Dragon Gate Valley

Three days later, in Zhong Manor, in a hall in the rear courtyard, Master Zhong leaned on a Dragon Head Cane and looked at his eight excited adopted sons.

"Have you explained everything clearly?" Master Zhong asked.

"Yes, Adoptive Father." Everyone nodded excitedly at once.

"Everything in the manor will proceed in an orderly fashion. Rest assured, Adoptive Father," Zhong Tian said.

"Mm." Master Zhong nodded. A trace of delight flashed through his eyes as he looked once more at the seven adopted sons who had reached the Peak Acquired Realm. Finally, he nodded in satisfaction.

Gently, Master Zhong tapped the floor of the hall several times with the Dragon Head Cane in his hand, following a rhythm.

"Click, click, click, click."

Under the astonished gazes of the adopted sons, a section of the hall floor actually—actually—split apart toward both sides, revealing a passage leading underground.

Seeing this, all the adopted sons were astonished. Even Zhong Tian, who had always served Master Zhong, wore a look of shock in his eyes. How many secrets does Adoptive Father still have?

"Come." Master Zhong walked ahead, stepping onto the stairs and slowly making his way downward.

The adopted sons exchanged glances, but none of them dared ask more.

The farther down they went, the wider it became. At the bottom was a hall—a huge underground hall.

A wolf-head carving adorned the wall. Master Zhong gently turned it, and the passage that had opened above closed again.

The adopted sons stared down in astonishment. The hall below was far too large, and incredibly deep. At its edge was a passage—a huge passage—that seemed to lead endlessly into the distance. Lamps lined its outer side, illuminating it. Beside the passage was also a huge iron house?

The entire passage was filled with countless iron bars. Two of those iron bars extended toward an infinite distance.

More than a dozen people stood before the iron house. When they saw Master Zhong arrive, they bowed deeply. Clearly, he had arranged for them to be there beforehand.

Looking at the iron house, Master Zhong sighed with emotion. What was this? It was the train of his previous life—the most primitive steam train.

Zhong Shan knew that, although he had not known how to create many technological things from the memories of his previous life, he did know the general principles: heating water with coal to create high pressure, then using that pressure to drive a piston, allowing the earliest steam train to run.

For fifty years, he had sought out countless skilled craftsmen and spent nearly twenty years. In the end, they had finally developed a steam engine. Then he had let those craftsmen continue experimenting on their own, and at last, the most primitive train had appeared.

However, Zhong Shan had not made it public. It was enough for him alone to know.

Thus, he had built a railway underground.

Master Zhong had money—vast amounts of money—so naturally, he did not care about this small expense.

Even a crafty rabbit had three burrows, let alone Master Zhong.

"Come, get inside." Master Zhong led everyone into one of the carriages. The eight adopted sons' eyes were filled with wonder. What—what was this? Weren't they going to the Dragon Gate Meet?

After closing the door, Master Zhong called outside, "Set off."

"Yes!" The dozen or so people outside immediately answered.

Then, seated in the incomparably luxurious carriage, the adopted sons suddenly felt the iron house move. It—actually moved.

At the front, a tremendous roar also rang out.

"Rumble, rumble, rumble..."

The steam train sped underground toward Master Zhong's destination.

The adopted sons were filled with questions. Watching the lamps outside the glazed windows race backward, they knew that the iron house was moving rapidly.

The adopted sons stared at one another in astonishment, then looked toward Master Zhong.

Master Zhong sat there with his Dragon Head Cane, his eyes closed as though he were resting. Thus, the adopted sons did not disturb him. They merely buried their doubts from this moment deep in their hearts.

Three days—an entire three days—the train traveled onward. After three days, the eight adopted sons knew that they had left Zhong Manor far, far behind.

After three days of the train's roaring, their initial astonishment gradually turned into acceptance.

Only on the third day did the train slowly come to a stop.

It was still underground, still at the edge of a hall. Led by Master Zhong, everyone got off the train and followed the same sort of passage upward. The ground above was likewise a hall.

"This is at the foot of Heng Mountain. This estate is my private property. Rest here for two days and adjust yourselves to your best condition. Two days from now, we'll head to Dragon Gate Valley to attend the Dragon Gate Meet," Master Zhong said.

"Yes!" The adopted sons immediately answered.

After leaving the hall, everyone saw that this was indeed another enormous estate, with numerous servants. When they saw Master Zhong arrive, they all bowed. After Master Zhong gave some instructions, a butler-like man led the adopted sons to their respective guest rooms.

After sending off the adopted sons, Master Zhong also came to a small courtyard. This was likewise his residence at the estate. He gently pushed open the door, revealing an interior that had been cleaned spotless.

Inside was a large bed and several fine cabinets. On the wall opposite the bed hung a portrait—a framed portrait.

The paper was extremely old. Clearly, the portrait had existed for a very, very long time.

After entering the bedroom, Master Zhong slowly walked to the portrait. He studied it carefully and seriously.

The portrait depicted a woman, a woman of peerless beauty. She had starry eyes and pearly teeth, glossy black hair, and an exceptionally graceful figure. She wore a red fur robe and held a delicate jade-white hand around an exquisite flower, bringing it to the tip of her nose for a light sniff. A faint smile appeared on her face. With that smile, it seemed as though even heaven and earth had lost their color.

Looking at the breathtakingly beautiful woman, a trace of complicated emotion flashed through Master Zhong's eyes.

"Bao Er, have you already forgotten me? Why haven't you come back even now?" A trace of sorrow and heartache appeared on Master Zhong's face.

Master Zhong stood silently before the portrait for an hour. Only then did he shake his head with a sigh and sit down on the bed.

He gently placed the Dragon Head Cane in his hand beside the bed, eased his emotions, then closed his eyes and sat cross-legged to regulate himself. Next came the Dragon Gate Meet. He had to greet it in his best condition.

Two days later, outside the estate, Master Zhong led the way, with the eight adopted sons following behind.

They headed toward the mountains north of the estate. The mountain paths were rugged, with no roads at all. If they had not all been martial arts experts, they would not even have been able to enter the mountains. The mountains were also filled with poisonous plants and venomous insects. Without Master Zhong's decades of experience, he might well have fallen victim to them.

Looking at the surroundings, the eight adopted sons' hearts tightened.

Master Zhong's cane had been taken by his youngest adopted son, Zhong Shijiu, from the start. Apart from the eldest adopted son, Zhong Tian, the others were all at the Peak Acquired Realm. Though the mountain paths were rugged, they could still keep up quickly. Only Zhong Tian was somewhat slower. Even so, Master Zhong slowed down and patiently waited for him.

At night, they found a place to rest. Everyone needed to adjust themselves to their best condition, while Zhong Tian took on guard duty, watching in all directions and guarding against ferocious beasts and poisonous insects.

Zhong Tian was a rather simple and honest man. Although he was Master Zhong's eldest adopted son, his cultivation speed was not very fast. He was only at the Late Heaven Eighth Stage. He did not harbor much hope; he merely wanted to see the legendary Dragon Gate Meet.

Master Zhong naturally could not make him stand watch through the night. As for the other seven adopted sons, Zhong Tian always felt that they were extremely snobbish. Toward him, their eldest brother, they had shown respect only when they were children. More often, it seemed they were merely putting on a show for their adoptive father. However, Zhong Tian was honest and did not take it to heart. After all, their cultivation far surpassed his own.

Traveling along the mountain paths was arduous. Although they encountered no ferocious beasts, they came across poisonous insects, poisonous plants, and miasma. Still, Master Zhong could always produce the appropriate medicinal materials to deal with them, and every time they narrowly escaped danger.

Seeing the supplies their adoptive father had brought, the adopted sons could easily guess that he had traveled this route many times and was extremely familiar with it.

Five days later, they finally crossed countless mountains and arrived outside a valley.

At that moment, several other groups were arriving outside the valley from different directions. Most of them were strangers, but there was one group of six whom everyone recognized at a glance.

The Zhao Family of the Four Great Clans of the Great Kun Kingdom?

"Is that the Zhao Family Head?" The adopted sons were visibly stunned.

At the head was a man in white robes who looked only forty or fifty years old. However, the adopted sons knew that he was the Zhao Family Head, whose age should be about the same as Zhong Shan's. The reason he looked so young was that his cultivation had reached the Innate Realm.

"Zhong Shan?" The Zhao Family Head immediately recognized Master Zhong, who carried the Dragon Head Cane. A trace of disbelief flashed through his eyes.

"It truly is a small world. Head of Zhao Family, how have you been?" Master Zhong said with a faint smile.

Behind the Head of Zhao Family, five Zhao Family disciples looked at Zhong Shan's eight adopted sons with disdain in their eyes. However, when they saw Master Zhong, respect flashed through all their eyes. After all, Master Zhong's legend had left even their thousand-year Aristocratic Clan sighing in admiration throughout the Great Kun Kingdom.

Master Zhong was a legendary figure. Though he had little foundation, everything he had done was praised by all. As for these adopted sons, at most, they had merely benefited from his protection.

"Haha, I didn't expect you to know about this place as well. You really aren't simple." The Head of Zhao Family looked at Zhong Shan and narrowed his eyes.

"I merely brought a few juniors to broaden their horizons. Head of Zhao Family, are you planning to enter which Immortal Sect this time?" Master Zhong asked.

"Enter an Immortal Sect? Hehe, you and I are the same age, and I'm already eighty. Even if I have clansmen up there, they couldn't possibly let me in. This time, I only brought some talented juniors to try their luck." The Head of Zhao Family shook his head with a laugh.

"In that case, I wish you good luck, Head of Zhao Family," Zhong Shan said.

"Mm. Likewise, I hope someone from your Zhong Household can enter an Immortal Sect." The Head of Zhao Family narrowed his eyes and glanced at the eight adopted sons.

"Mm." Master Zhong nodded.

"Farewell," the Head of Zhao Family said.

"See you at the Dragon Gate Meet." Zhong Shan nodded.

Then, the Head of Zhao Family naturally left first. Standing outside the valley and watching the Zhao Family members enter, Zhong Shan's expression turned solemn. He narrowed his eyes and pondered for a while.

"Come, let's go in." Master Zhong leaned on his Dragon Head Cane.

"Yes." The adopted sons immediately nodded.

Then, following behind Master Zhong, they slowly proceeded inward with the various forces.