A Person Must Rely on Themselves

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

The moss felt prickly and somewhat slimy to the touch, mixed with patches of transparent mucus.

He took a quick look, grabbed a vine, and gave it a tug; it was less than half a finger thick, but it didn't snap after a few pulls.

It was reasonably tough, but since the roots were anchored in the rock crevices, it clearly couldn't support the weight of a grown man.

He estimated he would fall after climbing only a few meters.

He looked up to observe the cliff, which was made entirely of stone and had a solid, grayish-black appearance.

Stepping back a few paces, he surveyed the area for a moment before pointing toward the old pine trees at the top of the cliff.

"Old man, I'm going back to buy some climbing ropes. When the time comes, I'll hang them from there, and I'd like you to help me keep an eye on them."

The old man looked up, observed the spot through his binoculars for a while, then clicked his tongue and frowned.

"Teacher Lin, this is too dangerous."

"This is the shaded side; the moss up there is thick and too slippery. It's impossible for a person to get a foothold."

"You can afford to spend so much money on Dieluo Seed, so you clearly aren't short on cash. There's no need to take this risk."

He couldn't understand why this Teacher Lin would risk his life to pick this stuff.

Although wild ones were better than farmed ones, Teacher Lin didn't seem like someone who lacked money; couldn't he just buy the real thing?

Lin Ye couldn't help but rub his fingertips together, his smile stiffening slightly.

"It's settled. I'll come to pick them in three days. I'll give you twenty percent of the take, which should be about five plants."

"Or I can just give you two thousand in cash, whichever you prefer."

Even though the mountain goods in the wild were ownerless, it was still the old man who had found the location.

If he had to find this out-of-the-way spot on his own, he probably wouldn't have found it even after ten days of searching.

Besides, it wasn't easy for the old man and his grandson to live in these mountains, so he should let them earn a little.

All things considered, as long as he sold these Black Spiral Grass, he would still be making a huge profit.

He just wasn't sure if there was a discrepancy between the market price of Black Spiral Grass and the acquisition price on the school's internal network.

If it was the same situation as the Dieluo Seed, then...

However, even if he lost money, he would accept it; business always carried the risk of loss alongside the potential for profit.

"No, no, you've already helped me a great deal by paying such a high price for this old man's Dieluo Seed. I can't take any more."

The old man waved his hands hurriedly; it was hard to find a good person like Teacher Lin!

"This old man only regrets that his body isn't what it used to be, otherwise I would have gone up to pick them myself and certainly wouldn't have let Teacher Lin take this risk."

"Just let me know when you're coming, and I'll definitely watch the ropes for you!"

"Don't you worry! If there's any accident, I won't let you go on your way alone! I've already bought my accidental death insurance! I've just been waiting for a chance to use it!"

As the sky grew dark, outside the "Lin's" large chain supermarket in Coast City.

Lin Ye carried his backpack and opened the car door of the Wuling Hong'an he had rented temporarily from a dealership.

It was past the operating hours for the shuttle to Yamada Village, and a taxi would cost a hundred, plus the return trip, so renting a car was more efficient.

Ninety-nine yuan for 24 hours—cheap, high-quality, and worth every penny.

He sat in the driver's seat and buckled his seatbelt, but before he could start the engine, his phone vibrated twice.

Hm?

He pulled his phone from his pocket to check it; it was a message from Yan Yi.

[Yan Yi]: "Senior brother, the dojo sent a notice that the head coach will be teaching a session in person tomorrow. It starts at eight in the morning, don't forget to come."

The head coach?

Lin Ye looked at his phone screen. The dojo he had signed up for was just a branch, with three coaches responsible for daily management.

Each of these three coaches was a formal disciple of the dojo who had at least reached the third level of Soul Whale Fist, and they were all muscular powerhouses.

The coach who taught him, Lei Long, was the strongest among them.

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

Besides these three coaches, there was also a mysterious head coach, whom he had only heard about from some of the older students.

It was said that this head coach had long been a master at the fifth level of Soul Whale Fist and had once demonstrated the terrifying feat of crushing iron into mud in front of everyone.

He had taken an iron ball the size of a duck egg and molded it into brass knuckles with his bare hands.

"Alright, I understand. Thank you," he replied.

"Buzz buzz~~"

[Yan Yi]: "You're welcome, senior brother. [Smile.jpg]"

[Yan Yi]: "By the way, Senior Brother, I can already feel that I'm about to cultivate a sense of Qi. You'd better not let me leave you too far behind."

Looking at the message, Lin Ye smiled.

According to Yan Yi's own estimation, she would likely cultivate a sense of Qi by tomorrow, making her the fastest among their batch of students to master the first level of the Soul Whale Fist.

"Alright, I'll do my best."

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

"See you tomorrow."

He put away his phone and started the vehicle. The engine roared to life, causing pedestrians in front of the mall to scatter.

"Vroom!"

With a stomp on the gas pedal, the Wuling Hong'an surged onto the road and sped away.

More than half an hour later, the Wuling Hong'an flew across the mountain road and came to a screeching halt in front of the stone bridge at Yamada Village.

"Bang."

Lin Ye stepped out of the car, shut the door, and took a look at the village.

It was only eight o'clock, yet there wasn't a single light to be seen in the village.

Only the pale moonlight spilled down, making the village appear even more desolate and cold.

Occasionally, the eerie, screeching cry of a cat in heat could be heard, sounding just like a human infant wailing.

He picked up his backpack and followed the route he had taken during the day into the mountains. The breeze was cool, lacking the heavy humidity of the city.

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

About an hour later, the familiar cliff appeared before his eyes.

He looked up; the cliff face was blurred in the night, resembling a monster lying in wait.

He could vaguely see a few pine trees standing tall on the summit, like horns on the beast's head.

He withdrew his gaze, his eyes gradually calming down.

That's right, it wasn't three days from now—it was tonight. Tonight, he would pluck these Black Spiral Grasses.

Admittedly, having someone watching would certainly provide more security.

But he would always remember one thing.

Standing on the edge of a precipice, a lone tree makes a mountain; a person must rely on themselves.

A qualified extreme sports challenger only seeks strength from within and never pins their hopes on others.

Most of the time, all a person can rely on is their own two hands and their will.

Just like when he challenged the Ultimate Trust back then; although he died, the procedure had not failed.

At its core, it was simply a lack of ability.

He took a box of magnesium powder from his backpack, hung it on his waist, and then put on his headlamp.

The beam of the headlamp swept across the cliff, illuminating an area of less than five square meters, appearing incredibly tiny against the vast mountain.

A few minutes later, having mapped out his route, he clapped some magnesium powder onto his hands and found a spot to begin his climb.

"Hoo—"

Gripping a protrusion on the rock wall, he closed his eyes slightly, adjusted his breathing and heartbeat, and felt the long-lost trembling of his body.

This made him somewhat excited, somewhat restless.

Someone once said that after you challenge the Ozaki Eight, fear will leave you.

Actually, that's not the case. It's not that you don't feel fear, but that you dare to face any fear head-on.

Even if the body is shaking and the soul is trembling, one still dares to look at the mountain and climb.

As someone who had once conquered the Master of Fate and challenged the Ultimate Trust, this spirit made it impossible for him to choose retreat.

If he didn't even dare to attempt the rock climbing he was best at in his past life, or if he were to fail at it... then he might as well just die again.

He opened his eyes and looked upward. The stars in the sky flickered behind the dark cliff, guiding his way.

Heaven's timing, geographical advantage, and human harmony.

Everything was ready.