he'd planned to make his move when Yu Xiaogang arrived, but seeing Scarface act first made him frown.
"You from Scarface's crew aren't planning to hog the goods, are you? Whoever sees the ginseng fruit first has a claim to it!"
This man wore an eye patch and had a thick beard. His gaze was fierce as he glared at Scarface, leading his own dozen strongmen to stand on Yu Xiaogang's other side.
"This treasure was spotted by my crew first," Scarface retorted. "What, One-Eye, you trying to start a war with us?"
Tension flared as the two groups of musclemen squared off.
Stuck in the middle, Yu Xiaogang was utterly confused. What kind of place had he ended up in? What were they talking about? Ginseng fruit??
Just then, the changing room doors burst open, and a new group of muscular men entered, led by a man with a bright red mohawk. He laid eyes on Yu Xiaogang and grinned with predatory delight. Whistling at him, he said to the two other leaders, "Well, well, Scarface, Dragon—where'd you dig up such premium goods?"
"What, Chicken, you wanna join the party too?" Scarface asked.
"Come on, Scarface, don't be greedy. You know the rule: anyone who sees it gets a share." Chicken flexed his muscles as he spoke.
Now the changing room had become a tense three-way standoff. Yu Xiaogang still had no idea what was going on, but with dozens of intense eyes fixed on him, he was starting to get a very bad feeling.
"Hey, hey, hey! Have you all forgotten the bathhouse rules? No fighting in here! What's the rush?"
A voice interrupted the standoff. A bald, muscular man wearing a black shirt and black-framed glasses emerged from the crowd and pulled the bewildered Yu Xiaogang out from the middle of the fray.
Yu Xiaogang looked up. The bald man had a warm smile and an easy manner. Despite his impressive build, he gave off a sense of safety and approachability.
"Hey there, I'm Jie. They all call me Brother Jie. What's your name?" the bald man asked.
"I'm Yu Xiaogang," he replied timidly.
Brother Jie patted him on the shoulder. "Don't be scared. In the bathhouse, we're all brothers."
"Bathhouse? Why am I here? How do I get out?" Yu Xiaogang asked anxiously.
"You want to leave?" Brother Jie licked his lips and said meaningfully, "According to the rules, the exit is on the other side of the bathhouse. You'll need to pass through it to leave."
"The bathhouse?" Yu Xiaogang asked, confused.
"It'll start soon. Just get ready—you'll understand the rules once it begins," Jie explained.
The muscular men around the room all eyed Yu Xiaogang with predatory interest but restrained themselves at the mention of the "bathhouse rules."
Bathhouse rules? Yu Xiaogang pondered.
Suddenly, a disembodied voice echoed in his ears:
"The bathhouse adventure is about to begin. First, the bathhouse regulars will enter to bathe. Three minutes later, adventurer Yu Xiaogang will enter. The adventure officially begins. Now announcing the rules!"
Rule 1: You must pass through the bathhouse to reach the exit and complete the adventure.
Rule 2: No soap may be left on the floor. If any bar of soap falls, you must pick it up. Friendly brothers will remind you their soap dropped.
Rule 3: Every time you pick up a bar of soap, you will trigger a special storyline with the soap-dropper. Only after the storyline ends will that brother leave the bathhouse.
Rule 4: If a soap bar remains on the floor for more than 20 seconds, you will be punished: 5 levels of soul power will be taken. If your soul power drops to 0, your martial soul will be stripped. Once you lose that, the bathhouse will eject you.
Rule 5: Only one bar of soap can drop at a time—until you approach within 3 meters of the exit, crossing the red line. Then, all the bathing brothers may start dropping soap at once.
Rule 6: You must leave the bathhouse with no soap on the ground. If you exit while soap is still on the floor, a final tally will be done: 5 soul power levels lost per soap. If you run out of soul power, your martial soul will be stripped and you'll be expelled from the bathhouse.
Yu Xiaogang, hearing all this, was bewildered. Pick up soap? Why?!
Even if he didn't understand the reasoning, the penalties sent chills down his spine. Damn it. This trial space is out to get me. No rewards, just soul-stripping punishments!
His soul power and martial soul were his lifeblood. With them, he stood atop 99% of the continent as a soul master. Without them, he was trash. And with Luo Sanpao always beside him, Yu Xiaogang still clung to dreams of transforming into a dragon.
No way. I've got to pick up that soap. But the rule about approaching within three meters of the exit and triggering mass soap drops meant… he couldn't just rush to the door.
He pondered the rules carefully—until suddenly, a flash of insight struck him.
Wait... if I trigger each brother's storyline one by one, and they leave afterward, then eventually no one will be left. I can cross safely!
Just a bathhouse adventure? Hah! No match for me, Yu Xiaogang. I really am the smartest.
Hands behind his back, a glint of genius flashed in his eyes.
In the changing room, the other bathhouse "big brothers" had accepted their respective rules.
Scarface sternly lectured his underlings: "Rules are rules, but listen up—if any of you dare drop the soap before I do, don't blame me for turning on you once we're out of here."
His crew lowered their heads like quails, silent and submissive.
Dragon Bro chimed in to his own group: "Scarface's words are my words. Got it?"
Chicken Bro warned his lackeys: "Don't even think about dropping the soap before me or the other three big brothers. Burn that into your brains."
The bathhouse doors swung open, and a gang of burly men, shirtless and wrapped in towels, clutching sulfur soap, strutted inside.
Before entering, Scarface pinched Yu Xiaogang's tender cheek. "Your skin's so soft it's practically dripping water. I've got high hopes for you, kid. See you in three minutes."
With that, he led his crew inside.
Dragon Bro, passing by, flicked Yu Xiaogang's nose with a finger. "Raised all pampered, huh? Dragon Bro's waiting for you in there. I'll show you a whole new world."
He and his group entered.
Chicken Bro leered at Yu Xiaogang with a creepy grin. "Wait till Chicken Bro opens your eyes, kid."
Though unsure of their intentions, Yu Xiaogang felt a chill. Something bad was coming, but he couldn't pinpoint it.
Jie Bro slapped Yu Xiaogang's shoulder. "Gangzi, relax, don't be so tense. It'll be fine. Jie Bro's gonna take you to the top, dua lang!"
With that, Jie Bro, shirtless, sauntered in.
The bathhouse doors closed, leaving Yu Xiaogang alone in the changing room, heart pounding. Time ticked by agonizingly.
He didn't know what awaited him inside, but Yu Xiaogang refused to let the trial space strip away even a fraction of his hard-earned level 29 soul power, gained through 200 times the effort.
When three minutes passed, the doors reopened, and Yu Xiaogang, scrawny as a stray dog, stepped inside.
The sound of rushing water filled the bathhouse. Each big brother had claimed a spot, towels around their waists, scrubbing with soap under the showerheads, water cascading over their muscled frames.
The moment Yu Xiaogang entered, every tough guy's gaze locked onto him. But soon, all but the four big brothers looked away, resuming their scrubbing.
Instantly, Scarface, Jie Bro, One-Eyed Dragon, and Chicken Bro exchanged piercing glares, the atmosphere crackling with tension. They gripped their soap bars tightly and squeezed—
Whoosh! The first soap bar arced through the air and hit the floor.
"Whoops, my bad," Jie Bro said with feigned apology to the other three. "Dropped my soap."
Disappointment flashed across Dragon, Scarface, and Chicken Bro's faces. Per the trial's rules, after the first soap drop, no one else could drop theirs until Jie Bro's scene with Yu Xiaogang ended and he left.
Jie Bro waved at Yu Xiaogang. "Gangzi, sorry, my soap slipped. Come pick it up for me."
Why don't you pick it up yourself? Yu Xiaogang grumbled inwardly. But recalling the trial's rules—failure to act within twenty seconds would cost him—he shuddered and hurried to Jie Bro's side, bending down to retrieve the soap.
As he bent, his towel slipped off.
A faint smirk curved Jie Bro's lips. The other big brothers paused, their greedy eyes fixed on Yu Xiaogang.
Jie Bro lunged forward, pinning—
Ding! Xiaogang triggered a Jie Bro-exclusive mini-plot!
One and a Half Hours Later
Yu Xiaogang collapsed on the floor, utterly drained. Humiliation—unbearable humiliation. He, Yu Xiaogang, raised in luxury with noble status, had never endured such shame.
Meanwhile, Jie Bro dried off, slipped into a black T-shirt, and donned black-rimmed glasses.
He licked his lips, savoring the moment. "Not bad, really not bad, Gangzi. I'm almost reluctant to let you go, but I gotta leave some for the boys. Jie Bro'll be waiting for you in the real world."
With that, he strutted toward the bathhouse exit.
The other big brothers watched with envy and jealousy.
Scarface, annoyed, grumbled, "Jie Bro got first dibs, huh? Everyone knows the ginseng fruit loses flavor with each bite. The second bite's mine." He tightened his grip on his soap.
"No, it's mine," Dragon Bro countered, clutching his soap.
"Let's settle this with our hands. Whose soap flies faster?" Chicken Bro challenged, gripping his bar.
Whoosh! This time, Scarface's soap hit the floor.
"What's mine is mine," Scarface said smugly to Chicken Bro and Dragon Bro.
"Tch, you got the jump on us," Dragon Bro muttered, displeased.
"Gangzi, get over here and pick up my soap! Don't want those five soul power levels, huh?" Scarface barked, pointing at the fallen bar.
Yu Xiaogang, sprawled on the floor, wanted to play dead. But at the mention of five soul power levels, he jolted, scrambling to Scarface's side.
He didn't dare bend over, squatting instead to pick up the soap.
Scarface grinned, grabbing Yu Xiaogang's head.
Ding! Xiao'an triggered a Scarface-exclusive mini-plot.
One and a Half Hours Later
Yu Xiaogang's face was a mess of tears and snot, throat burning, dry-heaving uncontrollably.
"Not bad, not bad. I'll remember you, Gangzi. Hope we meet again in the real world," Scarface said, dressing and leaving the bathhouse.
Whoosh! Dragon Bro's soap dropped.
"Gangzi, crawl over and pick up my soap, or I'll dock you five soul power levels."
Yu Xiaogang scrambled to retrieve it, triggering a one-and-a-half-hour Dragon Bro-exclusive mini-plot.
Whoosh! Chicken Bro's soap fell.
"Gangzi, quit playing dead. Don't want those five soul power levels? Pick it up, now."
Yu Xiaogang hurriedly grabbed the soap, triggering a one-hour-twenty-minute Chicken Bro-exclusive mini-plot.
Finally, the four big shots left the bathhouse. Just as Yu Xiaogang thought he could breathe, greedy gazes from the remaining men locked onto him.
The tiger had eaten its fill and left satisfied. Now, it was the wolves' feast.
Dozens of brawny hands gripped their soap bars tightly—
Whoosh! Another soap hit the floor.
Whoosh! Another big brother's soap hit the floor.
"Gangzi, you don't want to lose five levels of soul power and become an even bigger loser, do you? If not, crawl over here and pick it up!"
Yu Xiaogang dragged himself to the big brother and picked up the soap.
Whoosh! Another soap dropped.
"Gangzi, get over here and grab my soap!"
Yu Xiaogang scrambled to pick it up, but the big brother stepped on it, blocking him.
"I said pick it up this way, or I'll dock you five soul power levels."
Under the threat, Yu Xiaogang complied with the big brother's demand.
"Gangzi, come pick up my soap!"
"Gangzi, my soap dropped!"
"Gangzi!" "Gangzi!" "Gnagzi!" "Gnagzi!"
Yu Xiaogang was losing his mind. If there was a hell on earth, this was it. He couldn't take it anymore—he had to escape.
Spotting a big brother preparing to leave, Yu Xiaogang summoned all his strength and bolted toward the bathhouse door.
Behind him, the big brothers' threats echoed: "Damn it, Gnagzi, you dare run? Don't want your soul power? Your martial soul?" "Teach him a lesson! Show him the rules of this bathhouse!" Seeing Yu Xiaogang flee, the big brothers grew furious, clutching their soaps, waiting for him to cross the line.
Yu Xiaogang ignored their threats, driven by one thought: reach the door and escape in one go.
But as he crossed the line, whoosh, whoosh, whoosh!—three soaps hit the floor.
Hearing the sound, Yu Xiaogang mechanically turned, retracting his foot. He didn't dare run anymore.
Three soaps meant losing 15 levels if he fled. And that was just for crossing the line. A few more steps, and more soaps would drop. If enough fell, he could plummet from a noble level 29 Great Soul Master to someone without even a martial soul—lower than the common rabble. That was worse than death.
One of the soap-droppers grinned menacingly. "That's right. Come here, pick it up."
Yu Xiaogang trudged over and retrieved the soap.
But the big brother didn't act, instead saying, "Go pick up the other two brothers' soaps first."
Yu Xiaogang exhaled in relief. At least he wouldn't lose ten levels juggling multiple tasks.
He collected the other two soaps, wondering what would happen if he picked up all three at once.
Reality answered swiftly. The three big brothers who'd dropped their soaps closed in on him!
He didn't dare run anymore. Crossing the line meant either losing his martial soul and soul power or facing the big brothers' wrath.
Resigned, Yu Xiaogang dutifully picked up each dropped soap in the bathhouse, growing numb over time.
Hours passed—despair set in. These big brothers bathed for dozens of hours without stopping, as if waiting for him. Their soaps never shrank, no matter how much they used.
Eventually, Yu Xiaogang became a machine, mechanically retrieving each fallen bar.
What kept him going was obsession—a deep, unyielding obsession. Already a level 29 soul master with a weak martial soul, he refused to become an even greater failure or fall from the noble soul master rank.
He knew the pain and humiliation here were temporary and unavoidable, but losing soul power and becoming a true failure would be permanent.
He was already Yu Xiaogang, having endured every torment, but he couldn't accept losing the soul power he'd painstakingly cultivated.
Finally, after what felt like two days, the last big brother left the bathhouse, satisfied.
"Finally… I made it," Yu Xiaogang sobbed, overwhelmed by a sense of inner peace and unprecedented safety. "No more soaps dropping… no more worrying about losing soul power levels."
He washed himself thoroughly but avoided the bathhouse's sulfur soaps, terrified of accidentally dropping one.
Clean at last, Yu Xiaogang stumbled out of the bathhouse.