You Have to Rely on Yourself

Lin Ye walked up to the cliff and reached out to gently touch the rock face.

The moss felt prickly under his fingers, and a little slimy, with some transparent mucus mixed in.

He glanced around, grabbed a vine, and gave it a tug. It was less than half a finger thick, but it didn't break after several pulls.

It was fairly tough, but its roots were wedged into cracks in the rock. It obviously couldn't support the weight of an adult.

He figured he'd climb a few meters before it gave way and sent him tumbling.

GOOGLE SEARCH TWKAN

He looked up and studied the cliff. It was entirely stone, a sturdy gray-black color.

He stepped back a few paces and surveyed the whole thing. Then he pointed at several old pine trees on the cliff top.

"Old man, I'll go back and buy a few climbing ropes. I'll hang them from up there when I come back. Could you keep an eye on them for me?"

The old man looked up, then took out his binoculars and studied the spot for a while. He clicked his tongue and furrowed his brow.

"Teacher Lin, this is too dangerous."

"This side gets no sunlight. There's a lot of moss up there, and it's too slippery to stand on."

"You can afford to pay so much for Dieluo Seeds. You're clearly not short on money, so there's no need to take this risk."

He couldn't understand why Teacher Lin was risking his life to pick these things.

Wild ones were better than cultivated ones, sure, but Teacher Lin didn't seem short on money. Surely he could buy the real thing?

Lin Ye couldn't help rubbing his fingertips together. His smile looked a little stiff.

"That's settled. I'll come pick them in three days. I'll give you a fifth of them then, about five plants."

"Or I can just pay you two thousand. You can choose."

Wild mountain produce belonged to no one, but the old man had found the place, after all.

If Lin Ye had to find this out-of-the-way spot himself, he probably wouldn't have located it even after ten days of searching.

Besides, it wasn't easy for the old man and his grandson to live up in the mountains. He ought to let them earn a little.

All things considered, once he sold the Black Spiral Grass, he'd still be making a big profit.

He just didn't know whether the going price for Black Spiral Grass differed from the purchase price on the school intranet.

If it was anything like the Dieluo Seeds, then...

Still, he'd accept it even if he took a loss. Business always carried the possibility of losing money along with the chance to make it.

"No, no. You've already helped this old man a great deal by paying such a high price for his Dieluo Seeds. I can't take anything more."

The old man waved his hands hurriedly. It was rare to meet someone as kind as Teacher Lin!

"This old man only hates that his body's not up to it anymore. Otherwise, I'd climb up there and pick them myself. I'd never let Teacher Lin take this risk."

"Just let me know when you're coming. I'll keep a good eye on the ropes for you!"

"Don't worry! If anything happens, this old man won't let you go alone! I bought accident insurance ages ago! I've just been waiting for a chance to use it!"

As dusk fell, Lin Ye stood outside the large Lin's chain store in Coast City.

With a backpack on his back, he opened the car door. It was a Wuling Hong'an he'd rented on the spot from a car-rental shop.

It was already past the last bus to Yamada Village. A taxi would cost a hundred, and he'd still need a ride back, so renting a car made more sense.

Ninety-nine yuan for twenty-four hours. Good quality, low price, and well worth it.

He sat in the driver's seat and fastened his seat belt. Before he could start the engine, his phone buzzed twice.

Hm?

He took his phone from his pocket and checked it. Yan Yi had sent him a message.

[Yan Yi]: "Senior Brother, the boxing gym announced that the head instructor will teach a class in person tomorrow. It starts at eight in the morning. Don't forget to come."

The head instructor?

Lin Ye looked at his phone screen. The boxing gym he'd signed up for was just one branch, with three instructors in charge of its day-to-day operations.

All three instructors were official disciples of the gym. They'd each trained in Soul Whale Fist to at least the third level, and every one of them was a muscle-bound hunk.

The instructor who taught him, Lei Long, was the strongest of the three.

He'd heard Lei Long had been an official disciple for at least six or seven years and could break through to the fifth level of Soul Whale Fist at any time.

Besides those three instructors, there was also a mysterious head instructor. Lin Ye had only heard about him from some of the older students.

Word had it that the head instructor had long since become a great expert at the fifth level of Soul Whale Fist. He'd once demonstrated the terrifying ability to crush iron into mud in front of everyone.

He'd taken an iron ball about the size of a duck egg and crushed it with his bare hand into a knuckle duster.

"Okay, got it. Thanks," he replied.

"Bzz, bzz~~"

[Yan Yi]: "You're welcome, Senior Brother. Smiling.jpg"

[Yan Yi]: "Oh, right, Senior Brother. I can already feel that I'm close to developing a sense of qi. Don't let me leave you too far behind!"

Lin Ye smiled as he read her message.

By Yan Yi's own estimate, she'd probably develop a sense of qi tomorrow. She'd likely be the fastest among their batch of students to master the first level of Soul Whale Fist.

"Okay, I'll work hard."

[Yan Yi]: "See you tomorrow, Senior Brother. Smiling.jpg"

"See you tomorrow."

He put his phone away and started the car. The engine rumbled, making the people outside the store scatter.

"Vroom—!"

He floored the accelerator, and the Wuling Hong'an roared onto the road and sped away.

More than half an hour later, the Wuling Hong'an raced along the mountain road before screeching to a stop in front of the stone bridge at Yamada Village.

"Thud."

Lin Ye got out, casually closed the car door, and looked toward the village.

It was only eight, but not a single light was on in the village.

Only the pale moonlight fell over it, making the village seem even colder and more desolate.

Now and then, the eerie cries of a tomcat in heat rang out, sounding like a baby crying.

He picked up his backpack and followed the route from earlier into the mountains. A cool breeze stirred, and the air wasn't nearly as humid as it was in the city.

Unknown creatures darted through the forest from time to time, adding a touch of wonder.

About an hour later, the familiar cliff came into view.

He looked up. The rock face was blurry in the darkness, like a monster lying in wait.

He could just make out several pines standing on the summit, like horns on the monster's head.

He looked away, his gaze gradually growing calm.

That was right. Not three days from now—tonight. He was going to pick the Black Spiral Grass tonight.

Of course, having someone keep watch would make things much safer.

But he would never forget one saying.

On a sheer cliff, a lone tree became a mountain. A person had to rely on himself.

A true extreme-sports challenger only looked inward for strength. He never pinned his hopes on someone else.

Most of the time, the only things people could rely on were their own hands and their own will.

Just like when he'd challenged Ultimate Trust. He'd died, but the program hadn't made a mistake.

At the root of it, he simply hadn't been strong enough.

He took a box of magnesium powder out of his backpack and clipped it to his waist, then took out a headlamp and put it on.

The headlamp's beam swept across the rock face, illuminating less than five square meters. Against the cliff, the lit patch looked tiny.

A few minutes later, he'd mapped out a route. He slapped some magnesium powder onto his hands, found a foothold, and began climbing.

"Whoosh—"

Gripping a protrusion in the rock, he closed his eyes and adjusted his breathing and heartbeat, feeling the long-missed tremor in his body.

It left him excited, and a little restless.

Some people said that once you'd challenged the Ozaki Eight, fear would leave you.

That wasn't true. It wasn't that you stopped feeling fear; it was that you dared to face any fear.

Even with his body trembling and his heart quaking, he still dared to climb toward the mountain.

As someone who had once conquered Master of Fate and challenged Ultimate Trust, he couldn't bring himself to back down.

If he couldn't even try rock climbing, what he'd been best at in his previous life, and failed at that too... then he might as well die all over again.

He opened his eyes and looked up. Countless stars flickered beyond the dark cliff, showing him the way.

The right time, the right place, and the right person.

Everything was in place.